Car trip to Scandinavia... August 2007

From Stockholm to Bergen by car ... We have shots often seen almost all means of transport available!
We reach Stockholm by plane, we visit the city by bike, leave Stockholm by ferry to Helsinki where we expected to reach "our" rental car to continue our journey to the North Cape!
Through Finland, the Finnish Lapland, Northern Kapp and descents to Norwegian Lapland, Vesteralen Lofoten islands, the Norwegian fjords ... arriving in Bergen.
Not content also organize a trip to the south of Bergen Preikestolen .. course using dozens of ferry ...
All beautiful!
Too bad that we had only 15 days!

 

Departure

Departure from Orio al Serio destination Stockholm;
Arrive at 23 .. we must take the shuttle to the city is broken .. we wait for another shuttle until 2! We arrive finally at the hostel at 4.30!

Stockholm

11-12 AGOSTO
Stay 2 nights hostel Skeppshoimen; hostel very beautiful and perfectly located for visiting the city center.
Tip: rent a bike (as we did), it is very easy to turn every corner of the city.
Left Sweden to go to Finland, Viking Line ferry trip to Helsinki (about 15ore) ship very welcoming and entertaining evening.

Helsinki

400km
Arrival at 10 am in Helsinki, rental car and we are ready for our adventure! Car not very economical because they decide to leave the car at Bergen in Norway; want to know how much we spent? Rental € 800 + € 700 for delivery to Bergen !!!!!
We decide not to visit Helsinki since the guide Routard and friends tell a city to be fairly insignificant.
We are moving towards then BRING IT (1st stage): small and pretty town 50km east of Helsinki, nothing special but nevertheless decides to take a stroll through the alleys and courtyards flower bowl "center." Lunch in a restaurant "chic" TIMBAALI "expensive but excellent cuisine!
In the afternoon we head SAVOLINNA, arrived about 20.00.
The weather is beautiful, we decide to go camping ... 10Km south of the city ... on the shore of Lake Saimaa.
For now we have met only birches, lakes, pines, birches, lakes, birch, ...

Savolinna

700km
The next morning we make a tour of the fortress of Savolinna: no more than a fortress, the town is insignificant, is famous only for the jazz festival held every year in July.
We continue towards the goal of Rovaniemi, long trip, always among the birch!
Few km before Rovaniemi began to sight the first deer ... on the road!
We arrive at approximately 20.00 per Ounaskoski camp located near the river, under the railway bridge ...
We begin to savor the atmosphere of "Midnight Sun": the sky is still clear and gives us the first clear sight of the sunset at 2230.
Dinner at a restaurant where we can taste horrendous center carpaccio, filet of reindeer stew and ... poor reindeer!

heading to Nord Kapp

700km
Awakening in our wet tent, shower and away you again!
A few miles and we reach the Arctic Circle (parallel 66 32 '35 ") and the village of Santa Claus seems to be at Gardaland, (maybe with the snow is another matter), but it's nice to see how many children write letters the Father, (about 11 million per year)!
We buy empty envelope that contained a few letters from children and find that, wherever you are in the world, writing on the envelope, only the name "Santa Claus", the letters arrive here!
The goal of today however is North Kapp continue doing so for the lunch stop in Inari, the pines and birches gradually abandon us, making room for anything ... the scenery is fantastic and the sky is spectacular! We take pictures that seem unreal !
We reach Nordkapp around 21 (Tamara in command), the weather is clear only to the tunnel that leads us on the island of Nordkapp ... then fog, fog and mist again!
Obviously Nordkapp nothing ... apart from the linesman who makes you pay for the tunnel and parking!
We have dinner in the only existing restaurant on the cliff and the sky gives us the second spectacular sunset of our trip: the fog is opened and a red light filters through the clouds white. Sunset is at 23!
Here is truly a sight to see the colors of the sky and the almost lunar landscape!
Around midnight we go to sleep in the camp Hytter northern Europe where he met a nice old Norwegian, guardian and owner of the campsite!

Nord Kapp - Alta

400km
Morning visit to the North Cape to the souvenir shop where we can change a videotape from a friend bought it 2 years ago. Today we welcome the fog but a crazy wind! The sky is clear and sunny day, so we can see what the night before was hiding a few feet from us!
Begin the descent of Norway to the Lofoten islands, the landscapes are fantastic!
Stage HIGH for lunch in the square of the mall.
Continuing the way through enchanting landscapes and decide to stop and sleep in a chalet of GILDETUN MOUNTAIN MOTEL (www.gildetun.no): If you are passing through, is a good price to stay overnight to enjoy the sunset and the view of the sky changes color every two minutes! The chalet, four seats, which offer us is very comfortable, clean and warm.

