Weekend In Hafjell
Norwegian Mountain Getway
The fresh smell of cool, clean, crisp mountain air and cozy after ski cabin living ...I don't think it gets any better than the Norwegian mountains during winter. Air so cold and crisp you can feel it penetrating every sense of your body while breathing it in. I can never get enough. Maybe this is the reasoning behind our many trips to the Norwegian mountains during winter. As a Florida native born and raised I always considered myself more of a beach girl, however, Norway is starting to distort this image a bit, and I'm starting to see myself transform into quite the snow bunny. Weekend mountain trips are always great times, but this past weekend was one for the books. Fast cars, fresh powder, after ski bubbly, and awesome company..... Definitely the perfect recipe for the ultimate time.
Nicolai and I set off with two of our good friends Arnhoff and Sølvi for a weekend of fun in one of Norway's most famous mountains, Hafjell. Many times I have visted Trysil and Hemsedal during Easter and on other occassions while living in Norway, but this was my first time making it to Hafjell. Famous for Hosting the 1994 Olympics, the nearby city of Lillehammer and Hafjell is the perfect combination of coziness mixed with a whole lot of afterski fun and awesome slopes. Coming from an American's point of view, Lillehammer is like something out of a story book. The first impression is the small, quiet and quaint appearance of the city that looks like a village you may have read about or seen in your favorite story book. Too cute to be true, with the coziest local coffee shops, cafe's, and boutiques, It makes for the impression of being just that, quiet and quaint. But don't be fooled, as I learned this little unexpected city is actually home to one of the best nightclubs in all of Norway, nominated a few years in a row now. Completely unexpected, yeah, but then again, not really, because if there's one thing I've learned in my time here in Norway now, Its that these vikings really know how to party, no matter where you live in the country!
After venturing into the city of Lillehammer, exploring and showing this all American girl around a city that is as Norwegian as it gets, It was time for some getting lost in the Norwegian mountains with a couple of new little toys. Saturday was all about some droning and some serious drifting with Arnhoff's new AudiR8. What better place to try out the new whip and what it's capable of then at the top of Hafjell?! Yeah, some of us just refuse to adult, and we love it! But it wasn't just about the boys with their toys, us girls got in on the action too, and let loose. Taking the ride for a test spin and proving our drifting abilities to the guys, it was definitely a day filled with action and maybe a few little scares, or so the guys thought. Ha! Whoever came out with the expression "Girls just want to have fun" completely had life all figured out.
After a day of test drives and drifting, what better way to finish the day off then by racing home, throwing on our swimsuits and jumping into the steamy, bubbly hot tub and overlooking the mountainside views of all of Hafjell?! I couldn't think of one! This was most definitely the ultimate ending to our mountain weekend. A hot and steamy jacuzzi under the starry skies or the afternoon sun of the mountains ...honestly, nothing compares!
Although having already made our weekend more than satisfying and perfect, a trip to the Norwegian mountains is NEVER complete without a pit stop at McDonald's! Mine and Nic's biggest decision of our mountain weekends is always whether we want to make a pit stop at McDonald's or to get, what I call "Roadside Burger." YUM!! No matter what diet plan you are on, or lifestyle you live, a pit stop for burger is a MUST! I truly believe Nic won my heart over when he first flew me to Norway, brought me to the Norwegian mountains and fed me my first Norwegian Roadside burger at "Jafs." Oh my gosh, Life Made! Forget all the other nice stuff he did for me, this was the deal breaker, and he completely had me at "Jafs." Haha! The inner foodie in me fell head over heels in love, and its now been a tradition of ours since. No trip to the mountains is any trip worth speaking about unless McDonald's or my beloved Jafs burger is involved. Hey, but no worries, we try and Only stick to this diet plan when heading up to the mountains. Also, just a quick FYI to all of my fellow Americans looking to ever visit Norway in the future. I literally almost fell over when I discoverd that two meals from McDonald's here in Norway will literally cost you $30 U.S. Dollars. Holy Cow! Norway is an extremely expensive country,but as I like to say..."Welcome to Norway!"
And there you have it. Hafjell, some drifting, some droning, hot tub, and McDonald's. I mean, lets be honest, could I possibly imagine a better weekend? I think not!
*Note: I've linked a Norwegian McDonald's menu here, so all of my fellow Americans can see how our menus differ, as we all know, they tend to differ from country to country, and it's pretty interesting to see. Shout out to Norwegian McDonald's for recently coming out with the TRUFFLE BURGER! Whoop Whoop!
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