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Norway 2023

June - July 2023
A 29-day adventure by Caroline Read more
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  • TravelerNorway 2023
    12
    Day 8

    Sunshine After the Rain

    July 5, 2023 in Norway ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    Today: 309km 🚗

    A week into my trip...🇩🇰... 🇸🇪... 🇳🇴

    Total driven so far: 1345km which is 835 miles - it is only about 330 miles from my home to Edinburgh! 🇬🇧

    Still to go: 682km (423 miles) which will take me to Bodø, my Northern-most point of this journey. Where I'll see my friend from 30yrs ago and then take a slower route back to Copenhagen by 25th July ✈️

    So... It was a different dawn chorus this morning. The sound of cowbells might remind me of Switzerland and Heidi , maybe goat bells of Austria. Turns out the Norwegians put bells on their sheep. Lots of sheep = lots of bells🔔🐑🔔

    And it was still drizzly grey outside at 7.30, 7deg cool ☔

    A bit further along on the Peer Gyntvegen (road!) I found a small Joker supermarket - complete with outdoor shop attached and there I met my first moose or elg (but not the last of the day) as he's called in Norway 🫎

    Chatted to the salesman and a company rep for a bit, the latter was from the North side of Lofoten. The quieter and just as stunning side of the islands. 🏔️

    A few km down the road, having been told to keep an eye out on the countryside as they are about a mother and young moose dashed across the road in front of me 🫣

    All was ok, but it did give me pause for thought as I make this long roadtrip! 🤔

    A bit of WiFi goes a long way, so stopping at Burger King has it's uses. Snow visible on the peaks as I drove today.... ❄️ 12 deg on the road mind.

    Danske needed a serious wash, at £20 for the basic wash 🤯 - the car has to have a name, and it just means Danish, but sounds female to my ear 🥰

    By 5pm I was very glad to have negotiated even more roadworks and find myself at this beautifully located campsite. Next to the Trondheim fjord 🇳🇴... 🌅... But we'll have to wait till 11.26pm for sun to set, may have to have a snooze before then 🥱

    Last pics are of my very tasty Norwegian supper: seeded Knaekbrod with blue cheese enjoyed with plenty of carrots 🤩    Read more

  • TravelerNorway 2023
    1221
    Day 9

    A Reindeer Heading South

    July 6, 2023 in Norway ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    340km 🚗

    After I posted my update last night I got chatting to the lone motorcyclist - Bernie from Switzerland. 31yrs old and 20,000km on his bike. He approached me, curious that I was managing to sleep in my car 😁

    He kindly offered me a tot of homemade herbal schnapps from his town of Wel (pronounced Ville). We chatted till the sun went down 😆

    It is hard to sleep when it is still so light, so I was very glad to not wake up until 9am this morning. A quick pebble hunt before coffee and time to hit the E6 North again ☕

    There are so many places that look worth exploring on this trip, but I didn't think twice about driving on past Hell this morning 😈

    Later on I was fooled into stopping at a Toyota garage, thinking it was a petrol station - which it was, but no kiosk, just card payments at the fuel pump. I think it was a message from my 2009 Harris the Yaris at home.... DON'T FORGET ABOUT ME 👻

    Pit stop alongside the road instead, with water and trees and a Scottish couple on a motorbike. It becomes second nature to check out which countries are represented 🤓 - chatted to them, also away for a month and heading all the way to Nordkapp, waaay North 🎅

    For me reaching Nord Norge was very significant - the start of the Northern part of Norway and I had a phone call with Monja in Bodø, she's all set for me to arrive Friday afternoon 🥰 🇳🇴

    Soon after that I slowed, thinking I could see a person walking alongside the road - facing oncoming traffic.... Nope it was a reindeer, just ambling along Southward 🦌😱

    In the small town of Trofors Dixie's was recommended for a very tasty kebab and I was very glad of it - this driving all day is quite wearing on my brain: speed limits frequently vary and the road can be narrower at times 🫣

    Last stop of the day has been the very dramatic Laksforsen waterfall, where I found a Czech motorhome had beaten me to it 😆

    A womble along the road, away from all the tourists I found a lovely quiet spot to put my head down 🥱😴💤    Read more

  • TravelerNorway 2023
    2
    1
    Day 10

    Arctic Circle & Bodø!

