Here’s another look back at our past six weeks. There have been plenty of developments and news, so we hope you enjoy the read :-).
Spontaneous Adventures
On a sunny Friday afternoon in July, Nanda was happily photographing in the Botanical Gardens of Oslo with David, a participant from the Diversify business/work/integration program in early June. David wanted to pick up some of her photography tips. Later, Loren, a friend of his, joined in. It turned out to be a very inspiring and enjoyable day.
While Nanda was busy there, Martijn sent her a message: he had spontaneously booked a cabin in the hills for that evening and Saturday night :-). After the photography session, it was a quick trip home to pack up and set off for Grau via a beautiful train journey.
It was a stunning place with breathtaking views over the hills and colorful sunsets. We also hiked about 20 kilometers there. As mentioned before, it’s not flat here, so hiking is quite different from in the Netherlands. Halfway through, Martijn decided to take a steep mountain path in his ongoing quest for blueberries and other juicy adventures (read: muddy trails!), while Nanda thought it wiser to stick to the hard road.
The plan was to meet up again after about 2 kilometers. The clear instruction for Nanda: go straight, first paved road on the right. That first road on the right turned out to be a bit confusing for someone, causing a certain unnamed person to extend the route a bit longer. More time for Martijn to enjoy the stunning views and blueberries.
To the Netherlands for Rotary & Photo Expo
Norway continues to pleasantly surprise us almost every day, but sometimes (well, often) you just need to go back to the Netherlands. At the end of June, Martijn spontaneously flew back to the Netherlands for the Rotary Board Transition: a pleasant gathering with all Rotarians that this year was themed “PIT.” This was reflected, among other things, by the heavy rain showers that plagued this otherwise beautiful day. Of course, he took the opportunity to do some gardening in Altweerterheide as well.
On September 14th, the next short trip to the Netherlands is planned, this time together! Martijn will participate in the "Greep naar de Hoorn" in Weert, a one-day corporate competition hoping to raise a lot of money for local charities. Nanda will be flying back home for work that weekend, as it’s also the opening weekend of an art exhibition at De Nispenhoeve in Prinsenbeek, where Nanda will showcase some works from her “Stardust” series. More information will follow soon, so keep an eye on our socials.
Healthy Lifestyle
Meanwhile, Martijn continues to tirelessly pedal away on his bike for his daily commute. When he says he’s going for a small detour, he means about 40 kilometers through the hills. Nowadays, he often bikes twice a day, to work and back. The results are starting to show. Martijn enjoys his work and sends Nanda daily envious photos of his healthy lunch at DNB. Nanda has also embraced a more active lifestyle, working out in our own “indoor gym” and aiming to walk at least 10,000 steps each day.
Car Talk
This month, we also went to Sweden again to do some cheaper grocery shopping. During this trip, Martijn had a blast seeing the many orchards and the warning signs for crossing wildlife: “If a moose eats apples, do you get apple mousse?”
Aside from funny conversations, we also talk about our dreams in the car. These were sparked by a tip from our landlord for a day trip. Near Moss, there’s a farm with an art gallery, fruit trees, a café, beautiful gardens, and much more. Martijn immediately responded, “That’s my big dream.”
In the car, we continued dreaming about our own farm with a private forest, orchards, a picking garden, a brewery, and a gallery. Who knows! Our dreams might fit nicely into this vision. There are literally dozens of farmhouses for sale here, at prices where you’d only get a terraced house in the Netherlands… who knows what the future holds…
Road Trip
We’re busy preparing for our summer vacation, and we often get asked where we’re going. Well, we’re staying within “our own” country. As usual, Martijn has mapped out a beautiful (car) route. In two weeks, we’ll embark on our road trip through mountains, fjords, lakes, glaciers, skywalks, and more. We hope the weather cooperates, as we’ll be visiting Bergen, a city where it rains more than 300 days a year.
Apple Syrup, Nasi Spices, and Peanut Butter
This week, we had our first visitors from the Netherlands. Gina and Ger are traveling in their camper for two months and are now staying at a campsite not too far from us. Gina sent a message to Nanda, and soon a fun day in Ski and Oslo was planned. Martijn had specially baked a cake with fresh blueberries that he picked in the woods last weekend. Yep, those blueberries are becoming a theme…
It turned out to be a very pleasant day, with Nanda guiding Gina and Ger around Oslo. We visited the famous tiger, the Bjørvika district where Martijn works, the library, the opera house, walked along the waterfront, and enjoyed delicious Italian food at Olivia.
Before Gina and Ger left for Scandinavia, they asked what we miss here. Apple syrup, nasi spices, and peanut butter, so we’re set for a while :-). Thank you, Gina and Ger!
By the way, Gina asked who writes this blog. And maybe others wonder about that too. We do it together. Nanda usually writes the draft version, and then Martijn adds a bit of his humor :-). And blueberries.
How is it for Nanda?
Gina and Ger also asked how Nanda is finding it here. It’s actually going very well. There are nice developments, and she keeps herself busy. She’s still working for Nature Talks and NPOTY, which was particularly busy at the end of June and early July due to the preparations for the jury days of the Nature Photographer of the Year contest (NPOTY).
Exciting Question
Magnus, one of the organizers of the Norwegian Nature Photography Festival in Ski, called Nanda on a Saturday afternoon with a rather exciting question: if she would like to give a lecture at the Norwegian Nature Photography Festival in Ski for no less than 400 people! He’s very impressed by her personal work and unique photos with a story. It’s great to hear, of course. Nanda hasn’t said “yes” yet, as she finds it terrifying ;-). Although many say it’s a great opportunity to give her business and name recognition a significant boost.
Nanda also had a photo date with Marthe and Björn (also from the Norwegian Nature Photography Festival) who showed her the “secret places,” a beautiful spot by the sea against a forest. Nature and nature photography remain an important part of her life here as well.
Personal Branding
For the next six months, Nanda has a mentor (Rebeca) through Diversify, who is an expert in personal branding. Rebeca will help Nanda with further developing her business in Norway.
Diversify Nordic Summit
Additionally, Nanda has signed up as a volunteer for the Diversify Nordic Summit in September. The Diversify Nordics Summit is the first conference on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging for Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. There will be 100 speakers from various disciplines. Martijn will probably attend from work with a colleague manager.
Bitterballen
During the European Championship football, we watched the match against Turkey at Café Amsterdam in Oslo. A place best summarized with three H’s: Heineken, Hazes, and Dutchies. A place where Martijn would not be found for a million. But the gift voucher from Nanda’s employer and the knowledge that they also served Duvel was enough to make an exception this once. Thanks to the win, the frikandel speciaal, the Duvel, and the other PSV fans, it turned out to be a fun evening!
A Few More Tidbits:
- On Sundays here, it’s a rest day; for example, you’re not allowed to mow the lawn, or you risk a hefty fine. Fortunately, our landlord told us this just before Martijn was about to start the gasoline mower. Instead, we went for a walk to pick blueberries.
- We also had a roe deer in the garden (no, not the increasingly fit one of Martijn, but one with four legs that we also call a deer), probably lost from the forest. It was beautiful to see, and since it mainly grazed in the neighbors’ garden, we let it roam around for a day.
- Norway has dozens of savings banks and ‘regular’ banks. Long live the competition (says the consumer), as the savings interest rate here is 4.7%.
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