 |
| |
| 03-06-03
: Norway |
| We
arrived in Bergen at 12:00 having had a good nights
sleep. We were expecting seats but were delighted
to find that "couchettes" are small rooms
with 3 sets of bunk beds in each. Bliss! We arrived
to indecisive weather again, however, the beauty
of the Norwegian coastline still took our breath
away. We stood on deck and ignored the drizzle as
we watched people on shore go about their business.
Everywhere you looked brightly painted perfectly
formed buildings nestle into the mountains on each
side of us, revealing themselves as we rounded each
new cove and waterway. Each shore house with its
own quay and well presented rowboat. The coastline
is rugged and impressive, with rocks, which plummet
down steeply into the millpond like water lapping
gently below.Off the ferry the centre of Bergen
is ¾ of a mile. It's looks like a nice City.
Old wonky wooden buildings intermingle with newer
stone ones easily. Parking was a cinch and we tied
the bikes up on the pavement before heading off
into the market for coffee. A few calls to family
later and we were off again to find somewhere to
set up camp. 15km's up the E39 heading North from
Bergen is the astutely named "North Bergen
Camp site", at 100 Kroner (approximately £10)
per night and 10 Kroner for the shower it was about
average. We'd been warned Norway wasn't going to
be cheap. It isn't. |
| 04-06-03 |
| Woke
up to glorious sunshine. After the days of constant
rain, this itself was cause for excitement. We got
ready and took "daffy" (daffy is the new
name for my R1100GS, this has got to be better than
its previous incarnation as Tinkerbelle) back down
south to Bergen to explore. Taking the one bike
was a good move as having paid 10 Kroner to get
to Bergen, where we promptly missed the turning
into the centre, went to far South and ended up
paying again to get back in.Once parked we went
straight to the Floyen funicular. The views from
the top are well worth the 50NOK up the funicular
but apart from great views you have a smart restaurant
and coffee bar. Our budget was not going to stretch
to a meal but the gold-foiled ice creams were just
too tempting after we had finished our longish walk
in the woods. Bergen seems to attract people from
all over the world and we heard every conceivable
language, however, not once did we hear another
English voice. Back at the bottom in Bergen central,
an afternoon of window-shopping was on the itinerary.
Purchases would have to wait until another country
as Norway was already proving to be as expensive
as we had been warned. Although Lisa did take great
delight in the designer cookware and reindeer and
fox fur bags and boots! As the sun got higher our
need for cold beer became stronger. Finally throwing
expense to the wind we sat down in the main square
and as our beers arrived the local brass band struck
up. We think on reflection the shock of the band
may have been the reason our waiter launched our
immensely expensive beers over us, soaking us both.
A thousand humble apologies later and two fresh
glasses we laughed it off and drying in the sun
smelling nicely of beer, we sat back and began to
really enjoy our surroundings. |
| 05-06-03 |
| We
left the campsite in rain again. E39 from Bergen,
to cross by ferry the Sognefjorden - Our first
dilemma of the day. Three ferries leave from the
dock and although the ships are named on big yellow
boards, their destinations are not…Mmmmm,
Useful! Oh well we thought we'll just board the
one with the biggest queue. Ten minutes a later
a bike flew past us and was headed to the front
of the queue we were in, not to be outdone we
quickly joined him and struck up a conversation.
This was Sven-Erickson founder member and web
master for the holy-rider Motorcycle club. When
Sven wasn't bombing around on his on his trusty
Honda in his grungy leathers, he's a respectable
dentist with several smart practices. Sven explained
his English was good but could we forgive his
strange accent as he'd lived in New York for 15
years and he'd picked up a distinctive twang.
Sven also mentioned that in Norway Motorbikes
are allowed to use bus and taxi lanes and generally
are ushered to the front of queues. Fine by us
we thought. - On board the ferry we paid our 38
Kroner each, this was going to eat into our budget
and 20 minutes later we were on tarmac again.
Web said goodbye to Sven and made our way up the
E39 to Forde - aiming for Alesund. As the day
went on and the miles clocked up we realised that
to get to Alesund was going to be pushing it.
Too far to reach today got as far as Folkestad
just before the ferry across to Volda. Toady we
had 2 ferry crossing at approx. 38NOK each. Camped
at: Helset Hytter og Camping, Bjorkedal, Folkestad |
| 06-06-03 |
| Missed
out a visit to Alesund and decided to head towards
Kristiansund - shouldn't have bothered - had a burger
(!!) something we never do - and felt uncomfortable
so left pretty dam quick! Don't know why but both
felt the same. 4 ferry crossings today - expensive!!
