At the end of my long rail journey on July 5, I ended up in the beautiful little village of Flåm. It sits at the foot of a branch of the Songefjord.
Now, technically, I’d been on a fjord for days. The Norwegian capital of Oslo is at the foot of a large, wide fjord:
And while it’s beautiful, it’s not really what you think of when you think fjord.
But THIS IS:
This is the view looking north from Flåm.
As I stood there, I reflected on my ScandiRAYvia adventure, and how I’d been seeing places I’d dreamed of seeing for most of my life. At that moment, the majesty of this spot and my awareness of my great good fortune to have the opportunity to see it simply overwhelmed me. I stood there and cried, like…. like someone standing there crying.
Travel is so important to me, and it’s such a privilege. It’s a privilege of health. It’s a privilege of money. It’s a privilege of time. It’s a privilege of luck. And I have all four of those in spades.
Health? Yeah, I have Type-2 Diabetes. But I’m beating it back! Yeah, I had a double bypass thirteen years ago. But it saved my life! Yeah, I have severe sleep apnea. But it’s 100% successfully treated with the C-PAP. Etc. Despite these realities, I’m healthy enough to traipse around Scandinavia. I’m 56 and I have carried my own (heavy!) bags the whole trip. Hiked probably an average of ten miles a day. Climbed things like this:
And this:
My health and strength have not abandoned me, damn it. Who knows how long I’ll have it? Need to use it while I can!
My financial future is a complete mess: I have virtually no retirement, no nest egg. I basically cannot afford to get old. BUT right now I’m working and was able to pay for this magical journey.
So yeah, I’m lucky. Lucky to have been able to make this dream of mine come true.
And so yeah, I cried.
Next: Cruising the Sognefjord!
