Seriously, the only thing this picture is missing is a panorama shot of the endless snow-capped mountains surrounding us, and a dramatic swell of music (preferably from The Return of the King as each progressive beacon in the mountains was lit, because that music and those images made me cry the first time I saw it in theaters and that feeling is the only way I can describe how absolutely, heart-achingly beautiful the view from here was).
One thing that kind of made me raise an eyebrow leading up to our trip were some of the reactions I got when I told people we were going to Norway. "Huh, why Norway?" "Really? Norway?" As I had only seen pictures at the time, I explained as best I could how beautiful it was and how excited we were to traipse around the fjords for a week. Now that I've been there, my response would be more along the lines of "WHY NOT NORWAY? Have you SEEN it?" Please excuse the caps lock attack, but the idea that anyone would ever not want to see Norway is absolutely ridiculous to me.
Things work differently there. I know that's a simplistic, seemingly-obvious statement that can be applied not only to other countries, but other states--but it's true. Strangely enough this dawned on me when I was crossing a pedestrian bridge over a stream in Sogndal, saw a car coming down the road, and stopped, only to have the driver stop and wave me across the road. One of the locals later informed me that there are laws in place that protect pedestrians and persecute drivers who don't stop for them, even if the pedestrian isn't looking. Mind-boggling. I don't know how many times I've nearly been clipped by drivers who don't give a damn while trying to cross an intersection.
Anyway, oddball example aside, we were deep in the fjords, in a tiny town called Solvorn, and it felt like time didn't really apply there. Everything was so quiet, the people (both local and other internationals we encountered) were kind and friendly. We were essentially staying in the equivalent of the rural countryside. Pre-vacation, some people told us we wouldn't really need to know Norwegian to get around, but we learned some anyway. Sure enough, we ran into people who didn't really know English. Came in handy when we needed to order "to varmtsjokolade" at a tiny cafe in Luster along our bike trip and pay our bus driver to and from Solvorn.
Shameless plug time: if you ever go to Norway, spend some time at Eplet Bed and Apple in Solvorn. It's super affordable, the people who run it are wonderful (and can help plan your outdoor excursions), and the apple juice is literally the best thing you will ever drink. Plus, you get to meet all sorts of people from all over. We met a group of English guys, a German family, and so many other lovely people during our stay.
I could write about this trip, the places we saw, and the lovely people we met for ages, but then this post would be as long as those mountains are high. So I'll settle for closing with this:
A (literal) full day of JUST traveling on either end of the trip in order to get there and back again (womp-womp, see what I did there?), the quarter-of-a-mile long cue at Heathrow, my swollen ankles from those stupid hiking boots I wore when we climbed that glacier, my aching legs from an arduous 40-something-mile bike ride that I was convinced I was going to die doing (sort of--those hills were no joke, and don't get me started on those three damp, unlit, completely dark tunnels were biked through with only tiny, dim flashlights)--all of it was so worth it. And honestly, those things are secondary. The pure, unmarred beauty of the fjords, our experiences there, and the friends we made trump any discomfort or stress along the way.
I think about this trip a lot, and I miss the place, the people, everything. This was my first trip outside of the US (or even the West Coast), and it certainly won't be my last. We will go back again, someday. Meanwhile, there are so many other places I want to see. England, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand... I'll see them one day. Until then, I hope I don't forget to appreciate the beauty of things and the people I know where I live. I think it's good to want to see other places, but I often find I need to keep my heart in check, lest I pine away for distant lands and forget about home. Besides, there are plenty of adventures waiting right outside my door. I just need to step out and have them.
No comments:
Post a Comment