ABSTRACT
This chapter examines friluftsliv as a dynamic and complex socio-cultural phenomenon and as a key cultural symbol with a spectrum of meanings. It presents the encircles five analytical themes: friluftsliv represents a broad range of 'close to nature' activities deriving from a dual legacy of Romantic and Pragmatic ways of life, and the two-fold nature of adventure in Norwegian/European cultural history emphasising risk versus curiosity as motivating forces. The theme also includes Curiosity-driven adventure linked to experience and the building of nature literacy through erfaringer/Erfahrungen of nature and cultural shift arising that highlights intense moments of subjective and aesthetic experience – the opplevelse/Erlebis of nature and is an interconnectedness of adventure and nature-friendly perspectives. The English word experience has a slightly different meaning than the German/Norwegian equivalents, as it further translates into Erlebnis/opplevelse, emphasising the individual subjective feelings. The Norwegian verb a erfare and the noun erfaringer are rooted in the German word fahren, meaning to venture out and experience.
