Norway is a Dark Place

by Latisha Moodley (South Africa)

I didn't expect to find Norway

Norway is a dark place in more ways than one. In the literal sense, the sun does not rise above the horizon from November until early January. It resets your circadian rhythm without your awareness. There is also an aspect of dark history related to the invasion of Norway during World War 2 - the country was not expecting it, yet fought through it and survived as a nation. Beyond that, over a 1000 years prior to World War 2, the Vikings ruled over the country - a power struggle which lasted from 800 AD to 1066. Yet there's something magnetic about this dark place, you feel drawn to it. We visited the west coast during this trip, beginning our journey at Ålesund and made our way up north to road-trip the Lofoten Islands - an archipelago within the arctic circle. I say "made our way" because we have not been short of commuting niggles😅 The cruise ship we were joining for a few nights was unable to dock at Ålesund due to extreme winds so the port stop was canceled. Frustration immediately turned to relief as we watched the vessel sail away, listing to the right at what appeared to be a 45 degree angle😳 With a quick change of itinerary, booking of train tickets (and subsequently jumping on an incorrect train headed in the opposite direction), we continued our adventure of the west coast! The west coast is dominated by fjords - these are inlets of the sea into the mainland and they're formed by retreating glaciers. Norway is known for its astonishing landscapes, and that's what we needed to see. Early January is off-season so many tourist attractions were closed, leaving us with sufficient time to absorb the scenery in the 1-2 hours of available daylight⏳ The weather of course is tremendously unpredictable, from wind gusts to sudden snowstorms. It brought me to tears on one day - it was an overwhelming fear of being so tiny against this weather, almost unable to breathe through wind blowing at me at almost 80km/h🌪️ Through this experience though, there's happiness carved through me, similar to the fjords. It was almost a portrayal of life - storms, rough patches, finding your feet, yet you discover that the sun will rise again and the sea will quieten down. Time moves slowly here and I'm actually ready to head home! There's still tons to do in Norway but we probably need to resist the magnetism and explore other regions of the world🗺️