Travel blog
Norway. Darling and beautiful
Personally, I have been to this country 8 times and each time was like the first. At the same time, Norway is good at any time of the year. The mild maritime climate creates normal conditions for travel both in winter and in autumn-spring, but in the summer God himself ordered to visit this country!
But this time we were unlucky with the weather. In all cities along our rather long route – The sun was shining in Helsinki, Stockholm, Oslo, Bergen, Alesund, Trondheim, Rovaniemi, but as soon as we left the cities “for nature,” it started to rain. Included with it were rather low temperatures for summer, winds, fogs and numerous snowfields in the mountains, from which the winter cold wafted. This summer was harsh not only in Moscow. However, everything is in order…
The departure from Moscow took place as planned – at 5 am. By 6 am we had already left the metropolis, having collected all the participants on the way to the Leningradskoye Highway. The road turned out to be not very busy, the car was fast, and after lunch we drove along the new high-speed toll highway in St. Petersburg and walked around Vyborg – a small, ancient, cozy Russian town with non-Russian architecture. We camped for the night right in the forest not far from the Finnish border, fortunately, it is safe to spend the night in tents in the border zone.
At eight in the morning we crossed the border, quickly and without problems. Everyone will remember for a long time the Finnish policeman who stopped the car in front of the border and handed the device to the driver through the window, with the words “Blow here.” It was said in Russian, but with such an anecdotal Finnish-Estonian accent, as if he was parodying Finns speaking Russian, which until the end of the trip served as a reason for laughter in our company. By the way, “blow here” - there was an alcohol test, so if you are planning to go to Finland by car, forget about alcohol until the end of the trip. However, this was the only contact with the police during our entire almost three-week trip.
We walked around Helsinki for four hours, and then went to board the huge, fashionable Silja Line ferry to Stockholm. Imagine our surprise when we saw a huge number of American retro cars in the queue around us. All Finnish owners of this retro equipment traveled with us to the festival in Sweden. There, too, we met these cars on the highway more than once.
The ferry from Helsinki to Stockholm takes 16 hours, but you won't get bored on it. In addition to gorgeous views from the upper deck, passengers have access to a large number of cafes and shops, circus performers' show programs, a swimming pool and sauna, a Duty Free supermarket and even a casino. There are also cabins of different levels, but even in the cheapest ones you won’t feel deprived of life. By the way, the ferry is relatively cheap – 237 euros for 6 people and a minibus, including not the cheapest cabins. I paid almost the same amount in Norway for a ferry to the Lofoten Islands, which sails for only 2 hours and has no cabins or any entertainment on it. As they say, everything is learned by comparison.
In Stockholm we had breakfast in a cafe, and then walked around the city center for another 4 hours, which, according to the general opinion of the group, was not enough – the city is large, beautiful, ancient and interesting, perhaps the most interesting of all the cities on our trip. On a similar tour next year (there will be a separate paragraph about this at the end), I plan to stay overnight in Stockholm and let the tour participants fully enjoy this wonderful city.
In the evening we arrived in Oslo and settled in a campsite located on a hill from which the entire city was visible. Another alternative campsite to this one turned out to be closed, so we had to stop at this one. Its disadvantages — too “interesting place” and, as a result, an exorbitantly high price, and in addition to this, all services are paid – shower, washing machines, phone charging, wi-fi – you have to pay separate money for everything, which, of course, never pleases the tour participants.
We also had 4 hours to explore Oslo. It’s also not enough, but our tour was not an excursion either – The main goal of our trip was the nature of Norway, and, as they say, you chase two birds with one stone – You won't catch a single one. I had to sacrifice something. By the way, parking in the center of Oslo is the most expensive in Scandinavia – 20 euros for two hours.
In the evening, having taken a breeze along the first Norwegian mountain serpentines, we were at the Lysefjord campsite, also a fairly popular place for tourists from all over the world and no less expensive. 200 euros for three tents and a car for two nights – this is for those who don't know Norwegian prices. There was already free w-fi here, but showers and all other services also cost extra money.
We got up very early and drove up the serpentine road for 7 km. to the parking lot from which you go on foot to the Kjerag pea stone. The weather was not pleasant – thick fog and drizzling rain. The parking lot worker frightened us for a long time with bad weather and equally poor visibility, but we went, there was nowhere to go – The tour is already long, there are no spare days in case of bad weather.