    July 7, 2023 in Norway ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    Final day Northward: 339km 🚗
    Total distance driven over 6 days: 2030km 🌫️🏔️☔🏞️☀️

    By 2pm I reached the Arctic Circle🥳🥳🥳 and managed to pull up next to the only British vehicle visible in the whole car park 👻

    This was having driven through a 9km / 5.5 mile long tunnel this morning - all ok, but that's a long way to hold your breath 🥴

    All very surreal to be in the Arctic Circle, lots of souvenirs as well as animal pelts.... 🐇🦌🫎

    13.5deg 🌫️ after 24deg only 30mins earlier ☀️

    I was then only 2hrs away from Bodø and enjoyed the dramatically changing scenery as I made the final stage of my journey North - with a few tears of happiness along the way 🥰

    Now a few days to catch up with my very good friend Monja, exploring Bodø 🍷🍷    Read more

  • TravelerNorway 2023
    3171
    Day 11

    Bodø Art Womble

    July 8, 2023 in Norway ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    0km for my Danske 🚗
    12 deg, cloudy and breezy 🥳

    A wonderful day exploring this most Northern of cities and discovering so much in common / similar life experiences with my beautiful Norwegian friend from 1991 😍

    Monja showed me the art galleries and street art of Bodø, bumping into a few of her friends along the way. We also went into the library 📚

    Before heading along the harbour wall to watch a Hurtigruten ship depart... I've weighed things up and much as the Lofoten islands are an awesome place to visit, they will have to wait for another time. You can have too much of a good thing!!! Especially when it involves 4hrs at sea & peak tourist season 🤢

    So I'll probably be in Bodø till Wednesday, planning my trip slower Southward return journey 🧐🗺️📍    Read more

  • TravelerNorway 2023
    Day 12

    A Maelstrom & a Beach with a View...!

    July 9, 2023 in Norway ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    Another 0km day for Danske 🚗

    With thanks to Monja's Toyota Mouse for Day 2, Bodø adventures 🚙

    A 30min drive took us to the location of the world's strongest tidal current, I was very glad of my earmuffs and jacket: https://www.visitnorway.com/things-to-do/nature…

    I found myself humming the theme to Pirates of the Caribbean and wondering if the Kraken might appear.... ☠️🦜

    Looking down from such a high bridge was strangely mesmerising! 😵‍💫

    Olivia's Italian restaurant provided a very tasty supper: salmon and asparagus risotto for me 😍

    This was a much appreciated slower day, with time to womble later alongside the seashore only a short walk from Monja's home. Lots of wildlife with ducks paddling about as well as a variety of expected seabirds and even a heron 🦆

    It was a wonderful end to a weekend of talking and exploring with Monja 😊    Read more

  • TravelerNorway 2023
    12
    Day 13

    A Day of Rest

    July 10, 2023 in Norway ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    0km 🚗

    A day to wash clothes, plot out where I've already been and consider which way to head South.👕 🧺 🧦 🥳

    Once Monja returned from work we had Mexican for an early supper and drove out to see the North University campus, where she worked for many years in the uni bookshop, also managing the stationery 🖊️😍🗒️

    A riverside walk, with lots of very lush undergrowth, all the sunshine makes for a very intense, if short, growing season 🌱🌱🌱

    Then came across a potential new office space... 🖥️

    I was also very happy to meet Monja's sister and her fiancé - he is a fellow redhead (rare in Norway) 🤩    Read more

  • TravelerNorway 2023
    131
    Day 14

    1/2 Way Through...! 2nd Day of Rest

    July 11, 2023 in Norway ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    7km 🚗 - all the way to fill up petrol

    Happily I slept till 10.45 this morning, a first in a long time 💤

    Plotted out the next week to 10-days of travel along the coastal road .... 🚢https://kystriksveien.no/?lang=en

    Then South towards Oslo, taking it steadier is the plan, all the way back to Copenhagen 🧭

    My mini expedition first took me to the supermarket for carrots, salami and cheese in a squeezy tube (think Primula in UK) - all good stuff for camping 🏕️

    Then it was time to put a Tiger in the Tank - at the Esso station: £84 for 46 litres which has got me the 1048km / 650miles from Trondheim ⛷️ 🚗 🦌

    This has been my last evening here with Monja, so we went out to the Nord Mall for food and to locate a map of Norway....In the bookshop 📚 🥳 For my slower route South I'll be needing more details 🗺️📍🇳🇴

    Then home for a cup of chilled Earl Grey tea before a final coastal womble, finding that even the footpath has closures and diversions due to roadworks 🥾🌈🦆    Read more

  • TravelerNorway 2023
    82
    Day 15

    Southward Bound

    July 12, 2023 in Norway ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    165km Danske 🚗 ... 🎶on the road again 🎶

    An emotional departure from Bodø, it's been a great pivotal point for this trip 🇲🇵

    Even having plotted the route, it feels more flexible knowing I have time to make detours, when inspiration strikes💡

    With that in mind, I basically looked at the map and spotted a long beach on the coast of an island and headed that way 🌊

    And yes Langsanden translates as long sands which was indeed perfect, having wandered along and noticed the sand blowing due to the strong breeze .... figured I had better find a higher point to eat my lunch 🪨

    Spent a couple of hours enjoying the cloudy breezy day full stop writing some postcards and enjoying my sand free lunch 📮

