Our travels in the former Yugoslavia back in 1990 were brief but did take us up through the bigger cities in Serbia so on our route back to northern Europe we sought to drive around it this time. From Romania, that meant swinging southwest down to Bulgaria then heading more or less less directly north through Macedonia and Kosovo before going west to Montenegro and then Bosnia. Perhaps we were given misleading advice but it was also strongly suggested to us that visiting Kosovo might cause problems entering Serbia ( Serbia being one of just a handful of nations that still do not recognize Kosovo as an independent state ). One thing you learn quickly in these parts is to get your politics ( and historical figures ) straight – don’t mention just “Macedonia” to the Greeks ( it’s got to be North Macedonia ! ) and never forget where Alexander the Great came from ( claimed by several countries in the region !).
Map
Leaving Romania one drives through pretty countryside to the southwest before crossing the Danube ( by ferry in our case – though I did ask Lois if it might count as that Danube “cruise” she has always wanted. Yes, you know the answer 😊 ). Both Romania and Bulgaria are now in the EU and as such part of the Schengen border control which means there should’ve been no border at all between them. While it was rather perfunctory ( and super friendly ), there was a control in place but we we were only stopped briefly. In northern Europe, no stops at all.
Arriving at the Bulgarian border post ( barge/ferry terminal ). A very warm welcome there !
Sofia was to be our only Bulgarian stop and then really only because it fell right in our path, but it was certainly worthwhile for the day we spent there exploring its sights. Like Bucharest, another city with some interesting history, beautiful buildings, upscale neighbourhoods and wide boulevards, but unfortunately also blighted by much litter, horrendous graffiti, and gardens that were simply unattended. It’s not to suggest that you don’t see graffiti in other areas of Europe, you do, but not to the extent you see it here. It was very sad to see such disrespect for historical property.
Impressive St Alexander Nevski cathedral, Sofia.The lady herself, Sofia, after whom the city was named.Typical of Sofia’s leafy pedestrian boulevards.One need not look far for remnants of the communist eraGuards, downtown Sofia buildingAnother historic church in the orthodox style.Walk behind the leafy boulevards and you see this everywhere .It was everywhere, probably the worst we have seen in Europe so far..
From Sofia it’s only a few hours west to Skopje, the capital of North Macedonia, a country which, along with Kosovo, Bosnia, Montenegro, Croatia and Slovenia peeled off from the former Yugoslavia after the conflicts in the 1990’s. The politics, as a result, can be a little tortuous and while tensions still simmer in places there is not ( as far as we know ) any remaining military conflict. Our passage through both Macedonia and Kosovo was brief, we enjoyed what we saw and the people we met were again, unfailingly helpful and curious ( more than once we were asked what on earth we were doing there !!!! ). I mention friendly again – here is what I mean; leaving Pristina we stopped at a fuel station to get some diesel before crossing to Montenegro. All three employees, on seeing our van and the unusual plates, came out to meet us. One spoke fluent English, so asked about our trip and translated for the other two who seemed absolutely enthralled by what we had done and where we had been. It was actually difficult to leave! One insisted on wiping down our dirty windshield while the other filled the van with diesel and the other talked to us the whole time. Before we could leave, he dragged me to the drink machine and insisted I take two drinks with us courtesy of them – one for Lois and one for myself. Of course I politely refused, thanked him anyway, but that went absolutely nowhere. No way were we leaving before we took a couple of drinks “on the house”, and their best wishes for a safe onward journey. It’s not quite always to that extent but It’s the kind of experience we’ve had from people in this area over and over again, which truly makes for a warm welcome. They have been through such difficult times and now seem happy and content with their independence.
Insurance at the Macedonian border ( expensive here ). As it’s outside the EU our green card is not valid, but it was fast and easy. We had to do this in Kosovo, Montenegro and Bosnia as well.“City camping”, Skopje, Macedonia. Options were limited for bigger vehicles so we stayed here. A secure car wash, fenced and guarded. The owner is a former Macedonian special forces soldier – we felt safe even if it was not the most glamorous of our stays !!Skopje straddles the Vardar River.Old town, bazaar area, SkopjeDittoDittoRemnants of the city walls, SkopjeWarrior statue, Macedonia Square.An imitation of Paris’ Arc de Trionphe, or so it appeared. Macedonia Gate.Iconic Stone Bridge, Skopje. It’s old, built on Roman foundations back in the 1450’s.
