13.07.2018
Reaching Svolvær we parked the car again by the shopping mall in the center. It was approx 13:30 and in addition to the 1 hr free parking I paid for 5 extra hours. I had in the meantime figured out how to pay for that – by credit card! It was NOK 20 per hour, so until 19:22 I paid NOK 100. That should be enough since our Trollfjord cruise should end around 18:00.
Before our cruise, however, we wanted to have something special for lunch. There was no sun today, so sitting outside did not seem to be an option, because it was rather cold. First we had to find out where our boat would be leaving this afternoon in the harbour, though. There were many different agencies for different cruises and activities and we had to ask in 2 or 3 different places before we found the right docking space of our boat. While searching for that we had passed the Bacalao Restaurant and decided to try it out for lunch. They had an outside seating area right next to the harbour and it had overhead heaters. Again it was a half selfservice restaurant, were we had to order and pay at the bar and it was served by the table.
We chose a local beer and the famous Bacalao Clipfish Casserole, which is a favourite in Northern Norway. However, this has apparently only been the case since clipfish made a comeback in the 1990s. It was once daily fare in Norway. They say, that many had nothing else to eat but dried herring and clipfish during the war, so when the war ended in 1945, if there were two things that were dropped from the menu – if one could afford to do so – it was the dried fish! Decades of unsuccessful tries to convince the Norwegians of the attributes of clipfish passed, before suddenly in the 1990s clipfish made a comeback in the disguise of bacalao in some restaurants across the country. “Finally, the word clipfish could be said without people wrinkling their noses. The story of bacalao, Norway’s most foreign dish, is the story of the cod we sent abroad until it sailed back to us on a Spanish ship.”, the Norwegians say.
In Spanish, Bacalao translates to cod – but in Norway it is the name of the popular seafood dish. In the casserole there are olives, tomatoes, onions and peppers, potatoes, but not always, because there are numerous recipes for this dish. However, it is always made with cod as the main ingredient. We truly enjoyed our lunch, it was very delicious. Even Mom ate everything up and said it was the best!
After lunch we went to the docking place of our Trollfjord Cruise. On the way we bought some whale and reindeer salami on the market to bring home.
Our cruise was scheduled for 15:00 and the old Lofotenferga – an old ferry boat – arrived shortly before. It had one long main deck and the middle and end section was covered. But we decided to sit on one of the tables outside in the front. Before the boat sailed, they offered arctic hotsuits for those who did not bring enough clothes. We did have put on all our layers, though. But Mom was not sure if it would be enough. So I went to check out the arctic hotsuits. They were kept below deck in the common room. And many people around us already got one.
Mom, you want such a warm suit? – No! Or you think we need one? – I do not know, but maybe it gets cold, if you just sit there and look at the landscape. We did not pay that much money so you sit inside and see nothing. It is not that we come back here next week! – Maybe I have enough clothes on already. – Or maybe not! I go and get you one! – OK, but a red one!
Well, I did not look for red in particular, but I went straight for the hangers with the biggest sizes and grabbed 2 hotsuits in sexy red in size XXL. That was the biggest I could find and sure enough they were red. They also had cushions for the wooden chairs on deck. I grabbed a couple of those as well. Before the boat even left the harbour I stuffed Mom into the hotsuit. It was a funny operation. She already had like 3 layers of clothes on and it took some pulling and squeezing until she was in. We could not get the front zipper to close, because her jacket was too thick, but the Velcro held it together …. until she sat down….
Sailing out of the harbour was already very nice seeing the town from a different angle. The funniest was to see how in the fancy hotels the stockfish is being stored! They just hang it in the fire escape staircase which is outside and open, but barred. Stockfish is unsalted cod, usually dried by cold air and wind on wooden racks on the foreshore. Up on the – what 12th floor? – of a town hotel the fire escape staircase has the same conditions apparently – wind and cold air, the birds cannot get it through the bars and the smell does not bother anybody that far up, since the hotel windows do not open anyways.
