The Best Things in Life are Free
When Scott and I were at Horizons Unlimited Travelers Meeting in April, we met an older couple (David and Emy Woodburn) who spent much of their life on the road. They eventually had a daughter, and added a sidecar to bring her along for the adventures. For those who don’t know- Horizons Unlimited is an international group of motorcycle travelers. It’s the kind of people we aspire to be- experienced, adventurous, free, and kind. This community sent us off on our journey in April from Virginia- and many pieces of wisdom from that meet up have stuck with me along the route. The most important so far: “the best things in life are free.” Said by this couple who traveled around the world on a motorcycle and a sidecar for over 15 years.
Since then, nothing has proven this statement more true than Scandinavia. If you’ve been, you know. The majestic snowcapped mountains looming above the ice blue glacier water of the deep fjords, with winding roads, 20 kilometer tunnels, cliffs scattered with roaming dots of sheep, lush countryside, and local kindness to warm the soul in the cold, breathtaking landscape.
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Throughout my time in Scandinavia, I am learning to embrace the meaning of free- not just monetarily free, but spiritually free. I witness joyful, content free people embracing their own beauty at local swimming spots, community saunas, and ice plunges in the fjords. Where people of all shapes and sizes celebrate their humanness with respect and comfort, unafraid of judgement, embracing nature as it was in the beginning. No need to ask for permission, or check behind to make sure no one is watching- because no one is watching. Everyone is simply enjoying their own natural experience, naked or not.
In Copenhagen, Denmark, I ventured into a bakery and coffee shop for a treat that morning (not free). After enjoying every last sip of that warm espresso and sticky, spicy cardamom bun, I walked around the neighborhood- stumbling upon a local area designated for swimming in the city center harbor. I watched as young boys pushed each other off the jumping block, screaming with delight at the freezing shock of water hitting their bodies. I lingered long enough to watch people of all kinds take a quick dip, or swim a few laps. Some were clothed and some were not, and no one seemed to care either way. Of course, after watching other women my age brave the cold, calm ocean water I mustered up the courage to join them.
I walked to my motorcycle, grabbed my swimsuit and towel, and marched into the floating wooden dock. The nice thing about having everything you need in two saddle bags and exclusively traveling by motorcycle, is you always have everything you need. After changing in the public bathroom and crossing the threshold between what the public could see and where the swimmers were sitting, I realized everyone back here was topless, shameless, sunbathing in the cool breeze, reading, eating, gabbing. The best part- it was all women. A carousel of 5-10 women coming and going, taking up the entire sunbathing patio in the back of the floating dock. As if to say “this is ours.” It felt like a secret club you were initiated into only once you’d decided for yourself you were ready to dive into the cold. No social pressure, no groups of women pushing each other beyond their comfort zone. Just a space to exist, as if to say “I’m glad you made it here, too.”
In Gothenburg, Sweden, we were welcomed by a lovely older gay couple for two nights in their home. We learned what it was like for them to be out and proud in the 70s, to grow up in Soviet regions during WWII, and to thrive among discrimination by building their own community. A part of this surviving and thriving included skinny dipping in the local quarry, which is swallowed by the icy water of the North Sea. The next day, our new friend took us to the quarry, reminding us in his childhood- bodies were just bodies. Nudity was nothing to fear, nothing to be ashamed of. So, there we were. Skinny dipping with our Bunk-A-Biker host in Gothenburg as the bright morning sun shined through the clear teal water. Freedom in so many directions.
In Norway, we set up camp every night, sleeping on mountainsides, at the base of grand fjords, and in the protection of the forest. One night, we found ourselves camping on a small neighborhood beach that also had a community sauna. We met a lovely man and his two young daughters who were visiting the beach and sauna that evening. He invited us to join- which was a truly welcomed invitation given how frigid it was outside- and we still had a long night of camping ahead. We spent a couple of hours with our new friends, rotating between the 220° wood burning sauna, and the 55° glacier water of the fjord. Again, we found ourselves in the company of kind strangers. A few days later, I found myself camping at yet another fjord with no access to running water- but plentiful access to glacier water. So I did as the Norwegians do, I bravely waded into the water and shocked my nervous system awake, being sure my hair stayed dry because… motorcycle helmet. Locals walked on the nearby trail every so often, smiling and carrying on their way. Again, no shame, no fear, just freedom and oneness with the gift of nature, experiencing it as it was intended.
Finally in Helsinki, Finland, we enjoyed a (not free but not expensive) local sauna. Nestled in the heart of the city, locals were sitting on the sidewalk drinking beer to cool off after a productive, sweaty sauna session. We walked in excited for the local experience- which for me, meant getting a proper scrub by a lovely, burley Finnish woman. I lay on the plastic table face down as she instructed, getting every inch of dirt scrubbed (quite aggressively) away. I was nude of course, but so was everyone else. Again I learned: a body is a body is a body. Being scrubbed by a Finnish woman in the presence of other Finnish women and some tourists was nothing to be nervous about. I relished in the luxury of feeling truly clean for the first time in four months. She even sat me in a plastic white chair and said “I wash your hair.” I don’t know what she did, but my hair has never been so silky.
Of these experiences, I spent a total of €14, all of which went to the profuse sweat and effective scrub down in the Finnish sauna. In a span of three weeks, across four countries, I truly embraced the phrase gifted to me by the Woodburns’. Freedom is doesn’t have to be expensive.
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