The Season of Metal on Ice

It seems everybody is getting snow right now. They have snow in Finland. They have snow in the south of Germany. They even have snow in the north of Germany! So when I was getting onto the plane in Oslo the other day and there was snow on the airport runway, I expected to land in Tromsø in a heap of whiteness. 

Except I didn't.

One third of November gone and no snow yet. Ok, there is snow above 300m, which is about 20 minutes up the hill, but down here at sea level? Nothing. It is cold enough, but the weather is just too good. We only have ice, and more than enough of it. It is a bit gloomy with the sun standing so low, but that makes the pictures look even more hipsteresque.

And this is the dirt road where I go running. Normally. Last time, I was glad I did not slip and fall. The sun will not reach this trail for the next four months and by now, it has a solid layer of ice on top.

Which means that from now on there is no going outside without these:

(And a safety vest, as soon as I have one.)

Tough life. And remember, it hasn't even snowed yet.

Going places

A lot has happened since we spoke last. There has been an unhealthy amount of carrying boxes and driving cars, a healthy amount of sleeping in the woods, followed by a lot of walking and even more sleeping in the woods (more on that later). We had fish straight from the fjord and northern lights. The man and I are finally settled in our new home by the river where we have a more or less stable internet connection, though no proper desks yet. Our freezer is packed with blueberries and cranberries and we are writing shopping lists for the winter. Very high on mine: Spikes for my bike and proper gloves for skiing, snowshoeing and well, general survival at 69°N. 

Enjoy the view and stay tuned for more tales from the North ;)

Die Tage der Welt

Im September war ich über meinen Geburtstag noch einmal eine Woche im Landet i det Fjerne. Wie das Bild, das ich noch von Norwegen aus gepostet hatte, schon vorausahnen ließ, hatten wir echt Spaß. Hier nun die ganze Story in relativ chonologischer Reihenfolge. 

Was ich in dieser einen Woche gelernt habe? Machen, einfach machen. Wenn du nach Finnland fahren willst, denk nicht lange darüber nach, fahr nach Finnland. Du kannst dein Abendessen mit Euros bezahlen. Wenn du zu diesem See fahren willst, fahr zu diesem See, egal ob die Sonne schon untergeht. Wenn du diesen Berg besiegen willst, dann besieg ihn, verdammt noch mal. Und wenn es den ganzen Tag dauert (es hat den ganzen Tag gedauert). Auf dem Weg nach oben gibt es Blaubeeren und der Weg nach unten ist sowieso egal.. weil du oben warst. 

Und wenn dir als Deutsche jemand in Norwegen italienischen Weißwein schenkt, bedank dich und nimm es einfach hin. Dinge müssen manchmal keinen Sinn ergeben.