In truth, save for a few sights ( see pics above and below ) there’s not much to bring you to Macedonia or Kosovo and had they not been the only way to get us to Montenegro and Bosnia it’s not likely we would have even visited. It was quite funny, in Pristina, when I asked what the major attraction was – “Biill Clin-ton” came the unexpected answer. Bill Clinton ?Apparently the former president pushed through a vote at some important stage in a UN meeting that helped the Kosovo people in their push for independence. In any case, the guy is absolutely revered in Kosovo with a wide boulevard (named ) and a large statue (built ) in his honour. While Pristina was short on top tier sights, it did offer us a wonderful camp spot, shared with a delightful Dutch couple also travelling in the Balkans – the grounds of the Hotel Gracanica were truly a refuge for us in what was otherwise a rather chaotic city.
They revere Bill Clinton in Kosovo.Not just a statue but a main boulevard named in his honour. Perhaps that’s the Kosovo spelling for “Clinton”.Camped here while in Pristina. A big step up from the previous park-up in Skopje !Hotel Gracanica, the spot everyone camps at in Pristina. Paradise !Last fill up in Pristina, got the royal treatment and even parting gifts !
The one country here we were really excited to visit ( to the extent we probably rushed the former two in order to spend more time there ) was Montenegro. Far more like northern Europe than its neighbours, seemingly wealthier and more developed, it is also stunningly beautiful. Its coastline includes the world famous Bay of Kotor ( a cruise ship magnet ) and the hip coastal towns of Budva annd Sveti Stefan. What was especially interesting ( and very scenic ) though was our entry into the country from Kosovo. A steep climb up, over and then down the border range during which time we connected with a group of foreign, ( mostly Canadian ) cyclists. We were all getting stamped in at the border together and the Canadians in the group ( on a 2 week cycling trip through to Albania ) could not resist checking out the van with BC ( Canadian ) plates. Anyway, a fun chat ensued, and some photo ops along with the usual travellers tips. One of the cyclists was actually from Vernon, Lois’s home town ( small world ! ). Even though we plan to return to Montenegro later this summer we still could not resist exploring a bit more now, such was its appeal. The Bay of Kotor, crowded as it was ( a large cruise ship was in ) and postcard-like Sveti Stefan were particular highlights. We both agreed that this is one country we really look forward to revisiting !
Crossed paths with a bunch of mostly Canadian cyclists on the Montenegro border. They were shocked to see a Canadian van there.Scenery on the way from the Kosovo border to Montenegro.Montenegro coast, iconic Sveti Stefan.Montenegro coast near Budva.Castle walls, Kotor, Montenegro.Cruise ship, Bay of Kotor.Morning tea break driving around the Bay of Kotor.One of many tiny islands in the Bay of Kotor. Part of Our Lady of the Rocks island One of our best park-ups, on the marina, Risan, Bay of Kotor.At the Risan Marina we connected with 3 other overlanders – two from Korea, one from China. All had driven across Russia and Mongolia to reach Europe overland. Hipno’s waterfront restaurant, Risan, Bay of Kotor.Sun setting on Risan marina and village. One of our favourite spots.
We’d both heard nothing but good things about Romania from all of the folks we knew who had been there. That, plus the fact that it was completely virgin territory had us really looking forward to its offerings. While it did not start so well, it quickly improved and we absolutely loved it.
First night in Romania – after a bit of a challenge to find it we eventually located the Bobota Monastery, a popular wild camping spot near Satu Mare. Safe, flat, and quiet ( always our top three criteria, but scenic as well ).Downtown Cluj Napoca.
Cluj Napoca is a lively university town famed for its historic old town and the nearby “Salt Mine” ( Salina Turda ). Not a top destination for us per se but it fell right along our planned route so we decided it was worth a look. Here we came up against one of the rare shortcomings of the “Park4Night” app which had served us very well so far. Recommendations for where to park are compiled by previous camper users which updates the app – we chose a great spot close to the old town. Sadly, some users do NOT state that they are driving very small vans ( in some cases even just cars ! ) and the “highly recommended” area was both very full and the spaces way too small for even our small campervan. Other nearby options were equally cramped so the only choice was just to drive through the old town ( quaint, from what we saw anyway ! ) and on to the Turda salt mine just outside Cluj.
