Broken

Mr Fluffy was not content with sitting on my new Kindle and breaking the screen a couple of trips ago. He has now managed to break my glasses by dropping my ipad on them. Should I be taking a hint. As the saying goes 'never two without three' I am wondering what will be next.

ouch

Luckily I have brought a second pair with me which have been run over by a Land Rover but are still functional. Oh well I need a new pair anyway :))

Expensive Norway?

Last night we bit the bullet and went for a meal and a drink at a lovely café in Henningsvaer. It cost us £60.00 which is at first quite shocking when you consider that the meal, in a mountain climber’s café, was basic local food consisting of one bowl of fish soup and a stew made with bacalao (dried cod).  The drinks were a small beer each.

We went on to a hotel and had two small beers which cost £17.50.

Yes, eating out in Norway is expensive but when you consider the lack of overnight charges it doesn’t seem so bad.  We have now spent 8 days parked in various lovely locations without being charged a penny for water, toilet empting facilities, or camping.

The cost of fuel in Norway varies from around £1.20 to £1.45 per litre – we try and top up when we see a cheap fuel rather than when we are running low. This compares favourably with the UK if a little higher than most of Europe. 

Food shopping can be quite expensive – a small loaf of bread and two (very tasty) pastries cost us £8.50.

The Cost of ferries and tunnel/ road tolls does add up and we have had to avoid some of the coastal routes as they are so many ferries. So far we have spent around £ 100 per week on ferries.

We have come to the conclusion that travelling around Norway by Dickie is probably the most cost effective way to do so and the absolutely stunning scenery makes up for the shockingly expensive food and alcohol prices. Just stock up your larder before you come.

A (with a circle on top)

Our first port of call in the Lofoten Islands was A (with an o on top). It is a typical fishing village with cod drying on wooden poles and robu (fishing huts) everywhere. It is quite gorge so here are a few pics. The wee fee is not great around here so we are just doing a few quick pics today. Heading north for whale watching tomorrow.

Cod R Us

Robu in the background

view through to the sea

gorge village

Arctic Circle Pics

Here are a few more Arctic Circle pics because we either a) like them or b) find them amusing

lots of little cairns people had built

 

more rocks

the centre

Fluffy among the rocks

woo oo to the Arctic Circle

we bought a troll

To the Arctic Circle

Yay we saw a moose on the road yesterday and managed to stop for a quick photo. He seemed very tame and just checked us out as we snapped away. I presume he is young and will soon be a sausage as he is much too trusting of humans.

hi chaps...nice to see you

Mo I Rana lived up to the reputation of most of the other Norwegian cities we have visited and was fairly unimpressive. It had a nice old town section but was split in two by a railway line with Its older section and marina on one side and the modern hideous bit on the other. The surrounding villages and fjords were stunningly beautiful as usual. We wanted to eat out at a restaurant called No 3 which has a good reputation for local cuisine but it was booked out so we ate at an Italian called Gusto which was run by a British woman and her Spanish husband who had left Tenerife due to the poor economic situation in Spain. The money is in Scandinavia so probably not a bad idea.

Anthony Gormley statue in the water at Mo I Rana

This morning we headed off to the Arctic Circle and were pleasantly surprised by the very friendly staff at the centre itself and the not too outrageous (relatively speaking of course) prices of the tourist tat. We purchased a troll for Dickie as they are meant to bring good luck. The landscape changed dramatically around that area ... Forests one minute then barren glacial landscape the next. Further on the forests returned and we made our way to Bodo, our stepping off point for the Lofoten Islands to go whale watching.

a kaftan for the Arctic occasion

modelling 101 - Arctic style

the dudes in the Circle

The ferry trip is four hours long and the scenery is absolutely gorgeous. We can't believe a country can be so stunning! The islands we are heading for are said to be the most beautiful in the world (as voted by the Lofoten island tourist office:)) they're looking pretty good so far. It's hard to believe this millpond-like sea is the same Atlantic Ocean that slams into the Cornwall Coast.

gorge sea

Chillin' on deck

We arrive at 9 pm so still have 24 hours of daylight to play with. We're looking forward to NOT seeing the sun dip below the horizon at all.

