The Day - 3rd of October-

Three days have passed since I truned to be 22. I made a short history for three days. Time is always flowting. Just like an ice on a fjord.

Snow has come and the sun is also comes for past three days even though today is a lottle bit rainny.

The day of my birthday, I left from Tromsø which the last three day I stayed with a Polish girl and have a small Polish community at her doom building. One of a person who I met there, he is traveling around all over the world that I haven't met that kind of person in Japan. Not only just him, I met a quite a lot of people who is traveling from one country to another without any plan to do next. The students from Poland and those people who I met there, they normally doesn't have any plan to do next for which are different type of students who I have known in Japn. I didn't ask them why? But I felt that haveing a dream or the thing that I want to do next is the best way to live from my experience not only just in Europe but also in Japan. My dream at the moment to get to Edinburgh!!

The weather on 3rd of Oct. was very vert fine. I left their place about 2 o'clock and kept riding on my bike as far as I could. About 30km from the city, I took a small ferry. After I got to the other side of the land, there was a shop and I thought I should buy a beer to celebrate for my birthday! Beer in Norway is very expensive compared to other countries, actually that was the second time to buy a beer from a shop. When I buy a beer at the shop, I said to the shopkeeper that "Today is my birthday! That is why I buy a beer! " and the woman surprised and sung to me "Happy birthday to you! (The song, you know!)" And she asked me if I want to drink a cup of coffee inside her place and I took a rest in there with some biscket and sausage!, which I feels like really fine! When I left there with appreciation, she gave me some foods and post card in Tromsø which I wanted to buy!

After there when I tried to find a place to sleep, I saw a smog from a grass to make a fire and then I decided that I would ask them if I join in there. They are two couples from Norway and one is from Tromsø to visit his brother who is living there with his wife. They are very kind and I said today is my birthday I am very happy to meet you. Then, a man who can speak English fluently gave a glass of wine and they celebrated to my birth. Since the sky was getting dark, I asked them if I stay there with my tent and they said "OK! you can use with my tent!" To prepare for a dinner, they made a grill of meat of reindeer and sheep to bake it in the land with hot stones, which is traditional way! I haven't seen the way that they did. I don't know how many hours they put that meat in the ground but it was very hot and tasty! Even before I saw the meat on the table, I couldn't believe it if it edible one or not. The meat of reindeer was a second time of this journey and even I got a beer from them instead of my food bank(the name of my food box).

At night, there was a full moon. So beautiful and peaceful.

One thing that I want to mention about me is that I don't know why but somebody in Norway who I don't know told to the radio station about me and some people know about me. One of the person was that the sister of a woman who I met there. When she talked on the phone to her sister, she knows about me! It was really amazed! According to her, sister's information, "one guy who is from Japan traveling by bike without a lot of cloth, when you saw a guy take his warm" or something like that. That's why I got a wool sweather as a birthday present from them. They also asked me if I need a very warm suits which seems like an astronaut to use for cold winter but I refused to take it. It was worm one but it was heavy.

The day was really nice and unforgattable birthday in my life.

One the way to Harstad, there was a lot of snows on both side of the road especially when I cross over a hill and sometimes it is frosen and I have to keep my eyes on the road. Otherwise it may fall in down to the ground.


One thing what I noticed at Tromsø was that people in Japan is rich and actually I met a girl who is from Japan studying at University in Tromsø. I also noticed staying with Polish people.
Rich, what? I am sure that Japan is one of a rich country in the world. And I am pretty sure that Norway is also one of a rich country in the world.
When I meet somebody and they normally asled me "Where are you from? " And I said "I am from Japan!" And most probably they thought that this guy is from rich counry.

Nobody can choose a place where they were born.

I know Japan is a rich country and my journey is also rich for me (not for Japanese people) but I am not coming to here to be able to tell the people how Japan is rich neither I am rich. (I am not rich, actually, but depends on the person who feel like. I will say I am not rich as a Japanese.) I am coming to here to buy a new experience which I haven't done in Japan, an island the other side of the Earth.

Yuji @ Harstad, Norway