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European Van Trip 2022
  • Lucy Wignall
  • Chris Brace
  • Lucy Wignall
  • Chris Brace

European Van Trip 2022

A 117-day adventure by Lucy & Chris Read more
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  • European Van Trip 2022

    Sverd i fjell

    August 4, 2022 in Norway ⋅ 🌧 16 °C

    Here is the place most Viking Expeditions departed from.

    The largest sword represents the victorious Harald, and the two smaller swords represent the defeated petty kings. The monument also represents peace, since the swords are planted into solid rock, so they may never be removed.

    It's where we camped last night, so a nice interesting bit of history to see this morning 😊    Read more

  • European Van Trip 2022
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    Leo's Lekeland again

    August 4, 2022 in Norway ⋅ 🌧 12 °C

    Same play gym different town. Today's episode of playgym TV is:
    Lennon verses Ramp
    Crazy that yesterday he wouldn't even try to climb it, and this video shows his first second and third attempt today, it's absolutely incredible how quickly they learn! 😯
    (Also incredible how motivating a ball is 😂 He definitely thinks he is a dog like his brother 😆)    Read more

  • European Van Trip 2022

    Jellyfish

    August 4, 2022 in Norway ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    Went for a walk after tea, and there were hundreds of jellyfish in the water. There was a diving board but we didn't fancy it 🤷🏼‍♀️😂

  • European Van Trip 2022

    Bergen

    August 5, 2022 in Norway ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    We changed our mind about driving to Oslo the morning we were supposed to go, and instead decided to save our city day for Bergen (City days are not my cup of tea anyway, but now with the baby wanting to be free and the dog being left in the van they are just not the ideal way to spend our time so we so fewer big city visits)

    We think we made the right choice, Bergen was beautiful. Very unusual and traditional, it probably helped there was good weather and a big event on, but it was a fantastic city, one of our favourites during the van trips.
    We at a Moose burger, a reindeer kebab, and our tradition of a beer, an ice cream and a coffee was completed (if you count coffee ice-cream)

    It only cost around 3 million pounds too, so if you fancy a cheap weekend away... 😄

    At one point I noticed a few people had been waving at Lennon on the street, then I realised it was actually because he was waving at everyone 😄🥰 seems now he's figured it out he waves at anyone and everyone 🤣    Read more

  • European Van Trip 2022

    Bergen Vintage Festival

    August 5, 2022 in Norway ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    We accidentally arrived to a city during a big event again 🥳
    After rain all morning, (and days before and since) it suddenly cleared up after lunch just in time for our arrival.
    There were vintage vehicles on display, live music and even an air show with an old plane doing amazing tricks. The old emergency services drove through the city every couple of hours with the sirens blaring. It was brilliant!Read more

  • European Van Trip 2022
    The joys of feeding a baby who won't feed in public. Scenic spots like these...He had no issue eating this in a crowd 🤔😄

    Bergens traditional wooden streets

    August 5, 2022 in Norway ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    The back streets of Bergen, just off the main port square were as you can see the old traditional wood streets. They still had traditional shops too, moose leather craftsmen, silversmiths.

    I felt like we were in an olden day ski resort, Brace felt like he was in the wild west. Either way it was not quite like anything we'd ever seen beforeRead more

  • European Van Trip 2022

    Day 3 & 4 of Leo's Lekeland

    August 6, 2022 in Norway ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    4 days in a row we have spent at 3 different branches of the same play gym 😂 why is Norway so rainy 🤣

    Day 1 he learned that Daddies are allowed in playgyms

    Day 2 he learned to climb up ramps and to stand up on his own, hands free

    Day 3 he learned to wave at people

    Day 4 he learned to pickpocket mobile phones from mens back pockets    Read more

  • European Van Trip 2022
    Happy! Unaware we were about to climb 30 mins the wrong wayThey all ski in the cycle lane here 😂

    Bordalsgjelet Gorge

    August 7, 2022 in Norway ⋅ 🌧 12 °C

    Just a tiny 5 minute hike to see the bottom, and another to view from a bridge... Well we went the wrong way so my maiden voyage hike plus Lennon's weight to try and build my fitness was more effective than planned 😂Read more

  • European Van Trip 2022

    Driving

    August 8, 2022 in Norway ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    I'm forever trying to get a picture of what we are driving past before it's too late.

    The photos are not close to being as nice as the views.