We sailed right out the harbour through town in between the small islands passing rorbuer resorts and under bridges, out into the open past the Svolvær airport and across the mouth of the Austnesfjorden into the Raftsundet. Its mouth between the islands of Austvågøya and Stormolla was rather narrow. Along the shoreline of the sound were some small summer houses located but also many former trading posts. Most of those trading posts were renovated and most probably used as tourist accommodation or summer homes.
The landscape and nature along the sound was spectacular. The islands were mountainous and made a dramatic backdrop to the blue and turquoise of the arctic water surrounding us. The grey clouds hung low in the mountains and gave it all a somewhat mystical touch.
In the distance we saw Digermullen on the southwestern tip of the island of Hinnøya. There is not much in Digermullen other than a few houses, stunning scenery and a lot of history. The small settlement is located at the Kaiserroute. The German Emporer Wilhelm II. was here with his entourage in 1889.
On our sail towards the north and the Trollfjord it was relatively mild, still it was cloudy and grey, but it got a little lighter as we neared the Trollfjord. The wind seemed to be onshore, meaning it was behind us. I had not put on my hotsuit, but rather sat on it. Nevertheless, I had put my woolly hat on again. The air was fresh. There was a small bar at the boat and they sold Lofotpils in cans. We had never seen it before and it was a must to try it, even in the cold!
Between Austvågøya and the small islands of Brakøya and Ulvøya we sailed further north and soon reached the mouth of the famous Trollfjorden, which leads directely west into the mountains. The Trollfjorden is an only 2 km long sidearm of the Raftsundet. The entrance is only 100 m wide. It widens to a maximum of 800 m. The mountains surrounding it are between 600 and 1100 m high and make for dramatic views.
As we turned into the Trollfjorden the sun came out for a few minutes and they played beautiful Norwegian music on the loudspeakers. The mountain walls rose straight out of the sea into the sky. And it was spectacular!
There were many small boats cruising in the fjord. Until 1960 there was a waterfall at the end of Trollfjorden which is now however redirected to produce hydroelectricity. It did not look too spectacular now. But all of a sudden the clouds broke open for a bit and the sun came out! Especially for us, when we sailed into the Trollfjorden.
Our boat turned at the end of the fjord and then just sat there. We all assumed the Captain was doing that for us, so we could enjoy the magnificent views.
But then we saw the real reason – One of the Hurtigruten ships was sailing right into the fjord! The entrance was so narrow it looked like it was not possible for such a large ship to enter and it looked even more impossible to turn the large ship at the end of the fjord. Knowing that regularly cruise ships of that size do this spectacular detour to impress their passengers – if weather permits – I was not too surprised, but I had hoped we would not meet a giant like this while we were there.
Nevertheless, it was beautiful in the fjord and the big cruise ship made for a nice contrast to realize the dimensions of the narrow fjord and the incredibly steep mountain walls. Our little old ferry had to wait until the Hurtigruten ship had turned and started to sail out of the fjord before it could get going again. Of course, the big ship was much faster than us and soon it was out of sight.
Whilst we waited and enjoyed the scenery they offered cake, coffee and tea to warm up. Hot tea was a good option. The sail back to town was not less stunning than the sail here. The wind was head on, however, and it got a bit colder now. But even now the sun showed itself for a little while. We used my hotsuit as a blanket to block the cold wind out and enjoyed the sail.
At the narrowest part of the sound the staff made for a show and fed the seagulls. Most probably those seagulls were used to being fed to entertain the tourists. The crew members just stood by the rail and held a piece of bread up high and before we knew it, the first huge seagulls swept in and fetched the bread right out of their hands. It was fun to watch. There were more eager birds and more shy ones. Some of them just preferred to sit on the boats roof and watch the spectacle. In any case it was a great pastime on the way back to Svolvær.
Coming closer to the Vestfjorden we even saw in the very far distance the peaks of the mountains of the mainland looking out over a low cloud cover.
We sailed into the main harbour entrance from the south this time and had a beautiful view of the Fiskerkona statue at the harbour entrance. This bronze statue of a waving fisherman’s wife stands right on a rock at the end of the breakwater and waves the fishermen good-bye as they leave the harbour. It is supposed to symbolize the wish for a happy return, which is not always a given North of the Arctic Circle where the sea conditions can be challenging.
