Water and Sunshine.

Water. All life forms need water. There is no single organism that does not require water – at least on this planet. Of course, we humans are more complicated than that and need a million more things to live a fulfilled life. For me, however, the two things that I need in life are water and sun. If one of those two is missing too long from my life, I might as well not exist. Most of the time any large body of water will do just fine, but mostly – of course – the ocean is what makes me feel whole. And as far as the sun goes – eye-blinding sun rays early in the morning lasting all day. That’s what makes me feel alive.

Living in Scandinavia one of the two is mostly available, the other one… not so much. Especially as we approach the dark months, one of them is almost constantly missing. And yes, keeping it together during those months is difficult, but that’s why when I get the opportunity to enjoy both sun and water – simultaneously – I will. This past week I traveled from Oslo to Gothenburg and further on to Copenhagen before returning to Oslo. I will not lie, what I was in search for was the sun and large bodies of water. I basically followed the sun everywhere it went, all the while making sure I was not more than a few feet from a lake, a river or the ocean. And yes, that’s how I plan my vacations too.

Last week, I spent four days in Gothenburg walking up and down the Gothia river and who could blame me with this constant view?

Of course, Gothenburg has much more to offer than a view  of the river. It’s a wonderful student city with vibrant life and lots of things to see and do, especially going for a walk on the river boardwalk… To be honest, I didn’t do much more than that in Gothenburg. I would get up early, go for a 2-3 hour walk, return to the hotel for lunch – and to warm up, don’t be fooled, just because the sun is shining, doesn’t mean it’s warm outside – and would go out for another 2-3 hour walk. I’d return for dinner and then head out again. I’d basically only return to the hotel to eat and sleep. I just couldn’t get enough of the view and every missed minute that I unnecessarily spent inside felt like a constraint on my own personal basic needs. Needless to say, I didn’t get anything else done during my time in Gothenburg. So, if you were looking for recommendations, I only have one: enjoy the river boardwalk.

Gothenburg is only a four hour train-ride from Oslo, that is when the trains are running. Which they were not when A and I were planning on travelling from Gothenburg back to Oslo. So we waited about six hours for the next operating train to go to Oslo all the while soaking up the last few rays of sun. I was mentally preparing to spending the next few days at home in my apartment finishing work and hopefully meeting all my deadlines… But little did I remember that A and I had planned a trip to Copenhagen the day after we returned form Gothenburg. So off we went.

Now, as you may know, we’ve been to Copenhagen quite a few times already. This time was in no way different than the other times. Well, maybe with a small exception: the sun was shining. I guess that’s about as common in Copenhagen as in Oslo (read: rarely once October comes around), so having the sun shine on us while strolling along the river and ponds in Copenhagen felt simply wonderful.

As you can see, I’m not the only one who enjoys both: sun and water. While in Copenhagen, all we did was eat and walk along the river ponds and eat some more and walk some more and let the sun shine on our already pale faces. So if you are ever in Copenhagen, do just that. Enjoy the outsides…

Early today A and I returned to Oslo and although the morning looked promising, dark clouds are now laying on top of Oslo like a  heavy blanket and from experience I know, that these heavy blankets are here to stay. But that’s alright, how would life be enjoyable, if all you saw was large bodies of water and sunshine? You need these few moments where you stare out of the window of your two-bedroom apartment, listening to the rain, wondering if you shouldn’t just pack your things and move to Spain already. But without these moments, how could you ever really truly enjoy water and sunshine.