ja, vi elsker

ja, vi elsker dette landet - yes, we love this country. this first line of norway's national anthem has been in my head since hearing the news of the terror attacks on the 22. july, the date no norwegian will forget.

on that day, we had been out on senja, norway's 2nd largest island, and paddled from øyfjorden into mefjorden and all the way down to mefjordbotn, through some interesting swell and waves around the headland, with visits of otters and sea eagles, and then along this fantastic row of mountains rising straight from the fjord. mefjordbotn greeted us with a nice beach to land, unfortunately on somebody's private ground. however, because this was norway, we could just land, get ourselves and our gear sorted, before i walked back to where we started the trip the day before to fetch the van. on the way to the van was a tunnel and i hoped to get a lift to avoid having to walk through this rather badly lit hole in the mountain. however, what i found at the entrance to the tunnel was yet another sign of what makes this country: a postbox of the type nearly everybody here has for their mail, filled with high visibility vests to put on while walking or cycling through the tunnel, with the request to just leave it in the box on the other side. practical, responsible, trusting the people who would use this- typical norwegian. i did get a lift in the end, a car pulled up as i was entering the dark.
on the return to mefjordbotn, a short chat with the house and beach owner (a fit 70+ year old man) about paddling, his experience of germany (6 months in kiel), and the norwegian abilities of my fellow paddler (same as the english of this guy - none), and we were welcome to drive the van to the beach to load the boats the gear there.
the night before, we ended up in this beautiful bay in øyfjorden, that on the map looked like the perfect camping spot, in reality was a swamp or meter high grass though. searching for a place for our tent that was in a reasonable distance from the two houses (one of which looked very deserted) was difficult. as we were walking back from what we thought should work, the guy from the other house appeared and showed us the place he thought would be best - right in front of their windows! for those who don't know about the norwegian allemannsretten, you are basically allowed to camp everywhere, as along as you stay at least 150m away from houses. we were well within those 150m and spoiling the fjord view, but he insisted that we put our tent there.

there are many more stories like this, like the chat with the paddlers we met at the ferry, paddling with jann on lofoten, getting ready for our first overnight paddle of the holiday in the middle of a village. and there are all the details from daily life that reflect the practical approach that is so typical of this country, the security and safety one feels here (lack of a spare house key? well, just don't lock the door...), admittedly also things that drive me crazy (det ordner seg...). all these make this country and its people so loveable, they make me want to live here, and they make me so angry and sad at the attacks.

so far, the reactions have been incredible. they reflect the norwegian spirit, with its strong belief in this country, in the traditions, the openness, the faith, the confidence in each individual and the society, and the considered and thoughtful approach to crises. i hope norway manages to get through this without losing what makes it so unique. ja, vi elsker dette landet - and nobody should be able to destroy this spirit.