Writer’s happiness

What a luxury, what a gift, my night in that little white house. In the early morning, when I am full of inspiration, I can simply slide from my mat to the table. This is true writer’s happiness. I make full use of it and only leave after an hour.

Feel free to interrupt!

Marit, Adrian’s mother, also stops by. We have a nice conversation. I had a similar chat with his father yesterday, who was mowing the grass. What lovely and open people. Although in Norwegian, they always seem to apologize: ‘I don’t want to disturb you!’ But this isn’t disturbing; it’s just nice. It’s always pleasant to talk with locals along the way. Especially with this family!

Nexans

Now truly heading to Sweden. Near Isebakke, the landscape is dominated by two massive towers labeled Nexans. Curious, I look up what they are. They turn out to be hyper-modern extrusion towers for the production of underwater high-voltage cables. They are 120 and 155 meters high; the latter being the tallest building on the Norwegian mainland. Quite impressive.

Coffee in the rain

On the weather radar, I see a huge rain shower approaching. I quickly head to the supermarket, where I intended to go anyway. I am lucky: just as the first thick drops fall, I am inside. And I strike gold again. There are tables and free coffee. How do I keep managing this? I settle in for the coming hours. The shower that the radar indicated would quickly pass turns out to be endless.

On the border of Norway and Sweden

When the rain finally seems to stop, I set off again. It’s past five now. Unfortunately… not even fifteen minutes later, I get caught in another heavy downpour. The temperature drops instantly to eleven degrees, and the wind picks up significantly. Very uncomfortable. Will this be the case for the rest of the day?

Fortunately not. Soon the skies clear up, the sun comes back, and immediately it feels pleasant again. Time to take off my jacket. I decide to take a short walk to a lookout point I saw on the map. I ‘lose’ an hour there, but what a gift. Before me lies the river that separates Norway and Sweden. The natural border. Soon I will cross the bridge to the third country: after Denmark and Norway, it’s Sweden’s turn.

Chaos in the hypermarkets

At the border, it is remarkably quiet. The offices are closed and there isn’t a customs officer in sight. A little further on, that completely changes. No houses, but hypermarket after hypermarket. People are coming and going with overflowing shopping carts. I suspect they are mostly Norwegians because groceries are much cheaper in Sweden.

I do my shopping too. I’m mainly looking for fuel or a gas canister, but strangely enough, it’s nowhere to be found. In Norway, fuel was simply available in various supermarkets. I hope I can still make coffee tomorrow because I only have a little gas left.

Searching, searching, searching for a camping spot

Then it’s time to search for a camping spot. But it’s nowhere to be found. Only steep rocks, dense bushes, and slanted forest ground. No flat piece of land for my tent anywhere. Eventually, I arrive at a campsite at a quarter past eleven. It’s just about not completely dark yet. So, a campsite it is. I am already 28 euros lighter for a solo hiker’s spot without electricity. In retaliation, I take the longest shower I can remember from my adult life. Then I crawl groggily into my tent.

Overnight stay: Askevik