From Oregon to Oslo: Facing Fear, Finding Family in Norway

By Candi Biever, 2-time traveler from Bend, OR

I dreamed my whole working life of traveling. I grew up poor and worked for 50 years in the medical field. I’m a native Oregonian who grew up in a small rural town and spent much of my childhood visiting my grandparents’ farm just a few miles away. They had all kinds of animals, and my mom always kept chickens. I saved and scrimped to buy a house on my own. Later, to save for travel and retirement.

Candi mingled with sheepdogs at her lodge in Tarendo, Sweden.

Before this year, my only trips had been to Alaska, Hawaii in the 80s, and Japan in 1990. I have flown on an airplane only four times in my life.

In the fall of 2023, I was invited on a Mexican cruise by a college friend, and I went in June of 2024. I had a blast and felt very pampered. Just before I left, another friend told me she was going on a Scandinavian trip in May of 2025. I grew up knowing I had Scandinavian ancestry, had recently joined a local genealogical club, and had done my DNA. I learned I am about 25% Scandinavian.

I asked my friend if she would mind if I signed up for the same trip. She needed to think about it. By the time she got home, she sent me the link and itinerary and told me there were only five or fewer seats left. I decided to wait until after my cruise to see how I handled traveling. To be honest, I was very scared. After COVID, the evening news had made the world seem big and frightening. I knew no foreign languages and had no real travel experience. But she kept reminding me I might miss the chance if I didn’t sign up, so after my very fun cruise, I signed up.

I paid with the electronic check discount, and I spoke with O.A.T. representatives two or three times. Every single person was helpful, patient, and knowledgeable. It was easy to talk with them.

In early 2025, I went on another Mexican cruise with a newly retired friend, and that trip was even more fun. After that, I waited anxiously for the O.A.T. trip to Scandinavia. I worried about whether I had packed correctly, even though O.A.T. gave me excellent information about weather, clothing, food, money, politics, religion—everything. I was very impressed with all I learned before I even left home.

Candi’s group cruised through Trollfjord, Norway, on a "postcard-perfect" day.

Every day of the trip was a surprise, and I was in awe the entire time. The beautiful views, seeing the countryside, accommodations, meals, city tours, transportation, controversial talks, and weather were all spectacular! The information given to us by the Trip Experience Leader was detailed and very interesting. The people at each city, the bus drivers, the hotel clerks, the other tour guides were informative and open to questions. The trip changed my life! I felt alive for the first time in decades! It opened my eyes! I have no words to describe what this small-town girl felt seeing the world unfold like that. I wasn’t uncomfortable even once. I took 1,400 photos. I learned so much about the people, government, society, food, weather, and animals of Scandinavia. It was incredible! More than just the scenery, it is the people that are chosen to share this region, so friendly and kind. It's difficult for me to put words to how I feel.

I wasn’t homesick once—if anything, I felt more at home there than I ever expected. It was surreal. Maybe it’s because of my DNA; I don’t know.

Candi at the Arctic Circle.

In 1981, my mom gave me a 250-page family book for Christmas. It contained stories of three families—my families—from the 1700s and 1800s who lived half a mile apart on farms in Kongsvinger and Brandval, Norway. They intermarried, and all three lines are my ancestors. Many immigrated to the U.S. in the 1880s. The book traced our family back to the 1500s, with photos, and my own name printed in it. After the O.A.T. trip, I knew I had to return to this area. The tour didn’t go there, but I now felt brave and safe enough to try.

So I booked an Airbnb apartment for 21 days in Kongsvinger, along with flights, motels, and travel insurance. I flew into Helsinki about 40 days after I had just left it with my O.A.T. group, then traveled on to Kongsvinger, a town of about 12,000 people.

On my second day there, I visited the public library and discovered the historical book room upstairs. I learned a lot and decided to come back later. After that, while walking through town, I sat on a shaded bench when a newspaper reporter approached me and asked to talk. I agreed. She asked what I planned to do in two days when the weather was predicted to be very hot. I laughed, knowing I must be in a small town. I said I’d drink lots of water and sit in front of a fan. I also told her why I was visiting—to research my family roots. Her eyes lit up and she said it was the best story she’d heard all day. She asked to take my picture, I agreed. I told her I didn’t know how to do online research. She said, “I do,” and offered to help. We exchanged information, and she found pages and pages of my family information in just a few days.

Her ancestors surely would have approved!

The next day, I took the bus to nearby Brandval—a tiny community with a gas station, convenience store, café, and a church built in 1651. I found three family names on headstones. A community historian appeared, helped me, and took me to the Historical Society library. There, a local expert spent about half an hour on the computer and printed three more generations of my family tree. When I jokingly asked whether we might be related, he searched again and printed proof within minutes that he and I are related! He even had a Norwegian edition of my family book, though missing the photos and later pages.

The next day, I returned to the Kongsvinger library and gathered as much information as possible from multiple books that mentioned my family. Then, to my shock, I found another copy of my family’s book—identical to mine, in English, with the photos and my name included. I nearly fell out of my chair. A week later, the reporter interviewed me again. The newspaper published two articles—one a full two-page spread with photos.

After a chance encounter, a curious reporter featured Candi’s story in the local newspaper.

I later learned that 2025 is the jubilee year (200 years) since the beginning of Norwegian immigration to the U.S. Between 1825 and 1920, more than 800,000 Norwegians left for America. Both countries have held celebrations all year. On August 7th, I met four new relatives at the Historic Vinger Hotel in Kongsvinger, and it was incredibly sweet and exciting.

I spent a few days in Oslo, hiking on ski trails, walking to the king’s castle, exploring the beautiful waterfront, and visiting the Opera House—an architectural wonder, in my opinion. I flew back to Oregon on August 11th, vowing to return to Norway as soon as I can.

These two trips gave me memories of a lifetime. I fell in love with Scandinavia. I fell in love with the people. As someone who grew up in Oregon, it amazed me that I felt more at home there than here. I still don’t fully understand it.

My next adventure will be another O.A.T. trip—this time to Australia, New Zealand, and Tasmania. I can hardly wait.

Experience the scenic beauty and welcoming cultures that impacted Candi’s life during our New! Nordic Countries & the Arctic Circle: Finland, Sweden’s Sami Lapland & Norway adventure.