1st of April 2023 we were no fools. That’s the day we moved into our rental appartement in Buvika, Trøndelag, Norway. We are lucky to have found a very nice and bright ground-floor appartement.
The Appartement
When we left France, we had sold and given away most of our belongings, so we arrived in Norway with a mere 7 suitcases! To furnish our new home Veronica had fun finding second hand items at the Norwegian equivalent of Le Bon Coin; finn.no during the very sunny Easter. Norwegians are world champions when it comes to refurbishing their homes, meaning there are a lot of pre-loved bargains to be found.
The Place
Buvika is a village located in Skaun, a municipality next to Trondheim which is the third largest city in Norway. The village counts 3157 inhabitants. According to Google maps it’s a 30 hours drive of 2802 km from our last home in France, in case you were wondering. For those who wants to visit us, we do have a spare room. The closest airport is at Værnes, Trondheim, a 50 minutes drive from us.
The Garden
Outside we have two areas to hang out and to receive guests, both with a view to the fjord and the mountains. In the garden there are raspberry and red currant bushes that the landlords happily share with us.
Our Jobs
Jean is currently working for as a janitor at Trondheim Renholdsservice / Trondheim Vaktmester AS doing gardening and handy man services – as he did before for his own company in France, Jean Ravau Multiservices.
Veronica is teaching Norwegian as a second language to foreigners at Brilla Institutt, as well as continuing her business Studio Nordique, offering web and graphic design services. She has also had fun readjusting traditional folk costumes and other clothes for friends and family!
Our First Impressions
Moving from one country to another will always come with its challenges, but this move has been fairly easy, much thanks to Veronica being Norwegian which means we already have a network of family and friends in place. We do miss our tribe in France, and such things like the Sunday market in Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val, organic food from Biocoop, people greeting us in the streets, and general knowledge of making delicious veggie-friendly food from scratch.
On the other hand we now have a simpler life when it comes to having family close by, a bright and well insulated home, far easier bureaucracy, and more possibilities for reasonably paid jobs and a future home of our own. And as in France we are surrounded by beautiful nature, allowing us to go hiking and even kayaking. All in all we are very happy with the move, and hope to get lots of visitors from France and elsewhere!
Thank you for reading!