Here it must be said that, despite all the warnings of the Norwegian rangers, it is almost impossible to get lost on the trails to natural attractions in this country – they are all marked, marked and trampled by hundreds of thousands of people so that even in thick fog you must be able to lose your way. On steep areas there are railings in the form of ropes or even metal chains, on swampy areas there are wooden walkways, in general, as experienced Russian tourists say – Norway has light tourism, which is true.
The weather, however, was not at all light. Rain, cold wind, fog, snowfields around the trail – all this accompanied us along the entire route to Kjerag. The “pea” itself appeared before us without a “background” - the background was thick fog and wind, only for seconds dispersing the flying clouds (inside which we, in fact, were) and revealing mesmerizingly beautiful views, which we, alas, never fully saw. The bravest ones climbed onto the pea (quite slippery from the rain, and there was a kilometer of empty space underneath!), others simply wandered around and we set off on the way back.
The only plus – no people, no crowds or queues. However, this is more a merit of the early departure than of the bad weather, since on the way back we were met by an endless stream of tourists, and if we had arrived at the place even an hour later, we would have stood in line for the pea and crowded among a hundred or two of the same spicy food lovers. sensations.
The next day we boarded a ferry that goes along the entire Lysefjord and along the way you can see the pea (a small point at an altitude of almost a kilometer) and the Preikestolen cliff – our next item on the program. The weather was still “pleasant” rain, so, having jumped out onto the deck at the call of the announcer for a couple of minutes to photograph the next attraction of the Lysefjord, everyone quickly rushed into the warm and dry belly of the ferry.
We arrived at the parking lot, from which there is a path to the Preikestolen cliff – the rain continued to fall. Let's go with our backpacks to the cliff – Today we had planned to spend the night on a cliff. For unprepared participants, this turned out to be a serious test, but they still spent the night, and the morning gave many pleasant moments and beautiful shots.
The walk from the parking lot to the cliff is only 4 km. along a fairly easy trail, so the vast majority of tourists walk one day there and back. However, spending the night on the cliff – it’s much cooler and more interesting, I advise everyone who wants to visit this iconic place.
Firstly, at Preikestolen, as at all natural attractions in Norway, during the day there is no – a huge number of tourists. Pensioners and even disabled people come here with small children – During the day, on the cliff and around it, there is nowhere for an apple to fall from people. And your photographs will be from the category “me and three hundred other people on the Preikestolen cliff.” - don’t even hope that you can be alone in the frame. If you spend the night here, from 10 pm to 6 am the cliff is completely yours! Well, or yours and 5-10 other people who are the same romantics and adventurers. In addition to our three, that night there were 4 more tents on Preikestolen. At 5 in the morning there were already two copters flying over the cliff, and one Canadian was filming a video on some kind of three-dimensional camera and voiced what was happening in a tragic voice, that is, they don’t come here to sleep :) However, this did not stop each of us from taking two or three hundred unique shots , which are simply impossible to do during the day.
Well, the cliff in the evening, at night and in the morning – these are completely different states of nature, different light, different skies – photographers will understand me. So I recommend spending the night on Preikestolen.
The next point of our program was a visit to the no less famous Troll Tongue. And we also went here overnight for the same reasons – see a cult place without people, enjoy solitude with nature…
Nature, however, was merciless. It was raining heavily all the way, turning into downpour, the trail turned into a swamp, not everyone covered 11 kilometers, but those who made it were a real hero! The dinner, prepared by my hands shaking from the cold, from impatience, hunger and cold, was swallowed practically without chewing, which, of course, is not healthy, especially at night, but who told you that the hike would be easy?
The morning greeted us with the sun peeking through the lead clouds and a cold wind. Put wet clothes on yourself in a warm sleeping bag and go out in damp clothes into the cold wind – an extremely pleasant activity – This is why we go to the mountains :)
Having woken up the group at 5 am, I went to see how the Troll Tongue was feeling (in the evening I had no strength to look at it, and besides, it was hidden by a dense layer of clouds). He felt great, but it was boring to be there without people. The value of such places is in the human excitement – stood in line for three hours to take a photo – This alone makes you a hero. And when it comes – take it, no one needs it except you, it’s becoming uninteresting.