Vesteralen

400km
The weather this morning is overcast and raining, the trip was long and boring landscapes are a bit 'dull (to me missing the Lapland !!!)!!!
But they reached the islands and Vesterålen Sortland camping in a nice Hytter with the kitchen ... finally eat pasta and risotto (although envelope Knorr)!

Arnulf

200km
Vesteralen escaped from the islands, with the clouds behind us but undeterred we give a little 'rainbows; ferry to the Lofoten islands (trafficking-Melbu Fiskebol), lunch in Svolvaer Vestvågøy but we decide to sleep on the island. During the journey we encounter beaches that are the envy of the most beautiful beaches in Sardinia: fine white sand, crystal clear water ... even if frost! The temptation to dive and really strong but the sun is hidden behind the clouds ... it's a bit 'chilly ... so puccia only feet!
When searching for a bed & breakfast, (probably closed), we find and decide to follow the directions Rorbu. We are sure that this is accommodation to sleep because of the cartel, next to the name Rorbu, designed a house there ... we also know that this is typical of homes of fishermen, who are red, the sea ... but we do not know one more thing ...
the place is deserted, there is a soul, a sound, nothing and nobody ...
we approach Rorbuer and we see that the doors are open and the keys are in the lock of the door ...
knock, we salute ... but no one answers ... Decic then phone the phone number on a slip of paper attached to the door (90692487) ...
Arnulf answers, (if you call him say hello from us!), which tells us to choose the house that we like most ...
We looked strange ... the houses are lovely and very comfortable ... we do not know which to choose ... then we decide, let's go and curiosity ...
there is a diary where are all the stories and dedications that visitors pay homage to Arnulf ... the Rorbu is well equipped and extremely comfortable ... just like the owner that we know the next day!
If you want to go to the Rorbuer Arnulf located 7km south of Stamsund, 815-817 on the road, follow the signs near the camp Rorbu Storfjord ... then call Arnulf!
We settled and we have dinner in a pub in the village of fishermen, excellent fish soup and salt cod with potatoes! A delight!

Continental Norway

100km
Today we turn a little 'islands of up to A, (yes, yes it is a city), traditional landscapes and beaches! Seems to be in the Maldives ... but with the jacket!
Towards evening we take the ferry from the mainland to return Moskenes (travel time approximately 3 hours ... with the sea ... I would say very rough !!!).

Igor and Elisa

800km
On the pier Moskenes know two boys of Turin (Igor and Elisa) and with them we continue our journey. Today, transfer stage, 800 km ... better not say to his fellow travelers ... if not ...
Between a stop and another we get tired in Trondheim and this time, given the time, we decide to sleep in hotels!

Trollstigen

400km
Fjords! Pass the Troll (Trollstigen) and Geiranger Fjord.
Glimpse of the waterfalls and the Seven Sisters waterfall known as the Veil of the Bride.
Camping with our mini-tent to Geiranger.

Fjords

300km
Mini-cruise on the fjord, we see better waterfalls ... it was better to see them from afar!
We have a little 'disappointed, perhaps because everyone talks about it and expect much, much more!
As cities and countries are virtually non-existent, we decided to travel a road that runs along the fjord, and that, on paper, at some point ... and it ends like this ... we are in open countryside, including cows, sheep, goats and ibex ... and we enjoy a beautiful sunset from the rocks.

Bergen

200 Km
We anticipate our arrival in Bergen, scheduled for August 25, seek accommodation in one of the many camping on the road 580.
Now begin the cities, people, chaos ... it was much, much better before!
Stage Bergen Tourist Office to retrieve some more information and to understand how the hell you have to pay the ticket of entry to the city center! We asked everyone: the hotel receptionist, passers-Norwegian, Italian tourists in the station, but nobody can give us precise details, the only thing we understand is that if you have a foreign car is very unlikely that you arrive a beautiful fine at home (also because it is paying a ticket 15NOK = 3.30 euro)

Preikestolen

175km
Crazy ride on Preikestolen well 175 km in 5 hours, 3 ferries and 2 tunnels under the sea!
Each km you pay something!
Reached the goal ... we still have much 2 hours of "walk" to get on top of the fjord. More than a walk, I say that is a scale: there is a path that climbs up the mountain, among the rocks loose ...
But it's worth the effort! The view from the top of the fjord is spectacular, breathtaking, given that we are on a rock 700 meters high, overlooking the sea!
FANTASTIC!
After all this: 1.5 hours to walk down from the fjord, 2 tunnels, 3 ferries and 175 km in 5 hours to return to the campsite!

Shopping in Bergen

Shopping in Bergen and lunch at the fish market daily. 400 NOK = about 50 euros for two samples of fresh fish dishes, standing under the water!

Coming back home ...

Bergen Airport to return our rental car ... and unfortunately for home!