My favorite Norwegians are officially these two ultracuties. On my last day in Oslo, we met and headed to a grassy-meets-black-sand beach along the Oslo fjord, and proceeded to traipse about, climbing craggy rocks, winding down hidden paths, and even wading into the cold waters of the fjord. I know I have yet to share all of the wonders of our travel adventures, so this is a fun peek at a wildly different landscape from my typical posts. The weather was also dreamy—dramatic clouds and a vaguely purple haze made this feel so utterly and perfectly right—so utterly and perfectly Norway. It was magic.

Susanne entered my recent pin-it-to-win-it contest not expecting to actually win. When I contacted her to let her know she had, she didn’t entirely believe me (incidentally, all my winners were astonished by their results!). Nonetheless, these two were SO much fun, and we had such a riot together, we ended up going back to their place for sushi and beer and laughter and all the bestest stuff. I love getting the inside scoop and awesome recommendations from locals when I travel, but getting to actually spend time hanging out always takes the cake.

These charmers have such a tender love. I melted at the way he’d take her hands and warm them up. There is a tangible caring between them that gave me the total warm fuzzies. Both computer scientists (yeah, boy lucked out!), they met at school in Trondheim, and they’ve weathered some long-distance relationshipism over the years. They share a teeny-tiny flat, but have made it such a lovely home. They’re just such an easily perfect match, even only knowing them for such a short time, it was clear.

We found magic in the fjord, but also in the nearby forests of Huk, on Bygdøy, which is a peninsula that spreads into the west side of the water. It’s a sort of nature preserve—you know, since the King of Norway lives here. Yeah. It was that kind of magic. They’d suggested this spot as one of their favorite places to get away from the city, even though it’s just a 15-minute drive. It turned out to be a perfect place to let love loose, to buzz with adventure and discovery, and to settle into the quiet, cozy snuggliest mood.

I feel privileged, and just dang thrilled to have been able to share in all the silly, happy, sweetness, In all the silly, happy love.