Ships passing in the night

Whilst we have been enjoying our cruise south, a Norwegian television company had been filming and broadcasting live the voyage of another Hurtigruten ship, MS Nordnorge, north from Bergen to Kirkenes. This live broadcast had proven to be immensly popular with the Norwegian public. We were scheduled to pass the MS Nordnorge at around 21.00 and we were all encouraged to congregate on the sundeck to wave.

Breakfast at the North Cape

We had booked four off-ship excursions as part of our cruise; the first being breakfast at the North Cape (the most northly place in Europe), Unfortunately, this involved waking up at 5am which was a bit of a struggle!

MS Midnatsol

We strategically positioned ourselves for breakfast with a view overlooking the harbour so that we could watch the MS Midnatsol sail in...she was quite a sight

A bear with a sore head

After lunch, we decided to drive out to Pasvikdalen (the Pasvik valley) initially to find the viewpoint Høyde 96 from which the ugly Russian mining town of Nikel, some 40kms away, can be seen.

A whale of a time

We drove a slightly different route on the way back to Kirknes so that we could drive over the bridge which marked the spot at which Norway is at its narrowest (the distance between the sea and the border being only a couple of kilometres.

...With Love

We were just taking the scenary in, and building up the courage to dip our little fingers in the Barents Sea (it was freezing!)

when all of a sudden a platoon of Norwegian soldiers turned up out of the blue. Could Andy's stone throwing really have caused a diplomatic incident?

From Russia...

After leaving the harbour we headed 60 kms east of Kirkenes to the small village Grense Jakobselv. Here the border with Russia is marked by a small river with yellow Norwegian border posts on our bank and red/green Russian border posts on the other bank.

MS Lofoten

Our first task was to explore the harbour to find out where the MS Midnatsol would be located and the latest time we could board by.

As it happens, another Hurtigruten ship, MS Lofoten, was currently docked there. This was Hurtigruten's second oldest ship and it certainly looked as if it was made in a different century

Kirkenes

Today it is sunny and 10oCs which is 2o hotter than Kirkenes' average june temperature!

Distance travelled to Kirkenes

Date          Travelled to/from        kms covered
11 June     B ærum to Røros          412.2
12 June     Røros to Mosjøen       563.3
13 June     Mosjøen to Bodø        406.1
14 June     Bodø to Narvik           452.7
15 June     Narvik to Alta             519.2
16 June     Alta to Karasjok         377.8
17 June     Karasjok to Kirkenes  534.4

Total distance                                3,265.7 kms

Midnight sun update

Relaxing at the hotel after a lovely meal, our attention turned to the midnight sun. It had been overcast for most of the day but had started to clear up abit. Unfortuntely it was still cloudy at midnight but the view was still pretty spectacular.

At the end of the world

We made it! We're in Kirkenes!

Lunch at Frodo's

Leaving the jewellery shop, we were met with almost tropical temperatures, 14 degrees! We had to return to Karasjok to take our shortcut through Finland.

Spot the cock

A nomadic celebration

The greatest attraction in Kautokeino is probably the jewellery shop Juhls Galleri, which is as we discovered, so much more than a jewellery shop. As we were browsing arround this magnifficent building, with its various quirky rooms, a lady came up to us and wondered if we'd like her to show us around. Turned out she was the daughter of the couple, Juhl, who started the place.

Smelling across the tundra

Waking up this morning was easy...it was so cold that jumping out of bed a putting more cothes on was the only viable option. Still it coud have been worse, at least our little heater worked. Over in Morten and Berit's cabin, their heater did not work at all and they barely slept at all. Apparently, Berit woke up at 6 am and spent the morning re-packing their suitcase in a futile attempt at keeping warm.

True camping in Karasjok

Karasjok is the Sami "capital", they even have their own parliament here. Traditionally the Sami are nomadic reindeer herders, going wherever the reindeer goes, but technology has changed traditional Sami ways for many of them and today many are living in one place, mainly in either Karasjok or Kautokeino; the two main settlements for the Sami. There isn't much in either place apart from sparse housing.

