Monday, 02 October Week 9

The Aida Perla turns the corner! How small the ferry next to it looks!

You keep coming across old farms! Fascinating!

What stories could these buildings tell?!

Spontaneous decision! We are taking the round trip along the Gamle Strynefjellsvegen. So we turn right before we reach Grotli. Small construction sites make it difficult to get through the three tunnels. Then we finally make it and the turnoff to the old road comes into view. For heaven's sake - crossed out!!

Sh..... back through the tunnels - the construction sites have magically disappeared - at least we have a clear path!

Aha, the old path is open at Grotli, nothing is crossed out. So we just drive up. There are wonderful places to stay overnight up there and in this beautiful weather you could even go for a hike.

You have to be careful, the dirt road has some serious potholes and then after a bend - the barrier is down - you can't go any further!

Damn, typical Norway, they don't always take the signage so seriously here. But what the heck, don't get upset, just turn around. Then carry on towards Lom.

At some point on every trip you have to think about your journey home. We are doing that again today.

Drive to southern Norway and take the ferry from Kristiansand to Hirtshals? But which day should we book the ferry for? What is the weather like on the 750 km route over several passes?

Hmm, changeable and snow possible at higher altitudes.

Or maybe Oslo - Gothenburg - Helsingborg? 920 km, easy to drive, weather forecast pretty good, no time pressure, no booking.

On the way to Lom we exchange our thoughts. We talk about the pros and cons and decide on option two.

Short stop in Lom, we need bread. Then we continue towards Otta, where we soon come across the E6.

While I'm on the road, I'm already looking for places to stay overnight. Well, it's always a bit difficult on the E6.

Hmm, should our last night in Norway really take place somewhere in a horrible transit area?

There's the turnoff to the Valdresflya scenic route. We briefly mention it, take a quick look at each other and then we put on our indicators! And now we're standing there, alone, in the most beautiful Norwegian landscape and we're more than happy.

Well, this is also a typical day on a trip!

Day route: Geiranger - Jotunheimvegen

Distance: 225 km

Average consumption: 10.1 liters

Average speed: 52 km/h

Travel time: 4 hours 17 minutes

​​​​​​​Pitch costs: 60 NOK parking fee, wonderful view, nothing else

Overnight spot, walk and pizza in Moss.

Day route: Jotunheimvegen - Moss

Distance: 296 km

Average consumption: 7.8 liters

Average speed: 56 km/h

Travel time: 5 hours 15 minutes

​​​​​​​Pitch costs: 260 NOK incl. water/gas, incl. electricity

Morning mood in Moss

And once again we spontaneously put on the indicator and drive off the E6. There is a strong wind blowing, which you are even more exposed to on the motorway than when driving across country.

So we happen to pass by Grebbestad and here is this wonderful fish delicatessen.

The salmon and shrimp creations look simply delicious!

But they don't just look good - they are also incredibly good!

And so there is a lunch stop in Bovallstrand with a gourmet menu!

Soon after the lunch break we end today's driving day in Basteviksholmen. The Pfüdinase is right on the water and each pitch has its own terrace with wind protection. Well, we need this protection today. It's even better behind the motorhome. So we even use the camping chair. But we brave the gusts of wind and explore the large leisure harbor extensively. There are also two nice places to swim, but that's definitely too dangerous today.

But we also enjoy doing nothing and lazing around. We plan our journey home and reminisce about the last few weeks.

Tagesstrecke: Moss - Slättna, Basteviksholmen

Distance: 186 km

Average consumption: 9 liters

Average speed: 61 km/h

Travel time: 3 hours 2 minutes

​​​​​​​Pitch cost: 260 SEK, incl. water/electricity

Thursday, 05 October

It rained heavily in the first half of the night. Always difficult to sleep, at least for me (Heidi).

Our alarm clock rings at 6 a.m. We want to make as big a slide south as possible today.

There comes a point on almost every trip when you just run out of steam. And we have just reached that point. The initially somewhat cloudy weather improves quite quickly, but then suddenly a strong gusty wind blows again.

A little north of Gothenburg we have to leave the E6. A landslide has caused a lot of damage during the night of 24

September 25th caused the motorway to collapse. A hole simply opened up. Fortunately, only three people were slightly injured. However, traffic on the country road is flowing quite smoothly.

Sweden has really experienced a wet summer. Even on our journey north, there was water in many places in the meadows and fields, the lakes and rivers were and still are full to bursting. And today we have also experienced a lot of "land under water".

