Stage 8 - Fagernes

The next morning we rub our eyes. It's cozy and warm under our blankets. But as soon as we leave the comfortable bed, it's quite chilly. Despite the continuously sunny weather, it gets pretty cold at night. We haven't turned on the diesel heater in the Zimtschnecke yet. Maybe it will be necessary soon.

But for now, let's get out of our ski underwear, put on our sport pants, and go outside in the sun. Breakfast!

Breakfast on the high plain in vast Norway is unbeatable. Nothing but sky, mountains, and chocolate cereal.

We don't give ourselves much time - we have to be in the workshop in Fagerness by noon at the latest. Chris had ordered the spare part for the car door here and was invited to install it himself for free. Meanwhile, I'm hoping for a little break in Fagerness' cute city café with newspaper reading and cappuccino. Maybe there will also be time for a quick shower in Boflaten, the beautiful Viking campsite we visited last time?

We zoom up and then down through the plain. And this 'down' is what really tests our nerves. We know now what it can mean when the brakes have to work too hard. As long as they only smell and don't burn, everything is fine. But what if they break? We crawl down one curve after another and the Zimtschnecke lives up to its name once again. But at least it holds up and nothing breaks.

At the bottom of the mountain, we pass an old mining town. Quiet and surrounded by rocks and at the foot of a huge lake, it lies before us, sleepy. Does anyone even live here? And then more and more tunnels until the landscape becomes very familiar. Aurland ahead of us, we pass through it, and then Boflaten. However, the campsite looks somehow different from when we left it. There are a couple of motorcycles in the driveway. What's going on here?

I get out and quickly realize that there is a seasonal meeting of Norwegian biker clubs taking place here. Chris calls out from the window, 'Do you really want to shower here?' I shrug, 'If possible!' It's not possible. The very nice Viking campsite owner says that he already told Chris a few days ago that there are a few days in the year when it's crowded here. And today is one of those days. 'Tomorrow, they will all be gone and no one here again.' He says I can't use the showers, there are over 500 men using them. Haha, yes, I wonder how they all fit into one shower, but I also don't want to find out.

So, I have to resort to the good old trick of deodorant and dry shampoo, and then I ride my bike to Fagerness. Chris stays at the workshop and takes care of the Zimtschnecke.

Of course, it's a wonderful Saturday afternoon. I enjoy the coffee in the sun, reading the newspaper, the atmosphere, and watching the people of Fagerness do their Saturday shopping. Why didn't I initiate such a little women's time-out much earlier? It's probably also good for Chris to be on his own and work on the car. I realize that we have been together non-stop for four weeks. That was always my wish and also partly the purpose of our trip. But even in the most fulfilling dream, you still need a bit of variety.

I wander through the shops and look for Norwegian wool socks and other small accessories. And I realize that I don't like shopping without Chris and that it's much nicer when we're together and browse. How nice it is to miss someone. He writes to me that he's finished with the car, but I shouldn't rush. Okay, then I'll just go to the one fashion store with the two nice saleswomen who already persuaded me to buy a new winter jacket on my last visit here. After 6 years, I think I deserve it.

With bags full of purchases, I ride back through the beautiful landscape and enjoy the warm summer day. When I arrive at the workshop, Chris is lying in front of our camper, wearing only a muscle shirt, his cap on backward, music playing from the speakers, and he's grinning at me. Yes! It did him good to work and solve some problems. Very nice!

The door is working perfectly again and everything else is in order. It's great that he can do things like this and has the opportunity to take his time.

Finally, we set off again. It's already late in the afternoon and Saturday, so we decide to stay near Fagerness and not drive far. However, the first campsite makes us quickly turn back. It's a camper fortress. It can't get any more stuffy, cramped, and unsuitable for us. Everyone has different tastes: this campsite was highly rated in the app, with great ambiance and clean sanitary facilities. However, clean sanitary facilities are found everywhere here in the country. The only campsite that didn't have spotless showers was the one under German management. Otherwise, everything is always not only clean but also lovingly and beautifully furnished, often with music playing from speakers and many hooks on the walls. Flawless, even in department stores or public places. And of course, no one asks for money for that...

The next campsite, also nearby, is called Strandheimen. That sounds nice, and it is nice there. The very old campsite owner speaks German too, and his sun-tanned, also very old and very nice wife, is washing their pickup truck. He shows us a wonderful flat spot in the evening sun, and we are very happy. We have a great view of the lake at our feet, and it's peaceful. I particularly like the warm, nice showers. We are almost alone here - let's stay a little longer!

The next day is Sunday - the last day before I have to go back to work. Let's see how that goes, working remotely. Luckily, we are well-equipped. But will it work with the highly complex IT security system on my computer and the various work platforms I use?

But for now, it's still vacation, and we spend a wonderful day at the beach. After some of the few other visitors have left, we move our Zimtschnecke and now park right by the water. I put on the neoprene suit that I bought specifically for Nordic waters, put on my new swimming goggles (after 25 years, I treated myself to a new pair, and I'm surprised at how well I can suddenly see underwater), and squeeze Christian's swimming buoy between my legs. It gives me good buoyancy and a bit of security. The lake is actually a fjord, and who knows what kind of currents there are.

I really enjoy swimming. And so, I swim for quite a while and enjoy the feeling of freedom.

After I've showered and comfortably packed myself in my onesie, I watch Chris transform from the lifeguard to the swimmer and, once again, I make myself comfortable, this time with a newspaper. I occasionally glance over at him - just to be safe. He swims a huge circle, and I know how good it is for him. Wonderful.

Finally, we cap off our active vacation day with a game of badminton, where we both have to run and laugh a lot. For dinner, we have Pasta al Arrabiata, which was given to us by Basti and Theresa as a farewell gift. Even I have tears in my eyes from the spiciness and can't finish it completely. The delicious taste is overwhelmed by the burning in my mouth. Still, it's beautiful!

