Our near-death encounter with the Stalos was quite close to the
Norwegian Border, and it wasn't long before we had crossed the peaks of a
mountain range into Norway. After a brief stop for some fuel, a quick
run up a mountain and an ice cream we continued on to our next haven, Bodø.
Not this mountain, this mountain is not for running.
Bodø is a town of about 50 000 people and is just north of the Arctic circle. We were to truly experience the midnight sun and we made it all the way to 1am before accidentally falling asleep.
Midnight - this was pretty much as dark as it got for the entire trip (except Trondheim).
We spent a couple of nights in Bodø, so on our second day we went explorin'; and what did we find? Saltstraumen, a massive maelstrom, which has the strongest tidal currents in the world!
My strength vs Saltstraumen.
Admittedly it wasn't as visually epic as I was hoping, but there were some brave souls boating around and it was funny to see them shoot off when caught in the currents.
Gemma with the maelstrom.
But, the real epic of this journey was Kystrikveien, otherwise known as Route 17. This is the Great Ocean Road of Norway, and sorry Victoria, you have a lot of work to do. The full route is 650 kms and runs from Bodø to Steinkje.
One of the many, many fjords.
We took it as far as Trondheim, stopping off at Sandnessjøen and Namsos on the way. the coastal route crosses spectacular fjords, passes huge cliffs, and even a glacier (there's only a few sample pictures in this blog, but photos just can't do it justice).
Gemma and I at Svartisen; Norway's second biggest glacier.
Fortunately, we were blessed with sunshine and blue skies, which accentuated the blue in the water features, and ensuring we saw it its best. Unfortunately, I am pretty certain I have seen the most gorgeous landscapes Earth can conjure so I may as well not travel anymore (we also got to too swim in the Norwegian Sea).
By swimming I mean paddling...well, barely paddling. It turns out the Norwegian Sea is really, really, really, really cold. Even in summer.
To add a bit more fun to the trip, there are SIX ferry crossings littered throughout just so you can cross the larger fjords.
This monument marks the Arctic Circle, it showed us we had finally left the arctic circle and the midnight sun.
The ferry interruptions were kinda fun, because it meant you were stuck in a little convoy, with all the other travellers who were enjoying the route. No matter how fast someone went, you would always meet them at the next ferry crossing waiting to board.
The perfectly still waters perfectly reflected everything.
After a full day of driving and ferry catching we ended up in Sandnessjøen. Now, Sandnessjøen is not a big town, but it sits on a gorgeous isle on the west coast of Norway which means a you need a bridge to get there. And Sandnessjøen is known for its bridge! (apparently).
This massive bridge connected Sandnessjøen to the mainland, unfortunately Gemma was driving and is somewhat terrified of driving on bridges.
On our penultimate day we jumped back on Kystrikveien and headed for Trondheim. I was really keen to stop by and see the seven sisters mountain range, but unfortunately we encountered our first fog for the trip. Much to my disappointment even at the base of the range, couldn't even see the slope of the mountain, let alone the range of peaks.
Baiky and an itty bitty Gemma all the way back in the cave.
Not to be discouraged we soldiered on towards Torghatten. Torghatten is a mountain with a hole in it; and not just an itty bitty hole either, but a massive tunnel straight through the centre of it. We finished off with a night in Namsos, the Rock city before flying home. Then I had to relearn how to drive on the left side of the road.
Gemma blending in with the local fauna.
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