Monday, 04 September Week 5

Tomorrow 10 °C

Noon 16°C

Evening 10°C

The night was wet! The morning continues to drip. But just when we are clearing up, disposing of things and taking care of things, it dries out and then the day surprises us with the weather.

We make a few stops. A purchase at Rema 1000, filling the diesel tank at a reasonable price, filling the gas bottle and finally a stop at Vinomonopolet.

Also a few stops simply because it's so beautiful.

And the whole time our thoughts are circling. At Skibotn we have to make a decision about which direction to go.

We find a nice resting place for our lunch break and I, Heidi, tell Hansruedi my crazy idea of continuing our journey. After a very short thought, he says - it's booked, so let's do it.

In Skibotn we turn right onto the E8 and drive through a beautiful autumnal landscape towards Finland and stop at Rovijokkfossen. Wonderful!

The E8 is not as busy as the E6 but some trucks still thunder through here.

Many free-standing pitches are very close to the road and therefore noisy. So we end up at the campsite in Kilpisjärvi with a beautiful view of the lake. Here you could also start the hike to the border triangle of Norway, Sweden and Finland. Unfortunately, the weather is not so stable and the route there and back is quite long.

22 kilometers. Maybe in the rain?!

You can also shorten the whole thing and take a boat, then the walk is only 6 kilometers long but you will be 110 euros poorer, because that's how much the boat trip there and back costs!

Let's see what tomorrow brings.

And let's see how the onward journey, Heidi's idea, looks. Or will everything change again.

All you have to do is put on your indicator.

Day route: Bardu - Kilpisjärvi, Finland

Distance: 246 km

Average consumption: 9 liters

Average speed: 56 km/h

Travel time: 4 hours 20 minutes

Pitch costs: 29 euros, including water/electricity, without electricity

Tuesday, 05 September

Tomorrow 6°C

Noon 12°C

Evening 8 °C

If so, we would like to hike to the three-country point on foot. However, the weather is very changeable and there can be rain showers at any time. 22 kilometers is not easy and my foot is unfortunately "crazy" again.

So postponed is not cancelled and we already have one more reason to travel to Scandinavia again!

After breakfast, we insist on hiking towards the Saana summit.

We don't make it all the way to the top today, but we do manage to get above the birch line and enjoy the wonderful views in all directions.

Our journey takes us southeast through the endless expanse of Finnish Lapland until we turn left a few kilometers after Karesuvanto and head back towards Norway.

At our third stop in Kautokeino we finally manage to visit the Juhls Silver Gallery.

The life story of Regina and Frank Juhls from Germany and Denmark is impressive and exciting and what was created here is unique. Click on the link if you want to find out more.

As you can see in the last picture, the gallery was opened in 1959 - the year I (Heidi) was born, and my birthday is coming up soon. So what could be more fitting than buying a birthday souvenir and memento here.

At the end of the day, in these cool temperatures, we enjoy a delicious raclette in our Pfüdi.

Day route: Kilpisjärvi, Finland - Kautokeino, Norway

Distance: 257 km

Average consumption: 8.3 liters

Average speed: 67 km/h

Travel time: 3 hours 49 minutes

Pitch cost: 350 NOK, incl. water/electricity

Wednesday, 06 September

Tomorrow 6 °C

Midday 13 °C

Evening 9 °C

Here in the far north it still gets light very early. Today we look out of the window for the first time at 4 a.m. - it's cloudless! I fall asleep again, Hansruedi more or less dozes off.

At 6:00 a.m. we look out again and at 6:30 a.m. it is finally time for sleep.

There are only two showers here, but they are very clean and wonderfully warm - not just the water, but also the rooms. So we head to the washhouse first, as there are a few people on the site with the inhabited houses.

Our cozy morning ritual starts later today - enjoying two coffees, reading the newspaper, watching the news, studying the weather report and, at some point, having breakfast.

Culture / Nature / Culture - that's how you could briefly describe today.

The first portion of culture is in Kautokeine. We visit the church and the impressive cemetery.

On the way we enjoy a lot of nature, stopping again and again, be it to take photos or for our lunch break.

The second portion of culture is in Karasjok. We look at the Sami parliament building from the outside.

An interesting architecture.

Well, today we're driving a day's journey that's far too long. We haven't driven this far in ages. We would have loved to spend the night somewhere free at Lake Inari in Finland. But there were one or more motorhomes parked on every possible corner.

So today we land in Kirkenes on the parking space in the harbor. There is room for many people here, but there are only 4 RVs with us.

It's already 6 p.m. and yet there is still an international three-course menu!! -;)

1st course: a small portion of tortelloni (bought in Norway) with cheese and fresh basil from Switzerland

2nd course: since we are still a bit hungry, we have tomato soup (bought in Greece)

3rd course: Royal vanilla ice cream (bought in Norway) with egg liqueur from Greiz

The sky is clearing up! Could we see the Northern Lights?

