View from the cabin
Jose Feliciano sings, or if he is no more, sang, Listen to the falling rain, Listen to it pour, And with every drop of rain I love you more, Let it rain all night long, Let my love for you grow strong, You know as long as we’re together, Who cares about the weather etc. Stucks in my head all day. Anyway so “there is music in the air”, even though it is a watery music.
At 2:30. I pass a campsite, where I wanted to eat something. So I march to the front desk. Indeed possible. Fortunately, because I had nothing and my stomach started to rumble. And you never know if at my goal for today, Kvam, about 10 km ahead, is a place to buy food. It is Sunday. The young lady at the front desk made a hamburger with fries for me. Where are you going, she asked. I told my story for the umpteenth time. Oh, she says, I’m German, from Stutgard. In Germany, I say, are so many possibilities. Why did you choose Norway? She: I choose the nature, space and mentality in Norway. I love horses, I find a job and have a friend in Sweden. Therefore, I want to walk the Swedish version of the Olavsweg: 400 km. from Sweden to Trondheim in Norway. A little chatting to and fro. Always interesting for me, because daughter Marieke also lives in Norway.
I must also think of all those emigrants that I have encountered on the road. A Pole who wanted to live in Italy. An Italian who emigrated to Galicia (Spain), Spaniards who had been working for decades in Northern Europe, a Spaniard who emigrated to France. A couple from Whales, which went to France, but eventually returned. Several English and several Dutch and a German who moved to France. My own brother is building a house in Poland etc. etc. I’m very happy where I live and hope to always stay there. From there, explore the world, but there is only one home, sweet home: Fly like an eagle and scratch with the chickens.
During this lunch I start todays blog, trying to get a little dryer in the mean time. Tosca is waiting outside, which is not so very sad, because it has stopped raining. The German girl puts me a shot in the arm: the rest of the day and tomorrow it’s supposed to rain a lot less, before tafter tomorrow the rain will make an extra effort.
This is said to be the center of Norway. Each region / city presents itself with what it has unique: Limburg, near the center of Europe, Luxembourg, centrally located in Europe, Strassbourg, center of Europe, Geneva idem. In the west of the Netherlands people say that there is nothing to do in Limburg. In the rest of Europe one finds Netherlands the end of the continent, from where one only can go into the sea. Not for nothing that the Romans did not take the north of Holland. Just kidding. I think Cottessen / Vijlen, where I live, is the center of the world. From there you can go anywhere. Anyway, here is the center of Norway. Chic enough, having been there.
She was right, our Stutgard girl. From the moment I got my burger and fries at half past three it stayed dry. With only enough for half a meal for Tosca and nothing left for myself, I arrived at 5:45 pm. in Kvam Motell og Camping. I knew there was a village shop, but it was of course (yet?) closed. As usual, I explained to the lady er of the campsite my situation: should not be too expensive and I still need diner. She would make lasagna, paying of course, but less expensive than usual. OK. Then also a pear cider 4.5% and I feel inconvincible again. Now searching for a shelter that still is open tomorrow. Taking a shower and then washing my socks. If I dry them they keep standing straight upright nevertheless, perhaps because of the holes they got. As long as I have no pain in my feet I still wear them every day. I only am worried that my shoes must endure 2 more weeks before I can buy new ones in the Nl. My Meindles lasted 2000 km.
Ater a 1 week stay in the Nl., when I go back from the Nl. to Hemavan in Sweden, friend Han will join me for one week. Then we’ll start the 450 km. long Swedish King’s Road, the Kungsleden, in Lapland. Kungsleden will run until Abisko, still in Sweden. After Abisko I will continue my route back to Norway, on the Nordkalottleden, until I reach the capital of the Samen, Kautokeino. From there it is 250 km. to Cape North. Must be very beautiful. End of August/beginning Sept. I hope to have arrived at Cape North. The days will be much shorter then, and the temperature drops. If someone wants to walk along, let me know because alone is just alone. I guess this is it for today, because I have been hard at work for my route tomorrow and beyond and I still have to seek shelter for Tosca when I will be gone to the Netherlands for one week. Hoping to admire my newborn grandchild, when it is born.
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