The Story of Vibe ·
A week at a hytte in Norway, 21-27 July - how it went
From 21 to 27 July 2026 the Vibe South of France team spent a week in Norway at a hytte, a Norwegian country house, with a local community we'll tell you about later. Sauna, hot tub, a trip to the lake and, in the last days, an amusement park near Oslo. It was our first trial collab. Photos are below.
| When | - |
|---|---|
| Where | A hytte (a Norwegian country cabin) in Norway · Norway; an amusement park near Oslo on the last days |
| What was on | 21-27 July 2026, Norway: first a look round the city and its local spots, then a shared shop and a convoy of several cars to the hytte; a week at the hytte with sauna, hot tub, walks, things to do together and a trip to the lake; in the last days, an amusement park near Oslo |
Photos from the meet-up
The week in brief
From 21 to 27 July 2026 the Vibe South of France team travelled to Norway for a big shared event with a local community. We’ll tell its story separately, a little later. For a whole week we lived as one big group at a hytte and, as the saying goes, swapped notes with our friends on how each of us puts on meet-ups and celebrations. Our own meet-ups in the South of France come together in the Vibe South of France community chat on Telegram.
What a hytte is
Hytte is the Norwegian word for a house out of town, something between a holiday cottage and a villa. We rented one for the whole week. Ours had a grass roof (you can see it in the first photo), a terrace with a hot tub and a fireplace to warm our feet by.
First, the city through local eyes
The week didn’t start at the hytte. First our friends showed us their city and its local spots and told us how they throw their parties and celebrations. That was a big part of why we went: to see how things work for people who do what we do, just in another country.
By convoy to the hytte
Then everyone got together, did one big shop and set off for the hytte in a convoy of several cars.
A week out of town
“We had amazing scenery and wonderful July weather” is how the team remembers those days. Hot tub and sauna, walks, things to do together, a trip to the lake. And a deep dive into the local culture.
The photos show how the days went: tea on the terrace, wrapped up in blankets, a game of chess at a wooden table, a paper cup of coffee on the stony lakeshore. And from a wooden viewing platform you look out over the lake with its islands and the fields around it - that’s where the group posed for a photo.
The amusement park near Oslo
In the last days we all went together to an amusement park near Oslo. A good finale for a week we’d spent as one big group.
Photos
Nine shots from the trip are in the gallery on this page: the hytte with its grass roof, the viewing platform above the lake, the shore, an evening by the fire, chess on the terrace. One shot is from another world entirely: a black sports car at a classic car meet.
Between two trips out to sea
The Norwegian week fell in the middle of summer, between two of our trips out to sea. Almost three weeks before it, on 2 July, twelve people from the community sailed out of Carnon on a yacht to meet the sunset. And less than two weeks after the hytte, on 8 August, came a full day on a catamaran out of Le Grau-du-Roi, from eleven until five, with swimming and snorkelling.
What comes next
At heart this was a trial collab between our two teams. Next we plan to become even closer friends and to tell you more about the events we’re dreaming up together. When there’s something to announce, the chat will be the first to hear. The full chronicle of community events is here on the site.
About the community
Vibe South of France is the Russian-speaking community of Montpellier and the whole South of France, 700+ people in a Telegram chat. It’s free and runs on volunteers: the events are dreamed up and hosted by the members themselves, and you can read how it all works on the about the community page.
Huge thanks to our organiser, Anastasiia.