The harbour was sheltered by the small island of Kjeøya or Cuba, where there are remnants of a bunker systems of the occupational forces from the WW II. Nowadays this little island is used for the wooden racks – which are called “hjell” in Norwegian – to dry fish.
Back in Svolvær one hour later as planned – the cruise was supposed to take 3 hrs and ended up being 4 hrs long – we were a little cold. But we had to more or less run back to the parking, because our ticket was only until 19:22 and we did not want to get a penalty. So we hurried back, getting a little warmer walking fast. I quickly pulled another 1 hr free parking ticket and placed it in the car. Then we went to the supermarket in the shopping center. It was almost the end of our roadtrip and I wanted to buy some Lofotpils and Arctic Beer to bring home. We also needed some more picnic supplies for tomorrow. In the first supermarket they had the picnic stuff, but not the right beer. While Mom already sat in the car, I ran over to the other supermarket and sure enough there they had both of the beers I wanted and I bought a 6 pack of each. Not a cheap souvenir to take home, but what the heck.
We drove more or less straight back to Mortsund and our rorbu, on the way always watching for moose, but not seeing any. We turned the heating in the car up, because Mom was still cold even though she had been wearing the Arctic hotsuit on during our cruise …. She blamed me, because I had brought her one too small …..
I made her a Grog – a hot toddy – in our cabin using the last of our Duty Free Vodka, hot water and sweetener I found in my backpack. After 2 of those she was warm and happy again! We had a picnic in our common room having a glass of wine and enjoying the view from our huge windows. Mom went to sleep soon, but I sat again long to sort through photos.
14.07.2018
Mortsund – Å i Lofoten – Mortsund – Evenskier 410 km
Our last day of our roadtrip North of the Arctic Circle!
We got up around 07:00 as usual and had breakfast in the main building like yesterday. Today were other bus tour groups there than yesterday., but still as many. We ate quickly and by 08:30 we were on the road again.
Today we wanted to drive to the very terminus of the E 10 in Å i Lofoten, therefore in Leknes we turned south passing the Leknes Cruise Port where a big cruise ship was docked today. The weather was still grey and cloudy, but no rain.
The road was curvy, winding along the islands and soon we passed the first bridge over the Offersøystraumen. Lofoten – the land of tunnels! The first tunnel for today was the Nappstraumentunnelen which is 1780 m long and the only underwater tunnel of the Lofoten Islands. Formerly there was a ferry connection here and it used to be a rather bottleneck with waiting times of several hours. But since 1990 the tunnel connects the islands of Vestvågøy and Flakstadøya. The tunnel was leading us under the Nappstraumen with a decline of 8% to 55 m below the water before it leveled out for a bit and then ascended again to the other side.
The road was passing across the island through a beautiful valley between bizarre mountains along the Storvatnet lake before it reached the Flakstadpollen and followed the fjords coastline south. On the southern end of the fjord we found two secret boxes along the way and enjoyed stunning views.
The E 10 was leading right around the Flagstadpollen to the north once more and then along the rugged coastline of the island along the Rossøystraumen south again. It reached the smaller Kråkersundet following it south until the Kråkernbru crossed the Sundstraumen.
This Kråkernbru is connecting the islands of Flakstadøya and Moskenesøy, which is the southern and westernmost island of the Lofoten archipelago. The road was following the southern shoreline with beautiful views of the Vestfjorden.
A series of very narrow bridges, where the traffic was regulated by traffic lights, crossed the mouth of the Moskenesfjorden and several tiny islands. Along this stretch there were some viewpoints with spectacular views of the untamed landscape and the small villages.
We stopped at one viewpoint overlooking the small fishing village of Reine and looked at the racks of drying stockfish. Here it was only fish heads drying. I suppose, the good fish they dry in places which are not as easily accessible for everybody. The fish heads are probably just dried and then ground to fish meal.