Parking was impossible here !!!Who would have imagined a “salt mine” could be so interesting. This one was.The “time-tunnel” like entrance was a bit eery but did provide dramatic impact. Thirteen stories high ( low ? ), or deep and cavernous once at the bottom.Apparently great acoustics as well !
From others we spoke with ( and several Romanians we met ) Sibiu, Sighisoara, Brasov, Bran castle and Bucharest were some of the most popular and impressive destinations so we built our intinerary around them. Arguably the crown jewel in Romania, Braşov, gave us a bit of Sibiu, a bit of Sighisoara and tossed in famed Bran castle to boot – in fact, all were beautiful, exceeding our somewhat managed expectations for Romania. Absolutely perfect travel weather the whole time we were there just added to the appeal.
Historic Saint Mary Evangelical Cathedral, Piata Huet, Sibiu.Grand Square, Sibiu.Piata Mica, Sibiu.Old town, Sighisoara.You always know what part of Romania you are in…..….and see regular reference to Dracula ( Dracul ) !Backstreets, Sighisoara.A restaurant we ate in, Sighisoara. Loved the umbrellas.Castle ruins,, Rupea, near Brasov. Many such ruins dot the countryside here.
To the above list we added Romania’s famous Transfagarasan, a scenic high mountain road made famous by legendary British motoring journalist, Jeremy Clarkson ( Top Gear ), who deemed it the “most impressive road in the world”. High praise indeed and with an endorsement like that we felt it worth a small detour. Click on the link below to see how stunning this road “was” and might one day be again, but for now it is closed in the middle leaving the best bits off limits ( or certainly from the north side that we approached from ). It was certainly high, green, and generally scenic but the switchbacks we drove ( quite a few ) were not quite as stunning as the video. Hopefully someday it will re-open.
Driving the “full” Transfagarasan. Sadly, one can no longer do this.Typical Transfagarasan scenery.
There were two nice consolation prizes of sorts – getting to the Transfagarasan took us via some bucolic rural roads giving us a taste of the Romania of yore, while some very fortunate European bear sightings created great delight for ourselves and the other motorists fortunate enough to see them. Definitely lifted our spirits after not being able to completely drive the full Transfagarasan.
We’d seen so many moose warnings in Finland and Norway ( and never saw a single moose ) that we were sceptical of the bear warning sign. Not 5 minutes later we came upon them !And there they were !Bonus for taking the Transfagarasan, even to the half way point ( end of the road now ) – brown bear sightings !Farmer driving a horse and cart. We saw quite a few of these in the remote rural areas when we ventured off the highway.
If there is doubt ( and there certainly is ) that Count Dracula in fact ever visited Bran castle, the good folks in Bran are not letting the facts get in the way of a great story; Bran castle is a local legend gone global. This impressive castle attracts visitors from all over the world and the line up to get in stretched for blocks – and that was early in the day, well outside high season. While less impressive inside than out, the position of the castle high on a rocky outcrop, its dark tones, and its unmistakable “Dracula-like” appearance make for a worthy visit – its setting is definitely impressive. Between the ambience of Braşov town itself and the sight of nearby Bran castle, Braşov probably took the nod for our favourite place in Romania. As always, the people you meet ( and sometimes the place you stay ) add to the appeal and for us Braşov was a winner on both counts.
Old town Brasov. It was a holiday when we were there. The place was packed.Main square, Brasov.Black church, Brasov.Brasov from a higher viewpoint. Very reminiscent of places in Italy when viewed from above.Bran castle, supposedly Dracula’s lair……..hmmmmm ?Inside the castle.Some of the torture weapons !Even had real hidden passages !
At this point we’d gone as far east in Romania as planned so turned south towards the capital, Bucharest. While it does have some wide boulevards, leafy suburbs, and notably, the Ceausescu-era monstrosity that is now the Palace of Parliament, Bucharest is just not the kind of capital that otherwise captivated us. The graffiti, the litter, and unkempt parks were just a bit of a turn off and detracted from what otherwise might have been a much more appealing place. Our encounters here with locals though, were amazing – in Bucharest and elsewhere. Curious as to where we were from, excited that we’d come so far to visit and falling all over themselves helpful anytime we asked for assistance ( we often did ). Truly delightful to deal with – we also found the food great, and enjoyed some of the best beers and coffee so far ( always a good barometer of a county’s appeal !).