    'Skulpturlandskap' on a sign post, definitely gets my attention. However I did have to pause, and check how far it was from the sign post. The Forgotten Town by a Swedish artist was intriguing - and had amazing views https://skulpturlandskap.no/kunstverkene/den-gl…

    Time for some food and again, Google came to the rescue and found me a very highly rated Italian restaurant. Where once more I had a very tasty plated kebab, this time chicken with delicious fries and a token piece of salad 🥗 All enjoyed with another great view 🏔️

    Time to find a place for the night, a small lake at the end of a gravel road. With wonderful signs inviting me to borrow a canoe, free gratis - needless to say I did not take up this offer 🛶    Read more

  • TravelerNorway 2023
    9512
    Day 16

    Ferry-tastic... Arctic Circle!

    July 13, 2023 in Norway ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    200km 🚗 +
    🚢x 15min, 🚢 x 1hr & 🚢 x 30min

    Started the day with a seven kilometer tunnel, before my first coffee 😵‍💫

    I have learned that each of these tunnels is like a fingerprint, unique. Today there were flashing lights at the beginning of one tunnel, due to a cyclist using the tunnel.... 🚲

    As if I am not tense enough driving through these wonderful cool spaces! The temperature in one today dropped to 10 degrees – this involved open windows all the way 🥶

    More landskapart today, very unexpected to see red bricks pitched with such a view 🪟 https://skulpturlandskap.no/kunstverkene/varde/

    I knew they were going to be car ferries on this trip and today I have managed three of them. Chatting to various fellow travellers - most useful on the first one as the kind Norwegian caravaner told me the next ferry was only 20 minutes drive away and would leave in an hour 🚢

    There is such epic scenery, at every turn and after every tunnel. It is overwhelming and beautiful, as well as timeless 🏔️🏞️⛰️

    The second ferry, a whole hour this time, included crossing back over the Arctic Circle - which was not announced by the crew on the ferry, so I was mighty relieved the kind Norwegian caravaner had told me earlier and then pointed out the statue on the edge of the coast 🇲🇵

    Back on dry land I was glad to spot MUSEUM in big letters, with enough room to slow down and turn off the road. It was part of a coastal fort from the second world war: Gronsvik 🪖

    This allowed me the chance to catch up with daughter Amelia, first phone call since Copenhagen 📳

    The motorbikes from Poland were labelled up 'Emergency First Responder' 🤔🤔🤔

    I've had all four seasons today and met a cyclist, from Hamburg who was sheltering from the rain. He's only had five wet days in five weeks cycling from Hamburg. On his way to the Nordkap way, way North 🫣    Read more

  • TravelerNorway 2023
    1
    16
    Day 17

    The Island of Vega

    July 14, 2023 in Norway ⋅ 🌬 14 °C

    Only 62km 🚗 + 🚢 x 1hr

    Started the day in bright sunshine, but true to form it then turned blustery wet and chilly ☁️

    Chose to have a shorter day of travel, but go a bit further a-sea... (Which is always going to be outside my comfort zone, as being further afield is my usual method of exploring) 🚢

    This decision was partly made when I realised I'd stopped three times and only travelled 10 km: a very handsome bridge in the cloud, https://helgelandsbrua.no/ another landscape art 'House of the Winds' and finally coffee ☕

    Having realized that signposts on this trip will only get me so far, I looked more closely at all the tourist materials I seem to have gathered 🤓

    And that is how I ended up at the Petter Dass museum: a poet philosopher, no less, from the 1600s https://www.petterdass-museet.no/ 🇳🇴

    This was combined with a beautifully restored home from the 1700s as well as a modern art exhibition https://www.annesophielorange.com/ Perfect! 🎨

    Plus, when I got back to the car, found Danske had met a fellow Danish traveller 🥰

    I also asked the advice of a guide at the museum, and he said 'Yes, do go to the island of Vega, don't worry about the weather'. 🌧️

    Glad to report the very bumpy looking sea was very smoothly sailed or should that be ferried? I did question the wisdom, of setting foot on a ferry during such a blustery day. An hour can be a very long time at sea after all 🌊🌊🌊

    There was a Czech campervan waiting to board at Vega - yup they are still ahead of me 🇨🇿

    Another skulpturlandskap to appreciate upon arrival - 🐌

    Then a short drive to my second campsite - beside a lake this time and distinctly cooler than last time 🧣

    Had a really good chat with an older German, Stefan - he drove (and slept in) his small van up through Sweden to Nordkapp in ten days. He's also enjoying a slower journey Southward. He was pleased to hear about my car-camping adventures 🇩🇪

    The hopefulness of the image on the shower curtain made me smile. Also realised with campsites only open in the summer months no need for lighting on the site ☀️    Read more

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