Three years in the past I did one thing extremely silly.
Like significantly extremely silly.
Even for me.
I used to be reminded of my moronity once I was telling you about my lengthy drive right into a distant a part of Iceland in my journey report concerning the Westfjords (I’ll decide up the Iceland journey report this week btw) and I spotted I had by no means shared that full story with you.
The Starting: a piece journey in Copenhagen
My firm has a shopper in Copenhagen and I used to be visiting them for some coaching (I work in skilled companies within the fintech trade). It was an awesome week with some great individuals and I even managed to sneak into the library on the College of Copenhagen to take certainly one of my favourite footage (earlier than being escorted out, since solely college students had been allowed within the library at the moment).
The Library
The window of alternative for a side-trip
My work would finish on Friday roughly round lunchtime. I had booked my journey again to the USA for Monday morning, as I’m wont to do, so I had a while accessible for a aspect journey. However the place would I am going? I had been flights all week they usually had been ridiculously costly (even by Scandinavian requirements), so I thought of a driving vacation. I requested my shopper about some good locations to go they usually gave me some great recommendations round Denmark.
However then I used to be reminded of a highway I’d at all times needed to go to. The issue: it wasn’t in Denmark.
The vacation spot: the Atlanterhavsveien
There’s a highway in Norway referred to as the Nice Atlantic Highway (Atlanterhavsveien in Norwegian). It’s extremely distant, probably not near any distinguished cities (with no offense meant in the direction of the small villages round that a part of Norway), and was truly constructed completely so individuals would wish to go to it. The bridges are very exaggerated and, at sure factors, appear like automobiles are simply driving off the highway into the ocean.
Like I discussed above, the highway is in a distant a part of Norway, which is legendary for not being in Denmark, the place I used to be. I figured, to myself, that I may lease a automotive and simply make the drive. To a distant a part of Norway.
How distant? This distant.
Now a traditional particular person would’ve simply flown to Trondheim and nonetheless pushed fairly a number of hours. I used to be a lot dumber than that. I used to be beginning within the backside proper of the picture above, in Copenhagen.
I advised my shopper what I used to be considering of doing and he thought it sounded insane, like one thing a loopy particular person would do, and it most likely wasn’t doable to do by the point I wanted to be again in Copenhagen for my flight house, 62 hours later.
…problem accepted!
A safeguard
I’ve buddy named Richard whose journey expertise and normal knowledge I respect significantly (in all walks of life, not simply journey). I hinted at my plan to him and he stated, “pay attention, I do know you’re you however that’s dumb. Cease in Gothenburg, it’s certainly one of my favourite locations in Europe and I’ve buddies there.” I negotiated with myself and settled on a center floor: I might plan for some Turning Again Factors throughout my journey. Principally if I bought to Gothenburg and realized I used to be too drained to soundly proceed I may keep there and have time. The identical can be true for Oslo, a city I had been to earlier than and loved.
What truly occurred
I went to Copenhagen’s airport and picked up my rental automotive: a Nissan somethingorother. It wasn’t good however it had GPS, which was tremendous necessary in that a part of the world (this was earlier than issues like Verizon’s TravelPass plan, which I take advantage of religiously now once I’m overseas for cellular knowledge).
I drove throughout the bridge to Malmo, Sweden, and issues had been going nice. I made a decision to movie some movies for my Fb buddies that I’ll use to assist illustrate this story.
(sure, it was dumb of me to movie whereas driving however I didn’t edit the movies or something whereas driving, that waited till I used to be at locations with free wifi, normally McDonald’s)
The journey began off fairly properly, however then the automotive’s GPS determined to chop out. Regardless of the place I needed to go, the route calculation would fail. Issues weren’t wanting good for my journey to the Atlanterhavsveien. Perhaps I really must cease in Gothenburg.
I pushed by and made it into Gothenburg and swiftly a stroke of luck hit me: the GPS began working once more. Though I used to be a sight for sore eyes the GPS fixing itself gave me some unimaginable motivation. I wouldn’t be stopping in Gothenburg (sorry Richard), I used to be going to maintain going into Norway.
