How one decision led me to living in Bergen

It’s incredible how quickly one decision can alter the course of your life. I started The Northbound Archives as a space to document and record my time living in Bergen, Norway, my love for the Nordics and travel journeys. I hope that it will be a resource for others interested in Nordic travel, and a way for me to understand my new home better. So here’s my journey so far, from the bustle of London life to starting a new chapter in Bergen, Norway’s historic capital and the cosiest city in Europe.

I grew up in London, and spent most of my twenties working corporate marketing roles in the city. I spent half my salary on dingy and depressing accommodation. By the age of 28, I was tired of city life and the hustle. I wanted travel, freedom, and a new start. Working remotely during the pandemic and the rise of digital nomadism suddenly made that seem more achievable than ever.

I spoke to my manager and told him my plans. I work for a small charity publisher in marketing, with a truly wonderful team and working culture, so they were very supportive of me going fully remote and reducing my hours a little. And that was it, I was ready! 

In August, I gave up my rental flat. I moved all of my stuff back to my mum’s house, and left the UK with only a backpack and carry-on suitcase. Looking back, I’m incredibly grateful that I work for such a supportive employer, as this whole adventure never would have happened without them.

My first stop was Copenhagen, where I stayed in a hostel, made new friends and danced all night at the Pride parade. It was my first taste of freedom, and I was drunk on it. There was definitely a period of adjustment when it came to balancing work and play, but I came to realise that I loved solo travel. 

I’d never felt more alive and free in my life, getting up early to walk through the streets of Copenhagen with a pastry before going back to my hostel to log on to emails. Every day felt full of possibilities, novelty and excitement. I experienced so many ‘firsts’ and said yes to everything, determined to enjoy every moment. It was an adrenaline high, and even though I knew it wouldn’t last forever, I still look back on those memories as some of the best times of my life.

I know that perhaps solo travel isn’t for everyone. But for me at least, I felt like my eyes had been opened. I was stronger, braver, more confident and capable than I ever had before. Suddenly I was in control of my own destiny, and that feeling was empowering.

After spending time in Copenhagen and Iceland, I arrived in Bergen (Norway’s second largest city) in October 2022. I was planning to stay for a month to focus on work, slow travel and hike some mountains. As a city girl, I had very little experience hiking mountains so this was a novel experience for me. And it turned out that I loved it. 

In Bergen, I stayed in a fantastic hostel called Hostel Montana where I made friends with the volunteers and joined them on regular activities. I quickly fell in love with Bergen and its seven surrounding mountains, cosy cafes and traditional Scandinavian style houses. It was small, quaint, with walkable cobble-stoned streets, historic areas like Bryggen, and direct access to amazing nature.

Bergen is also an autumn city at its core, and I felt immediately at home there. I could imagine myself living in Norway. Sometimes I would fantasise about it. Usually while sipping a coffee in my favourite Starbucks that looked like a real life gingerbread house.

I was single at the time, and enjoying having a hot girl summer era. So I got on Hinge and quickly matched with a cute American expat living and working in Bergen as an academic researcher. We bonded in the chat over a shared love of anime, and met up that same evening. Time was short, and at the time my attitude towards life was ‘do it for the plot.’ For our first date, we accidentally got pulled into an outdoor concert where we were given flaming torches and watched a fireworks display. All within 20 minutes of meeting. 

It turned out to be a pretty great first date. We bonded in McDonalds over a shared wrapper of chicken nuggets (classy, I know) and I realised that we were both nerdy, slightly awkward but genuine people with a lot in common.

What followed was many more dates during my last two weeks in Bergen. These ranged from hikes to cosy nights in cooking dinner and a surprise Halloween party! I already had a plane ticket booked to Croatia though. And though he wanted something serious, I wasn’t ready for a relationship. I was still healing from a break-up at the time, and wanted to enjoy my newfound independence and solo travel. So I continued with my journey and we stayed in touch as friends. But perhaps what they say about finding love when you least expect it is true. 

He visited me in London over Christmas, and 7 months later flew half way across the world to New Zealand to do a 3 week road trip around the country with me. Somewhere between hiking in Mt. Cook national park and seeing glaciers in real life, the idea of a real relationship suddenly started seeming less scary.

By the end of our time in New Zealand, accepting his offer to spend 3 months living in Bergen with him was an easy yes.

So nearly a year later, I returned to Bergen for the second time. That autumn, I got to truly experience what it was like to call Norway home. I also learnt so much more about Norwegian culture from the friends I made.

As my new relationship blossomed and I let myself fall in love, my relationship with Bergen deepened too. I was no longer just seeing it from the outside. Now I was part of it, and it was part of me.

We travelled around the country taking road trips to destinations that seemed too beautiful to exist. Hiked all seven mountains of Bergen through sun and rain. My fitness levels improved greatly from all the outdoors activities, and hiking quickly became one of my favourite hobbies.

On my days off, I would sometimes wander through Bergen and marvel at its beauty. The novelty still hadn’t worn off. I would sit at the old Starbucks, the one where I once fantasised about calling this city home, and realise that I was living that dream.

It’s been 2 years since then, and we’re planning to get engaged next year. I’ll then be able to apply for permanent residence and truly say that I live in Bergen. I’m so excited for all of this to come, and so glad that I trusted my intuition and said yes to meeting a stranger off Hinge all those years ago.

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