From Stockholm to Bergen by car... we used almost every means of transport available!!! We reach Stockholm by plane, visit the city by bicycle, leave Stockholm by ferry to reach Helsinki where “our” rental car awaits us to continue our journey towards the North Cape! We cross Finland, Finnish Lapland, Nordkapp and come down through Norwegian Lapland, the Vesteralen and Lofoten islands, the Norwegian fjords... arriving in Bergen. Not content, we also organise a trip to Preikestolen south of Bergen.. obviously using dozens of ferries... All wonderful!!! A shame we only had 15 days available!
Departure from Orio al Serio, destination Stockholm; We arrive at 11 pm..the shuttle that is supposed to take us into the city breaks down..we have to wait for another shuttle to arrive until 2 am! We finally arrive at the hostel at 4.30 am!!!
11-12 AUGUST We stay 2 nights at the Skeppsholmen hostel; a very nice hostel and a perfect location for visiting the city centre. Tip: rent a bicycle (as we did), it is very convenient for getting around every corner of the city. We leave Sweden to go to Finland; crossing by VIKING LINE ferry to Helsinki (about 15 hours); a very cosy ship and a fun evening.
400 km Arrival at 10 am in Helsinki; we rent a car and we are ready for our adventure! The rental is not very cheap because we decide to leave the car in Bergen in Norway; do you want to know how much we spent? €800 rental + €700 for the drop-off in Bergen!!!!! We decide not to visit Helsinki since the Routard guide and friends say it is a fairly insignificant city. So we set off towards PORVOO (1st stop): a small and pretty town 50 km east of Helsinki; nothing special, but we decide to take a stroll among the cobbled alleys and flower-filled courtyards of the "centre" anyway. We have lunch in a "chic" little restaurant, "TIMBAALI", expensive but with excellent cuisine! In the afternoon we head for SAVOLINNA; we arrive around 8 pm. The weather is fine, we decide to camp... 10 km south of the town... on the shore of Lake SAIMAA.
So far we have encountered only birches, lakes, pines, birches, lakes, birches,...
700 km In the morning we take a tour of the Savonlinna fortress: nothing more than a fortress; the town is insignificant, it is famous only for the jazz festival held there every year in July. We continue towards our destination, ROVANIEMI; a long journey, always among the birches!!! A few km before Rovaniemi we begin to spot the first reindeer... on the road!!! We arrive around 8 pm at the OUNASKOSKI campsite, located on the riverbank, under the railway bridge... We begin to savour the "midnight sun" atmosphere: the sky, still bright and clear, treats us to the first sunset spectacle at 10.30 pm. Dinner in a restaurant in the awful town centre, where we can sample carpaccio, fillet and reindeer stew... poor reindeer!
700 km A damp awakening in our tent, shower and away we go, off again! A few km and we reach the Arctic Circle (latitude 66 32' 35") and Santa's village; it feels like being at Gardaland (perhaps with snow it is quite a different matter), but it is nice to see how many children write letters to Santa (about 11 million a year)! We buy some empty envelopes that contained letters from children and discover that, wherever you are in the world, by writing only the name "SANTA CLAUS" on the envelope, the letters arrive HERE! Today's destination, however, is North Cape, so we continue with a stop in INARI for lunch; the pines and birches gradually abandon us, giving way to nothingness...
the landscapes are fantastic and the sky is spectacular! We have taken photos that look unreal! We reach NORDKAPP around 9 pm (Tamara at the helm); the weather is clear only up to the tunnel that takes us to the little island of Nordkapp... then fog, fog and more fog! Obviously at Nordkapp there is nothing... apart from the toll collector who makes you pay for the tunnel and parking!!! We have dinner in the only restaurant existing on the cliff, and the sky treats us to the second spectacular sunset of our trip: the fog lifts and a reddish light filters through the white clouds. Sunset is at 11 pm! Here it is truly a spectacle to see the colours of the sky and the practically lunar landscape! Towards midnight we go to sleep in the Hytter of the northernmost campsite in Europe, where we meet a likeable old Norwegian man, the guardian and owner of the campsite!
400 km Morning visit to the North Cape, where at the souvenir shop we manage to exchange a videocassette bought by a friend 2 years earlier. Today we are not greeted by fog but by crazy wind! The sky is clear and the day sunny, so we manage to see what the evening before was hidden a metre away from us! The descent of Norway begins, towards the Lofoten Islands: the landscapes are fantastic! Lunch stop at ALTA in the square of the shopping centre. Continuing the journey we pass through enchanting landscapes and decide to stop and sleep in a chalet at the GILDETUN MOUNTAIN MOTEL (if you are passing through, it is really worth stopping for a night to admire the sunset and the spectacle of the sky changing colour every two minutes! The chalet, with four beds, which they offer us is very cosy, clean and warm.
400 km The weather this morning is very cloudy and it is raining; the journey was long and boring; the landscapes are a bit monotonous (I miss Lapland!!!)!!! We nevertheless reach the VESTERALEN islands and camp at Sortland, in a nice Hytter with a kitchen... we finally eat pasta and risotto (even if from a Knorr packet)!
200Km We escape from the Vesteralen islands, with the clouds following us relentlessly but also giving us a few rainbows; we take the ferry to the LOFOTEN islands (Melbu-Fiskebol route); we have lunch in SVOLVAER but decide to sleep on the VESTVAGOY island. Along the way we come across beaches that would make the most beautiful beaches of Sardinia envious: white, very fine sand, crystal-clear water… even if it's freezing!The temptation to dive in is really strong but the sun hides behind the clouds … it's a bit chilly… so we just dip our feet in! While looking for a bed & breakfast (probably closed), we find and decide to follow the RORBU signs.
