Welcome to The Norway Xperience Blog: Follow Me on a Journey of Discovery

Are you ready to explore the secrets and curiosities of Norway's culture and history? If so, you can join my journey as I discover more about my Norwegian heritage.

An old log cabin with a red door and white windows stands in the middle of a snowy mountain landscape. Several other old buildings are scattered around the cabin, some with chimneys and some with fences. The sky is dark. — My neighbours cabin in the mountains of Eggedal.

Norway has a long and rich history, a vibrant and diverse culture, and a stunning and varied landscape surrounded by fjords and snow-covered mountaintops. And to top it all off, Norway has some really quirky traditions, like reading crime thrillers during Easter or eating a creamy bowl of rice porridge (also called Santa's porridge) during Christmas, hoping you can find the hidden almond that will earn you a sweet marzipan pig. Which I have done many times!

A wooden bowl filled with creamy white rice porridge topped with a pat of butter and a sprinkle of cinnamon and sugar. A wooden spoon rests on the edge of the bowl. Next to the bowl is a pink marzipan pig with black eyes and a curly tail, a traditional Norwegian Christmas treat. — Winning the marzipan pig during Christmas lunsj is so much fun!

I'm a curious and adventurous person who loves to discover new things. But I've realized I have so much to experience and learn about my own country, and I'm super excited to crack on with this goal.

Even though I live in Norway, there are so many fjords, mountain tops, and historical villages I still need to visit. I'm looking forward to learning more about Norway's ancient history and its people, from the Vikings to the Sami.

An elderly woman with long gray hair and a wrinkled face walks in a forest of pine trees. She wears a white shawl made of sheepskin, with the wool facing outwards. She carries a wooden staff in her right hand and looks ahead with a serious expression. — Did you know the days of the week are named after Viking gods?

Follow me as I dig up, uncover, and unravel mysteries, secrets, traditions, and customs while exploring more of Norway's wild landscapes and unique villages. This website is dedicated to sharing my journey of discovery with emphasis on the following topics:

Historical and modern curiosities
Photos and videos from my adventures
Traditions
Discoveries
Recipes anyone can make at home
And much more!

And who am I, you ask? My name is Anne-Ki and I live just outside of Oslo in Norway. I suspect the younger generation would describe me as having reached full maturity, especially since I recently decided to let my grey hairs roam free.

By nature, I'm a positive person with an impulsive side. I enjoy everything from history to knitting and constantly want to learn new things. I worked the corporate game for years but quit the rat race seven years ago to pursue freedom and happiness. That was the best decision I ever made, despite plenty of trials and tribulations since then. You can read more about my story here:

AK Magraff smiling while dressed in warm winter clothes with a furlined hat. Next to the image, there is a text that reads: The Norway Experience. Below the image there is a text that reads: wisdom is welcome wherever it comes from. — Click here if want to read more about my story

The Norway Experience is my second attempt to create a place to write and share stories and adventures. The first attempt failed because I was too focused on writing about things I wasn't passionate about. I listened to "gurus" on the internet telling me how easy it was to make a living online, forgetting that to succeed, one has to bring value while enjoying the process.

My motto, "free to fail," helped me overcome my failure. I decided to chalk the experience up to a good old-fashioned lesson in what not to do. Because even though I failed, I learned so much! I spent months, actually close to a year, on that project and it tanked miserably. However, the skill sets I gained during that time made this new attempt so much easier. It's been invaluable, to be honest. And that's what often happens in life, right? You learn from your mistakes.

So, with a clean slate, I'm again embarking on a new journey. And this time, I'm doing it mainly for myself. If I can entertain anyone along the way or provide some value, that's a great bonus. As they say, sharing is caring.

A pink wooden house with white windows and a red brick roof, surrounded by green trees and bushes. The house is located in Oslo, Norway, and reflects in a calm pond in front of it. The sky is blue and cloudy. — Do you know that wood provides significantly better thermal insulation than brick, stone and concrete?

I have no idea what the next year will bring or what it has in store for me. But instead of feeling dread, I'm exhilarated because I'll be exploring and writing about my Norwegian roots, heritage, and culture while discovering more about myself, too. And so The Norway Experience begins...