Repvåg

The way to Repvåg took us across the Skáidi (Sami word meaning "where the rivers meet") plateau which is pretty barren and resembling the landscape where we crossed the polar circle. 

The Tirpitz museum

On our way into Alta yesterday, we passed a road sign for the Tirpitz Museum. We have already discussed that the Tirpitz, the sister battleship to the more famous Bismarck, was sunk in a local fjord during WW2.

Fred Flintstone's art project

Yet again we had an early start and on our way out of the camping area we passed some bleary eyed students. It is a bit chillier today, but the sun is stiill shining.

Camping in Alta

Despite our whole day of driving, various distractions (mainly the Sami and their reindeer) meant that we did not arrive in Alta until quite late in the day. So much so that our intended hotel was fully booked.

Rudolph!

Following the E6 along the coast in Finnmark towards Alta, we were therefore hopeful of seeing our first reindeer sighting and instigated Reindeer Watch which entailed driving slower whilst having cameras on constant standby to snap any fleeting glances. However, as the minutes turned into hours with still no sighting our enthusiasm waned...
 

Welcome to the wild wild north

The drive from Narvik to Alta was long (just under 500kms) and we only stopped to stretch our legs or to change drivers.  When driving into Finnmark, the first thing that met us after crossing the barren deserted plateau was a map of the region...with plenty of bullet holes in it. Finnmark is a very popular area for hunting and fishing, and judging by the sign someone’s either been target practicing or is very good at missing Rudolph! 

On the road

It was very light in our room which meant we had trouble falling asleep. We still managed to get up early the next day though and after another good breakfast overlooking the fjord we left Narvik to continue on the E6 ever northwards. We hope to reach Alta in Finnmark, the most northerly, easterly, largest and remote, many would also say most inhospitable, region in Norway. 

Narvik (and even more history!)

We spent a little too much time in Hamarøy and there was a lot of road between us and Narvik, where we were hoping to stay. Andy was driving and rose to the challenge; achieving impressive speeds and Top Gear style drifting across the road during bends (complete with screeching tyres) down a particularly steep mountain along Highway 81. 

The cultural island

The next stop in our journey north was Hamarøy, also known in Norway as the cultural island because it was where the contraversial writer Knut Hamsun lived and also because of the art museums here. The most famous one is the Hamsun Centre which hosts art exhibitions that mainly has some connection to Hamsun and his works. 

The obligatory history hour

After eating we walked down some wooden steps to have a closer look at the view and stumbled across an opening into the mountain where the entrance had been covered with a black cloth.

The food is a little different up here

At the cafe Andy was tempted by the whale steak, but opted instead for the salted mutton. Since reaching the North we have discovered an interesting (and also tasty) change in the food on offer. On the menu there’s usually whale (either as a steak, stew or on bread), elk and reindeer in varying forms (stews, burgers etc), and of course fish (cod tongue seems to be a popular dish).

Tunnels, tunnels, tunnels...

After Kjerringøy we headed back to the E6 through Fauske, known for its marble. Buildings from around the world feature marble from this little place, most notably the former Tsar residence in Krakow and the UN building in New York. 

Fishermen's Paradise

Leaving Bodø we went back to the spot we’d been at last night to catch the sun at midnight to take the 10 minute ferry journey to Kjerringøy (old missus island). Despite being a glorious sunny day, it was windy and AH had to put some tights on under her skirt before boarding the ferry. She was very glad she’d put them on when she had several Marilyn Monroe incidents on the boat! Suddenly the skirt blew up her back! 

Finding the Midnight Sun - HURRAH!!!

We checked into the Bodø Hotel (pictured) and ate at the harbour. 

The Maelstroms

At Rognan, we left the E6 and headed west on the Highway 812 to Saltstraumen. Here, billions of gallons of water are forced through a narrow channel which links the inner and outer parts of the fjords forming violent swirling whirlpools (aka maelstroms). I think that I am right in saying that these are the largest maelstroms in Europe.

