NORWAY 2009

The idea for a holiday vacation was born during the winter holidays. The goal was clear - Norway . Why right there? As none of the team was there, we spent our holidays in the south of Europe, and many friends who were in Norway recommended this corner of the world. Initially, while planning the route, I made an outline of it, found relatively cheap hotels on the Internet, counted the cost of fuel, ferries, accommodation and food, and ... I was scared. With four people in the Skoda Superb 2.0 TDI 140KM, the cost of a 10-day trip would be about PLN 5,000 per person (with daily runs of about 800 km, which would be simply impossible to drive with Scandinavian restrictions).

Then another thought came - a motorhome. Searching on the Internet again and there is ... A new motorhome for six people, more than 7 meters long (because another friend joined us), based on a Fiat Ducato, with air conditioning, with no mileage limit, with additional equipment as standard. This is it! I calculated the estimated cost of the leave - PLN 2400 / person for a 10-day trip on the route: Poland-Lithuania-Latvia-Estonia-Finland-Norway-Sweden-Poland (6500 km). The crew put the planning in my hands, so I got down to work.

First of all - how to get there? From the outline of the route I took the Tallinn-Helsinki ferry and the return via the Sweden-Denmark bridge. I went to Orbis and there I booked the ferry without any problems (cost when booking in April for August - PLN 1020), the next day a phone call from a nice lady from Orbis: "How do you want to come back?" I replied that it was across Denmark. For which you offered me a promotion for the STENA BALTICA Karlskrona-Gdynia ferry. After the conversion, it turned out that this return will be cheaper and less tiring (instead of driving a car non-stop - a night in a 5-person cabin with a window and a bathroom) - cost 950 PLN. So we have a start and an end, what's inside?


Overnight in a camper-park among Finnish lakes, the village of St. Nicholas and the fjords ... It was an outline. The route will be arranged overnight. We have to catch the ferry in Tallinn and then the ferry in Karlskrona.

The day of departure came, we packed food and personal belongings into two passenger cars and we were on our way. We left at 4 am to Certo-Camp, from there at 8.30 leave for Tallinn . All day and night driving, time change, but we made it and in the port we were two hours before departure.


Boarding the ferry and snoozing on board, then going ashore in Helsinki after three hours of travel.


After 250 km of travel, we found the place where the camper-park was to be located. The coordinates took us to ... the airport.


It turned out that people in the nearby pharmacy (very nice) showed us the way to the agritourism farm , where we could stay for the night (a place surrounded by lakes on all sides, accessible by only one bridge).


The Lord said that he had friends from near Krakow and he liked Poles. We were able to empty the dirty water tank in the car, refill the water, use the banquet hall to eat meals, as well as the toilet and shower (all for 5 adults + motorhome was ... 11 euro). We rested after a long journey, from the forest pulpit we saw the beauty of the place we were in, we visited the hosts' private haven with a sauna right on the water's edge, we looked for mushrooms in the forest, then we had a barbecue and overnight stay.


The next day we took the direction - Rovaniemi , passing towns where Adam Małysz won medals on the way. We reached our destination around 20 o'clock. We visited the village of St. Nicholas in Napapiiri , where there is a post office that receives letters from children from all over the world, and the House of St. Nicholas (the village is unfortunately closed in August).


We crossed the Arctic Circle and went to sleep at the nearest gas station (note here: larger gas stations are equipped with a septic tank for draining dirty water and the possibility of refilling clean water - free of charge). During the trip, we ate our meals in the car parks along the route, where there was always a clean toilet with hot water, a room for emptying the toilet, tables and chairs for eating meals and beautiful views of the greenery, mountains and water all the time.


At breakfast, the decision - we're going to Nordkapp . Being behind the Arctic Circle and not going to the Nordkapp is a sin. The route is longer, but we can make it - the direction of North Cape.

Entry to Nordkapp is expensive, although the ticket entitles you to stay in the parking lot there for two days (our motorhome was over 7m long + 5 adults = approx. 250 PLN / person for a double ride through the tunnel under the fjord + entry to the Nordkapp per person).


But after all, you are not on the Nordkapp every day, right? The weather was bad, it was windy and it was raining, but the experience was amazing - we reached the northernmost point of Europe! Due to the weather conditions, we did not stay there long and returned to the route ... Now the fjords are ahead of us.


From the next day we only traveled until sunset (and the sun was setting quite late) so as not to lose the beautiful views. The camcorder and cameras were in use all the time. Mountains covered with snow, water, greenery, reindeer walking calmly on the way ... Something amazing. You can go and drive with bated breath (drive according to the rules, because the fines are expensive, and besides, when the elk walked calmly in front of the hood, regardless of the traffic, we knew why there are such speed limits there). There was a beautiful new sight at every turn. The silence, little traffic on the road, greetings of "campers", kindness ... In Norway, nobody rushes anywhere. Accommodation at gas stations - safe and cheap. When we looked at the courtyards, every third house had a camper or a caravan, camping in each village, moderate prices (for our car and team and electricity connection - approx. 18 euro). We also checked the prices at several campsites - they are the same or similar.


While admiring the beauty of nature, we decided to visit a city as well. The choice fell on Trondheim , from where only the Karlskrona ferry remained, going south. Along the way, we paid tribute to the Poles who died near Narvik (the monument was located on the route). In order to have a few hours to visit Trondheim, the day before we traveled to 1.30, stopping in the parking lot at the beginning of the expressway leading to the city. There, in addition to the beautiful cathedral, houses "on the water" (like in Venice) and the Old Town, we came across a pre-election festival, a student holiday and ... an equality parade. By the way, we had the opportunity to check the price of the food ... a large pizza is the equivalent of PLN 120 (note here: bread can be bought early in the morning in "REMA 1000" stores for around PLN 6, other types of bread are around PLN 25 and more for a small loaf, the rest of the food better to take from Poland).


And again the decision to enter the Trolls' Way (Norwegian Trollstigen) . Because we had one day in reserve, and a friend who was in Norway earlier said that once we get to Trondheim, we have to enter the Trolls' Way - we devoted this day to the "circle" this way. We had no idea what awaited us until from the parking lot we saw two rock walls and a waterfall between them, and the Trolls' Way meandered on the walls.


"Are we leaving?" Asked the friend with fear in his eyes. I replied that it was difficult not to go on such a beautiful road - after all, that's what we came here for. A straight ..., a 180-degree turn ..., a straight ..., a turn the other way ... and so on a dozen or so times ... On one side, on the other, an increasing gap right next to the wheels of the car. As an experienced driver, I believe that this is the most beautiful and dangerous road I have taken. But the views and impressions are beyond description. At the very top, there are two viewing terraces located above the waterfall. From the top you can admire the winding "path" and small cars climbing to the top. In the nearby shops you can buy a small or large troll or other souvenir.


From the impression (I think) we forgot about food and we ate dinner at approx. 18.00 over a beautiful fjord, far from the Troll Road. The last day is a boring route through Sweden to the Karlskrona ferry.


Time for a summary ... The 7200 km route (extended by Nordkapp and the Troll's Way), time - 10 days, cost - PLN 2800 / person (motorhome rental, ferries, fuel, food, fees, insurance), impressions - indescribable, love for Scandinavia - at first sight ... What's more? I want to go back there, calmly, for 20-30 days with my trailer. I recommend it to all who want to admire the peace, tranquility, the beauty of nature, the culture of drivers, the sympathy of Scandinavians ...

No description and no photos can tell the beauty of Norway. You just have to see it "live" ... The Reindeer Land is a paradise for caravanning enthusiasts.