It is hard to describe only with words everything that my experience with Merete meant for me. So I will try my best to write down all that I did, lived and felt during this amazing stay :)

With my friend Victor we stayed 3 weeks at Merete's farm in the month of July 2020. The trip went incredibly well and we discovered the island with a pure joy. Merete picked us up with her little boat on an island and the adventure started :) 

About the context, in the month of July in Norway the sun doesn't go down so we quickly lost track of time :) Then, as Merete says in her description, the living can be considered as primitive but it is part of the experience ! With Victor, we did our showers in the sea next to Merete's farm and we cooked with water that came from the garden :) And it was magical to concentrate each other on the primary needs :)

About what we did ... it was a mix of different missions around Merete's farm, linked to the weather and the season of the year (cutting some weed, recreating the garden, planting some vegetables, restoring the fences, weighting the sheep and bringing them to the mountains, cleaning the rope to which the boat was to be hanged, cutting hay, feeding the sheep), which we did with happiness and curiosity to discover this way of living :)

What is more is that we had the opportunity to stay at the house of Merete's mother where we fished and swam in the sea ! We did some great walks in the island, met the other inhabitants and slept on top of the small mountain :)

We went grocery shopping twice on the continent (quite an expedition !) and Merete became our tourist guide for 2 days, showing us the amazing landscapes of Norway and its Viking culture :) We did famous hikes and even saw a glacier ! :)

We experiences the Norwegian food and cooked together : those memories will stay forever (and Merete is a wonderful cook) :) 

And about Merete now ... she is someone you only meet once in your life so don't hesitate and go to encounter her :) (she is my hero !) :) She is strong, cultivated, curious and inspiring :) I wish her all the best with her future projects :)

This stay changed us, changed our way of seeing things and living in our daily life ... Thanks so much Merete :) I totally fell in love with Norway and with Norwegian people thanks to you :)

Juliette Bruneau, Frankrike