The village of Reine has a population of approx 300 and has been a commercial centre since 1743. Today tourism is most important, and despite its remote location, many thousands of people visit annually. The village is situated just off the E 10. The views over the settlement with colourful houses, fishing boats in the harbour and small islands dotting the fjord were spectacular.
From there the road was leading maybe 10 min further to the end of the island and the terminus of the road through two tunnels until we reached the village of Moskenes. The landscape was beautiful in spite of the grey weather as we drove around the Moskenesvågen ferry harbour and soon after reach the village of Å i Lofoten.
The village of Å has only approx 100 inhabitants and was formerly a sleepy fishing village until the 1990s when the tourism picked up due to the beginning of the construction of Lofast, the Lofoten Mainland Connection – Lofotens fastlandsforbindelse – which it part of the European E 10. The village was very picturesque and we drove right through to the very terminus of the E 10 …. which ended very unexciting … in a parking lot ….
So that is it? – Yes, Mom, that is it! The end of the road! – This is what we drove all this way? – Well, Confucius said – the journey is the reward! And now we are here and we park the car, go for a walk and find a couple of secret boxes! – And if I do not want? – Then you have come all this way to sit in the car and wait for me to return! Since this is no option, get up and let’s go!
There was a walking path leading to the headland at the very end of the small peninsula. There was a virtual geocache there and I just had to look at some rocks and take a photo to get credit for it. The view was stunning once more over the fjord and surrounding islands.
We were lucky a busload of tourists arrived just shortly after us and we could catch an unobstructed view before the hoards fell in.
Of course we did not go directly back to the car, but took a walk through the small village. It was indeed very picturesque with colorful houses and rorbuer. The summer flowers were in full bloom and somehow the weather was lighter. The sun did not show itself, but it was not as grey…. or maybe it was our imagination….
We walked around to the main part of the small village. There was the Norske Fiskevær Museum – the Old Fishing Village Museum. It seemed to be the center of the village. Close by there was a secret box hidden, which we found quickly.
We walked a little further to the Tørrfisk Museum – the Stockfish Museum. The shortcut that led us over a walkway on stilts passed the Å Trandamperi – the old Cod Liver Oil Factory. It was closed of course. But the fascinating thing about the old building were all the seagulls nesting on every windowsill and every ledge of the building. Their chicks were mostly still small and not fully fledged. They sure made a lot of noise.
The Stockfish Museum was closed, maybe because it was no stockfish season at the moment or maybe it was the wrong day of the week. Whatever.
We walked back to the other museum and inspected the souvenir shop. It was a good place to stock up on all the souvenirs we wanted to bring home. While in most of the souvenir shops the regular stuff was mainly made in China – like everywhere – and pretty much same same everywhere along the way, here at least we could say, we had bought it at the end of the road! They had the same stuff like everywhere else, however, the prices were pretty much the same as everywhere else as well. So, why not buy it here. Before we knew it, our bags were filled with troll key chains, vacuum packed stockfish portions, lingonberry syrup and Å i Lofoten fridge magnets.
Next door was the old stone oven bakery from 1844 and it smelled very delicious. Unfortunately, the bus load of tourists had arrived in the meantime and the line was out the door. So we skipped it and made do with the good smell, while having a coffee in a small place opposite. It was a pleasant spot to sit, watch the happenings and take a minute to contemplate.
A little while later it was time to get back on the road. We had not looked for many secret boxes on the way here this morning, so on the way back it was a must to find at least a few. The drive was spectacular again. The road leading along the shoreline of the Vestfjorden was beautiful and we stopped again for some photos every now and again.
On a viewpoint over the Kråkersundet and Sundstraumen there was a rather big secret box hidden which I wanted to find and I had to climb down the shore side a little bit to get it. The view from there was beautiful and I was quick to find the box. But I had forgotten my pen in the car and had to climb back up to get it and back down again to sign the log book. Oh well.
Only a few kilometers further in Ramberg there was another box and the GPS marker suggested it being directly by the road. The hint was “small house”. Sure enough I could see the “small house” already from afar. Only a geocacher could have the idea to hide a secret box in such a place which blended in with the setting and decoration of the surroundings so perfectly. Mom waited in the car and I went to sign the logbook.