In Helsingborg we take the ferry and Sweden says goodbye to us with a beautiful rainbow.

Ferry trips always provide some variety and relaxation on a long day of driving.

Denmark welcomes us with a lot of traffic! And it actually stays that way until just before Puttgarden. No public holiday, no vacation, just a normal Thursday afternoon, around 3 p.m. and there are traffic jams like crazy!

We use the ferry crossing from Rodby to Puttgarden for our dinner. You can't expect top-class cuisine, but we're full and don't need to cook any more.

So we reach Germany today and spend the night in the huge parking lot right in the harbor and next to the border shop. The barriers are open, so it's even free.

Tagesstrecke: Slättna, Basteviksholmen - Puttgarden

Distance: 539 km

Average consumption: 9.2 liters

Average speed: 70 km/h

Travel time: 7 hours 39 minutes

​​​​​​​Pitch costs: 0 euros, including waste bin

Friday, 06 October

The weather is improving, the temperatures are rising. We drive to Lippoldsberg. We have an aperitif outside in the sun and it is pleasantly warm. And in the Anker restaurant we enjoy a delicious schnitzel with French fries for the first time in weeks.

Daily route: Puttgarden - Lippoldsberg

Distance: 429 km

Average consumption: 9.4 liters

Average speed: 67 km/h

Travel time: 6 hours 20 minutes

​​​​​​​Pitch cost: 14 euros, including water/electricity

Saturday, 07 October

The morning starts with a few drops of rain. How far are we going today? Well, we don't really know yet. Just head south. Let's see how much traffic we'll have to deal with today, how long we want to drive. Today is going much better than yesterday. Only a very short delay in traffic. But sometimes people are driving like crazy! So today we actually end up in Bad Dürrheim and can even enjoy a delicious dinner in the Rössle restaurant.

Daily route: Lippoldsberg - Bad Dürrheim

Distance: 516 km

Average consumption: 9.7 liters

Average speed: 81 km/h

Travel time: 6 hours 19 minutes

​​​​​​​Pitch costs: 22.60 Euro, including water/electricity, without electricity, including 1x entry for 2 people to Solemar

Sunday, 08 October

We're not driving a single meter today! Wait, that's not quite right. Before breakfast we move the car and are now standing on the large meadow that is actually reserved for club meetings. There are only about 8 motorhomes there, beautifully spread out. We like it that way! And now it's time to just enjoy this summer day. It's almost too warm for us. We're not used to these temperatures anymore. But it's wonderful.

At lunchtime we stroll through the spa gardens into the center of Bad Dürrheim. And there we unknowingly stumble upon the autumn market with many interesting stalls and musical performances. Autumn market and people strolling through the streets in their summer dresses!

Our trusty basil - it accompanied us to the North Cape and back, enriched some wonderful tomato salads and even tasted excellent with raclette. You have to try it.

Tomorrow, Monday, we only have to drive to Flims. That's 212 km left. And so our basil will finally have 12,283 km on its delicate leaves.

We hope that these last kilometers will also go without incident.

A wonderful trip is coming to an end. We wanted to see the Northern Lights and it worked - we were able to marvel at some of the Northern Lights. A big dream was to see the Northern Lights at the North Cape. The dream came true - it was unique!

But we also enjoyed our time in Scandinavia so much. We just can't stop thinking about these countries. We discovered a lot of new things, but also revisited familiar places. This time, we realized once again that we love Norway even more than Sweden.

Well, besides all the beautiful things, there is probably also a scary moment on every trip that you would rather avoid.

This time we experienced the moment of shock on the Lofoten. We were driving comfortably behind a car and a van through the beautiful landscape. Out of nowhere the car slams on the brakes. The van manages to stop and luckily we do too. But there was only one reason why there was no rear-end collision - we had enough distance from the van!!! And luckily there was no one behind us. Who knows if they would have been able to stop!

If you think that reindeer or even a moose ran across the road, you're wrong.

Shortly afterwards, the car pulled over to the side of the road and the mother was obviously distracted by her child sitting in the back.

So a call to EVERYONE - keeping your distance is the most important thing!!

So that's it. Thanks to all readers for coming along! Until next time! That's definitely coming!

Ideas are buzzing around in our heads!

Daily route: 2x walk to the center of Bad Dürrheim and back

​​​​​​​Pitch cost: 22.60 Euro, including water/electricity, without electricity