Striking Landscapes

Our trip to Norway begins in Andenes and ends in Oslo. Andenes is the northernmost town on the island of Andoy, in the Vesteralen archipelago, and from here we head south using different means of transport: first by car, then by train, by ferry and even on foot. In the feverish days before departure we kept reassuring each other about the chosen destination. "Will we find good weather?" "Will we suffer from the cold?" We repeated these and other questions until we were bored. As on every trip, a bit of luck was needed, and it was precisely in luck that I trusted - having pushed harder than anyone to go to Norway - and so I reassured the group that we would even avoid the rain of Bergen, the rainiest city in the world. And yet...

The three days we spent in Bergen were plagued by 72 hours of uninterrupted rain, far beyond every worst forecast, not to mention the northern mists, just like those of our Po Valley, and yet how many and which senses does the mighty Norwegian nature awaken with its striking landscapes? Back home, one more than another, we were all enthusiastic about the travel experience. Personally, Norway is the nation that made a little traveller be born in me. Landscapes, but not only. The people surprise you too. Norwegians have an unexpectedly warm heart despite the temperatures and what people think. Yes, perhaps hard to approach, wary of tourists, but only at first. In this regard I recall a whole afternoon spent in a pub in Andenes with my spirits low because of the adverse weather.

We were supposed to set sail from the little harbour for a sea excursion to see whales up close, but the fog prevented it and, worse, the weather forecast for the week was terrible. We ask for information in various places hoping that someone, at least someone, would not discourage us from heading for the goal of our journey: "North Cape", the wonder of a sun that never drops below the horizon, the so-called "midnight sun." The tourist office, the police station, the harbour master, the manager of the pub, a travel agency - from all of them we got one single, identical, bitter answer: don't go, you'll find bad weather.

With the goal of the trip gone, we spend the whole afternoon in a pub reworking the itinerary. We are just below the 70th parallel north, it is cold, there is fog and a light drizzle, but amid endless and inconclusive discussions we meet some young locals. Their friendliness makes us forget the bad weather and North Cape. So, in Andenes, our journey begins. In the following days we enjoy their company to explore the Vesteralen and Lofoten archipelagos, and in the end they turn out to be unsurpassed guides. On these islands it really feels like being in a fairy-tale country, whether because of the fog, whether because of the stories our companions told us, who knows..., but they seem like places made for dreaming, fairy-tale places.

When we leave the islands the trip finally offers beautiful sunny days. We travel that part of the landscape that more than any other is identified with Norway, namely the fjords. There are hundreds of them, small and large, and they push thousands of metres inland from the open sea up to the mountains. One image will remain indelible if you visit Norway: snow-capped peaks contrasting with the blue of the sea, just as you will certainly not forget the freshness and purity of the air. We travel roads that are a succession of bends and sudden changes of gradient, we get on and off slow ferries continuously, vehicles you cannot do without to cross the fjords, shortening the journey and the time. From the ferries the view of the fjords is even better than from the road. Mighty waterfalls accompany us the whole way. We are on the train when we see a white line running along the green meadows.

They are stones painted white placed in a row, one after another, suitably arranged to mark latitude 66deg33' north, that is, the Arctic Circle. They tell us that on the train coming from the opposite direction, that is from south to north, a certificate is also handed out attesting to the crossing of the polar circle. Between one fjord and another and kilometre after kilometre we reach Bergen.

After days of good weather, three days of heavy, continuous rain await us, but the city turns out to be exciting all the same. It is curious to observe how everyone, adults and children, goes around without an umbrella despite the pouring rain, simply wearing raincoats or k-ways and rubber boots of every colour that make some businesswomen and businessmen look particularly ridiculous. Don't miss the fish market on the quay, the wooden houses and the narrow alleys of the centre. Before reaching Oslo it is a must to stop at "Preikestolen", in other words the Pulpit. From its 604 metres up there is a magnificent view over the narrow Lysefjord. We are lucky, the day is wonderful and clear to the point of letting us see even the open sea. Along the walk, about two hours, needed to reach the top, magnificent views open up.

As I observed, this is what one expects from the land of the Vikings, a nature that is mistress and absolute!

But another aspect struck me about Norway. The people managed to convey to me the feeling of being part of their land, of being part of that exceptional nature. Visiting Norway also means meeting a people proud and full of pride in their history, in their land. One might object: and who isn't? The essential difference is that for the people of Norway their land is their home, respect for nature is total. No Norwegian would ever throw rubbish on the ground because nature is their home. We Italians respect our home and would never dream of throwing rubbish on the floor, whereas we behave differently, say, on the beach or in the mountains. If you throw a piece of paper on the ground in Norway it will be as if you threw it into a Norwegian's home. You are warned. The Norwegian people are wrongly believed to be cold and inhospitable. The people, on the other hand, are affable.

Indisputable proof of this is the true and heartfelt sharing for the bad weather we met in the archipelagos, the friends of Andenes, the hospitality received from a family and the whole village where we were guests.

In a village on the Boknafjorden, immersed in nature, blinded by the brilliant green, we discovered the unsuspected cordiality of the Norwegian people. The penetrating gazes of a humanity that lives half the year with a hostile nature which it nevertheless loves. Here we were not only guests, but an integral part of the small fishing community. What unforgettable flashes: the sweet faces of the children, the beautiful girls selling fish, young and old busy fishing, people we will always carry in our memories.

Finally, Oslo. The trip is about to end. Oslo, the Norwegian capital, is at the same time a metropolis and a wild land: skyscrapers, night clubs, shops of every kind, but also woods, clean air and a seaside life that has nothing to envy the Mediterranean. I did not expect to find immaculate sandy beaches, to see people swimming and sunbathing in Oslo, right in the North Sea. Norway, striking landscapes, then, mountains with steep flanks along the beautiful fjords, powerful and thunderous waterfalls, majestic glaciers, vast plateaus, green valleys, pure air, open and kind people...