Day 21: Experiencing Norway

First of all, apologies for the late upload - no Wi-Fi on the night train. But now, onto the day:

Yesterday, after a starry night without northern lights 😖, we struggled to get out of bed around five o'clock. Silently, we packed our backpacks and wearily made our way to the bus station.

The clear, cold air slowly awakened us and the sunrise over the fjord compensated a bit for the early wake-up.

After finally finding the stop, a cheerful bus driver greeted us in English and we boarded the vehicle. The journey initially followed the fjords, right along or above the water. After about an hour and a half, the bus joined a queue - and drove onto a ferry. Yes, that's right, a bus on a ferry. 😅 The E6 is interrupted by a fjord here and continues on the other side.

After half an hour on the ferry, we disembarked and transferred to another bus in a nearby parking lot with our luggage. The journey continued along fjords, but also through tunnels, mountains, and fields. In between, we slept and had breakfast. 

Finally, around one o'clock, we arrived in Bodø. The city is more or less surrounded by water and accordingly designed for it - from here, ships sail to the nearby islands and the Lofoten Islands, Hurtigruten cruise ships dock, and there is a large marina. Oh yes, and a submarine of the Norwegian Navy, which was anchored in the harbor and guarded by young, coffee-drinking soldiers. 😆

In the afternoon, we strolled through the city and along the harbor in the sunshine, watched a cruise ship leave, ate fish and chips, and discovered that Bodø has a herring oil factory. 🤔

When the submarine finally disappeared romantically into the sunset, we made our way back to the train station.

At nine o'clock, we finally got on the night train to Trondheim with our luggage. Here we only had seats, but surprisingly we found the necessary sleep quite quickly - thanks to the provided blankets, earplugs, eye masks (although too tight), and inflatable pillows.

After a more or less restful night on the train, we are now sitting in a café in Trondheim having breakfast. The weather is good and soon we can go to our accommodation, from where we will explore the city later.

So - good morning from beautiful Trondheim! 😊