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Cabins and suchMost Norwegians have to have a cabin, somewhere primitive out of the way to retreat and reacharge during the week-ends, preferably in a mountain somewhere. Well, that was propably the general idea, but this is not how it works anymore. We've got small cabins up in the mountains and down by the fjords, but they are disappearing or falling into disuse fast. People want holiday homes, with all the luxuries and comfort of their home, or even better. Some years back, cabin owners would load up their cars with everything needed and set out to brave bad roads or no roads to be able to spend some time with no electricity, outside toilet, wash basins and manual labour, and not a neighbour in sight. The parents had their own bed room, but everybody else would sleep in the only other room available, the living room. In winter the place would be getting warm just about when it was time to go home. The car was parked some way off, but the going would be easy in winter because of the skis. Without them you wouldn't be able to get there. The goal of the trip would be to ski or walk, enjoying the peace and quiet, and the scenery. Now they want to drive to a pre-heated place with a garage, jacuzzi, sattelite dish, a shop close by, and even your next-door-neighbour next door. The place is big enough to accomodate the owner's family and a couple of visiting families, and might even have a guest house, just in case the place gets cramped. The scenery is exchanged for a view of lots of cabins looking very much like your own. As for the peace and quiet - well, there's a night club a couple of blocks down, and the after-ski taverna by the bottom of the slope is just an easy stroll away. Some hard-core cabin owners refuse to give in totally, but with the children bending their ears about not being able to use their laptops or video games during the week-ends, they give in and install solar panels and running water for starters. I'm not one to complain about progress, but I do feel we lost something along the way. And I don't even own a cabin! This blog entry has been viewed 588 times
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It's so sad that we put our creature comforts to the fore these days.
That's terribly sad Droopy. Even though I've never experienced one the original cabin trip sounds great. I rely on technology a lot also but sometimes I just want to drop everything for a week and live in the woods. Not joking.
A remote cabin in the mountains sounds wonderful. I have spent most of my adult life wanting to live in one and not just for weekends and holidays. But I would be happy to have one for a long weekend.
I too can remember being taken out to the woods as a child-though no cabin try tenting it, thats what we did. A tent, maybe one of those outdoors grills and woods and blackberries we picked. Our dog, though he wasn't a hunting dog, came back with an rabbit in his mouth one time. Yes those were the days I like to remember.
I think this trend shows us that we've got both time and money to spare. But why townspeople will want to live in cabin towns during their time off beats me.
I think a lot of people are afraid of being alone. Not fear from danger, just fear of not having anything to entertain them.
My husband totally agrees that the norwegians are giving up the rustic cabins more an more. Altho we run a very rustic an primitive camp here on part of the farm for tourists, but its not what you would think, you can't hear your neighbor snoring because we have them spaced far apart. all but 2 that are the original ones. we keep the tent camping down to only 5-6 tents an we have only 4 cabins, but all is in locations that are very private. i wish i could post them but i honestly don't know where to put them,, maybe i should start my own blog so all can see the farm..also we do get alot of norwegians who come an stay for a weekend at a time. why, i don't know. maybe its because the cabin towns are taking over an there are still some hardcore rustic cabin lovers out there. all i know is i love the company from people from all over the world who come to stay here at different times of the year.
We had some well-off friends who would let us use their ocean cabin- no phone or tv, often no power, it was heavenly. Just spending time with our 2 kids, reading books, sorting shells, or taking the long hike down to the beach. Taxes forced tehm to sell, alas. So glad my son has a good head on his shoulders, and still likes that stuff!
The sea-side holiday homes in southern Norway is a different story. They are so expensive now, there are lots of people investing in them.
We had a cabin in northern Wisconsin like that. It was two rooms and used to be a train depot when the trains carried iron ore through the area. It was on nine acres, no electric, no phones. Water from a well. The water had so much iron it turned everything rusty. It was down a dirt road that turned to muck if it rained. We would spend weekends there, even in winter when it went much below zero. We heated with a caboose stove and wood. We cooked in an old kitchen range that used wood. We spend one Thanksgiving there with friends. I cooked Cornish game hens and all the other things on that stove. We had a wonderful time. We sold it when the boys left home. They fished and ran in the woods, hunted and all the other things boys like to do. No tv or other city things. They read in the evenings and spent the days outside. Now I wonder what kids would do if you told them to go outside to play. dooley
I am just reluctant to follow the lawn craze. Would we better have ground covers instead of it? Would the world be quieter and less polluted?
Dooley, the children around here are outside a lot, regardless of the weather. They do what children have always done. They climb, fight, get muddy and wet, use their bicycles and make a lot of noise.
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