Why haven’t I posted any footage from the highway but? I significantly didn’t cease apart from fuel and meals till simply north of Oslo close to a city referred to as Lillehammer (well-known for internet hosting the 1994 Winter Olympics). I had pushed about 12 hours thus far and wanted some sleep. I pulled over at a relaxation cease, cracked the window, and slept like a brick for about 4 hours. I awoke, feeling refreshed, and, over breakfast, realized simply how a lot I had left to drive. Driving in Norway is extremely just like driving in Iceland, you don’t actually get anyplace shortly due to the terrain. I spotted I’d be driving all day. Fueled by espresso and Purple Bull I made a decision to proceed.
It had been cloudy and dreary for a lot of the drive thus far however lastly the clouds broke with the morning solar and I discovered myself in one of the crucial lovely locations I had ever seen! I ended to take some footage even!
Fortunately the GPS was nonetheless working and I drove up and down fjords, by small villages, and made good progress by the middle of Norway. I ended up on a automotive ferry throughout a channel and thought it’d be time to place all my movies collectively for an replace. (word: within the replace I say I’m 3 hours and an hour away from my vacation spot, that was the one poor a part of the GPS, it assumed I’d be touring at a a lot quicker pace than I may handle on the winding Norwegian roads).
Because the day unfolded the clouds departed and I bought an awesome mid-day shot of the everyday Norwegian surroundings I used to be driving by.
By the point I used to be off the automotive ferry it was stepping into the center of the afternoon. I used to be drained, my physique was aching from sitting down for therefore lengthy, however I knew I used to be shut. Effectively, comparatively shut. It turned out I had a number of hours left, unbeknownst to me.
Lastly I arrived. I made preparations for driving the highway, not understanding how massive of a deal it might be. Effectively: it was a highway. Waaaaay faster than I assumed it was over. It took perhaps 5 minutes for me to drive and felt, properly, like every other highway. The exaggerated structure was nice in footage however was far much less zany to drive throughout.
Right here’s the factor, although: typically it’s about attaining a aim, not essentially the aim residing as much as expectations. The views had been as epic as I assumed however it didn’t actually matter to me. Attaining the aim I needed made the entire journey value it, as I attempted to elucidate under.
Now, that stated, I did find yourself with an epic image of the sundown going over the bridge.
I used to be exhausted. Attaining my aim was exhilerating however I needed to come to phrases with my state of affairs. Adrenaline had fueled me for many of my journey and that may ultimately run out.
The video above paints a extremely rosy image however that’s primarily as a result of I knew my mother can be watching it. I used to be exhausted. It was now Saturday at 7pm. By staying to seize the epic sundown I confronted a extremely scary state of affairs: I had to get on the highway again to Copenhagen and realistically most of my journey again can be on distant roads at the hours of darkness by the night time. After driving all night time and all day the night time earlier than.
The actually lovely and scary half
My physique knew one thing dangerous was taking place. Fortunately I had vitality to concentrate to the highway and drive safely. It appeared to return in stretches of about 90 minutes, after which I’d discover a car parking zone and get some sleep (sleeping on the aspect of the highway is tremendous frequent on this a part of Norway and there have been a stunning quantity of turnoffs and little parking heaps at which I may seize an hour or so nap). The great thing about the realm was simply how distant it was. There was no gentle air pollution and the night time was clear so each time I ended for a nap I’d lookup on the stars within the frigid night time and was simply blown away on the sight earlier than me. The Milky Manner was staring again at me and I’ve by no means seen that many stars in my life, it was nearly disorienting seeing so many!
However now the scary half.
