Northward beyond the Arctic Circle

Polar Camp

As Annika mentioned in the previous article, we landed at the 'Polar Camp'. How lucky we were, because it was a really nice place with nice people! On the first evening, we had our first meal cooked for us in Norway. We had fish and chips from a local fisherman. Super delicious and super expensive. But it was worth it! In the end, the receptionist even gave a little concert. Henry also did an encore and received applause. So in the end, everyone was happy again.

The next day was as promised: wonderfully sunny and 'warm' at 14°.

In the morning, we relaxed and enjoyed the sun. After lunch, we did some laundry and Annika wanted to start cleaning the bus completely. Fortunately, in the meantime, I helped the camp manager with a few things (note from Annika: Ole explained to the man how to fix his washing machine with a Q-tip), so he gave me the key to a private beach as a thank you. So we could escape work and instead take a sunbath in a lonely bay. Annika was even brave enough to go swimming in the freezing cold! Henry made great efforts to walk on the rocky beach, but didn't find it to his liking and preferred to stay on the blanket.

Back at the camp, I kept our neighbors company while they filleted the caught fish. As a thank you, they gave me some freshly caught cod and pollack. So we finally got some fresh Norwegian fish. Unfortunately, my own two attempts at fishing were not successful. I'll keep trying...

Almost naturally, the weather got worse the next day. So we packed our things and took the next ferry.

During the approximately hour-long journey, we crossed the Arctic Circle. It should have been something special, but due to the bad weather, we could hardly see the 'landmark'. And to top it all off, Henry slipped on the slippery deck and slightly bit his lower lip with his incisors. Man, that gave us a scare. But after a few shed tears and encouraging words, the world was right again.

Back on land, we found accommodation and happened to land in Reipå. A small village on the coast. The campsite there has had a new operator since April. Philipp is from near Münster and emigrated to Norway 6 months ago. He runs the site with his girlfriend and was very hospitable. It is interesting to hear about the different motivations and experiences of the emigrants over time. They have interesting stories to tell and they broaden our horizons a little too.

While Annika explores all the puddles and gutters in the area with Henry, I prepared the first part of the fish. We had delicious cod with ratatouille and pasta. It tasted fantastic.

After dinner, Annika and I had a final discussion about whether we should continue or take a different route. The constant rain is really taking its toll. It has been almost 6 days of rain in a row. It's wearing on our nerves. But we are finally in agreement that we will continue north. The weather forecast says: no rain in the Lofoten Islands.

At the campsite, we also ran into acquaintances we had met a few days earlier on a ferry. Ute and Norbert are traveling by bicycle. They started in Bonn on May 5th and are on their way to the North Cape. An unimaginable achievement. Plus, the two of them are camping in a tent. We are still impressed by their performance and are always happy when we see them.

Ole