When Charles and Rachel Post first visited Norway’s remote Lofoten Islands in 2019, they thought of the trip as a 'once-in-a-lifetime' experience.
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they → visit → experience
But the couple fell in love with the far-flung destination, so much so, that in 2022, they decided to sell their home in America and move there full time.
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they → fall → America
They bought a charming farmhouse with a beautiful garden, which was just steps away from a beach.
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which → buy → beach
But living in such a sparsely populated island came with a slew of difficulties and was ultimately much harder than they expected.
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they → live → difficulties
Now, four-and-a-half years on from the move, the couple is preparing to leave the secluded island and return to the United States.
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couple → prepare → States
The young couple told the Daily Mail that after visiting the archipelago on vacation in 2019, they were enthralled by its picturesque beauty, explaining that it looked like a 'green screen' it was so stunning.
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it → tell → screen
At first, they 'tucked' the memory away, thinking it was a one-off trip, but when they returned back to their newly-purchased 'dream' home in Montana, they started to feel like something was missing.
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something → tuck → Montana
'I just remember thinking, "Is this the last driveway we're ever going to walk down?"' Charles recalled.
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Charles → think → ?
It felt so intense.'
Charles and Rachel Post left Montana to live in a farmhouse on the Lofoten Islands in Norway in 2022, but now, they are ready to move back to the US
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they → feel → US
Living in such a sparsely populated island came with a slew of difficulties and was ultimately much harder than they expected.
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they → live → difficulties
Their home in Norway is seen
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home → see → Norway
After some more serious discussions, the two decided to take the leap and move abroad.
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two → decide → leap
With the help of immigration lawyers, Charles, 38, who works as an ecologist and consultant, and Rachel, 34, who has her own art design business, Rachel Pohl Art, were able to obtain skilled worker visas.
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who → work → visas
They packed up and moved to the sparsely populated Lofoten Islands in 2022, returning to the place that had inspired them nearly three years prior.
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that → pack → them
Charles and Rachel temporarily rented a tiny cabin in the area, but were in search of something that felt more permanent.
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that → rent → something
By a stroke of luck – and extreme vigilance – they were able to find their dream home after it popped up one day on Finn, which Charles described as Norway's version of Zillow.
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Charles → find → Zillow
Something out of a storybook, the 1,800sq ft farmhouse has three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a large, airy, open kitchen.
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farmhouse → have → bedrooms
It also boasts plenty of outdoor space as it sits on 2.9 acres of land; it is surrounded by protected farmland, and located on a bird sanctuary.
'Some of the best trailheads are just out the door.
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Some → boast → door
We have a turquoise fjord just a hundred feet [away] and a surf out the other side of the house,' Charles gushed.
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Charles → have → house
Something out of a storybook, the 1,800-square-foot farmhouse has three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a large, airy, open kitchen
Charles explained that he and his wife bought the home in nearly perfect condition, only adding some 'minor' upgrades like a heat pump and new kitchen appliances
Even so, he admitted that 'living in an old farmhouse' takes 'a lot of love'
Charles explained that he and his wife bought the home in nearly perfect condition, only adding some 'minor' upgrades like a heat pump and new kitchen appliances; the couple also later built a sauna on the property that holds up to eight people.
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that → have → people
Even so, he admitted that 'living in an old farmhouse' takes 'a lot of love.'
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living → admit → love
'Whether that's painting it every summer or tending to the garden - I love gardening, we have a huge, beautiful garden, and it's a privilege to be able to continue caring for this garden,' he said.
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he → paint → garden
'We've put a lot of time into just maintaining the garden, planting trees, planting more flowers, more berries.
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We → put → flowers
We probably have 65 bushes of berries... you can just go outside and pick breakfast.'
While it certainly comes with its pluses, after nearly five years of living on the island, the couple is now ready to come home.
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couple → have → island
Charles told the Daily Mail that it wasn't just one thing that drew them to want to move back to Montana – it was a bunch of things that added up over time.
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that → tell → time
He explained that even just small, everyday things like trying to open up a bank account or call a taxi were hard to navigate at first.
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things → explain → taxi
'Moving to Norway, I guess it was surprising to us, you realize how much energy and bandwidth you're allocating to those little things,' he said.
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he → move → things
'You don't understand the language, you don't understand the cultural norms.
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you → understand → norms
You have no context.'
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You → have → context
The couple also later built a sauna on the property that holds up to eight people
Charles told the Daily Mail that it wasn't just one thing that drew them to want to move back to Montana - it was a bunch of things that added up over time.
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that → build → time
They're seen in Norway
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They → see → Norway
He explained that things that take 20 seconds in America could take an hour or even a week in Lofoten because of all those differences.
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that → explain → differences
The couple also shared that at times, they felt like 'outsiders,' especially because Norway is a small country.
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Norway → share → outsiders
'It really does feel a little bit like you're very much the outsider coming into this tightly-knit country,' Charles said.
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Charles → feel → country
'It means you're more obvious you're not from that group, and integrating is just a bigger thing.
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integrating → mean → group
'We've found that it's a bit of a slower go to build connections and deeper friendships,' he added, noting that they did ultimately find great community in Norway.
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they → find → Norway
In addition, they said that their decision to return to the US stemmed from them wanting to be closer to their aging parents and other family members before they have children.
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they → say → children
And despite the hard parts, Charles vowed that they have no regrets about making the move.
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they → vow → move
'We've had the best time, our home is amazing, our community is amazing, it's been everything we've hope for and more,' he said.
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he → have → time
Now, they're in search of the next tenants to sell their home to before they move back to the States at the end of October
'
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they → sell → October
…and 6 more, not listed.
The Aporia
