Little Einsteins Inspired Our Vacation

The Bligh's are headed to Norway. Yep all three of us. J and I haven't taken a big overseas trip since K became part of the crew. We've been itching to bring K along with us, but weren't sure if she was old enough or where we would go. After the move and new schools and all the adjustments she's made it was clear to us that she was mature enough to handle the long flights and unfamiliar food. But more importantly that she would remember the trip and could appreciate seeing another country and another way of life.

Enter The Little Einsteins
The first tv show that K ever watched with interest was The Little Einsteins. The first time she saw the aurora borealis she was hooked. We would spend weekend mornings getting sucked into a YouTube wormhole of breathtaking videos. When a friend moved to Alaska she sent links to watch the lights live and photographs of the amazing show she witnessed from her backyard. It seemed natural to make this her first big adventure.

Norway
J showed me we could fly round-trip to Oslo for cheaper then a trip to Cleveland and I said let's get K her passport. We'll be using Norwegian Air out of JFK. They bill themselves as a budget airline offering non-stop services from a few US airports to Europe and the Caribbean. You pay for in-flight services ala carte (Want a blanket? That's $5 but you get to keep it. That sort of thing.).

Once in Norway we'll be spending a couple nights in Oslo, then flying north to Tromso. Even though we both have traveled overseas several times, it's always startling to see how much cheaper it is to get transportation within a country in Europe. Be that a train or flying. For less then the price of one ticket to get from Norfolk to Savannah all three of us are flying.


But forget all the prices and numbers. Why take a five-year-old to Norway? Because it's supposed to be one of the friendliest places to visit. Oslo has lot's of children appropriate museums and a castle to see. Because it looks like where Frozen took place. And the Northern Lights are like magic.