while traveling is great fun for me, the idea of doing so with friends is even better. we immediately abandoned our plans to go to slovenia for sportslov (sweden's week long sport's break) and instead tagged along with our friends despina, george, and their daughter marilena.
trysil, a norwegian classic, is the largest destination for skiing in norway that swedes travel to. located close to the swedish border, it's about a 6-hour drive from stockholm.
the resort, trysilfjället, has two sides, and on the south side, where we stayed, you find long wide slopes for all levels, a children's area, restaurants, bars, and a teeny main street with a couple of sports shops and cafes.
most cabins and hotels are located right by the slopes, which means that you never have to walk far – it’s ski-in, ski-out. while there are no real views, unlike our visits to the dolomites and the pyrenees mountains, it was quaint and convenient. even after the sun goes down, some slopes have floodlights for night skiing, which kai took advantage of. my boys are experienced riders, and while there is not an abundance of choice, they did manage to ride a few black slopes despite the lack of snow this year.
while our hubbies and kiddos skied/snowboarded, despina and i took it easy. we met up for chai lattes, lunched with our people (i won't even give you an example of how much a sandwich and a coffee will cost you), had a spa day, and enjoyed an afternoon of snowshoeing too.
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| marilena and i loved the chicken sandwich served with the perfect fries |
one morning we let the sweetest huskies show us the way through norwegian's beautiful unspoiled nature on a dog-sledding tour. while i was a little apprehensive at the start, it was magic.
such peaceful surroundings on this easy snowshoe stroll. while it wasn't strenuous (like my grouse ascents in vancouver), i enjoyed sharing this favourite activity with despina. and the hot chocolate was a treat.
we tried to see the northern lights but to no avail. i don't think seeing a wavy green streak in the sky for just a moment counts, nor does this photo below, taken and photoshopped by our guide. but, we did experience frigid temperatures, it was freezing!
our stay at the radisson blu was really convenient. they had a lounge where we could enjoy pre-dinner drinks, the boys enjoyed a dip in the pool, despina and i pampered ourselves with a spa treatment and we went bowling too. yes, they had a bowling alley, and it was such a fun evening! although someone (i won't say if it was me or maybe george) was a bit competitive but all in good fun.
best of all, we were just a hop and skip away from our friend's rental apartment. depsina and stefan cooked, so we enjoyed good food and drink, we played games, and just relaxed in the company.
i will look back on these special moments fondly... until the next time!
we didn't manage to make it into town, but on our way home, we stopped by kort och godt for the highly recommended solbullar ('sun buns')... a delicious vanilla cream-filled pastry.
vacations are always better with friends! thank you, despina, george, and marilena. we look forward to more hangouts back in stockholm.
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