norway cities in a nutshell. {mary grace}

hello, hello to the US of A! the past couple of months have been quite a whirlwind...but in such a good way! i spent about two weeks at home after our guatemala trip before jetting off to norway. this european trip was a bit spontaneous, as my friend & i only made the final decision to go in early june. but, to say the least, it was one of the best & most beautiful experiences of my life. as students, we made the trip as cheap as possible (although norway is most definitely not the cheapest country ever...) but still got to see and experience so very much.

since it was a pretty lengthy trip (3 weeks) i don't want to document everything we did & saw & overload you with excessive amounts of photos, but instead want to outline it & focus on our cities here & on our hikes in a separate post.

our first two cities were oslo & bergen, where we explored the towns by foot. we really just wandered  around but stumbled upon so many amazing things, both within the city centers and among the outskirts of town. we stayed in some pretty awesome airbnb's (cheap, cheap!) that allowed us to cook meals at home, which we loooooved :). we took the fantastic oslo-bergen train & were amazed by the beauty...and were a bit excited to see some summertime snow!

^^ oslo street view from our cute airbnb. ^^

^^ the architecture was beautiful. ^^

^^ the views from our 7 hour oslo - bergen train ride. absolutely stunning. and...snow! ^^

^^ dinna dinna! we had so much fun cooking together. ^^

^^ a beautiful stroll through bergen & a little snack stop on a chilly day. ^^

^^ city center. ^^

^^ bryggen in bergen: the cutest & quaintest strip of old buildings. ^^

^^ stave church & a bit of exploration with P. ^^

we then moved onto odda for two nights, solely to be near our trolltunga hike (which i'll talk more in depth about in my next post). the scenery outside our hostel was, again, breathtaking. i'm sure i will be constantly saying that :) but, seriously, photos cannot capture the true essence of it all.

^^ yup, our hostel view. ^^

^^ another snack stop with my dutchie while waiting for our departing odda train. ^^

^^ bye bye for now odda. ^^

we then headed to stavanger, where we spent half of our 5 days in the city & half hiking. there was also one particularly rainy day where we stayed mostly indoors, but when we did venture out we had some fun running through the storm :) when we weren't hiking both preikestolen & kjeragbolten (next post), we spent a lot of time exploring the city center. we also had to grab meals in town as we didn't have a kitchen here.

^^ on the ferry. ^^

^^ more colored houses & geo-park graffiti. ^^

we got the chance to return to oslo as it was the city we were flying out of. only two nights, but we were able to explore a different section of the city than before...so, awesome neighborhoods and the neatest museums and parks (picnics!).

^^ how cool is this area?! ^^

thanks for having us, norway! you were absolutely breathtaking & we had the best of times exploring you. P & I will forever cherish the memories of our time here.

xoxo,

mary grace.

guatemala. {mary grace}

it takes a lot to be able to call a place home. where you are born & raised is one story, but what about those places you discover later in life that continue to encourage daily personal growth even once you've become an adult? what about those places that let you run wild, let you explore your freedom, and allow you to discover why life is so joyful? what about those places that welcome you with open arms & break your heart when it's finally time to leave, but leaves you feeling excited because you know 100% that you will soon return?

return because that is how much you love it. 

return because that is how much you consider it to be your home.

this is what guatemala is for me. the small village of san marcos la laguna on lake atitlan, to be specific. the community, the atmosphere, the people, the beauty, the welcoming, the love. it feels like home. i am truly grateful to have found a sanctuary that not only allows me to teach its children and its people about this vast world, but whose people and children teach me more about this vast world and beautiful life than i ever thought imaginable.

this country & this small village of 2,200 has quickly become a very large part of my life & i very much believe that that will never change. after 3 years of returning, my heart still swells with the same love when i arrive & my tears still fall with the same frequency when it is time to leave. 

being able to watch these kids grow up & change year by year makes my heart so happy. what a beautiful place to be able to call home. 

^^ finally arrived at lake atitlan after a 2.5 drive from the beautiful city of antigua. hopped on a launcha (boat) & made our way across the lake to our beloved san marcos. ^^

^^ view from our hotel room balcony. no, it never gets old. ^^

^^ our favorite open-air breakfast spot: moonfish! if you ever find yourself in this little village, do stop by for any meal, as they are all so yummy. my breakfast recommendation: the tofu scramble (spiced tofu w/ lots of veggies + the best rice & beans you will ever eat). ^^

^^ pals: before the rain & after the rain :) ivan, tonny, dilce, timo, juan pequeño, carlos & manfredo. ^^

^^ my dear timo. i've known him since he was just 12 & is now 16. i look back at pictures from our last trip here & he looks like a baby compared to now. they grow up so fast ;) ^^

^^ soccer field! we were down here every single day with the kiddos. ^^

^^ my sweet boys juan & manfredo. ^^

^^ timo baby. ^^

^^ we got invited by timo's family to visit their home. this was the first time we have ever gotten to do something like this, so it was such a special moment for us. we got to meet his beautiful family & the appreciation that they had for the clothing, shoes, & other items that we brought for them was astounding & inspiring. this day will forever live in my heart. ^^

^^ timo is a mini-me of his sweet father...both wearing their new shirts. ^^

^^ us with timo's momma! also wearing her new shirt :) ^^

^^ gabriel, saul, & juan pequeño. ^^

^^ volcan san pedro. we were even crazy enough to hike to the top...10,000 feet altitude! ^^

^^ a hike up to the yoga forest! a must. SUCH a neat atmosphere that appeals to a life of relaxation, meditation, self-sufficiency, horticulture, & yoga. yes, please! ^^

^^ after a 4 hour hike to the top of volcan san pedro, we took a moment to stare in awe at the beauty that surrounded us. i mean, that VIEW. ^^

^^ heading down! passed through mountainside corn fields... ^^

^^ actually the view from standing right outside of timo's house...lucky family ;) ^^

^^ juan pequeño & jonathan. the two of them broke my heart the day we left as they both had big tears rolling down their cheeks. ^^

^^ walking through town hand-in-hand with my sweet boy, manfredo. ^^

^^ jonathan (he found a bunny!), christian, and manfredo. ^^

^^ it was so touching to see the children wear all of the clothes we brought down for them...really shows how much these items are needed here. ^^

^^ the boys love selfies! actually, they are intrigued with the entire camera itself & loooove taking pics. ^^

^^ our last night with our babies. we brought some of the kids out to a big pizza dinner then returned to the field to light up the sparklers we had brought for them. was another special moment for everyone. ^^ 

^^ love, love, love these children. saying goodbye is always so hard but knowing we will be returning in the years to come is what keeps us all smiling through the tears. ^^

see you soon, guat!

xoxo,

mary grace.