Driving in Northern Norway
5 days driving in Northern Norway.
Our second car adventure in Norway, this time in the north. After much deliberation, we decided to head east through the Lyngen Alps which were meant to be quite jaggerd mountains. We left the small island of Tromsøya, going over a bridge that looked like the Hobart Bridge, towards the town ofBrievikeidet (hard to pronounce names!) where we got a ferry over to Svensby. The beautiful green trees and foliage contrasted well with the snow capped mountains and black rocks. We arrived for the ferry early and although it was cold and windy we did a small walk along some rocks for a better view of the fjord. There is so much water in Norway, in waterfalls, lakes and fjords. It is never far away (and often it even falls from the sky!!).
Svensby was a very small place and we were hoping for some advice from the tourist centre that was supposed to be there. Turns out it was just a kiosk, and although the woman who did not speak much english tried to be helpful, we got little out of it by way of advice or maps.
So, we continued on to the other side of that "island" to where the walking was supposed to be better and there may or may not be a tourist bureau. It was good to be finally in a remote area, and although we were finding it difficult to get information, we were taking in wonderful scenery and enjoying the isolation. The real summer season starts in 2 weeks when the school holidays are on, and so there are very few people about, but most things are open. Great balance for us.
We got to Furufaten where we hoped to walk, but could not see any tracks marked. This seems to be usual, and you are either supposed to just know, or else walk wherever you think it is OK. We called in at the marked tourist centre but there seemed to be a wedding there, and all we could get in response to our request for any information was "not here". Fair enough I guess. At least it was nice looking at the children who seemed to be dressed in a traditional very colourful costume.
So, we just drove on and decided to go further south, planning to go to either Lofoten Islands (a very long drive) or to Senja Island which we knew nothing about. We stopped at the decision point for the night at a town called Setermoen. It was quite a dead looking place whose claim to fame was it was a military town and involved in hydro schemes. The Bardu Hotell was weird. Huge hotel, with only a few guests and a long hike from reception to our room. People at reception were very friendly and informative and apologised for the dining room being closed and said the only place to eat was Patricia's Pizza. So, we had a 40cm pizza for about $45 and it was nice.
We visited a waterfall/holiday area called Malselvfossen (fossen at the end of a place means waterfall), which was a huge "flat" waterfall, like a large river with steep rapids really. It was a fishing area, and they had built a more gentler "ladder" for the salmon to leap upstream so they could go further up to spawn - though why salmon want to go further up, or up at all, is beyond me!
We went on a very new board walk to examine the staged river they had blasted out of rock, and it was very interesting and peaceful. We thought of staying there, but the cabins they had were only for 4 people and correspondingly priced!
The man at the Bardu hotell spoke very highly of Senja Island which was easier to drive to than Lofoten, so we decided to head for Finnsens, the gateway town to the island.
At Finsens we spoke with a wonderful lady at the tourist centre who told us of the most amazingly interesting sounding places to visit on Senja, so we finally set off with enthusiasm, now knowing what we were going to do.
We drove for about 80km along the eastern side of the island, which was mainly lowlands for fishermen and farmers. The centre of the island was mountains and the north-west was fingers of fjords which we were headed to. The first really interesting place was a very small island called Husøy. This was settled by Spanish people we were told. It is an island of 1km by about 300m and has 200 inhabitants and is very remote from anywhere else on the island. You cross a mountain range and then suddenly below you is the small island connected by a small bridge to the mainland with its colourful houses and flowers. There were NO houses off the island either, making it even more special. We walked around for ages, and chatted with a local person for about half an hour as well as having coffee and cake. We explored the lighthouse at the end of the island, set in its plot of green grasses and flowers. We really loved it there, looking out to the Arctic Sea with a backdrop of amazing snow capped mountains and clear sky.
We then headed off past another couple of fingers of land pointing out to sea, to a place called Mefjord, which again looked out over the water to mountains shining in the sun. It was a very small fishing community and we decided to stay the night at a local inn. We walked up a steep path to a clifftop lookout before dinner. The meal was a yummy fish soup followed by flatfish and veggies. The chef/waiter/receptionist, Frede, was so friendly, telling us about the place, playing traditional Norwegian music and telling us of a romantic stroll we should go on after dinner. The stroll was great, over heathland past artifacts that were found to date back thousands of years, over a subterranean waterfall to a rock and shell covered beach.
We happily returned to our lovely 2nd floor room looking out to the fjord and went to sleep (after watching some of the World Cup soccer).
I woke at 2am ansd saw directly out our window, the warm orange glow of the colours in the clouds and the big round midnight sun! I was over the moon, as I just could NOT get over the sun!
Next day we headed off south, but I'll cut it a bit short as I'm hogging this hotel computer too much! We went to a national park and walked in the wetlands there over planks that you had to balance on that went for hundreds of meters. We stayed in a cabin with bunk beds and I cooked steak, onions, mushrooms, capsicum, tomatoes with one hotplate. We then returned via Finnnes to Mefjord, as we liked it there so much and we talked with the waitress (Kristine, aged 22) who had spent 2 years in Perth and just arrived back home. We learned what life was like growing up in a remote community for her. A great evening.
Then today we returned to Tromsø via the summer island of Sommerøya which had real beaches of sand. It was too cold for a swim, and is mainly used for swimming in winter when combined with sauna! But I think they swim there in summer too.
Back in Tromsø I talked with the Parking police and they agreed to take back our parking fine, and we completed the day (and effectively our stay in Norway) with an amazing dinner at Emmas "Dream Kitchen" with the best Creme Broulee I have ever had in my life. We even lashed out an had a Souvignon Blanc from the Loire.
Tomorrow we leave Norway for a few days in Stockholm. More at the end of that.....
