So, remember a few articles ago when we said we had moved to Norway to settle down for 6 months? Well, that turned out to be a bit of a mistake …
We shouldn’t really blame Norway itself because there was nothing wrong with the country, except it really wasn’t the best place for us at the moment.
Realising It Was A Bad Idea
Everything about Trysil was great – our apartment was lovely, the people we met were friendly, the skiing was fun and the landscape incredible.
It all seemed great, yet we couldn’t shake the feeling of having made the wrong decision …
Cold Feet?
Can you really tell the difference between a gut feeling and something your mind makes up? Even if you can, are gut feelings really trustworthy?
Were we just being silly and scared of settling down for a longer time?
Did we make ourselves feel like this wasn’t the right place, or were these feelings actually justified?
These were questions we asked ourselves at first, until we finally realized that it had to be more than that.
It wasn’t normal for us to be doubting ourselves that much, and when we started breaking things down we realized that while Trysil was great, it wasn’t the right place for us.
Don’t Bite Off More Than You Can Chew
We always jump head first into things without really thinking much about it, and deal with the consequences later – hoping to learn a lesson.
This time we learned a very important lesson: don’t bite off more than you can chew.
Signing a contract for an apartment for six months in a place you’ve never been to before is not a good idea – had we been to Trysil before we would have known what it was like and if it was a good place for us.
From now on, we will never make long term commitments until we have been there for at least 1 month to see what it’s like.
So, now we’re in Berlin, and are finally taking things as they come, month by month – we will be staying here for another month, and then see what happens after that.
We still don’t know where the right place for us would be, only that Norway wasn’t i t…
If you have any good tips of places in Europe you think we should check out for a month, feel free to tell us in the comments below!
Munich! It’s so much more than Oktoberfest, and in the spring and summer it’s so incredibly beautiful – the English Garden is huge and gorgeous, the Alps are really close, and the food is just so good. It’s a bit expensive but not as bad as Scandinavia (so I’ve heard) – regardless, Munich definitely is worth it!
Hi Michael, thanks for the tip! We have been considering Munich, last winter we stayed for 3 months in Garmisch-Partenkirchen and went to Munich a few times, it is a very nice city.
Berlin is a great city. So is travelling permanently. Decisions, decisions. I follow along with your journey, as I assume I’ll be having similar thoughts to you in the future (I’m one of the few no-base/permanently-travelling bloggers as well). It’s so great to be able to read the thoughts of people like yourselves – thanks, and have a great 2013. Nate.
Thanks Nate, yeah Berlin is awesome, we’ll be staying here for another month, and then see what happens. Deciding how and where to live is definitely a tough decision, and for now we will enjoy taking our time to make that decision.
Sometimes we instinctively know when things aren’t right for us – at least you realised sooner rather than later and made a change
Wishing you all the best for the year and your future decisions!
I think you’re right Toni, we’re so glad we realised in time and were able to change plans.
‘Try before you buy’ where possible is a good concept before committing to things! Lessons learned and best of luck for the future!
Yes that is a good one to remember, and one we will definitely live by more often from now on!
I think you should trust your gut feeling. If it doesn’t feel right, it is so for a reason. I know the feeling – the next city I am going to try out is Zurich
. I have been there before many times, but only for the day or for a few nights. Let’s see what it gives.
Good luck in Berlin – that’s a lovely city as well!
Hi Marie-Anne, looking back at it now I have no doubt we made the right decision to trust our guts.
I love Switzerland, it’s a beautiful country. We spent 5 months living in Graubünden three years ago and really liked it.
Good luck and enjoy Zurich!
I like what you said: ‘Don’t Bite Off More Than You Can Chew’. It is more of making sure of everything before you jump off the wagon!
Hi Jenny, yeah we definitely jumped off the wagon a bit too quickly there..!
Glasgow is a great place. Friendly and welcoming people, a continental feel to the city and a center for the various cultural, arts and museums. Then there is the convenience of plenty to see: Lochs, National Parks and more.
I do love Scotland, the nature is absolutely breathtaking. Thanks for the tip Chris.
Hi Sofia, you can never shake off gut feelings. I think it’s better to follow them than never. About Norway, I’m sure it was lovely. Sometimes it’s not the place or the people. Even if everything is going well you can still have the feeling of not fitting in. So we look for that place where we truly fit in.
Hi Connor, I think you’re right. At first we tried to shake them off, but like you said it’s impossible.
In one way I agree and in another not. I have settled in some places for months or years without knowing the places before and never regretted it. 6 months goes by fast. At the same time, I know what I like and some places I would not try to live in.
Maybe some day the contrary will happen and I will not like a plac where I have “settled”. We will see. Anyways, enjoy Berlin!
Hey Lucie, great to hear you’ve never felt that way, I believe knowing what you want is very important when choosing where to live.
The main problem we’ve found is that we seem to want something that doesn’t exist, haha.
Berlin is awesome, I love it and I’d happily spend a bit of time there.. but would you want to settle or keep travelling? It’s a though decision, I guess sooner or later we all have to make similar ones.
I’m curious to see what you guys will be doing in the next few months.
Anyway even if with a bit of delay, happy New Year!
Hi Franca,
so far we have little to no plans of what the future will hold, which is pretty exciting
A (delayed) happy new year to you too, and hope you’ll enjoy this year to the max!
I am based in Berlin too. It is the best city ever. I came here once on vacation, and knew that I just had to come back to live here for good. It’s been 3 over years already! I hope you are enjoying my new home!