Home Away From Home: Fjord Norway (Stord)

Home Away From Home: Stord, Norway on northtosouth.us

OVERVIEW

Home Away From Home: Stord, Norway on northtosouth.us

Home Away From Home: Stord, Norway on northtosouth.us

On our first trip abroad together, we found a fantastic place to stay!

Nestled on the island of Stord in Fjord Norway, a short bike ride to the Leirvik town center, was the cozy and stylish Scandinavian home of our Airbnb hosts Davide and Maiju. They were both very welcoming, and though neither were Norwegian, we enjoyed getting some exposure to both the Finnish and Italian languages during our stay. (Not to mention all the fantastic and interesting people we had the pleasure of meeting as a result of staying with them!)

If you’re planning a visit to the area, I highly recommend staying with them if the room’s available. View Davide and Maiju’s listing on Airbnb here.

SCANDINAVIAN STYLE WITH SEA & MOUNTAIN VIEWS

Home Away From Home: Stord, Norway on northtosouth.us

One of my favorite parts of their home was their Scandinavian style living room, with a wood-burning fireplace perfect for chilly and rainy days spent indoors.

Home Away From Home: Stord, Norway on northtosouth.us

And the view from the window? Amazing. On a clear day you can see straight past Leirvik and the massive fjords to the snow-capped mountains across the way.

Home Away From Home: Stord, Norway on northtosouth.us

THE SIMPLICITY OF SCANDINAVIAN INTERIOR DESIGN

If you like the look of Maiju and Davide’s living room as much as I do, check out my Scandinavian Simplicity post on my interior design blog EclecticNarwhal.com. There I’ve compiled photos and links to the furniture and decor similar to what you see in this room, so you can achieve this look in your space!

Home Away From Home: Stord, Norway on northtosouth.us

Home Away From Home: Stord, Norway on northtosouth.us

Scandinavian Simplicity on eclecticnarwhal.com

ESPRESSO, ANYONE?

Home Away From Home: Stord, Norway on northtosouth.us

We felt at home right away, as we settled in to our private room on the first floor, cheerfully decorated with bright colors and Moomintrolls. And of course we became well acquainted with the espresso machine in the room.

WHAT IS MOOMINTROLL?

That’s not a hippo, it’s Moomintroll! – Maiju (our Airbnb host)

Moomintroll
Moomintroll (moomin.com)

For Americans, I’d liken the Moomintroll character’s popularity to Mickey Mouse. There’s even a theme park, Moomin World, in Finland, the Moomin family’s homeland.

Moomintroll is a dreamer and a thinker, and the maverick vagabond Snufkin is his best friend.

Moomintroll loves Moominmamma and his family above all else. There’s no problem that Moominmamma can’t solve. And when Moominpappa invents a good excuse for an adventure, Moomintroll is always eager to tag along. When Snorkmaiden becomes his girlfriend, Moomintroll learns that love can sometimes make you feel wistful and even downright sad.

Read more on moomin.com.

The Moomin family appeared in the kitchen of our HAFH (home away from home) on kid-sized dishes for their 1.5-year-old. But Moomin’s not just for kids. Adult-sized Moomin mugs were also in the cabinet, and we even had some framed Moomin art in our room!

STARRY NIGHT VIEWS FROM THE BACKYARD

Nighttime was perfect for stargazing, whenever the clouds gave way. We took the below photo from the backyard deck one night in mid March, sometime around midnight.

Home Away From Home: Stord, Norway on northtosouth.us

We also took a couple late night trips around the island to get some even darker skies.

Read more about our star-chasing excursions (and view more photos) on Ian’s post “The Milky Way from Brandasund, Bømlo, Norway” on our Milky Way photography blog, LonelySpeck.com.

A FEW MORE PHOTOS OF THE AREA

Home Away From Home: Stord, Norway on northtosouth.us
Along the Stord shore, not far from the house, you can watch the boats heading out to sea.

Home Away From Home: Stord, Norway on northtosouth.us
Leirvik marina at night

Home Away From Home: Stord, Norway on northtosouth.us
Amongst the tall, pole-like trees in the Norwegian forest

I hope you’ve enjoyed this post about our first HAFH in Fjord Norway! Read more about our stay in Stord, see what we packed, and view all the photos from our month in Norway here.

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