Have you ever felt the need of travelling to Goa or Bali to get that one piece of experience that changes your life? What if I told you that a tiny island in Norway can possibly inspire you to as much or maybe more than those exotic destinations. The island of Hitra was probably the most awe-inspiring and romantic place I have ever been to.
On the second day of my trip to Norway I had to get up very early to get on a ferry from Trondheim to Hitra, an island in the Norwegian Sea, right in front of the Trondheimfjord. I was expecting the following: nature, seagulls, a fishing-trip, a beautiful coastline and maybe some deer-spotting. What I wasn’t expecting: meeting the most amazing people and getting inspired by everything they did and stood for that I felt the urgent need to change something in my life.
I’d like to introduce you to some of them:
Ellen
Ellen met us at the port of Hitra to take us on an island roundtrip. Like every guide she provided us with maps and background information, but not like every guide she had that special glow in her eyes while introducing us to her island. She told us about the deer coming to her garden and eating up all her beautiful flowers, about mystical stories on sunken ships in the 19th century. She told us funny stories about deer hunting and fishing and about life on Hitra and Froya, the neighbouring island. But what was most adorable about her, was that she didn’t seem to be afraid of anything. She goes deer hunting in the height of summer, fishing in the deepest of winter and she is very engaged in local politics, among other things. She accoompanied us with everything we did that day and shared lots of interesting stories about it.
Campers
Our first stop on our little island roundtrip was a tiny little camping spot in the South. Knowing camping places from the Netherlands and France, I was totally surprised by the idyllic scenery I found. Only 3 or 4 caravans and a couple of wooden huts, a sanitary house and a small jetty suufice to attract people from all over Europe to spend their summer vacations here. The people there were not at all bothered by us, a group of german journalists stomping on their peaceful ground. They even were proud to tell us about the amount of fish they bring home every summer and explained us how to fillet the fish the right way. Call me a filleting expert.
Bodil and Yngvar
After a short stop at our next hotel, we went by boat to one of the 2500 surrounding mini islands to meet Yngvar and Bodil on their farm. Bodil, as a an all academic family daughter decided to become a farmer right after graduating. She learned everything needed to learn, bought a farm and married Yngvar, who had no other choice than to become a farmer himself as well. Kathrine already told you about organic farming and holiday possibilities and how interesting it was for her to see how everything was produced. At Bodil’s farm, we saw how all different kinds of cheese were made and I had the most delicious lunch ever. Everything was selfmade from products from their farm. The cheese, the bread, the tea, sirups, the cream…
Michael
Michael was our guide on the fishing trip, which I will talk about in my next post. He is originally Dutch and came to Norway a few years ago, to be the manager of the fishing resort Angelamfi. It was interesting to see Norway from an immigrant’s perspective and impressive to see how he seemed to be at one with his new home. During the whole boat trip, he was standing there like a figurehead, always a cigar in his mouth corner, facing the sea. But if you think he was an all-quiet, pensive tempered person, meet his weapon of choice:
Although this was a press trip, I didn’t have the feeling those people were just nice to promote their island, but because they love this place and they like to share what is so beautiful about it. In summary, I can say that what I saw in those people is what I felt throughout the whole country of Norway – a raw and unspoiled peace, passionate and extraordinarily friendly people and a back-to-the-roots sort of vibe, I had not felt in a long time.
This post was written by Nina Hüpen-Bestendonk, who has a funny name even for Germans; she is a wicked go-getter and creative freelance designer, photographer and blogger.
She has an eye for beauty and even finds it in ugly apartment blogs. Her weekly photo chronicle “My week in pictures” has already become a classic among urban Berliners. Find out more at smaracuja.de.
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