2025 Nipissing University TILE Travel Course Norway

By Madisyn Thurley, Business Alas, it is the last day of our travel course in Norway. We started the day bright and early to meet in the lobby of the Anker Hotel at 5:00 am. Moving slowly, we all boarded the airport shuttle and made our way to Oslo International Airport. After collecting our boarding passes, checking our bags, and making our way to the gate, a moment of reflection hit us all almost simultaneously. Discussing our initial impressions of one another prior to the trip, reminiscing on our favourite memories, how we will miss the luxury of Chef Andreas’ food, and the pure surrealness of how close we had all become in such a short period of time  - it was all so bittersweet. Excited to go home, yet already missing Norway, everyone was feeling a sense of poignancy. An early morning shuttle ride to the Oslo airport Before we knew it, we boarded our flight to Amsterdam. Greeted by clear skies, rainbows, and snow-covered peaks, the ride was peaceful. As we exited the plane, w...

By Natalya Brown, Economics and Manuel Litalien, Social Welfare and Social Development We have been in a little bubble these past few days in this extraordinary place, flanked by beautiful forest on three sides and the icy Bunnefjorden on the remaining side. We’ve used our phones primarily to take photos, post to social media, and check in with each other. We haven’t been doom-scrolling, or checking in on the news as such, so the current geopolitical drama has not been top of mind. From our arrival, Breivoll Gård has felt like home. A huge reason for that is the warmth and care given to us by Catia, Rikke, Astrid, and Andreas. Although, we were able to briefly see Anne and Tore when we arrived, they remained in our thoughts throughout. Views of Breivoll  Gård and the Bunnefjorden As we pack our bags and have our last meal together at Breivoll Gård, it is slowly dawning on us that we have a lot of things to get back to in Canada. The students chatter about mid-terms, group assignm...

 By Grace McDiarmid, Child and Family Studies and Geography Today was the last activity day of the trip. It is crazy how close this adventure is coming to an end. We started with an 8 am morning, with beautiful weather, perfect for our hike. At 9:15 am we left for the Coastline trail to the Sherpa steps. We hiked approximately 5 km in total, stopping along the way to learn from Glenn Menkin, Head of Outdoor Activities Department at DNT Oslo. We also stopped to take our last few photos of Norway's beautiful scenery. Along the way, Glenn pointed out shelters that were made by DNT volunteers and are used by families for campfires. He also taught us about Norwegians' right to use the land policies, allemannsretten , which are quite different from Canada’s land use laws. In Norway, not only is it allowed, but it is encouraged to stay and walk on any property as long as it is 150 m from a house, but only for 1-2 nights. If you stay longer, you have to ask the permission of the land o...