This is the last leg on a two-week trip through Norway. During the next few days I’m staying in Sandness, a town fifteen minutes south of Stavanger. The reason I picked this area is twofold: there are supposed be great fjords to visit and it reduces my drive back to the Netherlands by six hours, coming Saturday.
In the last six weeks, I’ve been living in remote areas, in relatively old houses. As I get closer to the AirBnB I notice that I’m in the middle of a residential area. Annemai, my host, opens the door and shows me around, while she apologises for an impeccable kitchen.
The house is delightful: the colours are light and bright; everything is extremely clean and new; it feels calm and serene. This is great! It’s quite a contrast compared to the last weeks. I guess sometimes you just have to deprive yourself from something, to appreciate it again.
My only complaint is the way my host has the toilet paper oriented. I don't mind helping her correct that. Let me explain: there are two types of people in the world: normal people who hang toilet paper in the “over” position, and sadists who hang it in the “under” position to make life miserable for themselves and whoever else uses their crapper.
It's raining outside. But I don’t mind. It’s a mild, comforting rain; inside by the fireplace rain; under the blankets rain. I do my work-out, take a shower, shave, and put on some nice clothes. It feels good to be back in civilisation. I take a seat on the comfortable couch, while enjoying some Chai tea and soft piano music in the background. Then I check out what is new in iOS11 and continue reading in “Becoming who we need to be”, a book written by Colin Wright.
Colin is quite an inspiration to me, as he was the one inspiring “the Minimalists” to explore the question “How can I live a more meaningful life with less?". Next to that, he traveled to a new country every four months for the last eight years. His readers voted on where he would live next. Fascinating. I’ve established e-mail contact with him and he has given me some advice a couple of times. It’s nice to know, that there is actually a person behind a well-known figure on the internet.
This time I’m better prepared than last Sunday, to ensure I will actually reach the top. The trail is an eight kilometer round-trip hike and I should be back at the parking lot within four hours. My backpack is filled with warm clothes, plenty of water and some crackers. Annemai was kind enough to lend me some dry-bags and her beautiful pink rain jacket.
I was expecting quite a few people, but there is nobody here. I guess not everyone wants to get up at 6AM to climb a mountain. While the moon is still high in the sky, I start my climb. The terrain is fairly rough and the hike is steep. Huge rocks form the path and when in doubt in which direction to proceed, there is a little “T” painted on a rock to keep me on track.
Because there is nobody in my way, I can set my own pace and after one hour and twenty minutes I reach the top, to find two other guys. Good, someone can take my picture! There is a thick fog hanging over the Lysefjord, which makes an even more magical view.
After enjoying the sight for a couple of minutes, rain starts pouring down from the sky. I decide to make my way back. The closer I get to the parking lot, the more people I see on their way up. At the very end, there are lines of people waiting on each other to climb to the top. I’m not surprised to find two big tour busses on the parking lot. Good thing I started early!
Next thing I know, it is Saturday. I pack my belongings, write a goodbye-note to Annemai and I get in the car for a 16.5 hour journey. I'm driving back to the Netherlands. Looking back, I’ve covered quite some Scandinavian ground in the past six weeks!
I’ll be home for two weeks. The next adventure will follow soon!
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