We have a new Blog about Scandinavia and our insider's view with our custom travel and tours. Please continue to follow our blog posting on our new blog Insider's Scandinavia - Great Places to Go and Things to do!This space is dedicated to sharing our unique and personal experience in Scandinavia so that you can gain some insight and begin to get a flavor of this part of the world that we love so much. Each of our staff travels to Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Greenland, Russia and the Baltics to explore the cities, special features and accommodations of our trips. What better way to tell you about it than to have our staff write about Scandinavia and share it with you in their own words? Ashley, travel specialist, joined us in 2005 and is discovering Scandinavia with “fresh” eyes.
Discovering Norway: In My Backyard and Abroad
When I was younger, my friends and I used to ride our bikes to Mt. Horeb to swim in the local pool. The homecoming stretch was always viewed as making it through the downtown area. It wasn’t that the traffic was bad or the hills too steep, but that we were inevitably confronted by a tiny army of wide-eyed and smiling life-size wooden trolls. They would stand proudly in front of storefronts, peek mischievously from behind trees, or just relax in the middle of a traffic median. No one offered any explanation for these trolls and to a bunch of eight year olds, this veil of mystery made them all the more fascinating. Where did they come from? Why were they so happy?
“I think the one holding the flower pot just moved,” my friend would announce nervously as we waited fro the traffic light.
“Shh…just don’t look at it. The light is almost green anyway,” I would whisper. A few years later, my grandmother took my brothers and I on a day trip to Little Norway, a reconstructed village depicting early life in Scandinavia, and the mystery of the trolls was revealed. Apparently, they come from Norway. As I meandered my way about the houses perched quietly on stilts, I wondered what kind of country this funny little place called “Norway” was really like. Do trolls really roam the hillsides? Do all of their spoons have such pretty floral designs? Do people always dress in such medieval costumes? It wouldn’t be until I began working for The Nordic Company in 2005 that my childhood curiosities would finally be answered.
Jerry Norsman was patient and welcomed me into the Nordic Company team where I discovered a passion for a very special part of the world that I never knew existed. Suddenly, the Midwest became a new and exciting place to live as the heart of Scandinavian heritage. Did I know what rosmaling was? Had I ever tried Acquivit? Would I like to celebrate Syttendae Mai? And most importantly…had I ever traveled to Scandinavia?
Whether you feel beckoned to connect with your roots or simply want to share in the spirit of Scandinavia, travel to Norway is an unforgettable experience. We also encourage you to explore Finland travel, Iceland travel, St. Petersburg travel and Sweden travel. The Nordic Company specializes in independent travel and group travel to all of these destinations and is here to help you plan your journey.
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