Busteni, a pretty resort town near Bucharest. The mountainous scenery in Romania was always a great backdrop. Reminded us of Banff.Water fountains, Boulevard Unirii, Bucharest.Carol 1 Univesity, Bucharest. In places Bucharest seemed like Paris….but only in places !Now the Palace Of Parliament, legacy of former dictator, Nocolae Ceausescu.I mentioned the friendliness we experienced – here we camped outside Bucharest and the owner of the business allowed us to wash our van AND use the washer and dryer at our leisure ( such things were not always easy to find ). He provided all kinds of other help and support that we needed as well. It was typical of what we experienced. The Romanians we spoke to were all very happy to be “in” the EU now, and the country is developing very quickly.Well, not exactly the Danube “cruise” I promised Lois ( one day ! ) but we did cross the Danube on a barge as we left for Bulgaria !
Having reached this point in our journey the decision now was which route to take back to Northern Europe ( it is here that we will store the car for three months while we return to Canada for the summer ). But, more on that next blog.
Well, not quite a “detour” in the strict sense of the word I suppose, since travel in the Balkans was in the “Europe” plan – it was, in fact, always to be the other half of the first leg of our Europe trip ( after Scandinavia ).
Here I will back up just a bit, so the whole route might make some sense to the casual reader of our blog. Just as we had not travelled extensively in the north of Scandinavia during our first European experience in the 1980s, nor had we the opportunity to travel in any significant way in the former Eastern bloc. So this time we wanted to get out and explore the Balkan states that we had missed before, with a specific focus on Romania and more or less by way of transit, which ever other states we might pass through in getting down to Romania and back. Knowing we would return later in the summer, headed to Turkey and focus on the Adriatic coast, on this final month for now we’d travel to Romania ( primarily ), but then loop back to Northern Europe via Bulgaria, Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro and Bosnia ( Serbia we needed to rule out once the decision was made to enter Kosovo directly ). So, that was the plan – now we had to get to Romania and back with about 5 weeks of “Schengen” time left in Europe “phase 1”.
Route to Romania
We applied two criteria to determine our itinerary; firstly, which route was more or less the most direct, and secondly, (where possible ) which route took us through places we had never been before. The first part of this was easy – south through Germany, crossing into Poland, then hopping over the Tatra Mountains across Slovakia, touching Hungary in the east before reaching Romania in the north-west of the country. This did involve a couple of days solid driving and with the stops we made en route- came to almost a week. Here is the week that was !
Crossing from Denmark, Kiel and Lubeck in Germany’s north were new to us so along with Berlin ( not new, but where the weather was simply too awesome not to make a stopover ) we spent time in both places. Kiel’s big attraction ( to me ) was the chance to go inside a real WW2 German U-boat ( submarine U-995 ), and while less appealing to Lois, it absolutely made my day. Hard to imagine those guys living for weeks and months on end in those things – and getting depth charged regularly ! A fascinating experience to actually get inside one. It was a very dangerous job – of 41,000 German submariners, 30,000 died and 5,000 were captured, a fatality rate of close to 75%.
U995, a German U-Boat ( submarine ) that saw service in WW2, now on display at the naval museum in KielFascinating to actually go inside and see how confined life was living in a submarine. Here in the engine room. Not for the claustrophobic!It had 4 torpedo tubes.All the technical stuff..!
Lubeck is one of Germany’s gems and lived up to every superlative we’d heard about it. So much history, so many stunning buildings and all so well preserved or restored. Being able to camp across the river from the old town was just icing on the cake – so convenient. While in Lubeck the vehicle had to go in for a major scheduled service which, while draining our budget somewhat, did give us more time in this beautiful little city. Magical place.
Picturesque Lubeck, one of Germany’s prettiest cities. Historic Holestentor, Lubeck.A cobblestone backstreet, Lubeck.Our van was due for a 90,000km Service “B” ( a big one ). We were fortunate to get squeezed in to a dealer near Lubeck who took good care of us.Mercedes Reinfeld saved us when many other dealers advised of 3 week waits for a simple service !
Berlin fell right on the route to Bucharest – a city one could easily visit over and over, so we did not mind a repeat and the sunny weather just added to the experience. The Tiergarten, the Brandenburg Gate – and this time, no wall ! Getting here in 2025 was much simpler than doing so in 1986 back when “West” Berlin was an oasis of capitalism in the sea of communism that was “East” Germany.
