Let me tell you about the day in Olden that could have been
wonderful, yet turned into one of the best days I’ve had traveling around the
world.
Another
ship had taken the berth, so today our ship floated out in the fjord, its tenders bringing people back and forth. But two years ago, the ship was docked at that berth. The first sight, the very first sight of Olden I had seen was this, right off the gangway:
Such vast green and blue beauty, against a sky trying to peep
through the clouds, struck me numb. I couldn't think; my mind stopped moving. It felt as if it became suspended in motion with something greater that is not of
this world. At that moment I
couldn’t put my finger on it; clearly this scene was near-indescribable, but
what was it about the scene that made it seem like more than what it was?
As you can imagine, coming back two years later to Olden was a huge treat for
me. But this time, the weather was
not so nice. It was cold, windy,
and grey. A blanket of cloud
draped the fjord.
Yet still, that same mountain from two years ago remained utterly massive and
beautiful all at once. Not for a
moment was its great presence forgotten as it defied the shadowy clouds and
mist.
Similarly, my girlfriend-at-the-time and I were
going to defy the weather.
The cold was nipping, but not invasive. The raindrops were heavy, but
sparse. The wind was buffeting,
but did not push nor pull. That’s
as far as I was concerned, though; I’m a big guy. My girlfriend-at-the-time is petite and has much less body
fat than I do. I think her opinion
was more along the lines of, “Well, this is
annoying.” Yet as people who love
being outdoors we really wanted to get out and brave the weather for the sake
of a great experience.
So that’s what we did.
We decided to inquire inside the
gift shop/bus station about tour buses leaving for the Briksdal Glacier , only
a branch of Europe’s largest, the Jostedal Glacier (pronounced
“Yew-sta-doll”). Apparently, the
scene depicted on the ad-board was the destination; it looked amazing.
Unfortunately we had missed the
last bus by twenty minutes, and the next one wouldn’t be for another ninety
minutes, plus the ninety-minute round trip…. We had no time to do this.
But the girl behind the counter pointed us to several promising hiking trails. This peeked our interest. Two weeks before then, we had trekked up into the hills around Svolvaer, in the Lofoten Islands.
But the girl behind the counter pointed us to several promising hiking trails. This peeked our interest. Two weeks before then, we had trekked up into the hills around Svolvaer, in the Lofoten Islands.
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| But we made it up, all the same! That peak in the center marks the end of the trail. We didn't have time to hike toward it and then back down. |
That hike had been my first “technical” hike: clambering up
rocks, placing your feet in the right position…basically navigating rough
terrain by semi-rock-climbing.
The near-indescribable feeling had been with me on the entire
hike. But I had not been able to put
my finger on it then, either.
I'm pretty sure my girlfriend had felt it, too.
So we set off down the road for our new hiking destination in Olden, hoping—actually, it was more like knowing—we would have that feeling again.
So we set off down the road for our new hiking destination in Olden, hoping—actually, it was more like knowing—we would have that feeling again.
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Our ship rested on the water. It, along with the massive mountain, stayed always to our left. The sky was turning white at that
point, and the rain had weakened to a fine sprinkle.
The road stretched on. Flowers grew all along the way. My girlfriend and I were accompanied by all
the colors of the rainbow down the road!
Here is one of my favorite shots of the massive mountain and the ship in the distance, and the Norwegian flags:
There
were homes up in the hillside, too.
Beautiful homes, with large, lush gardens.
WHAT??!!
I never noticed this before. Immediately I was fixated. It was surprising and awe-invoking all
at once.
That evening, I looked into it. These are called turf roofs, or sod roofs. It’s a tradition that dates back hundreds of years. Not only does it provide a kind of stability for a home’s foundation (turf roofs are heavy and therefore hold a home in place with gravity), but they give great insulation, too. It was such a different sight. It made me feel like living in Norway really does make you one with nature....
That evening, I looked into it. These are called turf roofs, or sod roofs. It’s a tradition that dates back hundreds of years. Not only does it provide a kind of stability for a home’s foundation (turf roofs are heavy and therefore hold a home in place with gravity), but they give great insulation, too. It was such a different sight. It made me feel like living in Norway really does make you one with nature....
Eventually
we approached the incline of the hill leading toward our trail. We made our way about 100 yards before stopping to take in a lovely
grouping of homes and huts to our left:
It was a kind of grotto underneath the tall birch trees, overlooking the fjord.
There
was a tall man working in the brush, right near the rise in the road. He noticed us out of the corner of his
eye; we could tell. So my girlfriend, always one to engage and cheerfully socialize, exclaimed to him without hesitation,
“We love your house! It’s
beautiful!”
