Petrefied trolls and 1000 hearts

We are going to Norway quite unprepared. So unprepared that, even though it is an important part of the cultural heritage of Norway, we don't expect to encounter a very well-known mythical creature until we do so in Trollholmsund. We stroll to the large striking limestone formations next to the turquoise sea, where a few trolls are said to be hiding. Legend has it that the trolls, who wanted to bury their treasures, were surprised by the sun when crossing the fjord and bam, they were petrified. There is plenty of sun, although it sometimes hides behind the clouds or fog, but it is bright when we are there, 24 hours a day. After a short detour to the neighboring island, we spend our first night in Norway near the city of Lakselv, by a fjord, to finish our mission the next day.

We continue the last kilometers and there we stand, after about 5550 kilometers, at the North Cape under the midnight sun, drinking canned beer. We arrived a little earlier than we thought at the northernmost point at the visitor center. By the way, many motorhomes, cars, campers, cyclists and motorcyclists had the same idea. Almost every European license plate is represented in the large parking lot.

Walking at this special point in Europe is something special, but the journey itself is also a special experience for us. The landscape that has accompanied us since our arrival in Norway is incredible. Snow-covered mountains rise next to the glittering sea, and every few meters we see a herd of reindeer with their young. We absolutely have to mention Reini from Lower Austria, one of the countless cyclists who cycle to the North Cape. We meet Reini in the last major city before the North Cape, Honningsvåg, and we have a long conversation. He has ridden a similar route as us in almost the same time (unbelievable!!!!) and all for a good cause. Just take a look at www.8000.bike and get yourself a portion of good karma.

The next day we enjoy the atmosphere at the North Cape. Until early afternoon, we sit, as you know us, just on a rock and let our gaze and thoughts wander. We only drive a few kilometers further to Skarsvåg, the northernmost fishing village in the world with 60 inhabitants, where Christian finally gets Nordic specialties in the restaurant and Christine gets waffles. We take a short hike on the island to Kirkeporten. We have often mentioned how enchanting and indescribably beautiful we find the nature and landscape here, but the view that awaits us here is one of the absolute highlights. Even two dolphins swam in the water. This idyll is literally the calm before the storm. With storm gusts of over 80 km/h, our motorhome is shaken vigorously, the wind howls, and there is barely any sleep to be had that night.

The next day, we start the journey south. After an interesting walk that ends with a defect on our step, we drive towards Alta. We drive over the Nordic highlands, past snowfields and reindeer, to the Altafjord, where we celebrate our wedding anniversary with a glass of Prosecco at a cozy spot in the forest, right by the fjord. But the next day, the camper life calls again, and we go to a camping site in Alta to do laundry. A little more sunshine would be helpful on our laundry day, because the dryers we have encountered so far are probably paid by the hour, not by performance. After a night in the laundry room, where a small clique of campers and Christian had formed, we drive to Tromsø, where we enjoy the view of the city and Lilli enjoying the generous dog playground in a parking lot.

The veien slutter, begynner eventyret - where the road ends, the adventure begins. We read this on a hiking information board and we fully agree, but sometimes the roads themselves are already an adventure. Single-lane tunnels and narrow winding roads combine with roads full of potholes, cracks, and unevenness. For bus driver Christian, this is of course no problem, but Christine sometimes reaches her limits and has even considered walking the rest of the way to the next ferry on foot. Of course, that's not possible, because a driver is only as good as his co-driver, and let's not forget that we like to deviate from the main roads and explore the country on side roads. On the one hand, it's wonderful because you can enjoy the breathtaking and varied landscape, but on the other hand, it's surprising, since the Norwegians are known as masters of road construction. They certainly build like world champions, especially the E6 to get from north to south faster. You can find tunnels and bridges everywhere, even where you wouldn't necessarily need them.

Our route is accompanied by thousands of hearts, as countless Norwegian houses are adorned with one or two of them, which look like they are made of twigs or metal. We have of course researched what this is all about, but we still haven't figured it out.

A few ferry trips later, we arrive in the evening on the island of Senja. We navigate to a parking space in the small village of Mefjordvær. Surrounded by mighty mountains, gentle hills, and lots of green, we stand right by the sea. We spend the next few days relaxing in good weather, taking small hikes around Mefjordvaer Bygdelag. Trolls cross our path here too.

The next two days are among our absolute favorite days of our adventure so far. We drive along the coast on the panoramic road in brilliant sunshine, past a well-known golden toilet house, and stop at the outermost end of the peninsula at the rest area Tungeneset. A perfect place to take photos of the mountain massif Oksen with its many sharp peaks, to sit on the rocks by the sea, and to enjoy the special atmosphere of this place. The roads are as described, narrow and single-lane, dark tunnels are not uncommon, but it's worth it (Christine says so too). At noon, we picnic near Bøvær on a white sandy beach with turquoise water and enjoy the sun. In search of our sleeping place for the night, we visit the remains of the Troll Museum in Finnsæter. Once there stood the largest troll, which even made it into the Guinness Book of Records with its 18 meters. Unfortunately, it burned down in 2019 along with large parts of the museum. We spend the night in a quiet spot on the fjord between Sifjord and Flakkstadvåg. The way there takes us over snowy mountains, partly frozen lakes, and a panorama that takes our breath away. We are always impressed by what Norway has to offer - at noon with our feet in the sea and a little later hopping through the snow. It is no coincidence that Senja is said to be Norway in a nutshell, where you can find almost everything that Norway has to offer in a small area. Slowly but surely, we have to say goodbye to the island, but before that, we visit a cozy little sandy beach near the Skatvikfjellet Nature Reserve. We go on a kayak tour on turquoise water, see starfish on the seabed, and watch seagulls fishing.

In the next post, we will continue south and answer the question of how to get to the Caribbean without an expensive flight.