Day route: Kautokeino, Norway - Kirkenes

Distance: 399 km

Average consumption: 8.1 liters

Average speed: 63 km/h

Travel time: 6 hours 18 minutes

Pitch cost: 150 NOK, including water/electricity

Thursday, 07 September

Tomorrow 9°C

Midday 18 °C

Evening 12 °C

Indeed - the first faint northern lights are timidly appearing in the night sky!!

So we get the first pictures with our new camera - I still have a lot of practice to do!

Nights with the Northern Lights are always a bit short and cold. We don't get to bed until around midnight.

So we treat ourselves to a long lie-in this morning, especially since the rain is dripping on the roof. There is no rush. We leave the campsite at around 11 a.m. and stop at KIWI for some shopping.

Then we drive out towards Grense Jakobselv. The landscape still amazes us today, after more than 8 years. The Norwegian soldiers guarding the border greet and wave just as warmly as they did in 2015.

And then we turn the last corner and are pleasantly surprised. No motorhome anywhere in sight.

It's time for our lunch salad and then we just enjoy a wonderfully leisurely afternoon. Watch the sea and the weather. Now and then a car passes by, three times even motorhomes turn the corner, but they all drive away again after a while. Only a young couple with a VW bus will also be staying here overnight.

The clouds are more persistent than the weather forecast promised. It will be difficult to see the Northern Lights.

We were able to observe seals in the afternoon and evening.

Tagesstrecke: Kirkenes - Grense Jakobselv

Distance: 60 km

Average consumption: 8.8 liters

Average speed: 41 km/h

Travel time: 1 hour 27 minutes

Parking costs: 0 NOK, incl. waste container

Friday, September 8

Tomorrow 12 °C

Noon 19°C

Evening 16 °C

A dream day to enjoy in Grense Jakobselv. We're staying!

Simply be here, look dreamily at the sea, explore every corner on foot, let your soul unwind, let your travel experiences sink in, fish, take photos, film, cook a delicious lunch .....

We also walk to the Kong Oscar Chapel. Unfortunately, it is only open in high season, but today we are lucky. Preparations for a wedding are in full swing. They let us in and we even get a taste of a singing performance.

And now just a few impressions of this amazing day.

Daily distance: a few kilometers on foot

Parking costs: 0 NOK, incl. waste container

Saturday, September 9

Tomorrow 15 °C

Noon 22 °C

Evening 17 °C

We drive back to civilization. In Kirkenes, the first stop is the Vinomonopolet, our wine supply is slowly running out.

Second stop then at the V/E outside the Hurtigruten terminal.

The third and final stop in Kirkenes is at Rema 1000. Our fridge urgently needs to be refilled.

In terms of weather, late summer has definitely arrived in the far north. Here in northern Norway, too,

T-shirt weather. We think it's wonderful. The day before yesterday, however, we spoke briefly with a local who approached us in a parking lot. He thinks the increasingly warm temperatures up this far north are not normal and not good at all.

After all the errands, we leave Kirkenes and drive towards the Varanger Peninsula on this beautiful late summer day. The landscape is simply amazing!

Shortly before 4 p.m. we reach Vadso, our destination for the day. In the huge area that is available to motorhomes free of charge, there are just 7 motorhomes parked far apart from each other.

We enjoy the sun, the warmth and later cook ourselves a delicious dinner.

Tagesstrecke: Border Jakobselv - Vadso

Distance: 239 km

Average consumption: 8.7 liters

Average speed: 56 km/h

Travel time: 4 hours 14 minutes

Pitch costs: 0 NOK, incl. water/electricity, no electricity

Sunday, September 10

Tomorrow 15 °C

Noon 17°C

Evening 11 °C

Saturday night - that can sometimes be a difficult night. Whether in a town or out in nature - you are never quite sure if and how you will be disturbed.

There were a few "posers" out and about in Vadso last night, who also turned their music systems up to full volume.

At 1 a.m. a car parked two meters next to our motorhome and the two men had a civilized conversation for over an hour. But since it was almost a warm late summer night, they just rolled down the windows and my sleep was over.

Even later in the evening, there were still a few drunks out and about in the distance,

And so from about 5 a.m. onwards, hundreds of seagulls used the large area behind us as a "meeting place" and did so loudly and for hours.

My dear husband didn't notice any of this. Poor hearing can sometimes be an advantage!

But we still start the new day in a good mood and continue our journey along the scenic route of the Varanger Peninsula. We reach Vardo shortly before midday. There are only two motorhomes in the parking lot at the very front and we look for a suitable spot.

After lunch we walk into the city. Peter Zumtor's witches' memorial and the fort are always worth a visit.

A black wall of weather looms threateningly in the sky, but by the time it rains we'll be back at Pfüdi.

And as promised, we enjoy a wonderful sunset just before 7 p.m. and the sky clears up at lightning speed. Is there enough activity to see the Northern Lights?