Stayed on the E39 and decided to stop just before
Trondheim in Orkanger. The E39 was smooth and fairly
easy riding except for long sections where rebuilding
work is carried out and the temporary surface isbbbbbbbb
just compacted earth and rock. The GS here is the
perfect bike. The views of the Fjords here really
are majestic and so wonderfully calming. This was
a NAF campsite, at Trasavika, Viggja. Lisa found
the name NAF for a campsite organisation hilarious!
|
| 07-06-03 |
| Visited
Trondheim this morning on our way North. Although
it was meant to be a quick visit we ended up loitering
for about 2 hours. Trondheim is famous for a few
reasons one of which is the Cathedral (Nidarosdomen),
so a visit was planned. Work began on the Cathedral
in 1070 and the west façade is decorated
with intricately carved statues of saints and kings
with a centrepiece including a huge and beautiful
stone rose window. The Cathedral is now held in
such high regard that the Norwegian Crown Jewels
are on display inside. The gargoyles that surround
the Cathedral are some of the best we've seen. The
Cathedral was easy to find and we parked right outside.
We decided we couldn't afford to go in at 50 NOK
per person and as it turned out this was a good
move as 5 minutes after we arrived the Cathedral
doors were closed and the guest for a traditional
Norwegian wedding started turning up. We left the
Cathedral and headed for the town centre, which
was buzzing, and full of people. A festival had
been arranged to celebrate Trondheim history. The
events were myriad, one of which included watching
comfortably proportioned tourists being trussed
up in a harness and then being catapulted in the
air by a bungee suspended by a crane. We just sat
and smugly grinned as we watched the lambs to the
slaughter. We watched male and female participants
alike all swap bravado for discomfort as the harness
strangled their lower particulars as they were launched
100ft straight up…we thought we'd give this
one a miss. Back on the bikes we left Trondheim
behind us and made our way further up the E6 and
passed the town of Steinkjer (which Lisa kept referring
to a stinky) and past the huge fjord of Trondeimsfjorden,
which seemed to go on forever. We continued on the
E6 to Grong and camped at PlusCamp Langnes at Kvittering |
| 08-06-03 |
| Our
aim was Mo i Rana just prior to the Artic Circle,
as Lisa wanted to celebrate her 41st birthday tomorrow
at the Artic! Circle. Decided to stay on the E 6
rather than take the smaller roads as the weather
continued to be horrible and wet. Passed Mosjoen
which is an industrial aluminium place and continued
to just past Mo i Rana to Storforshei and up into
the middle of nowhere but just below 66° 33'
and Saltfjellet - the official area for the Artic
Circle centre - we camped at Skogly Overnatting |
| 09-06-03 |
| Started
off late today as the rain had set in and neither
of us were looking forward to putting the tent away
in the wet, again. Besides it's Lisa's 41st Birthday
and she reckoned she deserved to stay in bed. Tent
away and kit bags packed, we were off to the Arctic
Circle (Polarsirkel). The Arctic Circle is found
at 66° 33' North. Now, the GPS provides rolling
information about your longitude and latitude so
we counted down the degrees as we got closer and
higher. Our excitement built, 27, 28, 29, 30,…29,
28, shit what's happened? Have we somehow missed
it! The road had been built around two summits prior
to the Circle and so the road leads you away before
the straight where the circle can be seen. Right,
panic over and the countdown re-commenced. 31, 32,
33. We've made it we're here! The imaginary line,
which crosses glaciers and the very barren Saltfjellet
plateau at 650 metres above sea level.Off the bikes
and on the hunt for some photo opportunities. Piccy's
taken and we're off inside for a coffee and a few
souvenirs. Inside the igloo shaped building there's
a post office so you can send your postcards bearing
the Arctic Circle stamp. Cards written, we were
back outside to look at the various monuments built
to commemorate the Line. Within an hour we were
riding North again, we still have so far to go.The
rest of the day was spent riding North as the weather
was so poor we couldn't have enjoyed the countryside.
We finished riding around 7pm and found a lovely
site, Tommerneset Camping, Innhavet near Hamaroy
on the E6. We put the tent up in sunshine with the
sound of a waterfall in the distance. A quick shower
and we were off on daffy to the Hamaroy Hotel, who
also had a restaurant, which we had been recommended
to try. We sat down, clean and warm from the shower
and ordered something…we had no idea what we
had ordered as we can't read Norwegian. Our meal
turned out to be strips of beef cooked in wine and
onions served with chips and a béarnaise
sauce. After pasta, pasta and pasta it was a feast.
