I think that's absolutely right, it's all a matter of connections & habit. Some things leap at you more easily because it resonates with similar experiences. They trigger different memories in different people, & that can absolutely be a strength when browsing sources.

It's inevitable when growing up in the fjords! Deer provide us with a tasty source of protein & write their histories in the mud & sands of our fields & rivers.

And thank you for the idea! It would absolutely be great to delve into that particular topic, as little seems to have been done on it.

I am reminded of the lines "You've got egg on your face / You big disgrace / Waving your banners all over the place".

And rightly so! I hope you get a chance to ride them again soon!

In short, ferries force us to take a break from driving, they remind us that our travels must take nature into consideration, & they preserve vistas that would otherwise be scarred by gigantic constructions. They represent some of the things that make Norway a good place to live.

There has been a lot of debate in recent years about replacing ferries with bridges, which necessarily would lead to immense changes in the landscape, & a lot of pollution & destruction in the process. Fortunately, the ferries are still in place throughout the country.

In Norway, we have lost a lot of that mentality in the past twenty years, as various services have become automated, digital, & unstaffed, all the name of efficiency, although it is mainly a cost-cutting exercise. The ferries - at least for the longer distances - have resisted this development.

While this might sound hyperbolic, it is not: The ferries represent a remnant of an age in which infrastructure primarily existed to ensure that everyone were served by it - an unfashionable sentiment in a stage of Capitalism where everyone think they should be entirely self-reliant.

Oh my, 'any effort'? I think I know where that story is going.

Lovely, thank you!

When I realised that this was the only non-sweaty shirt I had in my office a couple of hours before teaching, I went to the campus bookshop & bought a t-shirt with the university's logo on it, just to avoid coming across in the wrong way to students utterly unfamiliar with that comic.

I'm also careful to dress in such a way that I don't convey any ambiguous messaging. One favourite t-shirt features some characters from a classic Spanish comic book series, one of whom is a lady with a notable - yet not sexy - cleavage.

As an academic who has done a lot of teaching, a breach of professionalism for me would be to denigrate a student in any way, or to lose my temper on my own behalf (I'm fine with losing one's temper when correcting bad behaviour that affects others).

Please do! Because this area is definitely worth a trip!