Crossing the Arctic Circle

The E6 wound inexorably north, gaining in altitude as we approach the Arctic Circle. The trees thinned out and the mountains flattened into an appropriately bleak and desolate plateau. All of a sudden we came across a signpost announcing that the Arctic Circle was only 2 kilometres ahead. Despite the alien surroundings, and lack of any particularly inspiring monument to make it, it was undeniably exciting to reach the Arctic Circle.

Disaster Strikes!

We were having a stroll around Mosjøen after another very enjoyable Norwegian breakfast taking some pictures of the pretty houses and things of interest when all of a sudden AH shouted out in distress...

Hunting the Midnight Sun

Having travelled 975kms in two days, it was relief to finally reach Mosjøen. Nestled at the foot of a mountain boasting several significant patches of snow, the first thing we noticed was that it was considerably cooler.

Driving In The Rain

I took over the driving from Morten just after we passed Trondheim. Morten drives a Toyota Rav4 which I really came to appreciate. The initial drive along the E6 was pretty straight forward until we drove into the next thunder storm where I learnt all about aquaplaning first hand.

Day 2 History Trip

From Røros, our drive is now taking us through Trøndelag municipality which is known in Norway as moustache country. This is because the male stereotype here is of someone with a mullet, moustache, cap, driving an old Volvo and living in the middle of nowhere.

Contrasts in Roros

Woke up this morning with the sun streaming through the curtains which certainly made a pleasant change from yesterday’s weather. Breakfast at the guest house was a traditional Norwegian buffet of cold meats, cheeses and fish; most of which had been produced locally. We certainly ate our full.

Day 1 Summary

We made it to Roros! But not without incidence...further flooding closed off a large section of Highway 3 forcing us into a 60km detour along country roads; although probably adding time to the journey the scenary was absolutely stunning. There was ample evidence of flooding with rivers swelled and fields under way. We also drove through a thunder storm with lightning flashing and then thunder booming almost instantly...

Flooding...

We left home bang on time at midday with the intention of tavelling straight up the E6 via Lillehammer to Oppdal and have just stopped off for a break next to the banks of Lake Mjosa (Norway's largest lake). Unfortunately, extreme levels of rainfall further north have coursed significant floodings...so much so that the E6 has been closed. This has forced us into a rethink and we will now be taking Highway 3 bypassing Lillehammer and aim to stay the night at Roros.

Last Night Before Departure

Following cake, we had some beers,

Hard Work Deserves Cake

After a morning of planning and godparent duties, we decamped to downtown Oslo to enjoy some award winning cake with OP as part of his birthday celebrations. Andy's Passionfruit cake won second place at an international cake competition a couple of years ago and it tasted damn good!

We have visitors!

Irene and our Godson Michael were a welcome distraction to our Northern invasion plans. We had mum's homemade apple cake and ice cream. Yum!

How to avoid Sweden

With the rain confining us inside, ah turns into 'super tourist' and starts planning the route.

We Made It!

We made it to Norway! After a long journey with bus, tube, plane, trains and a taxi that got stuck in a traffic jam due to road works, we finally got to casa Harbitz last night at around 22.30 local time. Today we woke up to the angels having a peeing contest! Or a very good party!

Our plane at T5

Whatever t5's teething problems, we've just had a fantastic experience breezing through check in, security and duty free with no queues at all. We strolled onto the plane after a cheeky final beer at affordable prices.

All packed and ready to go!

The Midnight Sun

Apparently the Arctic Circle is an imaginary line drawn round the earth at latitude 66.5 degrees north. This line represents the latitude at which, on the summer solstice, the sun will never make it below the horizon; even at midnight - hence the midnight sun. The druids would have had a field day!

A matter of priority

One day before our trip north of the arctic circle and Ah buys some shoes! Summer shoes! Perfect for the cold and snow!

The Plan

We fly out to Oslo tomorrow evening where we are spending a couple of days seeing friends and family and planning the week long epic drive to the North Eastern most tip of the country (where it borders with Russia).

Introduction

AH has just left the flat to go shoe shopping (typical!) and left me to set this blog up and to start packing. Although we want to try and update this on a daily basis, this will be on the basis that we can find wi-fi hotspots north of the arctic circle, which is by no means guaranteed!