Now we have them too Lofoten seen. It took us 5 days to drive off and look at a lot. It was a bit tiring as you often stop for viewpoints and pictures and then drive on again. We then drove the small roads around the islands and not just the main road over the islands. The biggest stress factor for us was the search for a free place to stay every evening. The Lofoten were so overcrowded that it was not so easy with the places and because of that we often got into quarreling. But in spite of everything it was a nice time and now we are heading south again.
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Fauske - dryer disaster again
From Lofoten we are to Fauske drove to the campsite. The laundry is on again and we want to take a shower too. The campsite is located above Fauske and offers a great view of the city. Since it was still a little rainy and thick clouds were hanging in the sky, it was a special view. I then washed the laundry and it worked quite well so far. However, we had the problem with the dryer again.
The laundry just didn't dry out even after drying it twice and I had to distribute the laundry on the bus overnight. Really bad, because it was cold because of the rain and most of the laundry wasn't dry the next day. I could have howled. We then drove on first to hang them outside later. Since the days were rainy and cold on the Vesteralen and cold at night on the Lofoten, we mostly had the heating on. That was of course on the gas, so we went to refill.
After that we had to do a lot of shopping, as we planned to stay somewhere for at least 2 more nights. Since our way to the Saltstraumen We stopped there of course. He was on our list anyway, so we went there for lunch. The Saltstraumen is the world's largest maelstrom, which runs through the 3 km long and 150 m wide strait. It can reach a speed of up to 20 knots (approx. 32 km / h), but this depends on the phases of the moon and the equinox. Every 6 hours, when the tide alternates, it stands still for a brief moment and then flows in the other direction. The vortices can reach a diameter of up to 10m.
All in all, it was very interesting to see something like this. It is simply impressive what kind of hydropower is behind it and to watch how the vortices work. After a few pictures and videos, after a small lunch, we were on our way again.
We made a short stop at a rest area that was between the mountains by the sea. You could walk down a small bridge to the beach, which was again very white and the water was slightly turquoise. Finja first had fun in the sand and ran around. We really enjoy such little moments! And on it went south.
Vedberget - bum a little
In Vedberget we then found a nice place a little off the main road. From here you can see the sea over the marshland and opposite is a small peninsula. First the awning is extended and the laundry is hung up so that we can get it dry. Since there is a light wind, this should be done quickly. My mood wasn't in the best the day before, so I was still a little irritated about the laundry. But it was dry until evening!
After we slept in the next day, we cleaned the bus again from front to back. That filled the afternoon. In between we ran with Finja, but since the weather wasn't the best and it rained every now and then, she didn't really feel like it and the laps were quite small. We were really lucky with our pitch. When you come to this area, there is a large space right in front where several vans can be. Then there was a small driveway to a small square and since it was free, we stood there and were to ourselves the whole time.
At first we thought about going on the next day. But since we were still pretty exhausted and tired, we decided on a 3rd night. So we were able to work a little longer for the homepage and laze around during the day. Finja also enjoys such days when she can rest and sleep. It was also very exhausting for them in Lofoten. At noon a longer lap was run because the weather was also better.
Kleivhalsen - car park on the main road with a breathtaking view
The journey continued. We hadn't set a fixed point for ourselves, but we knew that there were 2 ferries ahead of us. The path was incredibly beautiful again! It was always along the coast and since the weather was good, you had a nice view of the fjord on the one hand and the mountains on the other. We have our lunch break at a rest area on Holandsdfjorden across from Svartisen glacier made.
You had a great view of the glacier over the fjord and since the sun kept coming out, it really glittered. It is the largest glacier in northern Norway and you can take a passenger ferry to cross over for hiking. There are also guided glacier hikes. At one point the glacier almost reaches sea level. It has a size of 400 km² and a thickness of up to 600 m. The mass of the glacier is constantly in motion and can slide up to 2 meters in 24 hours.
On the way to this resting place the fjord water was already really turquoise and one had seen small foothills of the glacier in the mountains. The problem is often that right then there are no stopping points to take a few photos. Often annoying for us because the “magic” of the landscape has disappeared a few meters further on. At the rest area itself, the water was still slightly turquoise, but not as beautiful as further ahead. Basti then let the drone fly and took very nice pictures.
The first ferry was a small one and in 20 minutes we were back on the road along the coast. We had then already looked for parking spaces. I thought we'd spend the night somewhere before the next ferry. But when we stood at the ferry and it was supposed to leave shortly afterwards, we talked past each other. So after a short discussion we got on the ferry. The crossing took 1 hour, but we were able to take Finja onto the deck. She did pretty well up to the last 15 minutes, but then she got oily and restless.
With the ferry ride we then also crossed the Arctic Circle. It came as a surprise to me because I actually wanted to stay the night before. Basti was happy that it got a little darker again at night. There was even a globe that could be seen from the ship. Finding a parking space after the ferry turned out to be difficult, as the spaces were either already occupied or too sloping. We then have on one Parking lot, Kleivhalsen, right on the main road, somewhat protected by a small wall, stayed the night. A lookout point is also indicated here and so there was of course quite a bit of through traffic.
But we weren't alone who stayed here. The view was really breathtaking! One looked directly at the sea and the offshore islands, quite a few of them. Some can be reached by ferry; some only as pedestrians, others by car. We were hoping to see at least a nice sunset, but it was cloudy. For this we were rewarded the next morning with a super great view. The sky was almost cloudless and the view of the islands was a dream. After a few pictures our journey continued along the coast.
You can find more pictures in the Photo gallery Norway.
