Know Where You Come From - A Step Back In Time

As a kid growing up in the US, my annual calendar rotated around Halloween. Yes, having a bagful of hypertension-inducing candy was important, but a far second to my yearly opportunity to dress up as a Viking. I was obsessed with the fact that my family came from Norway and this was my chance to enact my fantasised ideals of what we came from. For me of course this didn't include violence or taking over land from afar, rather conquering the village and taking the candy on offer door to door. This carried on 7 years in a row when my Father finally said it was probably time to hang up my horns and told me our ancestors were more likely to have made the sandwiches for the ship journeys rather than the 'warriors' that I was envisioning. Thanks Dad...

I digress.

This fantasy about Norway, and my bloodline connection to the land itself has been a strong driver for me to return and see first hand the land that we left 3 generations ago. I am here typing this now and what I've found is far more incredible than little Josh with a plastic sword could have ever imagined.

After a fair bit of research - largely in part to my very good friend from Norway and fellow Steem blogger @susanne (a highly recommended person to follow btw - she's a legend around here), I found not only the area my family came from but the actual farm we lived on! Incredible! I have been here for a week, on the west coast of Norway in Stavanger and Haugesund.

Below are a few images from this weekend (June 24/25) that I am honoured to share from my history. The photos do not do it justice but I hope you enjoy!

My challenge to you all - really connect with where you come from, you may never know the little piece of paradise you may find, and the incredible people you will encounter along the way.

Thank you all - and a HUGE thank you for your help in finding where we come from Susanne!

Josh, very happy in Norway :)