“Oh, well thank you,” he replied with a reserved smile. He replied calmly, but with a foundation of genuine warmth. The man’s personality was just as such; calm, but very warm underneath. He introduced himself as Peter. After only two or three more exchanges between us, he invited us into his cabin!
Now,
I don’t know about you, but to invite strangers inside your home to have a look
around after only three minutes is really something. What is that something? Generosity?
Kindness? Happiness? That usually doesn’t happen in too many places, certainly
not in the USA (where I am from). This was a total moment of serendipity; our plans shifted
completely around. With that
one question, “Would you like to have a look inside?”, this day became so much
better than we’d planned.
Both my girlfriend and I were delighted to go in. The near-indescribable feeling had taken on a new color and a new
source.
Well, it doesn’t get more rustic than this! Some of these pieces of furniture are
decades and decades old, with some dating back to the early 19th-Century.
The
cabin was built in the mid-late 1800’s, and has been passed down through the
generations. And, it can actually
be moved; as in hoisted up and driven somewhere else! I don’t have a photo, but each corner of the cabin rests upon
pilings of wood and stone. Peter told us the cabin had been moved several times since he’d been born. If I remember correctly, he said it
used to lie upon the hill seen across the fjord from the cabin’s present spot:
In the past, the cabin had rested in other places and at
other altitudes within the locality of Olden.
These huts were once used as storage
for corn and grain. Yet look what Peter did with these!
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| Yes; that's a mattress! |
Forget camping with tents; this is a step up!
As
one can imagine, winter this far north can be harsh, to say the least. Plus, there are only a few hours of
sunlight. But like the main cabin,
these huts keep rather well during the winter because of the sod roofs and
their insulation.
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| Old "graffiti" of a sailing ship. Peter said it probably dates back to the 1700's! |
I know close to nothing of
Norwegian history, so to come here and have a glimpse at a typical 19th-century
Norwegian cabin was overwhelming, like being given too much new information on
the first day of a new class.
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| Peter and I inside the cabin. |
Peter is a boat builder and a carpenter. He works for the Hardanger Museum Wharf. This is their website:
http://fartoyvern.no/om-oss
And this here is an article about Peter and his work:
http://www.viking-boats.com/Pdf/Hardanger_faering.pdf
Hege, Peter's wife, is a teacher. Unfortunately neither my girlfriend nor I took a photo with her. She is just as genuine and altruistic as her husband. Peter is quite tall, perhaps 6’6’’ or 6’7.’’ Hege is shorter and stouter, and just as fit. To me, she looks so much like a teacher that I almost didn’t have to guess her occupation. Her hair is dark and very short, and she wears large-rimmed glasses. From her clothes and her overall presence, I could tell that she is a creative-type, the kind of teacher you want your kids to learn from, no question about it. But the most striking thing about her is her resemblance to a beloved elementary school teacher of mine. Whenever Hege smiled, she looked almost uncanny to my old teacher…a near-perfect doppelganger. Nostalgia hit me hard. A part of my former kid-self was elated.
http://fartoyvern.no/om-oss
And this here is an article about Peter and his work:
http://www.viking-boats.com/Pdf/Hardanger_faering.pdf
Hege, Peter's wife, is a teacher. Unfortunately neither my girlfriend nor I took a photo with her. She is just as genuine and altruistic as her husband. Peter is quite tall, perhaps 6’6’’ or 6’7.’’ Hege is shorter and stouter, and just as fit. To me, she looks so much like a teacher that I almost didn’t have to guess her occupation. Her hair is dark and very short, and she wears large-rimmed glasses. From her clothes and her overall presence, I could tell that she is a creative-type, the kind of teacher you want your kids to learn from, no question about it. But the most striking thing about her is her resemblance to a beloved elementary school teacher of mine. Whenever Hege smiled, she looked almost uncanny to my old teacher…a near-perfect doppelganger. Nostalgia hit me hard. A part of my former kid-self was elated.
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| The basement |
So
we all sat down at the long wooden table, fireplace going, filling the room
with a homely scent of mountain smoke.
Both Peter and Hege were asking us the main questions: where are you
from, what do you do on the ship, what’s life like on the ship, where are we
going next, etc. etc. Hegiya
poured us tea, and also laid out a loaf of sweetbread she’d been baking. Thin dough sprinkled with sugar and
cinnamon, rolled into a crescent shape and baked. Simple and delicious!
