Midnight sun Sjovegan
Norwegians have a contagious social way of receiving people that is at the essence of this so un-European society. All seems to be based in nature and weather.
We can see the fjord from our spot at the top of the mountain. Svein writes an entry on his secret diary concealed under a tree. “Trip number 92. My brother will never catch up”.
I look the mountain behind this one, full of snow. We are at the end of June and it is sunny. Some kind of summer starts in its arctic version. Summer here is not just a matter of a temperature rise (although rise it does, mainly lately due to global warming). Summer to me comes with something new and completely revealing: Night does not set in. Days are eternal, shiny and full of joy.
When a midnight the sun sets to appear half an hour later over the waters in a bright sky my euphoria grows bigger. I try to sleep by covering my eyes with a thick dark shawl. Sleep comes by exhaustion. No matter when you wake up, day is awaiting you.
Norway is a country of discreet astonishing beauty. I arrived at its northern peak with a European idea in mind and found a place that I felt was the antithesis of it: Wild, easy going and most of all, very friendly and uncomplicated.
In Norway camping is allowed at any spot 200 meters away of any house. For example, you can camp in a city park as far as this rule is respected. I did so, at the outskirts of Narvik. Clean, silent and with a paradise fjord view, it was difficult to imagine that a 20.000 inhabitants city was just few hundred meters away. Upon arrival I already felt that living in this arctic place was not going to be as hard as one could have imagined.
My second surprise in terms of lodging was the Airbnb experience. I rented a cabin that was far beyond a good deal of place for money. “It is not so much about business. I like to make friends”, the owner said. Straight into the fjord, I have access to the inner space of Norwegian living. Norwegians do not just rent you a house. They offer it to you with the whole system attached to it: people, pets, boats, culture, nature and a lot more.
Norwegians seem to be blended with the water, the forest and the seasons. While we walk down the mountain, we cross a flock of sheep that run wildly around the forest. Svein holds the dogs (not allowed free dogs in this season) and the sheep run to take refuge. “They belong to someone, to my cousin in fact. They just roam around… when winter sets in… They will look for refuge”. I wonder about predators and Svein says that indeed there are packs of wolves beyond the mountains I see behind me, on the edges of Tenevoll. Interestingly, there is a nature reserve in Tenevoll with bears, lynx and wolves. It is not unheard of that they leave their closed surroundings and get in contact with their brothers in nature, up by the frozen lake.
On the mountaintops all is white. I don’t think that snow ever melts up there.
Norway feels so huge that it is easy to imagine great spaces where humans never set foot and allow the wild animals and plants to have some heavens.
What nature looked like once upon a time in the most populated areas of the world can be seen and experienced here. This is something that most of us together with nature have not seen for long time now.
Norway looks to me a model on how to end global warming. Besides the very strict laws, the crucial element is a proper balance between human habitation and nature. The low density in the country allows nature to thrive and to have its own balance without having to fight for space with the human race.
Humans (we) are pests. Norway seems to be an exception where all other natural species get the same share of the territory.
Norway, while being one of the greenest countries on earth, had two main contradictions.
One, whaling is legal.
According to The Guardian, the last whaling communities in the country are about to disappear. Norway only allows the catching of a specific type of whale (mink whale) that is not at risk of being extinct.
I find terrifying that whales are hunted. The problem is that I find equally terrifying the industrial slaughtering of cows, pigs, chicken and any other animal destined for human consumption in large scale.
The fact that whales are such enormous mammals and that they were at the brink of extinction makes it look worse than the slaughtering of cattle. Yet, I have to say that Norwegians have a point on keeping their traditions while taking into account the endangered species.
The second contradiction is that they extract and export petrol. The country’s main income comes from oil.
Norway is a country rich in energy resources. Known for its huge reserves of coal, it has two open coalmines in the whole country. In October 2017 one of them, a historically Russian spot in Norwegian territory in the far north islands, was deemed ready for closure within the same year.
Outside the European Union, an oil producer and not adhering to many international treaties, Norway should be a bad example in the international sphere. Still, it is one of the greenest countries on earth with its energy consumption being 97% of renewable origin. One year ago Norway declared a total ban in fuel cars by 2025, in less than a decade.
France and the UK put their estimate date of total ban on fuel cars at 2040. There are only a handful of countries worldwide who want to reach this goal officially.
It is difficult not to fall for the charm of Norway and its five million inhabitants. They seem to have an aborigine sort of mentality where nature comes first and humans are nothing but a tiny part of it.
Laws in Norway take nature into consideration. Besides, the people is taught that the earth is to be used only for survival purposes, taking what is due to humanity and not spoiling the patrimony of other species. Norwegians live austere lives void of extravagance. Nevertheless, they remain one of the happiest people on earth. According to the UN happiness report, Norwegians are the first in the ranking for 2017 because of their levels of caring, freedom, generosity, honesty, health, income and good governance.
Norwegians pay an average 40% in taxes. It is also a country with one fifth of their population made of migrants. Although it was not obliged, Norway received 20.000 refugees in 2016 in accordance with EU quotas. Yet, Norway is not a EU member. The decision came as a solidarity move to help Greece and Italy who were struggling with the number of refugees that arrived at their shores.
Svein tells that at the school where he works 25% of the kids are the children of refugees. He says that the people in the village are happy to have them around.
That makes Norwegians so unique. They have a culture of social responsibility and they do care.
Svein calls me soon after I left to the other end of the world: “I retired. Life treated me well. Perhaps it is time that I gave a little bit back. Can you help me find a non paid job in a poor country?”
I make sure that such job exists. The world needs people like him, like the Norwegians. It impresses me that they are not even aware of it.
It is winter right now in Norway. Night set it and will not be back before February next year. Norwegians seem to be incredible as well by day as by night.
