So, I\u2019ve always loved civil engineering. Some people collect stamps; I collect emotional reactions to road layouts. Give me a slip road and I\u2019ll give you a TED Talk. The A3\/M25 junction? Stunning. The Hindhead Tunnel? Please don\u2019t start me unless you\u2019ve cleared your afternoon. Basically, civil engineering rocks my world and I\u2019m not ashamed!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My husband once said, \u201cYou know other countries have civil engineering too?\u201d Which is exactly the kind of reckless statement that results in a holiday booking. When he suggested Norway, I imagined fjords, serenity, and me behaving like a competent, spreadsheet-owning adult. I was not anticipating an infrastructure pilgrimage but agreed to let it go, just this once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Anyway, much to my husband\u2019s (and my own) surprise, I put the kettle on while I summoned Brian, my sideways ADHD brain, to kick off this research project. \u201cRight,\u201d I told him. \u201cNorway. Fjords. Scenic.\u201d And then added with a wink at my husband, \u201csee you later and Brian and I will have it all booked!\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
(Guess who actually organised the entire trip *)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes I love Brian so much. Five minutes later I was researching Icelandic back roads, which felt odd because we were going to Norway. Then the cogs started whirring. Perhaps I should learn Norwegian? Should I become Norwegian? Will we see puffins \u2013 what are their migratory habits? It\u2019s like going to a supermarket for a pint of milk and coming home with an ornamental bonsai.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There was just so much to look at in this superb rabbit hole to which I was now 100% committed. The dopamine was mounting, the pressure building (knees weak, arms are heavy, vomit on her sweater already, mom’s spaghetti? Gotta love Eminem)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I have never been good with numbers especially their practical application. Maths and I have decided to see other people. And frankly I think time zones are one of the most stupid things invented. Norway is only an hour ahead of the UK, but that single hour felt like a betrayal. Was this some sort of mathematical conspiracy? Had we technically travelled into the future? At 56 I could really do with that hour back, thanks very much. I was going to be jet-lagged without leaving Europe. My husband seemed remarkably unsympathetic to my plight. I digress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you have never been to Norway, you won\u2019t know that it is literally full of tunnels. And when I say tunnels, I mean entire concrete ecosystems. But nothing – and I mean nothing – prepared me for the blue roundabout. The most amazing thing I have ever seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A roundabout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a tunnel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Under a mountain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Glowing electric blue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not \u201cslightly tinted.\u201d Not \u201csubtly illuminated.\u201d No. We are talking love child of Poseidon and a lighting designer from Vegas. It was like being gently swallowed by a very polite sea monster with excellent traffic management. I was utterly mesmerised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My husband knows me so well. \u201cHas this made your holiday?\u201d he whispered. \u201cYes\u201d I choked. \u201cSomeone has built a roundabout under the mountain\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Blue. Circular. Underground. Organised. Four things I will never be and therefore deeply, profoundly soothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here\u2019s the thing about travelling with ADHD. You will absolutely forget something important like packing your pants, but you will also notice magic. I noticed the way the light hit the concrete, and the way the junctions were so compelling. While other people were admiring fjords, I was whispering, \u201cLook at the drainage solutions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The holiday was a long trip in the car.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But I saw a glowing blue roundabout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And honestly? That felt like winning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
*Reader, I married him.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
So, I\u2019ve always loved civil engineering. Some people collect stamps; I collect emotional reactions to road layouts. Give me a slip road and I\u2019ll give you a TED Talk. The A3\/M25 junction? Stunning. The Hindhead Tunnel? Please don\u2019t start me unless you\u2019ve cleared your afternoon. Basically, civil engineering rocks my world and I\u2019m not ashamed!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":277036254,"featured_media":1849,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_wpcom_ai_launchpad_first_post":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[787859121],"tags":[27891,787799362,30932268,35,124,5004,32307,11104,140680,200],"class_list":["post-358","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","tag-adhd","tag-blue-roundabout-norway","tag-different-take","tag-humour","tag-life","tag-mental-health","tag-neurodiversity","tag-norway","tag-self-care","tag-travel"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/ph50vH-5M","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1307,"url":"https:\/\/adhd-and-me.blog\/?p=1307","url_meta":{"origin":358,"position":0},"title":"Adventures in Business Travel: Losing a Texan in Turkey","author":"Zozo@adhdandme","date":"March 18, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"I have always loved business travel. 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