Naipablaak: 02.01.2023
At the end of December 2022, we start our new chapter of life and drive towards Norway by car.
On the way, we stop in Blokhus, where our emigrant friends and future companions have moved into a vacation house. This leads to a final meeting before we start towards Vesterålen on two different paths. It's a beautiful feeling. The last few weeks have been both exhausting and wonderful: all the preparations, the seemingly never-ending packing, and saying goodbye to friends and family took a toll.
On December 29, 2022, at 12:15 PM, we take the Colorline ferry from Hirtshals, Denmark to Kristiansand, Norway. Thanks to motion sickness tablets, we survive the rough sea and arrive in good spirits. The streets in Kristiansand are free of snow, and we spend the night in an accommodation in the city.
The next morning, our journey continues with an appointment at a workshop: we get new winter tires with spikes called 'Pigdekks'. We arranged this in Germany to be prepared for snow, ice, and slippery conditions - in other words, the Norwegian winter. With the new tires, we feel much safer and somehow a little more Norwegian.
Unfortunately, we then try unsuccessfully to exchange our euros for Norwegian kroner. First, we realize that the traditional currency exchange offices no longer exist. And so we go from bank to Western Union to the airport without holding any kroner in our hands. This takes until the afternoon, so we can continue driving relatively late.