We tried to make the meal last and last. We decided
to push the boat out and ordered two beers, only
our second beers in Norway, at over £5's a
pint the stuff's expensive. We paid the bill and
were delighted when the coffee and dessert were
taken off the bill, due to Lisa's birthday. They
knew of her birthday as I had asked for a candle
in Lisa's dessert. They didn't have a candle, so
made do with a firework held by the waitress in
her left hand as she served desert with her other.
We both sat well back and grinned. We slept well. |
| 10-06-03 |
| The
weather decided to brighten up today with even an
occasional glimpse of the blue stuff. After a late
breakfast we decided to make this a travel day and
make our way up to Tromso. We stuck to the main
E6 as we headed north, what a fantastic road. A
motorcyclist dream, (even in the wet). The countryside
is glorious with forest and waterfalls skirting
the road. The road twist and turns around the mountains
and as the miles clock up it just seems to get better
and better as one delicious bend drops effortlessly
into another and another. After a while you find
you're in a wonderful rhythm of continues left and
right bends, some twisty and others just long, steady
and open, allowing you to really lean into it and
crank the bike right over as you try to find the
ideal line before powering out and getting ready
for the next. Bliss. Apart from anything else, we've
also noticed that the road quality itself is very
different and far superior to the asphalt/tarmac
in the UK. Much grippier and smooth as………….something
very, very……smooth? Shell fuel stations
- mmmm…we don't like you very much! Shell don't
accept UK Visa cards, nobody seems to know why.
Just before we left this morning we had directions
for the next (non-shell) fuel station. A young man
I had asked had advised me, after much consideration
and a earnest amount of authority, " for the
next place of petrol, is not so far, you have maybe
9-10 (we don't know whether he meant miles or Km)
and then you will be in the petrol and fine".
We set off to get petrol as both of us were running
close to empty. Ten kilometres came and went and
then 10 miles, still no petrol station. 30 and 40
miles also came and went and still not a whiff of
the fire liquid. Shit, shit, shit, please don't
run out. Neither of us had been this low. The road
wasn't very busy and what traffic there had been
all seemed to be massive articulated lorries, bombing
along and taking up a fair amount of the road. Panic
was beginning to set in. Our riding became more
sedate as we tried to eek out the fuel. At last
a sign, Petrol 6 Km and to make things better it
was all down hill. 2Km later Lisa's bike went fut,
fut, blah as it ran out. Freewheeling for another
1K she finally ran out of momentum. I blatted off
to find the station no more than 2k and after borrowing
a 2-litre Coca Cola bottle (didn't want to buy a
fuel can) it was filled and back I went for Lisa.
Fuel went in only to find that the bike wouldn't
start as the battery had gone flat. We figured the
alternator isn't up to the job of making up for
the power used by the lights, Autocom, fuel pump,
heated grips and heated vest. I managed eventually
to jump start it after depleting my stock of known
expletives. Back at the station we filled up both
bikes and made lunch a hamburger and coffee.The
rest of the day was spent travelling as the E6 turned
into the E8 and finally the rain returned to see
us insight of Tromso. As both of us were tired we
headed straight for the campsite. There are two
campsites signposted from Tromso both to the North.
The first is 3Km and the second is 26 Km. After
checking out the nearest we decided that for 150NOK
(£15) a night, it wasn't for us; besides the
fact that it just wasn't a nice site with only a
token bit of gravely grass assigned for camping
(most Norwegians love to caravan). 26K down the
road, what a difference. A Beautiful site, right
on the waters edge, in full view of snow peaked
mountains. Great facilities and a friendly welcome.
This was also our cheapest site so far at 75NOK
(£7.50). The site is called Skittenelv Camping
and whose address is 9022 Krokelvdalen. Tel: (country
code) 77 69 00 27 Fax: (country code) 77 69 00 50.
For more info go to their home page: www.skittenelvcamping.no
|
| 11-06-03 |
| Off
to Tromso today - a city that neither of us know
a lot about and yet a name with which we are now
both so familiar - for the last two years it has
been repeatedly mentioned during conversations regarding
our (upcoming) journey. It now feels quite strange
and exciting to actually be here! We drove in from
the campsite, which is 17 miles north of Tromso
on the E8 to join the 862- this then takes you over
the Tromsbrua bridge. As you cross the bridge it
affords you great views of Tromso and the hustle
and bustle of the working docks. Tromso is North
Norway's largest city and is situated on a flat
and small island of Tromsoya, which is 10k long.