I got totally scared by a couple other geocachers who approached me from behind when I had the logbook in my hand. They were from Switzerland and saw me handling the tubberware box when they drove past. So they immediately thought – Geocache! – and stopped their motorhome. I had not heard them coming, so boy, did they scare me! But we had a quick friendly chat amongst geocachers and then were all on the road again.
Some 3 km or so further on I had one more secret box insight, which was also near the road. Mom again waited in the car, the Swiss motorhome geocachers had passed us already and I took a quick walk to get the box. It turned out to be another lovely made box – maybe today was the day of not only beautiful landscapes, but also beautiful geocaches. There are plain tubberware or petling caches, but every now and again there are wonderful geocaches made with a lot of love! Always fun to find such secret boxes!
Coming back to the car I realized we had made many kilometers North of the Arctic Circle and our car looked like it by now! It sure did not look blue or black anymore and they would have a party at the car rental place to get that one clean again. But I guess, they would be used to it.
We then drove right back to our cabin reaching there around 14:00. In Leknes we put some more gas in the car. Here at the far end of the islands it was like 20 cents more expensive per liter than on the mainland. So I put only enough in to get us to the mainland safely. Our flight tomorrow morning out of Harstadt/Narvik airport was at 11:05 and it was a 4 hrs drive from our rorbu in Mortsund to the airport. So we had decided to skip the last night here and had booked one night close to the airport. While I love the 24 hrs light, I was not keen on getting up at 03:00 and drive to the airport, because we would be more or less spending the whole day traveling to Berlin and then I still had to drive 2 hrs back home – German autobahn that is and it would be dark by the time we reached Berlin! Therefore, the extra € 70 for the room near the airport seemed feasible.
At our cabin we first had our last lunch picnic and despite of the grey weather we sat outside at the picnic table in front of our cabin with a wonderful view over the fjord. We put everything on the table what was left of our supplies and opened the moose paté we bought in Inari / Finland a few days ago. The had our last Norwegian Beer – for the first time the Isbjørn Fatøl. When North of the Arctic Circle you must have a polar bear beer!
We took a siesta after lunch – mainly for me to make the beer disappear from the system – and then packed up around 15:45 and checked out. Of course we did not drive straight off the Lofoten Islands towards the airport! There were still some secret boxes to be found and we wanted to take another little detour to Eggum.
We drove to Leknes and then the E 10 north to Bøstad, where we turned off onto a narrow side road Fv831 Eggumsveien which is leading through changing landscape along the northern seaward coast of Vestvågøy. The tiny fishing village of Eggum is situated somewhat deserted on a small, level strip between steep mountain cliffs and the open sea approx 10 km off the E 10. We passed the small settlement and shortly behind the last houses the asphalt road ended in a gravel parking lot. I knew however, that this was not the end of the road. There was a gate and a big sign stating parking and entrance fees with an honesty box below. I am an honest person and even though it said video surveillance was in place, but no video camera was in sight, I dutifully dropped the required NOK 30 in the box before driving on. The gravel road led for another kilometer or so to an old German radar station from 1944 Borga Kvalhausen, where we parked the car.
Apparently this is an excellent and very popular spot for motorhomes and campers to observe the midnight sun. We were too early for that and there were still not too many campers there. For the first time I made Mom take her Nordic Walking poles out. She had brought them from home for possible walking adventures on this road trip, but so far she had always talked me out of taking extended walks. – Mom, you are going to take the walking sticks this time! – But I do not want to! I do not need them! We are not going that far. – Mom, we walk at least 1 km one way along the rugged coast line and I will not hold your hand! You will take the sticks! It will make walking easier! – But I do not like them and I do not know how to extend them again. – I can do that! And you will walk with them! The path is a hiking path and uneven but level along the coast! No more discussions!
