True North
A one week love affair with Norway's fjords and lifestyle via a party for one in Amsterdam.
There is no ‘water energy’ in my natal astrology chart, some of you will know what that means, others won’t. Not to worry there is enough water in this part of the year’s travel for us all!
My strongest sensory memory of Holland was this storybook from my childhood. I loved the story of Peter, the boy who put his finger in the dike to protect his community from disaster. An important lesson on social responsibility and based (loosely) on a true story from the 18th century.
The Amsterdam city flag colours represent the two fires that destroyed the city (red) the plague (black) and the water (white). The flag’s X X X also reminds citizens of cherished values, translated from Dutch as : merciful, determined and heroic. Much like Peter in the story from my childhood, I love that.
A massive thunderstorm greeted my arrival into Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
It didn’t matter.
The city is enduring a six week ‘experiment’ with main roads closed to all cars - it was an expensive, long (albeit dry!) taxi ride to the hotel. No one (except the residents of the closed streets) seems very happy about this unplanned ‘experiment’ - it made arriving, leaving and getting around the city centre hard.
My experience of this ‘experiment’ with the huge take up of e-bikes, ‘aggressive’ riding by local cyclists, befuddled tourists and rubbish and construction everywhere blocking footpaths was of a next level crazy-town.
Hyper vigilant, I focused on using back streets. This led to a palm reading, ‘coffee’ shop stops, ‘space cakes’ and a booking to return to a wet-spa in the repurposed basement of massive bank vaults from the 1700s. Fun!
It was three long summer-solstice days navigating canals and bridges, conversing silently with cute houses with personalities and guilt-free visits to De Pindakaaswinkel to sample a myriad of palm-oil free peanut butters.
Amidst its beauty and diversity Amsterdam has a whiff of decay and wobbliness surrounding its liberal-minded pleasure culture. Perhaps, some existential climate fear? The city is extremely vulnerable to climate change. A better planned ‘experiment’ next time perhaps ?
Water energy is fluid, invoking feelings, connection and emotions.
After finding the ebb and flow of life in Amsterdam (and crying through Blake Works 1, the Dutch National Ballet company’s gorgeous tribute to contemporary dance choreographer William Forsythe) I was ready to embark on a sea voyage.
I have always loved being on the sea.
In my teens I was a naval reserve cadet, a Leading Sea’man’ no less, and can still tie a bowline (knot) behind my back. Many happy days were spent on Quandamooka Country (Moreton Bay) crewing little corsair sailing boats.
Boarding Holland-America’s ginormous ship “Rotterdam” for my first ever cruise experience was a thrill. My cabin was on the 5th deck with a little balcony, well lit desk and room service. No knowledge of knots was required for a seven night voyage across the Northern Sea to Oslo and the fjords of western Norway. Viking country!
This is the most north I have ever been, at a latitude within the Arctic Circle. The speed of the ship felt like flying low over the sea.
The days were visually epic and long. Sunset was 10.45pm and it was still twilight at 1am, the sky lightening again from 3am. The sunlight created glitter shards of moving light on the sea as clouds and ships rolled past. A constant spectacle of sea and sky scapes.
It was two full days at sea from Amsterdam with the ship docking at ports in Oslo, Kristiansand, Eidfjord and Flam, Norway.
The root of the word fjord is ‘ferd’ and means travelling. There are over 1000 fjords in Norway and the Indigenous people lived in small family groups at the end of the ‘fingers’ of the fjords. Using the fjords as roads to access the world and their local communities. Today over 1400 road tunnels, some with roundabouts and light installations, make travel through mountains easier than around them on the water.
Nothing much was written down during the ‘viking era’ and much folklore and mythology has been lost. However, I heard a deep reverence when locals talked about the paths and routes walked, and rowed, by their ancestors.
Norwegians consider life a partnership with the land and sea - living in such a difficult landscape they had to unite to tackle big problems with solutions, to survive. I often heard talk of the importance of loving nature, not fighting it.
Take On Me by A-ha, is the most successful song from Norway. It is one very happy pop song and soundtracks one of the most innovative music videos of all time.
Happy, calm and innovative, embodying peace from being ‘in’ nature is how Norway felt to me. (Norwegian folk also claimed they ‘invented’ death metal, so there is that on the flipside I suppose.)
At 4pm every day the people living around the fjords stop work and spend a couple of hours in nature - fishing, hiking, sitting near the trees, before their evening meal. The country is proliferated with electric vehicles - in Eidfjord alone there were 17 EV charges available at the art gallery. The highways are almost silent.
In Oslo people work from sauna huts and go swimming in the central business area at lunchtime - an aura of calm permeates the city.
Phrases I heard a lot were “there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes” and “ikke stress” which literally means ‘no stress’. Everyone remains calm and older folks have smile lines etched in their faces.
I soaked up everything I could about the culture and would go back in a heartbeat.
Everyday, no matter the weather, my obsession with the beauty of the fjords deepened.
There are more waterfalls than churches in Norway, and Christianity does not dominate the architecture.
I caught the train up the mountain from Flam and hiked the 10km back down between Vatnahalsen to Blomheller. Walking through forests and passing dozens of waterfalls with the smell of fir and pine was a natural high. I felt so close to nature and vital.
Overall the cruise ship was a great experience - perfect for visiting the fjords. Seven days was enough for me, I was itching to disembark. Too often I had forgotten to close the blackout curtains and the rumble of the engine in the ships bowels and rattling of free-wheeling coat hangers through the night had sapped my energy and creativity. It was as if my body knew it wasn’t on land and couldn’t ‘earth’ itself long enough during the day for deep rest.
It was uncommon to meet other solo travellers on a ship of thousands of people with a love of appliqued t-shirts, matching outfits and walking aids. The ones I did meet (that were not in ‘accounting and finance’) were often women in their 30s and 40s. Nurses having their first 'proper holiday’ since the pandemic. They were tired, burnt out and emotional. I sat and listened to their stories and held more than one hand. Travelling this year feels like ghosting the pandemic. It was a good reminder of the very real human toll of these past few years.
Feeling emotionally strong myself I was happy to hold space for the emotion of others. Reciprocity, the flow of water energy. Love and kindness matter.
Reading - Viking Women, Life and Lore by Lisa Harnett
Listening - The Colour In Anything the 2016 James Blake album that soundtracked Forsythe at the Holland Festival
Next - A Greek Odyssey !
#walkon2023 Step Count - accumulative total steps 748,881 (as at 30 June 2023) + a highly commended mark for not using the elevator on the ship adding 91 floors to the tally :)
Love reading your epic tales, Ld. Superbly written and you look so incredibly happy. Miss ya xo
Great to read about the next stage in your odyssey. I love the epic look of the Fjords … though the boat sounds even less comfy than the train!