It is completely surrounded by the most beautiful
snow-capped mountains of Kvaloya - we have wonderful
views of these mountains from our campsite. We have
noticed that the light here is so different from
home - it is somehow cleaner and adds a touch of
the surreal to an already breath-taking area - but
considering we are well north of the Artic Circle
and at latitude of 70° north everything feels
different. Interspersed with some of Tromso's older
and more traditional buildings are newer and larger
shopping centres - with all the normal coffee shops,
designer clothes shops and supermarkets - here,
you could be in any city - and it felt quite normal
to wander round and window shop. Back at the bike
(we used one to come into the city) we had a brief
chat with some fellow motorcyclists who were taking
pictures of the 1100GS. After a brief introduction
they informed us how safe Tromso was and that our
chain and helmet locks were unnecessary. This seemed
to be proven as we noticed all other bikes had gloves,
helmets etc all left loose or just resting on handlebars!
Can you imagine doing this in London or the centre
of Bristol!??We were tempted to go into the Polar
Museum and the Polaris Centre both of which give
you an insight into the past and present aspects
of Artic life, however, due to budget restraints
we had to give both of these a miss. However, if
any of you do get the chance to come to Tromso and
have the spare cash do have a look at both of these
as apparently they are well worth it. On the way
out of Tromso we stopped at one of Tromso's famous
buildings - the Ishavskatedralen - the Artic Cathedral.
It is built completely out of concrete and glass
and is most famous for its huge stained glass window.
It was designed to create the impression of an iceberg
pointing its sharp edge to the sky. Having been
close up to it, it manages this pretty well! If
that wasn't impressive enough the backdrop to the
cathedral is the Tromsdalstind mountain, which rises
1238 m. At the moment entry to the cathedral will
cost you 22 NOK, which is about £2.20 with
the money going towards buying a new organ as the
current one is collapsing under its own weight!Back
at the campsite and after writing this we have just
realised its one o'clock in the morning! The constant
daylight is playing havoc with our body clocks and,
though neither of us is tired now, we know we will
be knackered in the morning |
| 12-06-03 |
| Today
was a crash-out day, which meant having a lie in,
followed by checking the bikers over, charging up
the laptop and washing smelly socks, which had begun
to show signs of early life! One of the oddest things
we've done so far was to wash the bikes down - not
strange in itself but when you consider our latitude
and longitude it puts it into context. The campsite
has a hose specifically for washing vehicles, so
we took advantage. We wondered whether we could
claim to be at Europe's highest bike wash facilities?
There was more of a reason than aesthetics for washing
both bikes - there is such a lot of salt on the
roads still that when it rains (which has been most
of the time!) all the muck and stickiness from the
roads sticks to you and the bike. Good reason to
clear it off properly and then to polish and grease
both bikes so that in future there will be a layer
of polish between the 'crud' and the bike - the
grease will also ensure that the muck stays on the
bikes as we want them to start to look as dirty
as possible so they don't attract too much attention
for our trip through Russia.Other activities such
as sleeping and eating were also a high priority! |
| 13-06-03 |
| The
plan was to leave the campsite early, as although
the ride to Hammerfest wasn't long, it was all mountain
roads. Some advice we were given during our trip
preparation was to always be flexible, with this
in mind we naturally had a lie in and left late!The
day started off wet and cold; as we steadily climbed
higher into the mountains the rain stopped…and
turned to SNOW!! Normally we'd complain, but as
we have willingly chosen to travel in the Arctic,
we really had no rightJWe rode in total around 6
hours. Our route took us out of Tromso on the E8
going back down the road we had driven up in order
to reach Tromso - but instead of returning all the
way back down the E8 until it reached the E6 we
had been advised of another route, little advertised
as an alternative to the E6 north. We decided to
take this route which was to cut across on the 91
to Breivikeidet, take the ferry across to Svensby,
Lyngen, continue on the 91 to catch another ferry
across Kafjorden to Olderdalen. We originally thought
we had missed this smaller road as it seemed to
be a lot further out of Tromso and along the E8
than the map shows - but eventually we came across
it and 'my' wasn't it a great road. We travelled
along some eerily deserted stretches of road surrounded
by majestic mountains covered in snow. We stopped
for petrol outside Lyngseidet, taking the opportunity
not only to fill up, but also warm up (!) and got
chatting to Anna-Sigrid Lofstrom, who manned the
Statoil station there. She insisted that although
she couldn't pay for our petrol she would pay for
our chocolate as our ride was for charity - Simon
being a confirmed chocoholic felt like he'd won
the pools! This may seem to others as a 'funny'
gesture - but to us it was generosity in its simplest
form and she'd wanted to do it simply because she
could - can you imagine checkout staff on the M5
motorway services offering to any for anything you
wanted??!Two ferry crossings later we were on the
road to Alta where there are many warning signs
for Moose and Reindeer. Although we have seen these
sings consistently throughout our journey so far
in Norway, we've not caught a glimpse of the animals
themselves - until entering Finmark.Lisa was the
first to spot our new 4-legged friends. Over the
intercom Lisa squealed with excitement "Simon,
Simon, have you seen the 'big goat things' with
big horns!?" I spent the next minute trying
not to crash with laughing as what Lisa was referring
to were the wild reindeer! She did explain that
a glance sideways at 60mph on a mountain road gave
her just a glimpse of animals lying down - that's
her excuse anyway! Personally I'm not so sure; goat,
reindeer, goat, reindeer…an 'easy' mistake??