The remains of the old radar station are situated on top of a small hill and we just walked around it. The path was leading along the beautiful coast line. There was a stiff wind, but it was a pleasant walk with stunning vistas over the sea on one side and the steep cliffs and a lake on the other side. Our destination was a somewhat famous sculpture, landmark and gallery and one of the most visited tourist attractions in all of Lofoten! We walked slowly admiring the views. There were birds on the lake and sheep were grazing on its shore.
The sculpture we wanted to see is called “Head” by Markus Raetz and is about seeing, about how we observe the things around us. “Raetz’s art shows us that the world is full of surprises, if we enter into the dialogue created by our senses and our physical movements. We are shown surprises, and reminded that they can be experienced even in other situations in our life, if we pay attention.” is what they say.
In fact, the sculpture of Eggum is changing its form as we walked around it. From one angle, it looked like a classical portrait and from another the head was upside down. The rather small sculpture is standing in a sheep grazing area along the hiking path amidst a monumental landscape of mountains and sea. It is a very surprising sight. I had never seen anything like it before and walked around it many times being totally fascinated. I just could not get my head around how this head could change its form like this. It was impossible to determine when exactly the head turns, suddenly it is upside down.
And the sculpture is located in a place where you do not expect to find a sculpture at all, let alone a sculpture like that. The Head is rather small and if we were not looking for it, we might have passed it without noticing.
There was a secret box hidden close by and while Mom rested on a bench I went to find it. Then we walked back to the car. By the parking lot there was also a little kiosk and we took a break, had a hot tea and a muffin before getting on the road again.
We had been walking for more than an hour and still had a long way to go to Evenskjer. Our room for the night was in a private house and I had advised them we would arrive between 20:00 and 22:00. When it is light all the time, it is easy to lose track of time, though.
There was only one main road to go and it was the E 10 leading us off the Lofoten Islands again. Of course I had to stop along the way a few times for find more secret boxes. And all the time we were looking out in hope to see another moose. But we had no luck in this matter…. No moose anymore.
Over the Tjeldsundbrua we left the last island and reached the mainland again. Evenskjer was only a few kilometers further south and we followed the directions through the village to the Yellow House. I had booked it via booking.com, but it was a private accommodation. We found the house easily – it was the only yellow house in the vicinity – arriving at about 21:45. We received a warmly welcome from the two ladies living here with their tiny – and very loud – dog. They told us that usually they only offer the accommodation via airbnb and we were the first to come via booking. There were a lot of rules in the house. The room was spotless and big on the upper floor with a bathroom right next door. I had asked for separate beds and they had confirmed it beforehand by e-mail, but there was only one bed. Well, it would do for one night. There was no showering after 23:00, but since it was our last night, we were not going to make much fuss, but sleep and get to the airport in the morning.
I had never used airbnb, because I prefer staying in hotels and guesthouses. Way back when I was hitchhiking through Canada I did something which is nowadays called couchsurfing. It was good at the time, cheap and fun. But now I am old and rather stay in more anonymous hotels where there is no chance to step on somebody’s toes or nerves.
We still had a bottle of our German wine which had no purpose of travelling back home with us – and no space in the suitcase either! I found a couple of water glasses in the spotless kitchen – many rules posted around the kitchen as well! We took our bottle and sat outside on the porch overlooking the garden and the sound in the distance. It was beautiful and the bottle went quickly! Mom went to sleep a little before me. But I did not stay up too late either. We wanted to leave at 08:00 in the morning.
15.07.2018
Evenskjer – Harstad/Narvik Airport 15 km – Oslo – Germany
We got up early. The tiny dog had made a lot of noise outside our door early in the morning. It was Sunday and we had been told to leave quietly and just close the door behind us. There was no breakfast included anyway. I carried our suitcases down to the car. The crazy dog apparently spends the night in the kitchen – usually – but had ripped the gate at the door open. Therefore all the noise in the foyer and staircase early in the morning. And in all its excitement the crazy dog had made a big poop on the staircase landing. Nah, I prefer hotels!
We packed up the car and just when we wanted to leave, I realized I had left my mobile on the charger in the room. Good thing the door was not locked. One more time I had to meander past the crazy dog hoping it would not run out the main door. I got my phone and off we went.
