Red leaves. Windy days. Darker nights. It’s definitely autumn.
I’ve spent a large part of the last 10 months at my desk in my bedroom by the window, staring into the trees. I’ve seen them wilt, fall, root, rise, and bloom. They’ve reminded me of growth and that it’s a process, every single day. I’ve seen them in snow, I’ve seen them without, I’ve seen them turn from green, to yellow, to orange. Norway’s been great.
In June I went on a roadtrip to Hoddevik, and now before I leave Norway for Cape Town and Bali, I felt a pull to go back there. Go back to wrap this chapter up for myself. A chapter of personal and professional exploration. A chapter that’s been about challenging my beliefs and embracing my fears. A chapter of reinventing myself.
Here’s to Hoddevik and the incredible people whom I met this time.
Julia. Ivar. Sondre. The old teacher in the café.
Tenting on the beach
I wanted to challenge myself this time by tenting in September. Even though it was quite windy the first night I spent there, it was the exact thing I set out to experience. You know, being able to go at sleep at night with lots of sounds and noises and then wake up to a clear sky and not a sound else than the ocean; that’s priceless.
Hiking on the mountain range
I went to Hoddevik partly because Julia (an awesome chic from Brooklyn in NY) contacted me through Instagram and asked for advice on her Norway trip. I asked if she wanted to join me for the days I spent in Hoddevik, and that’s what we did. The first day together we hiked one of the mountain ranges. It took us approx. 30 minutes to get up and then we spent an additional hour just wandering around, picking blueberries, eating waffles, and staring at the view of the ocean. So breathtaking it’s even hard to explain or capture with a camera.
Visit to the village of Fure
When I sat in the café Stad Surfing I met a pretty cool man, a former teacher, whom I had a great conversation with about perfectionism in school and in regards to performance in academics. Extremely insightful. He also recommended me to check out the village of Fure, not very far away from Hoddevik. Fure is a little village that’s extremely isolated just on the tip by the coastline. Julia and I went there by car and met the only woman who lives there still. She takes care of all of the remaining summer houses there and seems to be pretty passionate about gardening. This village has been populated since the 1300s.
Van life, bon fire and stargazing
During this Hoddevik stay I also met up with Ivar again, a pretty awesome psychology student and surfer. He and his friend Sondre let me hang out in the van and we shared the meals and had some intriguing conversations about everything from the connection between spirituality and quantum physics, to surf and waves, to what’s the meaning of life and death. We even did stargazing the last night before I headed home. Imagine the three of us, in our sleeping bags, on the beach, staring up at the stars. Couldn’t be better than that.
Drive and walk up to Vestkapp
Julia and I couldn’t get enough of hiking, and therefore we drove to Vestkapp on the way to Ervik. The autumn colors made it all look mystical because of the contrast in between the dark ocean and the orange grass. The sheep were literally owning this place. Vestkapp gave us an amazing view of all of the surrounding mountains and the horizon, so I’d completely recommend heading up there if you’re ever in the Hoddevik area.
