Crossing a fjord per ferry.
Nice mountains in the background. Nice filmer (Rudi) in front.
Beauty (right or left?) at tank station.
I expect a call from the interviewer of the Dutch horse magazine Bit. How got your relation with the horse, living together and so intense for so long? The same question applies to the dog.
Answer will be: The three of us have not grown up together. So there was no relation prior to my trip. The relationship between the three of us is primarily functional. The animals must do what I expect them to do. Go on, stand still, walk straight ahead on the road. Being at ease with traffic. Cross little and large bridges, walking over metal fences, through water, on pebbles, across trenches, passing tree trunks and bushes. Holding a strong animal all day with one arm often is extremely difficult and takes a lot of energy. Then there is no time for cozy strolling Tosca’s dog’s head or for amorous shoulder taps on horse Leon’s shoulder. Leon had a habit of suddenly stopping right at the middle of an intersection, to explore all (flight?) roads well. In the woods that’s o.k., but at the busy intersections in the big city of Burgos, that is a bit awkward. Because I have both hands occupied, I can not help but stimulate Leon softly with my leg, like a horse rider also does, only the way I do it does not look very friendly at a crossroads. But I have no choice. Being being hit by a car? There were many examples that illustrate that, if necessary, my approach to the animals was different from how one treats a hobby animal, with whom one can make an easy walk around the block. Nevertheless, I believe that we had a close relation the three of us, because in the morning dog and horse often rushed to each other, and the horse seemed happy to be together with us again and happy to start walking again. When I untied horse Leon he never walked really far away from me and I could easily get him again. I could lie down between his leggs without any problems. So there is quite something to tell about pony Leon: The times he disappeared and that one occasion that he took off because of a passing ambulance with a surging siren. Walking through busy shopping streets the three of us next to each other, or horse Leon tied to a street lamp, next to dog Tosca, waiting in the rain while I had a coffee in a bar in the town etc etc.
We stop at Øysand Camping south of the beautiful and cozy city of Trondheim. It turns out that it’s already darker (9.30 hours) than a few days ago, when we were over 1000 km. more North, ie in Alta. Rudi books a ferry crossing from Norway to Denmark for next Saturday.
Although I realize that my blog is no longer interesting, I’ll keep it up for a few more days till I’m home, as a diary for myself.
Interesting is suffering, abandonment, great joy, unexpected changes, eros. If any of all this may have been present, it’s over now, or we have to bump into a moose, sink with the ferry or be rescued by a beautifull mermaid.
For the eros, I took a picture of the beauty that awaited us at our lunch spot at a gas station.
Reminds me of Rudi’s book that I’m reading in the car, by Joris Luyendijk: among bankers, describing with which car and young beauty some managers think they have to show off. I wonder with what car I should transport the lady of the picture? With a wheelbarrow?
We find a place at Drammen Camping, not far from Oslo.
