It was the end of October. The temperatures didn’t rise above 0° anymore and every morning a beautiful glittering layer of frost was covering the ground. For quite some time me and my boyfriend Joachim wanted to explore the area north from where we live. It’s actually not far from some of Norway’s biggest Nationalparks with even the deepest fjords and highest mountains in the whole country. So without planning a lot we just packed all our stuff, mostly a lot of blankets, into the van and started driving up north. It was such a wonderful surprise as we realized we just had to pass the nearest village to be in a completely wild and untouched mountain area. Endless roads began to appear before us with big reindeer herds grazing nearby and first layers of snow covering the tops of the mountains.
When we travel we rather decide for an area we want to explore than setting up a clear destination. This time we were heading for the southern part of the Jostedalsbreen Nationalpark to see one of Norway’s biggest glaciers. The sun was already going down as we crossed the fjord with the ferry. The road up to the Nationalpark became smaller and smaller and as we finally reached the glacier it was completely dark. It was a bit of a spooky feeling to just park the van in the middle of nowhere with dark shadows of gigantic mountains all around us. The night sky made it absolutely worth it.
The next morning was mesmerizing. The dark blue sky changed into a soft pink over frosty fields and a rocky mountain landscape. Vivid turquoise colored water was running down from the glacier, which we could see right out of the window from the bed. Though it was freezing cold it was like waking up in a fairytale. The sun was still hiding behind the mountains, but the clear blue sky was promising a beautiful day. The landscape around us was mostly covered with rocks and the mountains were so steep probably nobody would ever be able to live there. Just a few little farm houses, where people keep their animals in the summer, were build around the small grasslands in the valley. Somehow it’s a deep relief to be at a place humanity hasn’t taken over yet. To get ourselves warm we climbed up the hill next to the river and watched the most beautiful sunrise.
Though we saw the glacier just from a distance it felt incredibly powerful. Just to imagine that this ice hasn’t melted in over thousands and thousands of years, that whole Norway was once covered under it and all the mountains around us where shaped by it. To stand in the middle of these endless fields of rocks surrounded by the massive mountains makes us loose the feeling of dimensions completely. The rocks we saw in the distance seemed to be quit small, as we suddenly realized the tree right next to it was just half of it’s size.
I am so deeply grateful that these kind of untouched nature still exists. The longer I live close to real wilderness the more aware I get about all the „nature“ that isn’t really nature anymore, but shaped and occupied by humans in so many different ways. I am so looking forward to come back!
So beautiful place.i hope I can go there (Norway)someday
Hi Leena,
I have been watching your videos on YouTube, I am very impressed by the way you spoke about your depression.
I am Kiran Kulkarni, I am a student at UCD, Dublin. I am an international student from India doing Masters in a new country. This whole journey has been a rollercoaster ride. I am very inspired by your videos. Please keep up the good work.
If anything I can help you to reach more audience please feel free to contact me.
Cheers,
Kiran Kulkarni.