You decide.For the next 40 miles, reindeer seemed
to be everywhere, nonchonently looking on as we
rode past as if to say 'Yep! More tourists'. Time
was getting on and Hammerfest would have to wait
until tomorrow, but Alta looked a pretty good option
instead. We arrived in Alta late, but found another
great campsite offering free sauna after 11pm. Too
lazy to cook tonight, Lisa complained she needed
chips (!), we threw up the tent in record time,
stowed our gear and headed off to find the Alta
Bistro.A good nights sleep should have been in order,
unfortunately our German, bus-touring neighbours
had other plans and at 3:30 am Simon lost his rag
and wearing only his thermals (mmmm….'attractive')
flew out of the tent and politely asked if they
could 'go somewhere else'. For those who know us,
the sight of Simon hacked-off, bleary-eyed at 3:30
in the morning will know it's not a pretty sight!
|
| 14-06-03 |
| The
E6 out of Alta is well marked and after a quick
stop to draw out cash (it runs out fast in Norway!)
we soon found our now regular cruising speed as
we made our way to Hammerfest. The E6 maintained
it's character all the way up with fun curves ensuring
we didn't get bored -as if we could! Although the
distance from Alta to Hammerfest isn't substantial,
it still took longer than anticipated. The last
two hours of the ride were painful as the snow was
now coming down thick and heavy, making visibility
difficult. Gear changing became a battle, as our
feet were numb, even with the benefit of insulated
gortex gloves and heated grips and jackets, fingers
were painful and fingertips again numb. Hammerfest
couldn't come soon enough. The weather worsened
as the road became windier, demanding we use every
last ounce of concentration to stay upright: conversation
(via Autocom) stopped. The journey seemed to go
on and on and we travelled what felt like 100K after
we had passed the 41K to Hammerfest sign. Yesterday
on the road just before we arrived in Alta, Lisa
had to brake hard and yelled to me as an animal
threw itself across her path before diving into
the undergrowth. We both were unsure as to what
it was. We would only find out when visiting "The
Royal and Ancient Polar Bear Society" in Hammerfest
central, which shares a building with the Tourist
Information of Hammerfest. Amongst other stuffed
animals on display is a beautiful dark grey/brown
wolf. After a few looks of disbelief from the staff,
it was confirmed this is what Lisa had seen -quite
rare as only a few wild wolves are left in Norway.
Lisa left the information centre looking like she'd
found the leprechauns pot of gold!!Hammerfest was
bustling by Northern Norwegian standards as we set
off to find the smaller of the two campsites. Tourist
info. Had advised it was 'cosier'. The larger one
was also having 'difficulties' (we weren't' told
what type) with asylum seekers. The campsite was
easily found off to the right of the main Hammerfest
centre road and overlooked a large lake. Our priority
this evening was food and bringing our journal up
to date. We finished the journal at 1:30 am our
time. |
| 15+16-06-03 |
| What
a busy few days!! We're now in Inari, Finland. Lapland,
land of the rarely seen funny man in baggy red clothes
(no, not Jimmy Saville, the other one!) The land
of lakes, Christmas trees, 'to die for', roads and
grumpy campsite owners with hygiene issues and dodgy
haircuts…….more on that later.We left
Hammerfest proudly displaying our 'I've been to
Hammerfest, the most Northerly town in the World'
sticker, displayed like some type of medal of achievement
to be marvelled at by others - OK, in fairness it's
a bit dodgy looking and not quite as impressive
as the cubs 25m breast stroke badge - but we had
to have them all the same. We left Hammerfest late
at 11:00 am and we packed up in the rain, weary
from the previous nights marathon journal frenzy!
