Scandinavia
SCANDINAVIA
Once again, I’d be heading off on a trip with the Indian Gang – this time to a couple of stops in the Nordic region. We’d be almost the same group that had travelled to Turkey together back in 2021, sans Kamal, who couldn’t get leave, plus Joshin, who managed to secure his just in time.
For Akash, Rohan, Zara, Joshin and me, this would be just another winter holiday. For the others, it was something a little more special. With Manish having recently got married and planning to move to the US, the trip would be the perfect chance to celebrate with him and send him off. Meanwhile, Priya – the Bollywood celebrity I had a massive crush on and had convinced myself might feel the same way – was getting married in a few weeks’ time. It was a bombshell that came out of nowhere and left me feeling blue and sulky. This trip would also double as one of her many bachelorette parties. Fun…Â
The (Imaginary) Love Story
Over the years, Priya and I had kept in touch, flirting over social media – or at least, that was how I had interpreted it – and always promising that we would meet again. In my head, I had kinda built this vision of us eventually ending up together.Â
She was the wildly popular celebrity who already had everything she could ever want except for one thing. I would be the regular, ordinary, mediocre guy who could see beyond her glamorous exterior, peer into her soul and give her whatever it was she was missing. I knew her – or at least, I believed I did – rather than merely knowing the façade she presented to the rest of the world. That, I thought, was kinda why she was into me. I didn’t put up with all her queenly tendencies, and I treated her like I would treat any other normal person. It was a classic movie love story.Â
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Or so I had convinced myself. But perhaps I was wrong. Perhaps she hadn’t been flirting at all. Perhaps I had imagined the whole thing. And so, I was partly excited about everything that lay ahead while somewhat dreading it at the same time.
A First Taste of the Nordics
Having never even come close to this part of Europe, the short trip would serve as my first taste of the Nordic region.
Scandinavia refers to the northern European region that traditionally includes Norway, Sweden, and Denmark (though Finland and Iceland are often included in a broader sense). Norway is famous for its dramatic fjords, mountains and long coastline, while Finland is characterised by extensive forests, thousands of lakes and a vast archipelago. Together, they promised a mixture of modern city life and raw northern landscapes.
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With limited time at our disposal, we would try to cover as much ground as we could. The rest of the gang had already visited Sweden and Denmark on separate trips, so we decided that we would spend a few days in Norway before continuing to Finland.Â
Travelling with this group was always fun, but I have to admit that it often left me with a lingering sense of wanting more. With them, I got to go on bougie holidays that promised the most Instagrammable highlights – and while I was all for that, I’m also the kind of tourist who likes to leave no stone unturned. I would simply have to return someday and experience the wilder, rawer adventures for myself.