Our Engagement Story

We have both known for a while that things were going in the right direction and that an engagement would soon happen. There were just a few questions; where, when and how. Julianna had it in her mind that Tarjei would probably choose a moment at the top of a mountain overlooking a beautiful landscape. Little did she know that he had something much more original and special in mind.

He actually planned a couple of amazing days that led up to a very memorable moment. To begin, we took a scenic train ride from Oslo to Bergen, a quaint little harbor town on the west coast of Norway. We got to see Norway above the tree line, and experience the fjords first hand. It was beautiful!

The coastal city of Bergen, Norway

Once at Bergen, we met Tarjei's cousin, Ralph who took us to a family home on an island in the middle of the Hardanger Fjord. Probably the highlight here was a fishing excursion that took place at 11:30 at night. Yes, I said, 11:30 at night, and it was light!!!! That's Norway for you! The fun part was that he reeled in two Mackerel on his first two attempts. Yum!

Island home built in 1920 on the Hardanger Fjord

The next day we headed back to the mainland to hit a spot that I had always wanted to visit ever since I was in high school....the home of Edvard Grieg. What an enchanting place it was! We walked up a wooded path that looked like trolls or gnomes might hop out at us any moment. No wonder the place is called Trollhaugen ("Troll Mound")!


Once there, we enjoyed a wonderful concert of Grieg's music set in a concert hall that overlooked the fjord. There's nothing like enjoying a composer's music while seeing the source of inspiration.

Grieg's home

After the concert and a guided tour, we found ourselves behind a little hut where Grieg would compose in solitude. It was there, on a rock looking out over the fjord, that Tarjei knelt on his knee and proposed to me. I knew in my heart that I wanted to marry him, and answered with a definite, "yes."

We spent the rest of the afternoon completely absorbed in the moment. Our time was spent sitting by the fjord, and enjoying a walk around Bergen with a beautiful seaside sunset. Couldn't have been more memorable, beautiful, and perfect! Thank you Tarjei!