Norway
An Air of Freedom

Today, the fjord has become peaceful, a place for contemplation. The battle is fought from within, and the prize is to find contentment with one’s own self, to come to terms with the distance we have from others. One comes to the fjord for emancipation, the acceptance of loneliness: a passage to the sublime.

From Ålesund we drive to Storfjord Hotel. Driving along the Atlantic coast is beautiful, as the roads wind from island to island. In the old days, before the miraculous roads that manage through engineering prowess to accommodate the rugged geography, these stretches were only transitable by sea.

The hotel is picturesque and cosy. The breathtaking views of the Sunnmøre Alps as they melt into the Storfjord give a sense of drama that at first impression clashes with the homeliness of the hotel: log cabins with grass rooftops and a farmstead aesthetic. It is the quaint Norwegian home that has been popularised. But depictions fail to grasp the philosophy and the concept behind it: Hygge

For all the wild nature, the perilous peaks teeming with trolls and the seas populated with abyssal sea-creatures, the Norwegians have Hygge, an approach to life to warm their hearts, to balance adversity, to find well-being and connectedness. Hygge is, at its core, a craving for simplicity, kindness and cosiness. It is one of the guiding principles of the Nordic way of life.

I am sitting comfortably on a couch by the fire, sipping hot tea from a kåsa ― a traditional wooden cup. I look at the blue shades of the long Scandinavian dusk that has set over the Sunnmøre Alps. It is comfortable and delightful. I don’t feel separated from nature. This kind of comfort embraces nature, it not only becomes part of the landscape, but it also enhances it.

Storfjord Hotel is stocked by local produce, they even have their own brand of beer that is served exclusively at the hotel. The isolation of the fjords has given locals a very strong sense of self-reliance. In the morning, we visit a farm and learn of their traditional preservation techniques. The long, harsh winters are unforgiving: preservation is at the core of Norwegian cuisine.

Livelihood came not from the fjords. The sea was the provider, that open, flat, monotonous and gigantic realm. Fish and oil were its bounty. Only now are the fjords becoming a gold mine for the travel industry. Fortunately, mass tourism is focused on big cruise ships. The roads are quiet and practically deserted. To gain further introspection, travellers should drive around, go on a small boat, or paddle an even smaller vessel…

True to myself, I enter the Norangsfjord on a boat but continue on a kayak. And so we come to the place where I began my tale.

The seamless wilderness is only timidly interrupted in isolated places near the water: farmsteads and the neat grass around them. Soon, the cliffs become too steep again, no barn nor cabin could possibly sprout there.

Today, these charming places are the high price of real estate. In centuries past, luxury was not even a distant consideration. Quite the opposite, harshness and the hard truths of self-sufficiency were the only harvest from these lands that yield next to nothing. Solitude and isolation for most, small communities for some lucky few.

GO ON AN AMAZING HOLIDAY

As I paddle on, I am at awe at the sheer rocks, the ice on the mountaintops that has not melted, not even though it is September. It will remain there for evermore. Nature is a felt presence. Men did not manage to take over, to become masters. Norwegians have figured out a workaround: coexistence. Today, it is picturesque; for most of history, it was about survival.

In the distance, I glimpse the place where we are headed. It is a small hamlet of some 40 souls. It is also home to one of the best hotels in Europe, Union Øye, built in 1891. The hotel has been one of the preferred hideouts for royals and artists since the late 19th century. Such as my eyes see it, such was it then. Nothing has changed.

After check-in, we head outdoors, since it is the Norwegian thing to do. We ride bikes from the hotel and head out to explore the Norangsdalen, the dales around the Norangsfjord. It is a landscape fit to inspire genius. Both Ibsen and Grieg came here to court the muses. Being free outdoors is the second pillar of Norwegian culture: friluftsliv. We could attempt to translate the term as “outdoor recreation” or “being outdoors.” But it is a philosophy so profoundly ingrained in the Scandinavian culture that the best definition I can come up with is the experience of connectedness with nature.

We come to a lake and light a fire by the shore. We drink tea and eat fresh pancakes with homemade jam. Is this Hygge or Friluftsliv? For me, it is nothing short of pure beauty and happiness.

Back at the Union Øye, I find that the hotel is charming, full of history and pride. The hospitality is genuine. Before dinner, I enjoy a sauna and a gin and tonic ― old habits die hard. The chef shows us the cod he is to serve for dinner and fillets it masterfully. He places the precious meat in the oven without further pretence: you would be hard-pressed to find a fresher, more natural meal. He serves the cod with beetroot cream and micro herbs, asparagus cooked in cinnamon water and cauliflower grilled for just a few seconds.

I work under the duvet and begin the first draft of these very words. Sleep finally takes a hold of me and I spend the night surrounded by the celebrated ghosts of Union Øye.

In the morning, I wake up early and go for a walk, still accompanied by the dreams and the visions of the night before. The clouds play over the cliffs of the fjord. I find solace in nature, it gives me freedom. This is the mood best described by the Norwegian word friluftsliv. Ibsen immortalised the term in On the Heights:

In the lonely mountain farm,
My abundant catch I take.
There is a heart, and a table,
And frilufstliv for my thoughts.

Freedom, a place for freedom, a place to roam free. In the sea and the forest.

I remained in a contemplative mood even after the helicopter picked us up and we flew over the fjord. We landed by the shore where we then boarded a RIB boat. It was a fun ride, not in the sense of an adrenaline rush but rather as a complement to being in nature with the innocence of play.

The boat ride took us to Skotholmen, a private islet not far from Ålesund. Fishing is intertwined with the history of the place. For centuries, it was a herring processing site. Today, it is the setting for Kami, a restaurant that has, without a doubt, the kitchen with the best view in the world.

I took an apron to work in the kitchen with Chef Magnus Bergseth. I helped with finishing dishes and plating. When I enquired about the menu I learned of Chef Magnus’ approach:

“We don’t give out menus. We just serve what’s fresh every day. No one knows what they’re getting.

“When you’re based in a former salted fish factory, on an island, in the middle of the ocean, you have to serve fish! It’s always been about the fish.”

We had a 5-course meal which was superb. Crabcake, lobster soup, smoked cod and hake. As we enjoyed dessert, I became overwhelmed by the view of the Norwegian Sea. This is one of those places you never truly leave.

Next morning, I fly across Norway, to Oslo, where I meet with Chef Mikael Svensson. He is the owner of Kontrast, and one of the top representatives of contemporary Scandinavian cuisine. I am to spend the afternoon working at his kitchen.

I barely open my mouth to speak when he hands me my apron, tells me to get in line, that we will talk later.

As I immersed myself in the din and clatter of the kitchen, I became aware of the continuity between friluftsliv in the countryside and the philosophy behind Mikael’s cuisine. Later, I would learn that he understands the relationship between nature and city living. His environmental awareness is something that is translated into his food but also something essential to the Norwegian ethos. It is what I found in the fjords, what I sense in Arne Naess’ Deep Ecology, the Stimmung present in Grieg’s music.

I came to Norway expecting breathtaking views and nature to fall in love with. I did find all that, but I also found treasures that lay hidden deep within me: Hygge and Friluftsliv. These are concepts you have to seek for yourself in the wild fjords. You have to listen for them in the silent dales. You have to look for them in the contrasts of the food, to truly understand. Come to Norway, and be free!

want to experience Norway? See Andrea's suggested itineraries.