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Peter and Hege have children. One is studying abroad in Canada, and
(if I remember correctly) they have two others who are adolescents. But the kids were all away for the
summer (again, if I remember correctly!), and so the couple decided to spend
time here on their other property.
You could almost say they temporarily adopted Dominique and I! Suffice it to say, we were making their
day as much as they were making ours.\
Topics shifted to other
things. I have often wondered about Northern European life, ever since my first visits to places like Helsinki, Stockholm, and Bergen. Wanting to know more about it, I inquired about standards
of living and cost of living. Hege responded. The welfare programs of Norway are indeed generous. Many Norwegians are fine with paying
higher taxes in order to supply nearly-free health care and free university and
college tuition, even for foreign students. Hege and Peter are of the same mindset.
Taxes
and income are actually public in Norway.
Yes; you can look up anyone’s income and taxes. While this may seem inconceivable and near-reprehensible for
countries like the USA, proponents argue that this transparency fosters a
mindset toward income equality and encourages people to aspire to greater
heights in their work. A short
argument of this sort can be found here:
As far as living is concerned, things are expensive! I stated as much to the couple,
wondering how a foreigner could assimilate with such lofty prices. But, again, most Norwegians are fine
with their expenses, especially since salary rates are also quite lofty. “If you find a job, the salary is going
to be high, so no need to worry,” Hege told me.
At the start of the 20th century, Norway was among the poorest nations in Europe. But in 1969, Norway discovered one of the largest oil fields ever to be discovered. They named it Ekofisk. But more discoveries were made, as it became clear that the North Sea holds a massive amount of oil and natural gas. These vast resources have, in large part, allowed Norway to form its socio-economic conditions in such a way as has been described. Furthermore the country, in conscientiousness, chose to avoid spending that great influx of oil money by putting most of it away into a wealth fund. Since the 1990’s Norway has mainly invested in overseas stocks, bonds, real-estate, and oil exportation. In addition to these practices, the country is allowed to spend 4% of the wealth fund annually. In these way Norway has kept its wealth fund growing, and today Norway has the largest sovereign wealth fund in the world. Part of that is thanks to the ballooning of gas and oil prices in recent history, yet Norway also has a history of good, wise decision-making in regards to both its oil and its wealth fund. But the success of this "Government Pension Fund Global" can be traced back to the way in which Norway handled delineation of its oil fields and its claim upon them. Hundreds of billions of USD for Norway’s future is safely secure today.
Here is some general history:
At the start of the 20th century, Norway was among the poorest nations in Europe. But in 1969, Norway discovered one of the largest oil fields ever to be discovered. They named it Ekofisk. But more discoveries were made, as it became clear that the North Sea holds a massive amount of oil and natural gas. These vast resources have, in large part, allowed Norway to form its socio-economic conditions in such a way as has been described. Furthermore the country, in conscientiousness, chose to avoid spending that great influx of oil money by putting most of it away into a wealth fund. Since the 1990’s Norway has mainly invested in overseas stocks, bonds, real-estate, and oil exportation. In addition to these practices, the country is allowed to spend 4% of the wealth fund annually. In these way Norway has kept its wealth fund growing, and today Norway has the largest sovereign wealth fund in the world. Part of that is thanks to the ballooning of gas and oil prices in recent history, yet Norway also has a history of good, wise decision-making in regards to both its oil and its wealth fund. But the success of this "Government Pension Fund Global" can be traced back to the way in which Norway handled delineation of its oil fields and its claim upon them. Hundreds of billions of USD for Norway’s future is safely secure today.
A fantastic summation of Norway’s petroleum history can be
found here:
The site below gives a more in-depth and critical look at
recent developments in regards to the Government Pension Fund Global.
This site gives a nice summation of that same recent
history.
And this site goes into fine detail about both the GPFG’s
history and inner-mechanics:
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| The ever-present pair of mountain and ship. |
My girlfriend and I could have stayed all afternoon. Even into the evening. Heck, we could have stayed in one of
those little huts in the backyard if Peter and Hege were okay with it! But the afternoon was waning, and our
time was running out. There was a
strong, joyous pressure to stay.
We all felt it. But of
course our jobs come first.
The visit could not have been any more incredible. No, we didn't experience Norway's grand nature like we’d wanted to. Instead it was replaced with genuine human warmth and connection.
This was one of the best days I have had in Norway. And, that near-indescribable feeling was strong.
The visit could not have been any more incredible. No, we didn't experience Norway's grand nature like we’d wanted to. Instead it was replaced with genuine human warmth and connection.
This was one of the best days I have had in Norway. And, that near-indescribable feeling was strong.
