Oslo harbor in the evening. A vintage steamer firing up its boiler.
First tunnel. This one is on Rt. 755 across the Trondheimsfjord from the city of Trondheim.
Second day. Typical: excellent road, little traffic, lots of green.
June 22, 2009 - campground near Bogen four days and 302 kilometers after leaving Trondheim. This place was memorable mainly for the clouds of aggressive biting midges that swarmed around my head while I was making my dinner. I quickly fled into my midge-proof tent.
June 23, 2009 - Campground in Vennesund, 5 days and 325 kilometers north of Trondheim. It rained for much of Day 5 so I didn't get far. This cabin cost 350 NOK (about 35 euros) but the campground proprietor gave it to me for 250 NOK when I hesitated.
The ferry to Holm in Vennesund. The big white building originally served as a fish market and inn. Fishermen could bring small boats right under the house and let their catch be weighed as it was hauled into the market. Today it is a comfortable inn run by Wayne, a friendly British-born man who married a Norwegian woman.
A Hurtigruten ferry on its way north seen from the Vennesund campground.
On board the ferry from Forvika to Tjotta. The mountain range is De syv søstre (seven sisters) - seven peaks, the highest of which is 1072 meters.
Campground north of Tjotta with Breitlinden (910 m), the southern-most of De syv søstre mountain range.
I saw moose three times. Each time was early in the morning and I only caught fleeting glimpses of the animals before they vanished into the woods along the road. This statue of a moose stands above the road north from Sandnessjoen.
Day 7, about 450 km north of Trondheim. Suspension bridge near Sandnessjoen across the Leirfjord. The money Norway spends on transportation infrastructure testifies to the country's wealth.
The ferry from Levang to Nesna. These modern, substantial and well-maintained all-weather ferries are more evidence of Norway's prosperity and its commitment to keeping remote communities connected to the rest of the country.
Nesna Campground, June 26, 2009, 1:30 a.m. Nesna is about 40 kilometers south of the Arctic Circle, which means there is no midnight sun at sea level. But it is visible at a few hundred meters elevation, as the light on the mountains in this photo shows.
Warm days bring out swarms of small black flies that love sweaty bicyclists. With my bicycle speedometer I was able to determine that these flies have a top speed of about 15 km/h. Unfortunately, my normal speed up a long climb is 7 or 8 km/h, which meant I was plagued by these flies crawling all over my body. At least they don't bite.
One of the longest tunnels I had to ride through on my way from Trondheim to the North Cape.
Deep inside the tunnel with 500 meters of mountain above me. Cold (about 10°C in the summer), damp, dimly lit and loud when traffic is approaching. Fortunately, there's so little traffic that I usually got through these tunnels without being passed by more than one or two cars.
Part of the Svartisen glacier visible between the mountains.
Day 9, about 650 km north of Trondheim. Bicyclists coming off the ferry from Ørnes at Vassdalsvik.
The ferry from Vassdalsvik to Ørnes. This ferry also connects Meløysund and the small island of Bolga to the mainland and I unfortunately caught the ferry at the beginning of its circuit. As a result, I was the only passenger for a 20 km round-trip out to Bolga. At Bolga, the captain merely looked at the empty dock and turned around without touching the island. Running this 200-ton ferry with its four-man crew cannot be a profitable operation, but it does enable a handful of people to live and work on Bolga.
Hans, a Swiss cyclist who rode from his home in Heiligenschwendi to the Lofoten.
Southbound between Bodø and Ørnes.
More southbound riders between Bodø and Ørnes. A few days later another cyclist told me that there was a dog in one of these trailers.
Waiting for a ferry in Bodø.
Day 11, about 775 km north of Trondheim. A family from Saxony choosing a site at the campground in Bodø. They had left Dresden the same morning by airplane and were about to begin a vacation in the Lofoten. The little boy rode in a trailer.
Two Danes at the campground in Bodø. Each was towing a Koga Miyata "Chela" trailer, which weighs "only" 12.6 kg empty. I ran into these fellows again in Alta two weeks later and one of them admitted the trailers were a mistake.
Camping near the village of Å at the western tip of the Lofoten islands.
Hamnøy fishing village in the Lofoten. Spectacular scenery. Unfortunately for me, it was rainly and overcast when I passed through here. Still beautiful.
In the Lofoten
In the Lofoten on the island of Flakstadøy.
Submarine tunnel between Flakstadøy and Vestvagøy.
No traffic on these roads. I could cheerfully park my bike right in the middle and stroll around. If a car showed up, plenty of time to make room.
