It was

Norway. (Good try, Sam!) We spent three days beside the Hardanger Fjord, then three more by the Sognejord, never far from water.

If you've read 'The Voyage of the Dawn Treader' by C S Lewis, which is possibly my favourite Narnia book, you may remember that as they sail further and further east, nearer to Aslan's country, the water grows sweet and somebody says that it's like 'drinkable light'. The light is so strong and clear that if they weren't becoming accustomed to it, and drinking that water, it might be unbearable. I thought of that as I soaked up the light from the wide skies and the long stretches of water with the mountains reflected. At midnight, we had twilight. I think the sun sort of dipped down at about three in the morning and came straight up again.

The Norwegians are lovely people, practical and straightforward. Children living in the fjord villages have to know how to stay safe on the water, so from an early age they learn to swim and handle boats like a lot of little ducklings taking to the water. Because the country is big and the population is small, the houses have space around, room for children to play and maybe a bit of forest at the back. Most town dwellers have a wooden house in the mountains, and maybe a boat.

We've been to Oslo and Kristiansand before, long ago, but this time we wanted mountains and water. If you want a wild time on holiday don't go there, unless you mean wild as in 'up a mountain, being chased by an elk'. But if you want tranquility, quiet, clarity, and drinkable light, go to the fjords one day.