The Reichstag, Berlin.Camped between the River Spee and Berlin’s famous Tiergarten, just 15 mins walk to the Brandenburg Gate. . Germany has certainly made camping very easy for us.Enjoying Berlin’s Tiergarten on a beautiful sunny day.Brandenburg Gate.Siegessaule, or victory column, Berlin.A handful of Nazi era buildings still survive. Here, the former Aviation Ministry building – presumably Herman Goering himself strutted these halls. “Checkpoint Charlie”, obviously no longer in use ( but we passed through it in 1986 when it still was ! ). Now a tourist attraction which we passed as we drove out of downtown Berlin.It was a Sunday as we left Berlin and we wanted to do some shopping so stopped at IKEA- we were stunned to find an IKEA that would ever be closed ( anywhere ) on a Sunday ( busiest trading day in Canada ! ). We noticed this trend in Scandinavia as well.
A long haul then took us through generally nice scenery, with good weather making driving easy and we made full use of Germany’s excellent Autobahn’s and Poland’s modern highways. Crossing the Tatra’s to Slovakia was especially picturesque given the weather was vastly improved since the last time we were in these parts. While we crossed Hungary in the far east, it was very brief, and the only reason we went that way was to avoid the need to transit western Ukraine ( Google Maps actually had planned a route out that would have taken us there – Lois said no 😟). Our return would bring us to much more interesting parts of Hungary.
Crossing into Slovakia – much better weather this time !One of our nicest wild camp spots, by a ski hill in Slovakia.A memorable little campground in Poland – high up and with views out over the valley, Gora Swietej Anny.Southern Poland with views to Slovakia over the Tatra mountains.While there are technically no internal borders in the Schengen zone, in some places they still do customs checks to make sure you are not smuggling contraband or excess quantities of alcohol. Here, some very friendly Slovakian soldiers checked us out Slovakian scenery, Tatra mountains.Passed briefly through Eastern Hungary on the way to Romania. We always take a picture of the speed rules ( they differ within Europe ) – fines can be heavy for any infractions.Nothing like the “old days” but you’ll still see the odd horse and cart in parts of Eastern Europe. Here in remote rural Hungary.
So, with that all done we were at the Romanian border- the crossing was easy ( Romania is “in” Schengen now ) and we look forward to exploring all its charms in the days ahead.
Oslo is barely a couple of hours from the Swedish border and like most others in the Schengen zone one crosses it almost without noticing.
Stromstad – suddenly LOTS more RV’s around when we are looking for a place to park up at night.
On the advice of our friend, Gil, our first stop in Sweden was Stromstad, a cozy little seaside town often frequented by Norwegians chasing cheap(er) Swedish alcohol and a weekend away. This was indeed one such weekend since a public holiday in Norway had pumped up the volume of Norwegian reveller’s who also traditionally flock to Stromstad on this particular day for a “car show” of sorts – every imaginable type was on display with visible bias to larger, older US vehicles. Lots of music, lots of drinking, you know the drill – welcome to Sweden !
Crowds waiting for the liquor store to open. It’s a long weekend and the Norwegians are in town !!! Swedish liquor is cheaper than the Norwegian stuff.just one example of some of the classic cars that were being paraded around Stromstad. Party weekend !
Moving south towards Gothenburg there was one more recommendation from Gil ( another good one ), scenic Marstrand. Famed for its fort and picturesque homes Marstrand provided us a very relaxing stopover en route to Gothenburg.
Moved down the coast to Marstrand – an excellent camping spot right on the bay. Just a few others around.Marstrand harbour with castle in the background.Ditto. A beautiful setting.Marstrand.
Not sure where we got the notion that Gothenburg was worth visiting – perhaps it was simply the fact that it laid directly on our route south to Helsingborg, the jumping off point for Denmark. Perhaps it was the fact that we’d already visited, and very much enjoyed, Stockholm on our last trip to Sweden, and didn’t really want to head substantially east to visit Stockholm again when we had not yet been to Gothenburg. Whatever it was, Gothenburg was definitely a little bit of a letdown. With hindsight, we probably would have been wise to drive east to Stockholm, revisit it, and then drive south to Helsingborg – but we didn’t. The rest of the trip south towards Helsingborg was definitely worthwhile, giving a very real, close up of rural Sweden, highlighted by our farm camping experience in Tvaaker.