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| On our way back, 2015. |
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| Out in the mountains past Nordfjord, 2013. |
There is a term the Norwegians have
for taking in and experiencing nature: it is called “friluftsliv.” While I may butcher the pronunciation
of this word, it contains and implies so much. It basically translates to “open-air living.” The term relates to a very broad spectrum
of outdoor experiences, anything from admiring a flower in your garden to
rock-climbing the tallest jagged mountain. Norwegians search for these experiences of nature all the
time. To quote the writer Tim
Moore, "Fruliftsliv lies somewhere between a hearty pastime and a state religion, the word celebrating Norway's boundless natural splendour and its inhabitants' active appreciation of it, across snow, through forest and over fjord. A backpack is generally involved." His brilliantly story-like article lies below:
Both Peter and Hege told us about several of their hiking exploits. On their basement wall is a large map, dressed in many pins representing each hike's ending point. The amount of pins is definitely impressive, but I could tell, from the way Peter talked about the map,
that he was not boasting about these exploits. It was something entirely different. He radiated a true happiness about these hikes, about experiencing friluftsliv in all its
grandeur. The same radiation came
from Hege, who smiled in what appeared to be great recollection.
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| Homes in the distance, near Olden, 2013. |
Friluftsliv strikes right into your
soul. Every time. I may not have hiked nearly as much as
any Norwegian has, but I do have photos. Even when I was on the top deck of the ship, I felt it. Even from inside a tour bus, I
felt it. Surrounded by nature’s
glory, God’s glory, whatever you want to call it, it was there, ever present within me and given to me by something higher
than it all.
These are many of my
favorite Norwegian moments:
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| From a tour bus, ascending the mountains around Nordfjord. 2013 |
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| Svolvaer, Lofoten Islands, 2015. |
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| The Seven Sisters |
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| That's how small our tender boats are compared to the falls.... |
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| These last three shots are of the scene surrounding the ship in Geirangerfjord. The Seven Sisters waterfalls are here. 2015 |
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| Heaven opens up in Flam. 2015 |
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| From a train riding out of Flam. 2013 |
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| Hiking a road in Eidfjord. 2013 |
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| Sailing past a smoking volcano somewhere within the Arctic Circle. 2013 |
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| Sailing past sawtooth mountains within the Arctic Circle, around 12:40am. 2013 |
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| The moon through the clouds, around 2:15am. 2013 |
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| From the ship on the same night. 2013 |
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| These three were from the next night, around 2:30am. |
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| And two photos from the night after that, around 1:50am. |
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| A V-shaped valley outside the Arctic Circle. 2013. |
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| A pair of reindeer from a trail near Honningsvag. 2013 |
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| A large cairn near the rugged, Mars-like landscape of the North Cape. 2013 |
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| Me, trying to act deep at the North Cape, 2013 |
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| Approaching the North Cape on a beautifully dreary, almost ominous white night. And it was below-zero. 2015 |
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| After the Arctic Circle crossing. 2015 |
Though
I’m trying to evoke some sort of friluftsliv for you, these pictures don’t do
Norway justice. Not even close. You must be there to fully grasp it.
Before Norway, I had never
experienced such an immense, intense combination of natural might and beauty. It’s not just mighty, and it’s not just
gorgeous. In fact…Norway exceeded
my expectations more than any other place I’ve ever been. Once you are actually there, surrounded
by colossal rock, green, and sky, the landscape impacts you much more than you
would ever think possible. It’s
transcendental, but more than that.
It’s inspiring, but more than that. What is “more than that?” I cannot really say, for it is near-indescribable. However, it is all there within friluftsliv.
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| From a tour bus: rolling farmland within a canyon outside Fonn, 2013. |
Friluftsliv is a feeling of eternal magnitude. Words have their limit. This
was the near-indescribable feeling I’d been trying to understand. Anything
feels possible because the potential to glimpse the greater things in life
could not be easier. Yet what makes Norway my favorite place in the world is not
just its absolute natural beauty, but the beauty of its people. People like Peter and Hege. In a sense, I experience friluftsliv from them, too.
Disclaimer:
I do not intend to speak on behalf of Azamara Club Cruises. As an employee of Azamara Club Cruises, I hereby state that all vies and expressions of opinion I hold are solely my own, and do not reflect or represent the views, values, beliefs, opinions, or company policies of ether Azamara Club Cruises or Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.
Additionally I neither own nor claim any legal rights to the links provided in this post.
Additionally I neither own nor claim any legal rights to the links provided in this post.
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