We love Dønna

Graham's in love with Dønna

It’s 1030 at night and the sun is shining. A stone chat sits on the bush outside the door calling to his mate and the bells on the sheep must be driving them mad but sound rather quaint and atmospheric to us.

very friendly sheep

The day started with a tour of Dønnes Kirk with a group of Norwegians who kindly agreed to take the tour in English. The statues within the church were around 800 years old and the Madonna looked suspiciously like a Black Madonna which had been painted white. The guide told us it had indeed been painted in the 17^th century. The mausoleum held 22 caskets but we were not allowed to photograph them.

first (and last) catch of the day

Our next stop is probably one of the most beautiful places we have ever been. It is the beach called Brevika on the south west side of Dønna where the sea meets Dønnamann, an 860 metre high mountain, which is classed as ‘difficult’ to climb. Dickie is parked up on the small area between sea and mountain and we have been fishing all day. Graham managed to catch a (very yummy) cod with his first cast and I managed to break the world record of seaweed catches in any one day.

not bad for a beginner

Despite my castings being very impressive, reaching a great distance, I was suitably unable to come up with anything other than seaweed (apart from a rather large clam which kind of goes nicely with Mr Fluffy’s starfish)….no puns intended there.

caught a lot of seaweed

Graham has taken a teeny video to show where we are but these snippets never give the true fabulousness of the place.

Tomorrow Mo I Rana.

Heading to Dønna

Woke early this morning as there is no perceptible difference between day and night – we are not north of the Arctic Circle yet so the sun does still just set but the sky is always light. It also didn't help that I misread my watch and was up and about before 6am. Turned the radio on and picked up the local Sami station that was playing what I assume was traditional Sami folk songs – I loved them and had fun wondering what the lyrics might be: “As I was a wandering one mid-summer’s morn, I heard the call of a distant moose” or “I've been a wild reindeer herder for many a year and I spent all my Krona on moose sausage and beer”….

As the day wore on we found ourselves craving reindeer sausage. Luckily, we just happened to have one in the fridge so we snacked heartily on it for lunch. Norwegian bread is decidedly uninteresting but we've managed to find Danish bread in the Remy 1000 supermarket. It’s very heavy but really tasty and goes very well with all our yummy purchases.

the kirk at Dønna

This drive up the E6 to the Arctic Circle is stunning in a very different way to down south. The road snakes alongside a river full of salmon and fishermen, and to the sides there are fields and pine forests and in the distance there are snow-capped mountains.

We are currently parked up at the ferry port on our way to Dønna and the giant phallus. This is moose and reindeer country so we’re hoping we see some in the wild.

………………….

The ferry trip to Dønna was straightforward enough – about 25 minutes and we had arrived at Bjørn ferry harbour. Off we went and immediately saw a moose by the road along with some strange looking birds – like jackdaws or crows with rather fabulous pale coffee coloured backs. Heading north on the island we saw the ‘Fallus’ sign about 20 minutes in to the drive and excitedly pulled in to the parking area.

a marvellous marble phallus

The marble statue stands on the top of a small hill and is around 89cm tall. It’s very white and prominent and is surrounded by farms. What a lovely neighbour to have. Just along the track is an Iron Age burial chamber, one of the largest in Europe at 35 metres in diameter and 5 metres high. It was covered in moss and lichen and as we walked around the area it felt like the ground was trying to suck us in. It was extremely spongy and there were a few holes here and there so we had to watch our step. It was guarded by some crows who had been feasting on some other bird’s eggs. There was a small skull sitting on top but we couldn’t work out what it was – maybe a badger.

There is a distinct lack of Dickie parking areas on this island so we are now in the carpark adjacent to 12^th century Church and graveyard listening to heavy metal music on the only radio station we can get. Apparently there is the largest mausoleum in Norway inside the church so we are hoping to get a look in tomorrow. Graham is cooking his potato garlic combo as we speak so I am feeling guilty that he has driven all day and is now making dinner. But he looks happy enough.

interior shot of church

Obviously there is no wee fee here but our next destination is Mo I Rana, just short of the Arctic Circle so we shall post from there.