We're sure these are places to sleep since on the sign, next to the name RORBU, there's a little house drawn… we also know these are the typical fishermen's dwellings, which are red, by the sea … but we still don't know one thing … the place is deserted, there's not a soul, not a sound, nothing and no one… we approach the RORBUER and see that the entrance doors are open and the keys are in the door locks… we knock, we say hello … but no one answers… so we decide to call the phone number written on a little piece of paper attached to the door (90692487) … ARNULF answers (if you call him, say hello from us!), and he tells us to choose the little house we like best… we look at each other stunned… the little houses are really cute and very cozy… we don't know which one to choose… then we decide, we go in and have a look around… we find a diary where all the stories and dedications that guests
pay tribute to Arnulf are written… the rorbu is very well equipped and truly very cozy … just like the owner, whom we meet the following day! If you want to go there, Arnulf's rorbuer are located 7Km south of STAMSUND, on road 815-817, follow the RORBU signs near the STORFJORD campsite…then call Arnulf! We settle in and have dinner in a pub in the fishing village, the fish soup and the baccalà with potatoes are delicious!A delight!
100Km Today we have to tour the islands a bit up to A, (yes, yes it's a town), we come across dreamlike landscapes and beaches! It feels like being in the Maldives… but with a windbreaker! Towards evening we take the ferry from MOSKENES to return to the mainland (a trip of about 3 hours… with the sea… I'd say very rough!!!).
800Km On the pier of Moskenes we meet two guys from Turin (Igor and Elisa) and with them we continue our journey. Today is a transfer stage, 800 Km… better not to tell the travel companions… otherwise … Between one stop and another we arrive dead tired in TRONDHEIM and this time, given the hour, we decide to sleep in a hotel!
400Km Fjords! Troll Pass (TROLLSTIGEN) and GEIRANGER FJORD. We glimpse the SEVEN SISTERS waterfalls and the waterfall known as the BRIDAL VEIL. We camp with our mini-tent in Geiranger.
300Km Mini-cruise on the fjord, we see the waterfalls better … it was better to see them from afar! They disappointed us a bit, maybe because everyone talks about them and you expect much, much more! Since cities and towns are practically nonexistent, we decide to take a small road that runs alongside the fjord and that, on the map, ends at a certain point… and so it does … we find ourselves in open countryside, among cows, sheep, goats and ibexes… and we enjoy a splendid sunset from the rocks.
200 Km We arrive in BERGEN earlier than planned, expected for August 25th, we look for accommodation in one of the numerous campsites on road 580. Now the cities, the people, the chaos begin… it was much, much better before! Stop at the Bergen tourist office to gather some more information and to understand how on earth you're supposed to pay the entry ticket to the city center! We asked everyone: hotel receptionists, Norwegian passersby, Italian tourists, at the station, but no one can give us precise directions; the only thing we can understand is that if you have a foreign car it's very unlikely that a nice fine will reach you at home (also because it's about paying a ticket of 15NOK=3.30 euros)
175Km Crazy trip on the PREIKESTOLEN, a good 175 Km in 5 hours, 3 ferries and 2 tunnels under the sea!!! Every km you pay something! Once we arrive at the destination… another good 2 hours of "walking" await us to reach the top of the fjord. More than a walk, I'd say it's a climb: there's a path that scrambles up the mountain, among uneven rocks… It's worth it though! The view from the top of the fjord is spectacular, breathtaking, since we're on a rock 700 meters high, overlooking the sea! FANTASTIC! After all this: 1.5 hours of walking to come down from the fjord, 2 tunnels, 3 ferries and 175 Km in 5 hours to return to the campsite!
Shopping in BERGEN and lunch at the daily fish market. 400 NOK=about 50euros for two plates of fresh fish tastings, standing and in the rain!
Bergen Airport to return our rental car … and unfortunately to go back home!
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3 reader comments
Totale Km del nostro viaggio circa 6000!I paesaggi che si incontrano sono incantevoli, è inutile ripeterlo! Il tempo è un po’ imprevedibile ma tutto sommato a noi è andata di lusso! I campeggi, chalet, rorbuer e hytter dove abbiamo dormito sono sempre stati molto accoglienti, puliti e soprattutto non molto costosi. Del cibo non ci possiamo lamentare molto … anche se ovviamente la nostra cucina è molto meglio! La cosa che ci ha colpito tanto è il cielo che sembra di toccare con le mani! L’emozione è fortissima mentre si riguardano i paesaggi nelle foto… un bellissimo ricordo che resterà sempre nel nostro cuore! Link per le foto del viaggio http://andre-9.home.services.spaces.live.com/default.aspx
Totale Km del nostro viaggio circa 6000!I paesaggi che si incontrano sono incantevoli, è inutile ripeterlo! Il tempo è un po’ imprevedibile ma tutto sommato a noi è andata di lusso! I campeggi, chalet, rorbuer e hytter dove abbiamo dormito sono sempre stati molto accoglienti, puliti e soprattutto non molto costosi. Del cibo non ci possiamo lamentare molto … anche se ovviamente la nostra cucina è molto meglio! La cosa che ci ha colpito tanto è il cielo che sembra di toccare con le mani! L’emozione è fortissima mentre si riguardano i paesaggi nelle foto… un bellissimo ricordo che resterà sempre nel nostro cuore! Link per le foto del viaggio http://andre-9.home.services.spaces.live.com/default.aspx
...quanto vorrei fare un giro del genere...complimenti per il viaggio e il report!