We were very unimpressed with Gothenburg, but at least the cherry blossoms were in full bloom !Rural scene, near Marstrand.Sunset, farm camping, Sweden.Farm scenery, Sweden.Ditto.
Helsingborg, on the Swedish side of Oresund strait, is the closest point to Helsingor ( of “Hamlet” fame ) on the Danish side and is a popular entry point to Denmark. Yes, one can now drive further south in Sweden (to Malmo) and take the Oresund bridge more or less directly to Copenhagen, but it involves more driving, goes somewhat out of our way, and is quite expensive. The ferry for us just made more sense ( we still had one VERY expensive Danish bridge ahead but more on that later !).
On the ferry to Denmark, a view of our van I do not often see !
Helsingor ( a city also known for its shipbuilding past ) will forever be associated with Hamlet ( Shakespeare having chosen Helsingor castle as the setting for perhaps his most famous play – Elsinore, of course, is simply the anglicized version of ‘Helsingor’ ). Much is made of this naturally but the castle is quite impressive in its own right, above and beyond the Shakespearean connection.
Elsinore castle.
Barely an hour south of Helsingor is beautiful Copenhagen. The weather gods provided us an awesome day to wander around and explore its charms and the Copenhagen marina offered us a great camping stopover. Not for the first time did a marina make for a great defacto campground, offering campers all the same things that “yachties” require. Not surprisingly the marina at Kastrup (near Copenhagen airport) was packed with RV’ers like ourselves.
Little Mermaid, Copenhagen.Amalienborg palace, Copenhagen.Guard, Amalienborg.Picturesque Nyhavn, Copenhagen.
In addition to visiting several of Denmark’s popular attractions ( Little Mermaid, Nyhavn waterfront and the Amelianborg palace ) we had a “job” to do ( of sorts ) in Copenhagen – to VOTE in the Canadian election. Sadly, despite our considerable efforts, much forward planning and arranging that our voter registration documents be forwarded to the embassy in Copenhagen, they did not arrive in time for us to cast our vote. It can’t be said that we didn’t try, and I must add that the system in Canada for voting from abroad is inordinately complicated and extremely slow. Fortunately, as it turned out, our two votes would not have changed the outcome in our riding.
No luck voting at the Canadian Embassy, Copenhagen.
On this visit to the country we took the opportunity to explore a little more of Western Denmark before heading south into Germany. Odense was the major city on our route so we made a stop there. Typical of Denmark the city is beautifully maintained and has some interesting historic architecture and, of course, is the hometown of perhaps that most famous of Danes, Hans Christian Andersen. Getting there involved crossing the 2nd of Denmark’s two massive bridges, the Great Belt Bridge. An impressive piece of engineering, indeed, with a very impressive price tag for those crossing it – we paid 635 Danish Kronor or $136 Canadian ( almost $100 USD )…..just to cross a bridge !! We thought Norway was expensive – Denmark is next level.
We saw quite a few of these in Denmark – father’s riding these bike/stroller combo units ! Baby up front. Backstreets, Odense.
Denmark was certainly nice, but we were definitely happy to move on to Germany which would position us for the final 5 weeks of our Schengen time in Europe – more on that in the next edition !
As much as we loved Norway we knew our time there was drawing to a close. With the Schengen visa restriction you simply can’t spend too much time in one European country or else you are left scrambling everywhere else. While Norway was definitely a major attraction for us, there was still much more we wanted to see before heading home to Kelowna for a summer break. We made this week in Norway our last.
Bergen is a major attraction in Norway, a beautiful city with a ton of history and is also a very popular cruise port, even this early in the season. Sadly for us, Bergen turned on some of ( what the locals called ) its more typical weather and left us sightseeing in misty rain the whole time we were there. Our Bergen memories from before were much better. While the city is as beautiful as ever, it’s definitely one that you ideally want to see on a nice sunny day – such was not our day this time around 😔.
Bergen waterfront – locals told us we experienced the “real Bergen” because this is the weather they live with most of the time ! We would have preferred “tourist” weather Bergen. Much of Bergen is built on steep hillsides, giving it a dramatic look – and practically everyone has ocean views.Classic Bergen street scene on the harbourfront.At least some blossoms were out !Scandinavia is famous for sleek style- even the laundromat looked “cool”.