Good coffee and cake at a café on Rt. 815 along the south coast of Vestvagøy. Popular with bicyclists.
Day 15, about 930 km north of Trondheim. Downtown Svolvaer
Hurtigruten coastal ship approaching the bridge at Sortland.
First of four photos that form a bit of a panorama view.
Second of four photos that form a bit of a panorama view.
This view is north of Sortland. The village to the left in the distance is Forfjord.
Fourth of four photos that form a bit of a panorama view.
Huritgruten ship maneuvering to dock at Risøyhamn. The buoys in the distance mark the man-made channel that enables larger ships to navigate the straight between Andøy and the mainland.
Andøy landscape
This ferry connects Andenes with Gryllefjord on the island of Senya. The passage was quite rough. Several passengers spent the entire time clutching barf bags and looking miserable.
From the ferry, approaching Gryllefjord
Day 19, about 1180 km from Trondheim. You can make out my tent and bicycle on the embankment near Ersfjord. I am standing on the beach looking south.
Camping wild and making dinner near the village of Ersfjord on the north side of Senya.
Midnight sun seen from my campsite in Ersfjord.
Tromso
Day 21, about 1360 km from Trondheim. The Lyngenalpen east of Tromso. View looking west across the Lyngen, a fjord, from near the village of Djupvik.
Glacier in the Lyngenalpen.
Camping rough near Djupvik.
Dinner tonight was a stew made of leek, potatos, carrots, garlic and pinto beans. Very tasty at the end of a long day. Served with Arctic brand Norwegian beer.
View south from a campground north of Storslett.
Day 23, about 1480 km from Trondheim. Looking ENE from the campground at the western end of the Langfjord.
Young french cycle tourist with too many water bottles and too many spare tires. I carried two extra inner tubes but no extra tires. Good tires should not break on a trip like this, and if they do, you'll almost always be able to find a replacement not more than 100 km away. I did not suffer a flat tire during the entire 2000 km trip.
On the plateau north of Alta.
Reindeer grazing near Slatten, Rt. 889, on the west coast of the Porsanger Peninsula.
Day 26, 1790 km since Trondhem. The town of Havoysund.
Gulls feeding on something dumped by a fishing trawler. I took this photo from on board MS Nordlys, which I first boarded in Havoysund for the short hop over to Honningsvag. I did this to avoid the long (7 km) and deep (350 m below sea level) and busy (all those tourists, campers and busses headed for the North Cape) tunnel that connects the island of Magoya with the mainland.
At the North Cape.
Day 30. Today I can leave my baggage in my motel room at the campground visible in this photo and make the 50 km round trip to the North Cape itself. Temperature is about 8°C and I have an icy wind coming from the north. Only 50 km, but I have several long climbs as I cross the island of Magerøya. In all, I'll climb 1100 meters of elevation on this little excursion.
Magerøya landscape.
Toll booths for entering the North Cape tourist trap. It costs 215 NOK (more than 20 Euros) to go in there.
From Honningsvag I reboarded the Hurtigruten ship MS Nordlys now on its southbound leg. I had booked a cabin for myself well in advance. Here tourists admiring the views in the Vesteralen.
The Hurtigruten company boasts that the trip along Norway's coast is the world's most beautiful cruise. I cannot confirm that, but I CAN say the traveler sees much more from the seat of a bicycle.
I went aboard MS Nordlys in Honningsvag on July 19 and left the ship in Trondheim exactly 3 days later. In Trondheim I immediately caught a train to Oslo, from where I flew back to Berlin on an Air Berlin A320.
MS Lofoten, one of the vintage Hurtigruten ships still in service. Built in Oslo 1965, 2600 tons.
MS Nordstjernen, the oldest of the Hurtigruten ships still in service on its northbound leg about 30 minutes from Havoysund. Built 1955 by Blohm & Voss in Hamburg. 2200 tons. This photo shot from MS Nordlys. In the distance, the world's northern-most windpark (outside Havoysund).
MS Nordlys approaching the docks in Havoysund on June 17, 2009. Built 1994 in Stralsund, Germany. 11,200 tons. Not a small ship, really, but tiny compared to the behemoth shown in the next photo just for comparison.
MS Celebrity Constellation in Oslo harbor. MS Nordlys: 11,200 tons, 7 decks, length 122 m, width 19 m, capacity 482 beds, crew 80. MS Constellation: 91,000 tons, 13 decks, length 294 m, width 32 m, capacity 2000 passengers, 1000 crew.
Oslo harbor July 23, 2009.