Back on the bikes, heading down the same main road
we had arrived on a day earlier, we were aiming
form 'Nordkapp' - for some reason 'Nordkapp' sounds
so much more impressive than North Cape. Dodging
reindeer as we went, the road to Nordkapp became
more barren and truly more awesome as we climbed
more northwards. As we rode on, the snow on either
side of us became bluer and harder as the temperature
dropped and Lisa and I became more and more excited,
"bloody hell we're almost there".The last
5 miles to Nordkapp saw the road narrow to 1½
cars width with no barriers left and right between
us and the sheer drop into the ice-filled lakes
below. A couple of noteworthy points abut the Nordkapp:
there is a tunnel you must used which will set you
back £7 if you're on a bike and much more
for cars, caravans etc - this is payable 'both ways';
entry to the Nordkapp is (at the moment) £19
per person - this fee is currently a hot topic of
conversation within Norway.We rode the last few
100 yards after paying and parked up next to the
only two other bikes there - a Triumph Tiger and
R850GS - and headed into centre in search of warmth.
Anything would do, a radiator, a coffee, a nubile
young blonde with an open mind and open…………..sorry,
sorry! …..got carried away….it's the cold!
Two coffees and two doughnuts will set you back
£8.50. We ate them very, very slloooowlllyyyyy!
With our hands once again at operating temperature
it was picture time. Past the visitors centre no
vehicles of any kind are permitted, which is a shame
as I wanted pictures of us and the bikes at the
Nordkapp monument which sits on the true "71°
10° 21 point". Not deterred I asked at
the information desk for a meeting with the site
manager. After a few questions to determine I wasn't
just another grumbling German complaining that I
couldn't see the midnight sun for clouds and demanding
a full refund (apparently this has happened!), my
request was granted! I also think our charity badges
and stickers helped to substantiate my request.
5 mins later we were explaining our trip and its
aim to Katrina, who explained that normally it is
strictly forbidden and if she allowed us, she would
have to let others and she didn't think it was possible.
5 more mins on and with a rye smile, she said "OK!
But you have to be quick and I will have to make
some arrangements". The arrangements were to
restrict public access and to find a member of staff
to take the photos We enthusiastically thanked her
and ran to the bikes, both of us a little surprised
we'd pulled this off. Riding on the pegs over loose
shale and rocks normally only negotiated by foot,
we quickly parked up next to the monument, mindful
of the bottleneck we were creating as people waited
to get to the Cape. The member of staff took our
camera and snapped away as we directed her as to
the kind of photo we wanted. We thanked her profusely
trying to make up for the cold she was having to
bear. All done, we rode back to the parking area
and then back inside for a few more thank-yous!
Whilst waiting for 12 pm and the midnight sun, we
met Andreus, a local silversmith and Kawasaki rider.
He mentioned that he'd "lived here always"
and had never heard of any vehicle being allowed
out to the point. We were chuffed or what!!! Thank
you, thank you, thank you Katrina!!We waited for
midnight with our new friend Uwe (pronounced Ouve)
who turned out to be the owner of the R850GS. Uwe
was German and was heading home down the same route
we had just used to come up from Bergen. At 12:30
am none of us were tired, the sun had made its appearance
on cue and it was time to make a move. We opted
to ride through the night (or day) to North Finland
as our budget had been hammered following Nordkapp
and we thought we'd save the campsite money. We
said goodbye to Nordkapp, the Baring sea, The Artic
Ocean and the 7K tunnel and 15 mins after saying
goodbye Lisa made a new friend - flying no more
than 10 feet overhead and with a wing span like
Concorde, she was being closely inspected by a huge
bird of prey which turned out later to be a white
tailed eagle ……this trip keep getting
better and better!We rode until we reached the small
town of Inari close to the Inarijarvi lake and at
6:30 am we staggered into the small souvenir shop/café
and downed some coffee - we had once again become
very cold. 3K down the road we set up camp and slept
until 3pm. We were tired and cold but what a great
couple of days. Brilliant!! |
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this part is over
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