I love being outside, so this was a wonderful experience for me, but can you imagine living like this year-round? The biggest challenge with living in the forest is that the weather can be very extreme. Winters are long and cold, and it might be so snowy that all the roads are blocked. Summers can be hot, and this often brings swarms of mosquitoes. Nevertheless, I think the beauty of the woods and all the fascinating wildlife make the challenge worth it.
Is it already time to head to our last stop?
Last stop, the fjords:
We've reached our final destination. Fjords are long, narrow waterways with high, rocky cliffs on either side. The fjords in Norway were formed by the movement of glaciers about 12,000 years ago. People have been living in the fjords for almost as long, so they have many clever ways of adapting to this environment. First, houses are built into the steep hillsides. In order to ensure that they don’t slide down into the sea, they are constructed with very strong materials, such as thick timber. Roofs are often built out of turf – living grass – which insulate against extreme weather and protect the house from rain. Once, I was shocked to see goats on the roof of a house, but I realized they were there to graze the grass so it didn’t get too heavy! There is also an overly abundant food source in the fjords: fish. Fjord communities have relied on fishing for centuries to survive, and it is now one of the most important parts of the Norwegian economy. Can you imagine living in one of the breathtaking Norwegian fjords?
