Alex O'Brien
International Travel

7-year-old in Norway finds message in bottle from Scotland

While an instant messages might garner a quicker response, one girl holidaying in Scotland has found old methods of communication can be just as an effective way of making friends around the world. Provided of course, you’re not in that much of a rush!

A message in a bottle, thrown into the sea by 10-year-old Eva Sweenie, has been recovered on a small island on the west coast of Norway by a seven-year-old called Signe.

The message, written on pink paper with plenty of glitter thrown in for good measure, read: “Hello those who have found this letter in a bottle, my name is Eva Sweenie and I am 10 years old. I am on my holidays in Cullen, who knows where you are. It’s 2015 October the 16th and this is a beautiful day. That’s all I have to say apart from safe travels. Bye bye xx”.

With contact details vague at best you would think the chances of Eva getting in touch with her would-be pen pal slim, by Signe and her family are a determined bunch.

The parents of Signe quickly contacted Cullen Bay Hotel in Scotland, who put the call out on Facebook asking if anyone knew Eva’s family.

Someone who did eventually responded to the post and before too long Signe’s family were finally in touch with Eva’s family.

The girls are reportedly thrilled to continue their long-distance correspondence (although perhaps they might consider a more-reliable means of communication).

It’s been a busy couple of months for messages in a bottle, with a 108 year bottle washing up in Germany which had been thrown into the North Sea back in 1906. Apparently the bottle was one of about 1,000 which has be released in the name of marine research.

We think the above is a lovely story and hopefully it will prompt a beautiful new friendship between Eva and Signe.

Did you have a pen pal growing up? How did the two of you first get in touch, and are the two of you still friends now? Please let us know in the comments below.

Image credit: Facebook / Cullen Bay Hotel

Related links:

World’s oldest message in a bottle recovered

10 ways you can be a more responsible traveller

5 stunning European islands you haven’t heard of

Tags:
travel, pen pal, friendship, Scotland, message in a bottle