    But you can't stop everywhere 😥 Norway is just endless Fjords, gorges, mountains and nature. It's not just parts of it, it's just a huge constant beauty spot.Read more

  • European Van Trip 2022
    1

    Gudvangen Fjord

    August 8, 2022 in Norway ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    We hoped to go canoeing, but you can't take under 10s
    We settled for some cold showers, a full tank of clean water, and a beautiful view of the Fjord.

  • European Van Trip 2022
    1

    Mount Hugakøllen

    August 9, 2022 in Norway ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    After about a year of talking about it, we finally climbed a mountain, with baby.

    Brace carried the 2 stone child and I carried the important things (mainly snacks). The rain didn't start until just after we reached the top 🥳 and Lennon was asleep for the first 2/3 and giggling for the last bit of the descent.

    We didn't see a soul up or down the mountain! It was like being back in covid times. So silent and you could hear cows mooing from miles away.

    All in all, successful mission and now we've done it once I am much more confident about more, bigger climbs.    Read more

  • European Van Trip 2022

    Second Hike of the Day! 💪🏼

    August 9, 2022 in Norway ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    Despite climbing a whole mountain...

    I stupidly decided I would enjoy a second hike. Not in a small way due to Google Maps suggesting it would take only a few minutes to find a beautiful view

    I decided in my new found pro mountaineer confidence I would carry the giant baby this time 😅

    Of course Google was totally wrong. An hour or so later, legs shaking and knee very much hurting we didn't find the view point 😂 but we made it back for some gins 😁    Read more

  • European Van Trip 2022

    Wild Norway

    August 9, 2022 in Norway ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    For the first time in a long time we slept in the middle of no where 😍

    We came up a crazy road, it was clearly intended for farmers, we met 2 tractors along the way, not a soul otherwise. The sign at the start showed tractors were free but other vehicles must pay. We took the road to see the view, we didn't intend to sleep here.

    More than once Brace had to get out and run ahead to think for a while about whether it was physically possible to continue driving 😁 (photo one)

    The cupboards were flying open, the dog was bouncing all over, Lenny's head nearly fell off... But we made it, to the middle of nowhere. No wind meant silence bar animal calls. We saw deer poo everywhere but didn't manage to spot any.

    In the morning we were woken up by bells outside the van, and opened the window to see we had some goats visiting. Luckily they knew our usual wake up time 😄

    Spots like this are the dream. They're very rare but when they happen it's perfect 👌🏼    Read more

  • European Van Trip 2022
    2

    Lillehammer

    August 10, 2022 in Norway ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Don't be fooled by his smile, Lennon is poorly and has a huge ulcer on his tongue too...

    So today has been a case of slowly making our way to Lillehammer between crying and calpol dosing. It's a ski resort, and our final destination in Norway. We will spend a few days here as in summer its a mountain biking park 😊Read more

  • European Van Trip 2022
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    2

    Balbergkampen Mountain Climb

    August 12, 2022 in Norway ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    Another day another mountain. This time with a special surprise at the top (I planned this route so of course there needed to be a twist)

    This time no rain, Lennon stayed awake and having the time of his life all the way up, grinning at leaves etc 🤣 and we met some Polish people and our first British people all trip, at the top of the mountain.Read more

  • European Van Trip 2022

    And back down again

    August 12, 2022 in Norway ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    On the way down we took a different route and took our time, Lennon needed feeding, we needed feeding, so luckily there were endless blueberries. We found so many giant ant hills, raspberries and lingonberries... And Lennon back to his usual self slept all the way down 😊Read more

  • European Van Trip 2022

    Hafjell Bike Park

    August 13, 2022 in Norway ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    Brace spent the day riding the best bike park he's ever been to! Due to the ski lift, me and Lennon got to go up and enjoy the view too for once (and a beer)

  • European Van Trip 2022
    1

    Crossing the Swedish border

    August 14, 2022 in Sweden ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    We said goodbye to the sun skiers of Norway, and hello to the suddenly red roads of Sweden.

    The buildings in Sweden still have hair, like the Norwegian ones.

    Swedish supermarkets are noticeably cheaper than Norway but still a lot more than England.

    Lastly, yes, this method of feeding Lenny lentils is surprisingly quicker and less messy than feeding them from a spoon. He hates ro be fed 😂 but loves to eat by himself. Also, yes, Lentil is his new nickname    Read more

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