Third Time in Norway

This is my third time in Norway — and this time, I came just to be here. To stay for a while. I often forget how lucky I am to have an online job that allows me this freedom. But sometimes I wonder if it’s really luck, or just another way to feed this deep, constant feeling of being unrooted. I know it won’t last forever. Probably it will end once I have a child — though even that is just a vague thought at this point. I’m not even sure I really believe in it.

Maybe this way of living is partly a way of escaping the cycle of doing work that doesn’t feel fully aligned with who I am. At the same time, I don’t have the courage to step into something that would feel more truthful — maybe because that would mean being more tied down. I often ask myself: is my idea of freedom really about being able to live anywhere I want? Probably yes. I won’t lie to myself. But more than that, I crave the freedom to rest. To really disconnect. To not always be “on.”

Even though it may look like I’m on vacation all the time, I’m not. I’m constantly working — everywhere, all the time. I don’t even remember the last time I took a proper break, like a full 14 days off. Maybe once a year. It’s just not the norm. And that’s exhausting in ways I don’t always admit.

Oslo – 5 days layover

It was my first time there, and it felt amazing to experience those endless summer days. It also gave us time to tune back into each other with M. We stayed with Tomi and Pomi, and I kept thinking about how unnatural the heat felt. Something about it was just off. Oslo brought me back to the ground in a way — the kind of conversations people have there are often very general: things like the growing gap between rich and poor, how great the social system is in Norway, and so on. One night at Mercury Bar, we met a really interesting, very business-oriented guy from the Philippines. He pointed out something I sometimes forget — that we really are doing whatever we want. Like spending the winter in Tromsø, and then just deciding to come back to Oslo for a month, just because we feel like it. That’s not something everyone can say. And honestly, I don’t want to live any other way. I don’t want to follow someone else’s rules. Isn’t this what it’s all about — living life on your own terms?

Tromsø

Now I’m in Tromsø. All the way up north. And honestly, it feels like a dream. We arrived during what must have been the warmest two weeks in a long time — temperatures reached 27, even 30 degrees, and the sun just never set. Full-on midnight sun. I had never experienced anything like it. It felt like paradise. The energy, the light, the freedom. It’s impossible to explain how the 24-hour daylight changes your inner rhythm. You start to forget what time even means.

One evening I was riding back from the gym on a free Red Cross bike. I had just met Richard from Slovakia and a few guys from Ukraine. We’d spent a couple of hours talking about life, jobs, language, and food. There was so much warmth and openness in that conversation. And then there I was, biking through the bright, golden city at 11 PM, with the sun high above the mountains. I had this sudden realization: I hadn’t paused for months. Since June started, it’s been non-stop.

So much had happened. I had barely been at home — though honestly, where even is home now? I don’t have anything stable. No flat, no long-term base. I guess my mom’s place is still some kind of anchor. But mostly, I’m floating.

My dad passed away recently. It brought a lot of reflection. I had been preparing for it for years, yet when it finally happened, it still felt like a shock. Too fast. Too final. The version of him that could still talk — that version is gone forever. That’s what I miss the most. That sense that he was still here in some way. Now when I think of him, I get tears in my eyes. Not out of fear, but because of the memory. And maybe a silent hope that he’s finally at peace. That his soul is somewhere lighter now.

Being in Tromsø is soothing. I think I really enjoy having a routine. Every morning, I go down to the ocean and swim in the ice-cold sea. What I love about it is how it silences my mind. I have a hard time just sitting still in meditation — but in that freezing water, I just am. No thinking. No future, no past. Just the shock of cold and the sound of seagulls. Sometimes Cosma stands on the shore and waits, almost frozen herself, until I come out. We look at each other, and I feel something close to peace. I love running here. The landscapes are truly breathtaking, and being outside fills me with this quiet kind of ecstasy. Which is funny, because I don’t even like running that much. I feel isolated sometimes, and a little confused. I feel like I want to be in Prague or in a city, but once I’m there, I just want to be far away again. I’m afraid of money — of not managing if I stop working all the time. And yet, I know the universe will catch me. Strange, isn’t it?

Hikes around Tromsø

One amazing thing about the north is that you can reach beautiful hikes just by using local public transport. Here are some pictures from the ones we did. I absolutely loved seeing reindeer for the first time on Kvaløya Island.

Senja

We rented a semi-electric car — pretty advanced, actually. At first, we wanted to take a ferry, but we missed it, so we ended up driving a long detour that took about four hours. That night, we saw the midnight sun for the first time. We talked with a very chatty German guy, got scolded for being naked on a public beach, and even had a local policeman threaten to report us because Cosma barked at some kids. That’s something I do worry about — how Cosma reacts to children. What if she barks at mine one day?

We first heard about Senja from a girl we hitchhiked with on the Lofoten Islands. She told us it was like Lofoten but less touristy. We had Senja in our minds for a long time after that. And now, finally, we made it. The mountains were stunning, but it all felt quite different — maybe because we weren’t on a big journey with backpacks like we were in Iceland or Lofoten. That kind of trip lets you forget about daily life and just drift. This was something else. And maybe right now, that kind of Arctic adventure doesn’t even call to me. I feel like I need a routine. I don’t want to be somewhere far away with just a backpack. That scares me, the idea of not having work — what would I do? Would I be anxious with nothing to fill the day? How do you even plug yourself into something meaningful? And what is meaningful to me, really?

 

…There was simply no space to finish this article. But we also visited these places. And it was beautiful! 

KVALOYA – the island where Norweigans go to spend their beach time in summer

STORSTEINNEN MOUNTAIN 

Tromsalstinden