Our route east to Oslo ( and on out of Norway ) took us through Dale, Vos, Flam and Gol, all towns with various attractions to offer and where we made enjoyable stops – fortunately, on this section the weather help up nicely, not letting us down again until we actually reached Oslo.
“Dale of Norway” is famous for Norwegian sweaters and they have an interesting museum which we visited. They have outfitted the Norwegian winter Olympic team ( often the team that wins most golds ! ) since the 50’s and their designs are known globally.Falls, Skulestadmo.The picturesque fjord town of Flam. Camped up just outside Flam on one of our most scenic spots ever. Joined soon after by a young couple from Chile.Fellow travellers from Chile/Argentina.A fjord shot as we left Flam.Gol. Two stunningly beautiful days here.Occasionally we do visit a regular campground – spent a couple of lovely days here at Gol. The same family has owned and run it since 1928.All across Norway we kept seeing this road sign. The image of a young girl fading away. It warned of the risks of speeding- had a powerful impact.
While Oslo is a beautiful spot and we took in what sights we could on another miserably rainy day, the main attraction this go around was actually to visit with some old friends. Gil, best man at our daughter/son in law’s wedding, gave us a wonderful tour of downtown Oslo. Ole ( and his wife Britt ) hosted us to a wonderful dinner where we spent hours catching up on each others lives – it had been 42 years since we first met ( backpacking in Asia ) and 40 years since we last visited them at their home south of Oslo. Amazing how, despite the passage of such significant time, you can so easily pick up right where you left off. They’ve promised the next visit will be them coming to see us in Canada.
Selfie – OsloOslo’s rail station is a tourist attraction in itself. Stunningly beautiful inside.Abstract art, Oslo harbour.The “Guggenheim-like” museum in Oslo.The unique work of Gustav Vigeland, Vigeland Park, Oslo.Almost Oslo’s most famous son – “The Brat” statue at Vigeland Park.Wonderful to catch with family friend, Gil, who lives in Norway. He flew to Kelowna to be best man at our daughter’s wedding.He gave us great sightseeing tips but could not deliver on the weather (lol ). We made the best of it !Britt and Ole.Just wonderful to connect with old friend Ole and his wife Britt. First met Ole in Thailand in 1983, then visited in Oslo in 1985. Then a 40 year gap. Lots to catch up on and thoroughly enjoyed our visit!
With our time in Norway drawing quickly to a close we made plans for our final month in Europe ( we’ll be taking a summer hiatus and returning to Canada for a few months ). Next week we’ll travel down through western Sweden and across Denmark to Germany, in preparation for the final month of this first leg of Europe 2025.
Can’t “win ‘em all” as they say. Travel long enough and you’ll get rained on somewhere – the typically beautiful Lofoten’s were largely a washout for us, so due to the poor weather there we moved on quickly. The Lofoten ferry took us out through the short route, across the mouth of Vestfjorden to Bodo on the mainland. In Bodo, in just one day, we saw the weather change frequently ( usually for the worse ! ) but managed to salvage at least a delightful seaside evening out by the fjord. The bad weather days of course, have not all been in vain – we’ve learned from experience to use those productively as well, and typically spend them doing our laundry, grocery shopping or any other such endeavor that can be done equally easily no matter the conditions.
Camped here at Bodo. A beautiful evening and enjoyed a long seaside walk.Out for an evening walk by the fjord at Bodo catching the late afternoon sun.
It was quite a long ( but interesting ) run from Bodo down to Trondheim, our next area of interest. A few images below will tell the story. By Trondheim conditions had changed quite dramatically and we really felt that we were by then ( more or less anyway ) out of the snow zone. Warmer weather, greener fields, leaves starting to appear in trees – all a welcome relief !
Leaving Bodo and heading south we crossed the Arric Corcle again. And it felt like the Arctic !!!Stopped for a tea break and caught a guy “mushing” with his sled and dogs. This is a bank of Tesla electric charges near Trofors ( a small town )in Norway. They have one of the highest levels of electric vehicle ownership in the world ( and probably the highest ownership level of Tesla’s ! ).Among our stranger experiences in Norway. In the tiny ( and I mean TINY ) town of Trofors on a Sunday morning we were pulled over to do a breathalyzer test. Zero reading of course !
