After ten uneventful hours on the plane we touched down in Amsterdam, Holland where we got picked up by our friend Frank.
Another 2 1/2 hours drive later we arrived at his home in Ratingen, Germany, where we found asylum for the next three days while visiting our families and reconnected with our best friends, and even managed to squeeze in a visit of the
INTERMOT in between appointments of more official matters.
Bergen, Norway
The next leg of the journey would lead us to Scandinavia. Our friend Stephan had invited to his wedding, and with Germany being close enough to Sweden (only 1,200km away) we wanted to pay him a visit, too. Due to lack of time we decided to fly by way of Oslo, Norway.
Not having visited Norway ever before (except for the airport) we dedicated three days for the exploration of the Southern part. The plan was to drive from Oslo to Bergen, and track back our route by way of Stavanger and Kristiansand to our friend who lives close to Arvika in Sweden, before heading back to Oslo and fly home via Amsterdam.
Only 1,600 km in a reasonable fast car, yeah we thought we could do that with being used to long distance
driving in North America and all.
Only later we should become aware of
the fact that Norway doesn't have a sophisticated multi-lane highway
system throughout... and why should they with a population of only 4.7 million people in a country slightly bigger than New Mexico (as per
World Factbook)? Norway is the second least densely populated country in Europe, after Iceland.
The world is a fantastic place! If you feel so inclined follow us on our little adventure in Scandinavia.
Yours truly lost in Norway
I've got the popcorn ready and waiting for the share :^)
ReplyDeleteA most excellent adventure ... Lost in Norway - how fun is that!
ReplyDeleteI'm eager to follow too. I love road trips :)
ReplyDeleteOk...I'm ready for the pictures. I've been trying to finagle a motorcycle trip through the fjords. Someday. I'm glad you were able to visit, so you could bring me pictures. ;) And I hope the rest of you travels were excellent too.
ReplyDeleteRatingen? That's 50km from where Mrs N is working at the moment!
ReplyDeleteNorway is on my list to visit....1 day!
Looks like a grand time is in store.....
ReplyDeleteBeware speed traps, I hear the Norwegian police are pretty strict about enforcing speed limits.
dom
I have a friend from work that is from that part of Norway. I'm sure she would have been happy to give you tips on what to see and do. I wish I would have known earlier!
ReplyDeleteThanks guys for your kind comments.
ReplyDeleteNorway is not a place for racers or so it seems. I have never seen so many speed cameras en route. Thankfully they are permanently installed and the GPS warned when approaching one.
We haven't seen one cop or patrol car though. Not sure if the Norwegian police exist...
Great photos of Norway, it's a great place to go touring in the summer, with stunning countryside.the roads are slow, but this just means you get to see everything. I'd love to go back and spend some more time on the coast on a similar route to yours.
ReplyDelete