However, soon our entire group approached Language, a queue immediately formed of people wanting to take photos, and the value of the moment increased sharply :)
The way back was a little easier, at times it started to rain again, at times the sun came out, but for the most part we walked down, along the already familiar path, so the path was covered faster, although not by everyone – The trail was slippery and unless your shoes have good tread, it is not easy to walk on. Good trekking boots for such hikes are preferable to sneakers and all other shoes.
Towards evening we were already walking around Bergen – a tourist mecca where cruise ships come and where there are more tourists than residents. The famous fish market, where for some reason only Spaniards trade, amazes not with the assortment of fish and seafood, but with astronomical prices. Well, overall, it’s a nice, pleasant town, which, of course, needs to be seen in any case. By the way, the salmon sandwich I bought at the market for 5 euros was fantastically delicious!
In the evening the “communist” was waiting for us. camping. Not only was it the cheapest of our entire trip, absolutely all services were free! And this is next to one of the most touristic places in the world! Just some miracles!
Our entire group, having been pretty worn out and wet in the previous hiking trips, immediately occupied the washing machines and dryers and until all the things were washed and dried, none of the other guests of the campsite used them I couldn't use it :)
And the next day we reached the Geirangerfjord – one of the most beautiful in Norway and rode like a breeze along a whole cascade of mountain serpentines and passes, where, despite the low altitude, it was practically winter. The distance between the two views in the photographs below is no more than 5 kilometers, but what’s the difference, right?
This is where the usual standard auto camping tours in Norway end. There is a return to Oslo, sometimes stopping at the town of Alesund, sometimes through Lillienhammer, but Geirangen Fjord – the last natural attraction of standard tours to Norway. We were only in the middle!
By evening we were in ?lesund and were surprised to find that in the city campsite – the most convenient, there are no places even for tents! We had to drive back 28 kilometers, and the next day drive these kilometers again on the way to the city, but at the campsite far from the city, scatterings of strawberries and blueberries, a beautiful view of the fjord, as well as a free shower and Wi-Fi were waiting for us.
In ?lesund we stopped at the observation deck, which offers the famous Art Nouveau view of the city, captured on thousands of postcards and millions of photographs of tourists from all over the world, then we went to the largest Norway's aquarium (by our standards - very small and modest) and walked around the city center for a couple of hours - sweet and very charming.
And towards evening we were already driving along the famous Atlantic Road – man-made landmarks of Norway. One of the hundred most popular and famous attractions in the world. The road runs along the islands and is connected by quaint humpback bridges – a curious sight that is worth seeing at least once in your life.
City of Trondheim – Norway's second largest city and its university capital, with the world-famous University of Technology and a cathedral very similar to Notre Dame in Paris, also received our attention. We wandered around the city center, looked at the famous houses on the water, and drove up to the university building. Once upon a time, back in 1990, I was here at the International Student Festival. It was nice to visit this city again and feel the light nostalgic notes.
And then there was a long road to the Lofoten Islands. In the north, Norway becomes surprisingly large, the distances here are comparable to those in Russia – 900 kilometers from Trondheim to Lofoten. But the journey was worth it - Lofoten did not disappoint anyone!
Already from the ferry, breathtaking views began to open – pointed mountains, bizarre piles of rocks, clouds stuck among mountain peaks and green vegetation at the bottom of the mountains. There are beaches here like in Thailand or on the Caribbean islands, and northern landscapes like in Scotland or Ireland, there are fishing villages with their absolute and unique authenticity… Overall, this is a must see! If you haven't been to Lofoten, you haven't been to Norway, and if you haven't been to Norway, you haven't been anywhere!
After Lofoten it was just as long as before, a journey of a thousand kilometers to the North Cape and Knivshall?denn capes, which are the northernmost points of mainland Europe and to one of which – in reality, and not in marketing terms, the northernmost one, we had planned an overnight trip. It had to be cancelled, since everything was in such a thick fog that it was impossible to walk in it or see anything. We spent the night in a campsite 13 kilometers from the North Cape, the next day we took a walk in its surroundings and, to the general joy of the participants, tired of the cold and rain, we set off towards the house – South. The very north of Finland became the south for us, but it was already much warmer here. By evening we reached the Finnish city of Rovaniemi – the capital of Lapland and the residence of Santa Claus. The local campsite amazed us with the perfect lawn on which we pitched our tents and, as usual in Scandinavia, with merciless prices – they were not much lower than the Norwegian ones, although Finland, in general, is cheaper than Norway.
