The Nordish Trip - Part 1
After our trip to Senegal, we decided to travel in the opposite direction, to the cold countries of Northern Europe. As we had already been to Ireland and the UK and loved them, we decided to visit the Scandinavian countries first and then return to the UK for the end of the winter. It's always been a dream of mine to go there in the winter temperatures and walk around in the snow. This trip is going to be tougher in terms of travelling comfort because of the low temperatures we'll be experiencing, so we had to be prepared.
We couldn't travel to the Nordic countries in our old Peugeot J5, so we sold it and bought a new,much bigger van so we could stand upright and live more comfortably. We spent 4 months insulating and equipping the van to meet our expectations. These months of preparation were also useful in planning our future trip. We studied the route, the best time to go and of course the maps to find the surf spots.
On the 2nd of September we're finally ready to go. Given the amount of sunshine in these countries, we decided to go to Norway first. But it's a long way to go. We have to cross France, Belgium, Germany and Denmark before we finally reach Norway. We'll have to take a few breaks along the way, but we'll be driving all day to get to Norway early enough to make the most of the bright days. In Germany we stopped for a day in Hamburg to visit the Rebel Surf Company shop and see Rainer. It took us 5 days to get to Norway and the country looked incredible as soon as we stepped off the ferry.
Looking at the surf conditions we can see that there won't be any waves for the next few days. So we took the opportunity to spend our time hiking and fishing. The scenery is just amazing. And as far as fishing goes, it's never been easier for Paco to catch fish: in less than half an hour he catches our next meal, pollock, bonito...
On our way north, we stopped to see a glacier. It's a first for us! We spent the morning hiking to get as close as possible to the glacier and enjoy the unique view.
The road to the Lofoten Islands takes us over a mountain pass. When we reached the summit at 1600m, we discovered snow. Snow in September is quite rare for us, and at the moment our friends are sunbathing in the Basque Country while we put on our sweaters and jackets. Some days we've had temperatures as low as 2°C, which puts us in good condition for the next few months.
For the past 10 days we've been admiring all that Norway has to offer. We spend our time stopping along the road to take photos and observe the fjords and mountains. We've also discovered that Norway is full of waterfalls, much to our delight. When we decide to take a break to sleep, we always find a quiet spot or car park in the countryside with clean toilets. One evening we were lucky enough to see the Northern Lights - an incredible sight! They were our first and we hope to see more during our trip.
As for the cost of living, petrol is the same as in France, but it's true that food is relatively more expensive.
We're now heading to the Lofoten to try and find our next waves.
To be continued...