My trusty GPS, little did I do know, was making an attempt to kill me. For no matter purpose there have been some roads that had been miscoded within the software program as being highways when in actuality they had been farm roads. At one level I nervously turned off the principle freeway, on the suggestion of the GPS, and was fortunately taking place the highway when the pavement simply form of stopped and it turned a dust highway. My progress slowed to a crawl. I had my shiny lights on however may barely see past a number of toes in entrance of me. I may really feel myself going up a hill…and swiftly the highway DISAPPEARED. I slammed on the brakes and noticed my life flash earlier than my eyes earlier than my automotive got here to a sudden cease. It turns on the market was an unmarked 90-degree flip alongside a small cliff. My guess is a bridge was once there, which is why my GPS despatched me that method. Had my brakes failed or my automotive slid too far I might’ve gone off the cliff. In rural Norway. In the course of the night time.
To be actually sincere with you I had a little bit cry. I considered my mother and the way horrible I might’ve felt for her to search out out that one thing like that had occurred to me. I didn’t wish to drive anymore, I needed to be house. However I knew I used to be nowhere shut. I didn’t know what to do, whether or not I ought to’ve rotated to go again or simply hold pushing on the loopy highway I used to be on. I flipped a coin I had in my pocket, made the 90-degree flip and saved going, and significantly lower than a kilometer later discovered the principle freeway once more.
I didn’t have a little bit cry this time, I ugly-cried for a couple of minutes. I do not need the phrases to precisely describe to you the quantity of aid I felt. I used to be (comparatively) protected, the highway was paved, and my adrenaline ranges had been well past most. I had a drive in entrance of me and a mother to see again within the USA.
I drove for hours straight by the night time and ultimately began seeing indicators for Lillehammer. Though it was nonetheless a methods away, Lillehammer was necessary for an enormous purpose: at that time I might not be touring on distant highways barely wider than the width of my automotive, I might be on main highways all the way in which again to Copenhagen.
As I ventured additional south I began seeing indicators of a dawn and realized my night time was nearly over. Because the solar crept its method increased the autumn colours appeared much more vibrant than the day earlier than. I pulled over at an awesome spot for a fast image.
Simply south (I believe) of Lillehammer the clouds broke and there was an unimaginable dawn. There was a bridge traversing an expanse of water (I believe it was a fjord however it could have been a river) and it made for the right topic in opposition to the epic dawn.
A detour on the journey again
As soon as it was daylight the drive turned a lot simpler. I used to be heading south and remembered a spot my shopper had advised me about: Helsingor, in Denmark. It was a coastal village with a well-known fortress. I had been driving all day however, throughout a relaxation cease at McDonald’s, discovered that the Swedish city of Helsingborg was simply throughout the Oresund from Helsingor and there have been ferries a number of instances an hour. I discovered the ferry cease, drove onto the ferry, and through the fast journey throughout the Oresund made my last video, which I’ll share in a second.
Helsingor was necessary to me due to the fortress there. For a whole lot of years the boat site visitors between the 2 international locations was extremely regulated and extremely tolled, making the fortifications in every city essential relying on the ruling crown of the day. The Danish fortress, referred to as Kronborg Fortress, nonetheless stands to today whereas the fortress on the Swedish aspect was destroyed a few years in the past.
Kronborg was important to me due to a professor I had at college. He was the very best professor I ever had. His title is Douglas Brooks, one of the crucial distinguished Shakespeare students on the planet. I can not put into phrases the enjoyment I had from studying about Shakespeare’s works and their affect on tradition, the world, and even the very language I converse as we speak. Dr. Brooks’s favourite Shakesperean work was Hamlet. He spoke about it in reverent tones and his lectures concerning the play had been unimaginable. All of us knew we had been within the presence of brilliance and an incredible man who was sharing his life’s ardour with us.
Kronborg Fortress is Elsinore Fortress in Hamlet. It’s the fortress that Shakespeare had in thoughts when creating his masterful play. I hadn’t thought of Hamlet in a number of years however as quickly as I discovered that out I needed to go, for an important purpose: Dr. Brooks had handed away a number of years earlier from most cancers. He was the one professor I had saved up with after college and we had quite a few conversations till his demise. I used to be so glad I bought to see his fortress, though it was darkish (and the fortress closed) by the point I arrived.
So I’ll go away you with the ultimate video I made: from the ferry going throughout the Oresund to Helsingor and Kronborg Fortress, with a tribute to Dr. Brooks on the finish.