Dreaming of // Wanderlusting

On our new TV we have Chromecast, and after a show is done casting, a slideshow with all these really pretty nature photographs starts running. Naturally, it makes me want to travel. It's a good thing I have a few trips to look forward to the next months!

Bergen, Norway
This pretty city is always on our travel list, since my parents and two of my siblings live there. Especially now that I am an aunt I wish the distance was a lot shorter so we could have Sunday dinners and play with the kids!

Ljungskile, Sweden
A good friend and former roommate is getting married this spring, and the festivities will happen in a small town in Sweden where she currently lives. I don't get invited to a ton of weddings, and especially not cross-cultural ones, so this will be exciting.

Ebeltoft, Denmark
This summer we are renting a house with my side of the family in Denmark. Look at this, it is practically on the ocean! I can't wait for all that fresh air, eating good food and hanging out with the family. A daytrip to Aalborg to visit the new library there is defnitely on my to-do list for this vacation.

The USA
It will also be time to visit the in-laws this summer, so we are heading to Augusta, Georgia. We have talked about a possible weekend trip to Charleston, South Carolina while we are there, and I hope it works out, cause I would love to see more of the South this time. Hopefully I will manage to squeeze in a trip to Colorado as well. It is always such a treat to see my friends there, and Denver is a fun city.

Mike and I have also talked about how much we would love a super chill beach vacation at some all-inclusive place. Just for a week or so to really relax and soak up some sun while reading a stack of books. It isn't on our schedule yet, but it is a nice thing to dream about.

Whew, what a list! But that's not all. Having friends coming to visit almost feels like a vacation as well, dont you think? So we look forward to having people come here to Skien too, and interrupt our daily life and force us out of routines. Are you planning any fun trips soon?

Songs for Colorado

Yesterday I had a moment of missing my friends in Colorado. But I also discovered these Songs for Colorado by Gungor, and the sounds and pictures filled my heart with joy.

Download the EP for free, or give a tip to the relief fund for flood victims in Colorado.

Have a wonderful weekend!

The Denver coffee tourist

Cortado at Two Rivers

Denver is a really fun city, and I can highly recommend it as a travel destination. My wonderful host, Lyndee, planned for us to try a new coffee place every day, and I did not mind sticking to that plan. There are several small roasting companies in the area, and the coffee shops/bars also experiment with new brewing techniques. Since Lyndee knows the owner of one coffee shop, she also gets some inside information on the newest and latest in the rest of the Denver coffee world.

It has been a joy both to experience the work, presentation, and craftmanship that goes into making the coffee, and of course, enjoy the variety of flavors. I can´t say I am an expert in coffee tasting, but I really enjoyed all these places, and would recommend them if you are a coffee lover too.

Places we went to (in chronological order):
- Happy Coffee. Great place in the coolest neigborhood. The Mayan theater is great, and there are lots of fun little shops and Sweet Action, an awesome ice cream place.
- Black Eye coffee shop. In addition to good coffee, they have a cool interior, and they even sell fresh produce in the summer!
- Boxcar Coffee. This place has developed its own brewing method especially for the high altitude in the Denver area, and they did it well. For some reason, they even gave us free coffee, perhaps because not many travel out of their way to get there on Saturdays. If you dont know where it is, I guarantee you won´t find it!
- Corvus Coffee Roasters. As the name tells, these guys roast their own coffee, and the caramels on the counter were divine.
- Purple Door Coffee. The only place I didnt have coffee, but their chai is good. Also, this place is so much more than your normal coffee shop. They employ homeless youth, which is a good enough reason to go there, dont you think?
- Two Rivers Craft Coffee Company. Amazing coffee, the best people! Lyndee knows a lot of the baristas there, and consequently, so do I as well. A wonderful place to end our coffee adventures.

The ones we didn't make it too, but wanted to:
- Novo Coffee
- Crema Coffee House

The big city life

The fourth and last glimpse of my Colorado vacation: the city! 

The Mayan Theatre. Pure old fashioned bliss. And Wes Anderson´s "Moonrise Kingdom" did not disappoint us!

A beautiful dome. 

Capitol Hill with the Mile High Step

The day we were close to fainting in the 100 degree weather

Scandinavians at heart

Whether full-bred Scandinavian, some Norwegian ancestry or just generally Scandophile, my traveling companions and I not only stop for anything Scandinavian, we seek it out!

We stumbled upon this store in cute little Georgetown.

The gals at the Scandinavian Midsummer Festival.

Watching people dance around the May pole. 

Also, there were vikings, old people dancing traditional Norwegian, Swedish and German folk dance. And of course, Elin Palmer, as I wrote about earlier. It was great to share our love for the place we all have called home at some point, and I am thankful to have friends all over the world who know and love my nation! 

The traveller has returned

After a couple of weeks of blog break it is hard to know where to start. Should I write about hiking and nature, great food, magical music or the exceptional Denver heat?? I´ll start of with a view of the mountains. They are truly gorgeous!

From the Denver skyline.

To the Denver outback.

Look at that! Mt. Bierstadt, one of the Fourteeners.

If you dont believe I climbed it, here is the proof. 

Days later, we still couldnt believe we did it either...

And just for the record, 14,060 feet is 4285 meters.

PS. You can also head on over to Lyndee´s blog to see a different perspective on some of our adventures.