Trondheim turned on the best of days for us and most of the days south of Trondheim out into the western Fjords varied from at least reasonable to very good. Andalsnes, Alesund and ( what many consider to be Norway’s best fjord) Geiranger were all a sight to behold and in each of these places the weather held up nicely. The drive through this whole area was just spectacular – we had high expectations based on our 1985 travels and we were not disappointed. As an interesting aside for many of the days we spent in the area we ended up ( purely coincidentally ) tracking the great Cunard ahip, the Queen Mary 2 all around the Alesund and Olden area. Nothing like a giant Norwegian fjord to make a massive cruise ship look like little more than a toy !
Road scene near Vinjeora. Once around Trondheim we started getting back to lots of green in the scenery. A nice change from white !Spectacular Nidaros cathedral, a pilgrimage sight in Trondheim. First opened back in 1300.The “Old Town” bridge, Trondheim.Pretty waterfront buildings in Trondheim.Trondheim waterfront.Ski jumps, here near Trondheim. We’ve seen many in Norway, no wonder they win so many golds at the Winter Olympics !Sadly, leaving Trondheim we had hoped to drive the famous “Trollstigen” but it was closed for repair 😞😞
One of the benefits of being this far south again was that the snow was just on the very tops of the mountains and fields all around us were green – trees were even getting leaves, so the general scenery was much improved from farther north. One of the things that has not changed ( all over Norway ! ) is the number of “cottages” we see everywhere – it seems that every Norwegian family has a small cottage somewhere – up in the hills, down by the sea or nestled in by the fjords, anywhere there is a flat piece of land ! These places are all seasonal and as we travelled in these parts we could see that people were starting to open them up for the coming summer.
Isfjorden.Pretty waterfront at Andalsnes.
Pretty ( and very popular ) Alesund is a city with an interesting history. Completely destroyed by fire in 1904, the city was completely rebuilt in the ( then ) fashionable “Art Nouveau” style. It’s beautiful, distinctive and timeless. It reminded us in a way of Napier in New Zealand – destroyed by an earthquake in the 1930’s the politicians of the day had the wisdom to decree that all new building follow the Art Deco theme that was then all the rage. Like Alesund, Napier now has a unique style and beauty that continues to draw visitors from all over the world.
Alesund, typical art nouveau architecture. As we walked around we often remarked that the whole place looked like a film set!More of same.Ditto.Ditto.View across to Alesund from our park-up spot across the bay.A popular wild camp spot across the harbour from Alesund. We had it to ourselves- perfect tranquility. In 2 months it will be jam-packed.First bumped into the Queen Mary 2 at Alesund. We would cross paths again.The sheer walls of Geiranger fjord.Part of Geiranger fjord.View over Geiranger village and the fjord.Van parked at Olden, Innvikfjord, Queen Mary 2 moored nearby.QM2 up close !QM2 dwarfed by the fjord. At a distance it looked like a toy.Scenery near Eidsdal.Overlooking pretty Byrkjelo.
It must be said that the Norwegians have done a stunning job connecting this mountainous country all together with 1100 tunnels and hundreds of ferries to get you over ( or under !) the long fjords that run in from the coast. This was not an easy country to tame, but they have made traversing it extremely easy. Everything works, it’s all well kept, and it all runs on time- it’s a very easy place to love ( just ignore some of the highest fuel prices in the world and you’ll be fine – crazy, because they have lots of oil ! ). They make life easy here for campers which just adds to the allure- Norway ( and other Scandinavian countries ) are all a dream for wild camping due to a centuries old law known as “allemannsretten”, something we wish more countries would adopt. Sadly, in some parts of Europe the attitude is completely the opposite.
We’ve always considered this one of, if not, perhaps THE most beautiful countries in the world and we’ve not seen anything on this visit that would cause us to change that view. They don’t consistently rank at or near the top of global living standard rankings by accident.
In closing, here’s a little joke for the week – good reason not to wait too long to get some travelling in !
We’ll continue on next blog with the drive on to Bergen and on across the south of Norway to Oslo, wrapping up our stay in this beautiful country.
The PanAm completed in April, 2022 and with the truck camper sold, we shipped our new Sprinter van to Australia in late 2022. We travelled there through all of 2023 and into 2024 before shipping it up to North East Asia where we travelled for 4 months between Korea and Japan, before shipping it back to North America. It’s our plan to continue exploring the world in 2025.
