Hyllestad

Yesterday I met Kristof. It was nice to meet another cyclist for a change. He rolled into the camp quite some time after I had arrived, and we had a good time planning the next day. He reminded me that today’s ferry is irregularly scheduled, it’s not every hour like the previous ferries. Right before we were about to go to bed it started pouring again. Today after breakfast he moved on slightly ahead, while I started a little bit later with a wet tent. The cold got to me quickly right after I started, my socks were still wet and given I wasn’t sure when the weather was going to change, I didn’t want to risk more dry socks.

Today weather wasn’t particularly encouraging. Even though it didn’t rain, it was quite cold. A few hill climbs later, I ended up next to a lake, and it was nice enough that I decided to stay there for a while.

It wouldn’t be the end of the world if I took the later ferry, I thought. But the last stretch to the ferry, combined with the cold prompted me to cut my trip short and I decided on a nearer camping spot. The weather was still not looking good and I was not going to camp in the wild. The wait for the ferry also got a little bit cold, and I ended up pretty tired in the ferry. There I met another bike touring couple from Switzerland who treated me to coffee and gave me a bit of sagely advice to slow down and enjoy! They also mentioned that this region is the rainiest region in Europe, which now makes a lot of sense to me.

Today was also a day of tunnels, and I found tunnels with exposed rock walls a bit creepy. Riding through it feels almost like the walls are closing in on me.

It all changed when I met Kjell. I met him after I disembarked from the ferry at Rysjedalsvika. He was tending to his garden. I waved at him, and we immediately started talking. We spoke about his job as a sailor where he visited Visakhapatam port in India. We talked about Norwegian dialects, Bokmål and Nynorsk, and how they are taught in schools. He told me where he grew up and when he bought the new house, what kind of garden he wants to make and it’s problems, and how Fjord communities are structured, among other things.

He offered me strawberries from his garden. Initially I picked one up, out of politeness; and he immediately went into action and picked up two handful of fresh strawberries and handed them to me.

It had been a few hard days of being wet, cold and riding. I took my leave from Kjell; only after a while I realised that his strawberries, openness & warmth had moved me. Iggy Pop’s The Passenger started playing in my head and I began to weep.

Hyllestad, Norway