{"id":3093,"date":"2015-09-18T09:16:17","date_gmt":"2015-09-18T16:16:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rayivey.com.php5-21.dfw1-1.websitetestlink.com\/wordpress\/?p=3093"},"modified":"2015-09-18T09:16:17","modified_gmt":"2015-09-18T16:16:17","slug":"scandirayvia-26-at-the-foot-of-the-sognefjord","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.rayivey.com\/wordpress\/scandirayvia-26-at-the-foot-of-the-sognefjord\/","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"\"Facebook\"<\/a>\"twitter\"<\/a>\"rss\"<\/a>\"instagram\"<\/a>

At the end of my long rail journey on July 5, I ended up in the beautiful little village of Fl\u00e5m.\u00a0 It sits at the foot of a branch of the Songefjord.<\/p>\n

Now, technically, I\u2019d been on a fjord for days. \u00a0The Norwegian capital of Oslo is at the foot of a large, wide fjord:<\/p>\n

\"oslo<\/a><\/p>\n

And while it\u2019s beautiful, it\u2019s not really<\/em> what you think of when you think fjord.<\/p>\n

But THIS IS<\/em><\/strong>:<\/p>\n

\"No<\/a>
No more pining necessary.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This is the view looking north from Fl\u00e5m.<\/p>\n

As I stood there, I reflected on my ScandiRAYvia adventure, and how I\u2019d been seeing places I\u2019d dreamed of seeing for most of my life.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 I stood there and cried, like\u2026. like someone standing there crying.<\/p>\n

Travel is so<\/em> important to me, and it\u2019s such <\/em>a privilege.\u00a0 It\u2019s a privilege of health.\u00a0 It\u2019s a privilege of money.\u00a0 It\u2019s a privilege of time.\u00a0 It\u2019s a privilege of luck.\u00a0 And I have all four of those in spades.<\/p>\n

Health?\u00a0 Yeah, I have Type-2 Diabetes.\u00a0 But I\u2019m beating it back!\u00a0 Yeah, I had a double bypass thirteen years ago.\u00a0 But it saved my life!\u00a0 Yeah, I have severe sleep apnea.\u00a0 But it\u2019s 100% successfully treated with the C-PAP.\u00a0 Etc. \u00a0Despite these realities, \u00a0I\u2019m healthy enough to traipse around Scandinavia.<\/em>\u00a0 I\u2019m 56 and I have carried my own (heavy!) bags the whole trip.\u00a0 Hiked probably an average of ten miles a day.\u00a0 Climbed things like this:<\/p>\n

\"Steeple_Distance\"<\/a><\/p>\n

And this:<\/p>\n

\"Stupid_Staircase\"<\/a><\/p>\n

My health and strength have not <\/em>abandoned me, damn it.\u00a0 Who knows how long I\u2019ll have it? \u00a0 Need to use it while I can!<\/p>\n

My financial future is a complete mess:\u00a0 I have virtually no retirement, no nest egg.\u00a0 I basically cannot afford to get old.\u00a0 BUT right now I\u2019m working and was able to pay for this magical journey.<\/p>\n

So yeah, I\u2019m lucky.\u00a0 Lucky to have been able to make this dream of mine come true.<\/p>\n

And so yeah, I cried.<\/p>\n

\"Here's<\/a>
Here’s my hotel in Flam.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Flamcottages\"<\/a>
These sweet cottages are vacation rentals.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Next:\u00a0 Cruising the Sognefjord!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Average Rating: 4.9<\/span> out of 5<\/span> based on 186<\/span> user reviews.<\/span><\/div><\/p>

\n