Monday night and back from a day of work, dry and unsatisfying like the crunch of Ryvita crackers, but also like Ryvita crackers, comfortably familiar.

The fatigue of a weekend spent sipping aquavit in front of a campfire has set in and I search my photos trying to string together the story between those 3 days. A society that has no disparities amongst the people, social or economical, the memories of this idyllic city nestled within the mountains and fjords float in and out of my consciousness like a daydream. The Norwegians seemed relaxed and content, and the city glowed with wholesomeness.  There was no pollution, water, land, air or noise and the streets were shockingly clean and maintained.

Hakon was our camp leader on this strip and he had 11 charges. We all stayed in his family’s cabin outside the city at the top of a mountain, with a view of the dramatic fjords and sunsets that quite literally took your breath away. We explored the city on one day, and spent the other 2 being quite nature-y hanging out at the cabin where the boys enthusiastically chopped firewood and built boy scout fires. They found scythes and axes and saws (all very rustic  and straight out of Little Red Riding Hood) and spent hours clearing the shrubs, arranging rocks (a la Stonehenge) stacking firewood, stoking the fire and fashioning harpoons and other medieval weapons from the branches and stones. We also did go on a boat ride around the coast of the city and visit the surrounding fjords and fancy real estate.

Evenings were spent roasting food over our fire, assembling smores and drinking aquavit. On our last day we all jumped into the icy Norwegian waters—and promptly jumped right back out. The sensation was of flailing around in a huge bowl of Absolut—straight out of your freezer. Upon emergence from these waters, however, you suddenly felt the most lovely, pulsing heat, as your warm blood rushed back to your extremities. This, I think, is the true definition of “invigorating.”