Our second car adventure in Norway, this time in the north. After much deliberation, we decided to head east through the Lyngen Alps which were meant to be quite jaggerd mountains. We left the small island of Tromsøya, going over a bridge that looked like the Hobart Bridge, towards the town ofBrievikeidet (hard to pronounce names!) where we got a ferry over to Svensby. The beautiful green trees and foliage contrasted well with the snow capped mountains and black rocks. We arrived for the ferry early and although it was cold and windy we did a small walk along some rocks for a better view of the fjord. There is so much water in Norway, in waterfalls, lakes and fjords. It is never far away (and often it even falls from the sky!!).
Svensby was a very small place and we were hoping for some advice from the tourist centre that was supposed to be there. Turns out it was just a kiosk, and although the woman who did not speak much english tried to be helpful, we got little out of it by way of advice or maps.
So, we continued on to the other side of that "island" to where the walking was supposed to be better and there may or may not be a tourist bureau. It was good to be finally in a remote area, and although we were finding it difficult to get information, we were taking in wonderful scenery and enjoying the isolation. The real summer season starts in 2 weeks when the school holidays are on, and so there are very few people about, but most things are open. Great balance for us.
We got to Furufaten where we hoped to walk, but could not see any tracks marked. This seems to be usual, and you are either supposed to just know, or else walk wherever you think it is OK. We called in at the marked tourist centre but there seemed to be a wedding there, and all we could get in response to our request for any information was "not here". Fair enough I guess. At least it was nice looking at the children who seemed to be dressed in a traditional very colourful costume.
So, we just drove on and decided to go further south, planning to go to either Lofoten Islands (a very long drive) or to Senja Island which we knew nothing about. We stopped at the decision point for the night at a town called Setermoen. It was quite a dead looking place whose claim to fame was it was a military town and involved in hydro schemes. The Bardu Hotell was weird. Huge hotel, with only a few guests and a long hike from reception to our room. People at reception were very friendly and informative and apologised for the dining room being closed and said the only place to eat was Patricia's Pizza. So, we had a 40cm pizza for about $45 and it was nice.
We visited a waterfall/holiday area called Malselvfossen (fossen at the end of a place means waterfall), which was a huge "flat" waterfall, like a large river with steep rapids really. It was a fishing area, and they had built a more gentler "ladder" for the salmon to leap upstream so they could go further up to spawn - though why salmon want to go further up, or up at all, is beyond me!
We went on a very new board walk to examine the staged river they had blasted out of rock, and it was very interesting and peaceful. We thought of staying there, but the cabins they had were only for 4 people and correspondingly priced!
The man at the Bardu hotell spoke very highly of Senja Island which was easier to drive to than Lofoten, so we decided to head for Finnsens, the gateway town to the island.
At Finsens we spoke with a wonderful lady at the tourist centre who told us of the most amazingly interesting sounding places to visit on Senja, so we finally set off with enthusiasm, now knowing what we were going to do.
We drove for about 80km along the eastern side of the island, which was mainly lowlands for fishermen and farmers. The centre of the island was mountains and the north-west was fingers of fjords which we were headed to. The first really interesting place was a very small island called Husøy. This was settled by Spanish people we were told. It is an island of 1km by about 300m and has 200 inhabitants and is very remote from anywhere else on the island. You cross a mountain range and then suddenly below you is the small island connected by a small bridge to the mainland with its colourful houses and flowers. There were NO houses off the island either, making it even more special. We walked around for ages, and chatted with a local person for about half an hour as well as having coffee and cake. We explored the lighthouse at the end of the island, set in its plot of green grasses and flowers. We really loved it there, looking out to the Arctic Sea with a backdrop of amazing snow capped mountains and clear sky.
We then headed off past another couple of fingers of land pointing out to sea, to a place called Mefjord, which again looked out over the water to mountains shining in the sun. It was a very small fishing community and we decided to stay the night at a local inn. We walked up a steep path to a clifftop lookout before dinner. The meal was a yummy fish soup followed by flatfish and veggies. The chef/waiter/receptionist, Frede, was so friendly, telling us about the place, playing traditional Norwegian music and telling us of a romantic stroll we should go on after dinner. The stroll was great, over heathland past artifacts that were found to date back thousands of years, over a subterranean waterfall to a rock and shell covered beach.
We happily returned to our lovely 2nd floor room looking out to the fjord and went to sleep (after watching some of the World Cup soccer).
I woke at 2am ansd saw directly out our window, the warm orange glow of the colours in the clouds and the big round midnight sun! I was over the moon, as I just could NOT get over the sun!
Next day we headed off south, but I'll cut it a bit short as I'm hogging this hotel computer too much! We went to a national park and walked in the wetlands there over planks that you had to balance on that went for hundreds of meters. We stayed in a cabin with bunk beds and I cooked steak, onions, mushrooms, capsicum, tomatoes with one hotplate. We then returned via Finnnes to Mefjord, as we liked it there so much and we talked with the waitress (Kristine, aged 22) who had spent 2 years in Perth and just arrived back home. We learned what life was like growing up in a remote community for her. A great evening.
Then today we returned to Tromsø via the summer island of Sommerøya which had real beaches of sand. It was too cold for a swim, and is mainly used for swimming in winter when combined with sauna! But I think they swim there in summer too.
Back in Tromsø I talked with the Parking police and they agreed to take back our parking fine, and we completed the day (and effectively our stay in Norway) with an amazing dinner at Emmas "Dream Kitchen" with the best Creme Broulee I have ever had in my life. We even lashed out an had a Souvignon Blanc from the Loire.
Tomorrow we leave Norway for a few days in Stockholm. More at the end of that.....
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xo ben