From Oslo to Istanbul

Prolog - From Oslo to Istanbul     

To travel or not to travel is not the big question anymore, since we travel more and more, and the more distant and exotic the destinations are the better, it seems. This blog will be about travelling in different ways. It will be a kind of travel journal with text, images and video clips, without a strict time line. The topics will largely be a product of the journey itself, by places, people and events. At the same time, the plan (as far as it holds) means that both the travel and the themes will have a direction, both literally and indirectly  The route goes from Oslo in the north through Germany to the starting point of the River Danube (Donau) from Donaueschingen across central Europe in direction Romania, the Black Sea and as far south as Istanbul. From Istanbul I will be heading a little north and then go west through Greece, Macedonia  Albania and Italy where Sicily will be my base for the winter. Events, ideas and invitations however, might lead to change in plans and make me leave the "route" for a while, depending on weather, wind and momentum. 

Referring to the Danube River is not random. The inspiration for this journey and the choice to spend some time crossing Europe and not be heading for some more exotic destinations as many Norwegians do nowadays, came from a book with the same title as the river, written by Claudio Magris and published in Norwegian in 1992. Magris` book (strongly recommended) provides a fascinating historical, political and philosophical backdrop for a journey through Europe in 2017, a Europe constantly changing, sometimes dramatically and violently.

For the last weeks I have been struggling a bit to get started with the blogging, deciding how to write and what to share. Books like Magris` Donau/Danube and another wonderful collection of travel stories; Jens A. Riisnæs (Editor) "12 Magical Travels" (my translation of the Norwegian title - also highly recommended) gives real inspiration, but also scares me a bit from public writing, since I am neither a historian or a world famous journalist or travel writer. However with a bit of support from my potential readers I will be sharing what I see, what people tell me and what time allows for some of the political backdrop and my understanding of causes and explanations to peoples actions, choices  happiness and misery.

A special focus in my ongoing "research" and writing will be on migration. Both historically and in today's Europe migration defines political agendas and is a source to both cultural and economic development, challenges and conflict. However, what migration can and will lead to is largely determined by the meetings between those who migrate and the countries and people who let them in or reject them. 

On September 25 we got the results from the German parliamentary elections, where Angela Merkel and CDU / CSU were heading for four new years as Chancellor. More depressing (to most Germans) was the fact that a right-wing, nationalist and anti-immigration party, the AfD (Alternative für Deutschland) received 13.5% of the votes, thus making its entry to the Parliament for the first time in 60 years. Outside the premises in Berlin where the party was gathered on election day, thousands of anti fascists demonstrated against AfD and their growing support. 

This morning, on October 16, the news is popping up on my iPhone screen that The People’s Party (OVP) got 30.2 per cent of the vote in the Austrian parliamentary elections, according to Austrian news channel ORF.  Sebastian Kurz's (31) party is going tough on migration, easy on taxes is widely Eurosceptic and propel its popularity in the wealthy Alpine country. Kurz (becoming the worlds youngest prime minister ever in a western country ?), is expected to form a coalition with the right-wing populist Freedom Party (FPO), who got 26.8 per cent of the vote, according to the latest reports. "We want to establish a new culture in politics. And we want to change the country for the better", Kurz says to the Daily Express. Along Austria's borders I have seen their army driving their armoured vehicles patrolling to stop any desperate Syrian, Afghan or African refugee trying to cross the border in search of a new and safer future. The new government will definitely not make it easier.

At the time of writing these first lines of the blog I have already been travelling for a month. I travel by car, in a small pickup truck with a camper-cabin on its bed. The camper will be my home and my office while I'm on the road. In Istanbul where I'm staying for five or six days, I had to park the car in the hotel garage since suitable camping sites or parking lots where overnight stay in the camper is allowed are non existing nowadays. 10 years ago there were four campsites in the central areas of Istanbul, but since European camping tourists seems to have abandoned the city after the  political development, camping is bad business.

Along the way from Oslo to Istanbul I have met and talked to numerous people who are like paintbrushes filling my canvas with stories from, and about their lives, their travelling and their views on the countries and cultures they belong to. I've met residents of discarded, shabby caravans on the banks of the Elbe outside Hamburg, an elderly Danish couple ("camping migrants") who, due to a combination of health challenges and adventurousness have been heading towards southern Europe every year for the last 27 years. 

Mogens and Astrid from Vansyssel on Northern Gylland in Denmark have been travelling Europa for several months each year for 27 years. They started with tent camping and "converted" to this tiny camper some years ago.

In the Moselle Valley I met Polish guest workers who were busy with the grape harvest. One of them characterised Merkel as a disaster because she let in to many Syrians, which led to lower wages for Poles and other grape pickers. Not all his friends shared the same views. 

Travelling like I do makes every new day a small adventure.  I will share some of it with you in coming blogposts, starting from Romania with a project for poor families in a small village Inis, a short but wonderful overnight stay in Monastery  Turnu and a visit to the Romanian Parliament and a project for Street Children in Bucharest. And of course you will get the results from may stay i bustling colourful, and exotic Istanbul. Probably more pictures than words. What more? let's wait and see what turns up... 

I will try (no promise) to post regularly, hopefully weekly, from now on, So stay tuned! I will send a notification on Facebook when a new post is published.

Terje.

A small selection of pictures to start with: 

No need to by all things new. From a market in Maribor, Slovenia

Fishing Carp is a popular sport in Kesztely by the Balaton sea in Hungary. This one weighs 8.1kg

Stopping for lunch along the road in Romania I met this shepherd and his two dogs looking after a large flock of sheep.