Collecting Moments

When we first started planning our hitchhiking and couchsurfing trip through southern Norway, we encountered a chorus of advice from our potential hosts. "You like hiking?" they'd say. "Head west and north!" One even remarked, "Only go south if you like boats." But time constraints and my sprained ankle led us in a different direction. We decided to take the coastal route for two weeks. Luck was on our side and we found hosts who lived just off the E18 highway, which would make hitchhiking easier (or so we thought). Landscapes lacking towering peaks revealed a different magic. Forests, lakes and fjords held an unspoiled beauty that did not need grand summits. Water, abundant and mesmerizing, painted the canvas in shades of blue embraced by green. Wherever we stayed in Norway, nature beckoned from every doorstep. In the tiny village of Høvåg, perched on the edge of a fjord, deer and sheep grazed on lush slopes. We walked to the tip of the peninsul...

- Do you mind if I take a picture of you? - Not at all. Especially after you’ve asked permission! That's how my brief conversation with a shepherd began. He seemed happy to chat and tell me a little about his life. These human interactions are the most precious moments of travel. That is why on our trips around the world we always combine walking in nature, hitchhiking and staying with locals. That particular day was filled with pleasant encounters as the path led us to the village of Linhares da Beira. We were lucky enough to not only meet the friendly shepherd, but also talk to Maria, the owner of a cozy café, and run into a familiar face from the town where we used to live . Since we left, our friend has gotten a job in the county council and is now trying to improve the region’s tourist facilities. Our hike, a comfortable ten-kilometer loop , gave us plenty of time to wander the labyrinth of medieval streets and explore the village. We ventured off the well-trodden pat...

The day at the farm began with a magical misty dawn. The fog, like a softly spun shawl, wrapped everything in its tender embrace. I stepped out of the van and paused to listen to the morning song of small birds piercing the air through the thick white blanket. We had a leisurely breakfast as the mist gradually gave way to sunshine. It was going to be a relaxed day of swimming and easy hiking. We set off towards the lakes we had seen the day before . This time we followed an unmarked, partly overgrown trail that zig-zagged through the fields with a few ruined cottages scattered along the road. Locals suggested we explore former tungsten mines just above the lakes. We took their advice literally and followed a path that led us to some abandoned structures that we had spotted on Google Earth. As it turned out, we had discovered a deserted quinta with a concrete reservoir and red brick towers that looked very much out of place. Those were quite unusual for this region where houses are ...

The day before, we arrived at our friends' fertile farmland near the picturesque village of Figueiró da Serra. This idyllic spot is cradled within the embrace of the Serra da Estrela Natural Park, a place that suffered a catastrophic fire two years ago. Since that tragic event, nature has shown its resilience and the slopes are now a vibrant tapestry of green and yellow. But blackened, charred trunks of dead trees still protrude from the lush undergrowth, their skeletal forms etched against the sky. These are stark reminders of the ferocity of the blaze, a dance of death that consumed everything in its path. Our friends who have returned to their ash-covered land have since joined forces with the local community to form an association called Veredas da Estrela . Their mission: to protect the fragile ecosystems and fortify them against future fires. The term 'veredas' , known locally as 'bredas' in the Serra da Estrela region, refers to narrow trails carved into t...