It was not far to the airport. In hindsight we might have made it from our rorbu cabin in Mortsund in time to the airport in the morning considering it is light around the clock. But I just did not want to drive 4 hours leaving at 04:00 in the morning.
There was a gas station at the E 10 before the turn off to the airport. We had to fill up the car. The station was closed, but by now we had figured out how to do this automatic using the credit card. There were some picnic tables nearby and we had our last Norwegian picnic finishing up all our leftovers for breakfast. There was not much left anyway, but it was enough.
I went for a walk to find one more secret box nearby before we drove the last couple kilometers to the airport. The parking lot was full already and I think, I parked the car in an off zone at the rental section. But what the heck. It was Sunday and it seemed everybody was dropping off their cars at the same time.
It was early around 08:45 and there was another geocache hidden near the parking lot. It was a cool box and I had to find it. We had enough time. There was nothing open in the terminal yet. The rental car office opened on a Sunday only at 10:00, so I just dropped the key in the key slot in the door. I guess they would find the car in the off zone. Mom walked with me to find the geocache, because she did not want me to park her in the terminal. That also meant we had to drag our suitcases with us. But well. It was only a short walk across to the other side. The box was quickly found and we were back in the terminal in no time.
There was no coffee shop open. There were many passengers, but seemingly very little personnel. We found the automatic check in machines quickly and since I had checked us in online already, it was quickly done and boarding passes printed. The machine also spat out the luggage labels and we put them on our suitcases.
All other passengers stood around in the terminal and there was nobody at the luggage desks. Eventually – we were already wondering when they would open the desks – somebody went to check there and it turned out it was an automatic luggage drop off. So we went as well. Just put the suitcase on the belt and scanned the luggage label with a handheld scanner and – zack – the suitcase rode off …. or was supposed to…. The belt had a starting problem….. But somebody, who had tried the same at the next automated terminal, had gone to find a person working there – and actually they had found somebody this early on a Sunday morning! – and a few minutes later the belt started moving and we waved our suitcases good-bye.
Since there was nothing open in the terminal outside, we passed the security check – without problems – and tried our luck inside. But also there we were too early. The Coffee shop only opened at 10:00, so we had to wait maybe 15 min more, before we could have our first coffee. The weather was rather grey and rainy again, good weather to leave. It did not make the farewell too sad.
Our flight was more or less on time and in Oslo Airport we had some 5 hrs layover. The city of Oslo was too far away to have a look. There were a couple of secret boxes hidden outside the airport building, though, and I contemplated if I should face another security check and go find them, but then opted against it. Instead we decided to spend the last of our Norwegian cash money – we had more left than anticipated, because we had to pay the gasoline fill up this morning by card, but had planned to pay it by cash. So that cash had to go. We ended up in Friday’s again and splurged in a luscious cocktail as aperitif and then had beer with our spare ribs. It was very tasty and filling.
After lunch we went for a walk through the shopping area and ended up in another bar – there was still Norwegian money to be spent and plenty time to kill. We had a Gin & Tonic with Hibiscus Tonic and it was out of this world!
The rest of the money I invested in Norwegian Gin and Finland Vodka in the duty free. There was just enough left after that to have a couple small bottles of wine to sip at the gate before the flight. The flight itself was on time and uneventful.
We also reached Berlin Airport in time around 19:30. Our luggage came quickly and in no time we were at the shuttle stop for our parking place. It all was very quick and before we knew it we were in our car and speeding down the German Autobahn. Boy, it was strange to be allowed to speed again. I was so used to going slow the last 10 days! More problems however I had with the sudden change to normal timings of light again. While we were driving home the sun went down and it got dark! Strange! Me no like! I want the midnight sun back!
We had driven some 3032 km on our 10-day-roadtrip North of The Arctic Circle!
We had found 136 geocaches along the way in 3 countries, had enjoyed the midnight sun at the Nordkapp, seen puffins, reindeer and even a moose and we had eaten delicious local specialties all along!
What a fantastic trip we had!