Four very exciting weeks of vacation are coming to an end in a certain way. What an adventure, which started so differently than expected. Finkenstein, flight to Gothenburg, Sweden, Norway, hiking, and now here. Time feels too short, we have experienced too few things. Four weeks is quite long, usually we only have a maximum of three weeks. But we also cram much more into those three weeks. And this time, we could simply waste our time. Stay when we want, stay where we want, do and not do what we want. And so, the last four weeks just flew by.

From tomorrow, a new chapter in our journey begins. Working on the road. Office with a view. Making money while driving. Let's see what happens in this part of the journey.

The alarm clock rings (in this environment, it would also be appropriate if a rooster crows) and I sneak out of bed. Equipped with coffee and a laptop, I happily sit on the wooden benches in the sun with a view of the lake. What a perfect office! So natural...

Soon, I put on my headset and have a meeting in the sun with my colleague, who is sitting in Singapore. Internet reception, emails, access to the databases - everything seems to be working fine.

At 10 o'clock, Chris walks past me and we have breakfast together in the sunshine by the lake. A breakfast break, that's okay, right?!

My workday goes by quite smoothly while Chris goes shopping by bike. We take our time, and the evening is cozy. Thanks to an electric mosquito zapper, we also manage the buzzing inhabitants here.

The next morning, it already feels a bit routine as I sit in the sun with my boss for our weekly meeting on the wooden benches. Let's keep it going like this. Chris goes for a run and gets some cash from the bank because we want to continue and need to pay in cash. While having lunch, we consider how nice it would actually be to run our own campsite. I wonder if it's worth asking the old couple who owns this place if they already have successors? In the end, it doesn't happen because we don't want to be pushy or inappropriate. But a small seed of a new dream may have been planted.

We want to go to the gas station in Fagerness, empty the black water tank, and dispose of the trash. And then we remember that we could also ask the great workshop in Fagerness about a new water tank. They were so nice there, and maybe they will help us remove the old one. Why not? Now we still have some time, and one more or less day doesn't matter. We go shopping at the supermarket, and when we come out, a glance at the clock tells us that the workshop might already be closed. It's after 5 pm. Nevertheless, we drive there again and meet the boss. But he explains that we can come back tomorrow morning. Then they might really be able to help us. That doesn't sound too bad. Should we really stay? We actually want to continue to Sweden.

Hm... Oh well, it's already late now. To Sweden - the border is about four hours away from here - we won't make it today anyway. And Strandheimen was nice. Hm...

We're also hungry. Oh man, this spontaneity sometimes has its pitfalls. But deep down, we know that it's always worth it and that everything falls into place. Trust is the key.

We drive past Fagerness and the campsite and stop at a restaurant that has good reviews on Google. Here, we each order a pizza to take away. While we wait, I stroll across the street because I spotted pretty wooden furniture and hand-knitted socks in a shop window. 'Chris, I want to go back there tomorrow!'

Then I have a glass of wine - and then the pizza is here.

When we roll back into Strandheimen, the very old owner doesn't seem surprised at all. He is sitting in the evening sun with his wife on their veranda, and they just smile mildly. Chris and I drive to another pitch, also down by the beach, and realize that it's also very beautiful here. It feels like we're somewhere else again. Although by now, we know our way around here well. We enjoy our pizza in the evening sun, and I'm happy that we are so flexible and can return if an opportunity arises. A nice German woman who is traveling alone walks past us with her dog and laughs heartily. Oh, it's nice to be on vacation. Oh, I'm not.

And so, we wake up early together the next morning. Chris leaves me with my bike, laptop, and a thick sweater just in case. 'In case the car has to stay on-site and I can't pick you up.'

I don't have much time to work, as the nice woman sits at my table and we chat about working remotely and how good it feels to be a bit freer. She is self-employed and advises yoga teachers on their online strategy. It's amazing what's out there... and that someone can make a living from it!?

Soon, Chris returns, so it all happened very quickly. No new tank, it takes too long to order one. Alright then, we'll take care of it in Dresden.

So, let's go towards Sweden. But this time, for real. Bye bye Norge, it was nice being with you. We would have loved to go up to the Lofoten Islands, but according to Susanne, the self-employed consultant, there is already snow up there. And we only have 2 weeks left before we have to be in Tampere, Finland. And there is still so much to discover in Sweden.

Oh Norway... we'll be back! For sure! Tromsø and even further north - following in the footsteps of Roald Amundsen... I would love that! We're grateful that we had such good luck with the weather here and Sandviken, the suburbs of Oslo, monuments, cafes, and the unbelievable high plains, mountains, glaciers, and lakes... all of it will remain in our unforgettable memories.

One last time, we drive through the tunnels and past the rocks. But I don't see much anymore because I have my work laptop on my lap and try to manage products.

It's already twilight when we stop at the Norwegian customs and ask if we can still get a tax refund for the nice new things we bought. Unfortunately, it doesn't work like that - we have to send the receipts to Blue-something. This company that is usually at the airport when you want to get a tax refund. Well, okay. But the customs officer is so nice and calmly explains everything to me and stamps everything again... oh well, goodbye nice Norwegians.

Around us, it slowly becomes dim. This time, it's not our travel soundtrack playing from the speakers, but the narrator of the audiobook 'The Swarm', telling a story that is no longer so fantastic about the opulent and alarming rebellion of the seas against humans.

Half an hour later, we reach the border to Sweden. The barrier is down, the path is blocked. Dogs are barking nearby. What now? How do we continue? We have to go to Sweden, why should we not be able to? EU border closed? What now?