In the morning we stopped by the Santa Claus village, which is also open in the summer. We crossed the Arctic Circle again (the first time in Norway, where it was much colder, the second time here in Rovaniemi) and drove towards home. Just before the border we found ourselves in thick fog, and every kilometer on the road there were “Moose” warning signs, which meant it was impossible to drive fast – Colliding with a moose, especially at speed, has never ended well. We drove slowly and therefore crossed the border after 12 o’clock at night. It went just as quickly and almost smoothly as on the way “there”. and at two o'clock in the morning we had already checked into the hotel in Vyborg.
Well, the next day was the last day of our journey. Having dropped off two participants from Kazakhstan in St. Petersburg, who specially took tickets home from the northern capital to see this city, extending their trip for a few more days, we safely arrived in Moscow in the evening.
Summary
A trip to Norway by car and overnight in tents – A trip to this fantastically beautiful, but also fantastically expensive country, affordable for any family budget. Moreover, if you are driving your own car, the trip will cost you much more than a trip with an organized group, as we had, since you will have to pay for everything yourself, and prices in Norway “bite”. Here are some numbers for information:
- AI92 gasoline or diesel - 1.2 – 1.5 euros per liter, AI95 – 1.6 – 2.0 euros per liter,
- ferry (there were 8 of them on our way) – from 25 to 180 euros per car and 5 passengers,
- camping (car and three tents) – from 50 to 150 euros per night, shower – 20 euros for 6 minutes, charging your phone – 2 euros. At some campsites, additional services are included in the price. The cost of living in houses on the campsite – from 50 euros per person per night,
- hotels – from 100 euros to infinity per person per night,
- entrance tickets to museums, aquariums – 20-30 euros per person,
- parking – from 20 euros per hour (in capitals and large cities) and from 20 to 60 euros for the whole day (near natural attractions),
- some bridges and tunnels – 20-30 euros for car travel,
- entrance ticket to the North Cape – 28 euros per person.
You can seriously save money by sleeping in tents outside campsites, which in Norway is possible in most public places - on the beaches, in the mountains, even just near the roads. Most importantly, try not to set up tents in private areas - in agricultural fields, near farms and near houses, and also do not light fires under any circumstances - this is strictly prohibited everywhere in Norway! You can only cook with gas or in specially equipped kitchens in campsites. By the way, it is better to bring gas with you from Russia, since in Norway it costs 3-5 times more. The same goes for products.
In addition, you can find free parking lots near natural attractions, however, be prepared for the fact that they will not be the most convenient and you will have to walk an extra kilometer, or even two, to the start of the route, while paid parking lots are located next to the route.
You can also spend the night at a campsite for free by arriving after 10 pm, when the reception is no longer open, and leaving at 7-8 am, but this does not always work. They will not kick you out, but they may ask for payment for accommodation and use of services.
But, in any case, traveling in a group will be cheaper. In addition, you will be spared many problems, from navigation and finding the right places, to road safety - in Norway, although they are of excellent quality, they are often very narrow, winding, and if you are not an experienced driver, it is better to gain experience in other, simpler places. In Norway, there are huge fines for violating traffic rules, and an accident, even a trivial one, will cost you a lot of money and nerves. And without a car, alas, you won’t see much...
About the auto camping tour to Norway next summer (2018)
Next year I will definitely do a similar tour, since there are already quite a few people willing to go on it today. But it will be slightly changed. Firstly, because I don’t do standard, continuous tours – I’m not interested in this, each of my tours is done according to a new program and is unique in its own way. Secondly, it will be done taking into account the shortcomings that were identified this year. We will not go to the North Cape, since it is too cold there and, by and large, there is nothing to see. But this will be a tour not of three, but of four countries, including Denmark! From Stockholm we will go to Copenhagen, then we will reach the north of this country, from where we will take a ferry to the Norwegian city of Kristiansand – the southernmost in Norway, and from there we will go to Oslo and further along this year’s route to the Lofoten Islands – You can’t miss them under any circumstances, because they are the most beautiful thing in Norway! From there we will go through Sweden to the Finnish city of Oulu, then to Turku and from there – home.