Norway – Just before the Arctic Circle

Route to the blog:

To get closer to the coast, we took the train to Åndalsnes. Soon we could spot the first fjords, mostly they were shrouded in thick rain clouds, but their presence we could guess. So also the 8.3 km long Atlantic road came closer and closer, because of which we also skipped the direct route to Trondheim. It runs over eight bridges and several small islands and is one of the most beautiful roads in the world.

EuroVelo 1, which we will now follow all the way to the north of Norway, runs along the coast and winds past the numerous fjords. This means that certain routes must/could be covered by ferry services. Most small ferries are free for bicycle travelers. In addition, we noticed that the short-distance ferries are even powered by electricity. Since the power supply along the coast is not always very developed, this is not easy. Who is interested in it like Beni: Link electric ferry.
Generally, one does not become completely conclusive with the Norwegians and the topic of energy. In this way, they produce clean energy in abundance, which they then also waste senselessly. For example, streetlights or house lights burn in broad daylight. Also, a lot of heating is done with old electric radiators, in larger cities in winter even the sidewalks to keep them ice-free.
On the roads, Norway is a pioneer with over 80% electric cars. Those who drive combustion engines often just leave their engines running when they go shopping 😅.

On our trip along the coast, the weather continues to be stingy with sun and warmth, but we sweeten the day with small pleasures such as picking and eating chanterelles and picking wild strawberries and blueberries. An animal encounter with a herd of alpacas, with one in particular standing out, also brought a laugh to our lips.
Whenever the sun briefly appeared in between, we caught beautiful glimpses of the sublime fjords. In addition, we met Darius & Corinne, a Swiss cycling couple, with whom we camped one evening, surrounded by half a zoo, right on the water. Unfortunately, we went our separate ways after that, which was a shame because we hit it off right away.

Again during 2 days heavy rain was announced, therefore we spent 1 day of it on a camping site in a cabin. This is the cheapest way to have a roof over your head in Norway. These are small cabins, equipped with bunk beds, a table with chairs, stove top and electric heater 😉. On average they cost CHF 30/night excl. shower and washing machine. Again, a nice German couple helped us turn the cold rainy day into a positive experience. We were presented with about 800 g of freshly caught pollock. Even the preparation was taken from us, we just had to fry it. In the evening we were allowed to experience the hospitality with a chat and good German beer and coffee.
The other rainy day we tackled on the bicycle, we got wet down to our underpants and it was 7°C cold. We were rewarded in the evening with an incredibly beautiful rainbow cloud.

More or less dry we reached Trondheim the next day. The city has a rich cultural life with an international flavor, besides being a popular pilgrimage site, and was once Norway’s capital for 200 years. We were lucky, there were 3 festivals going on without our prior knowledge, a beer festival, a food festival and a music festival and we were treated to 2 gorgeous summer days.
At the beginning, when we entered the city, it was still unclear where we will stay, as we have not yet received an answer from the Warmshowers host we requested. We then decided to pitch our tent near the famous Nidaros Cathedral. When Allan (our host) finally got in touch the next day, we stayed at his house for one night. There we met our new friend Marco, who was also there at the same time. Marco comes from Basel. Together we visited the city the next day, had a blast together, enjoyed the good conversations, our expensive wine from the canister and he accompanied us to the ship port, where we unfortunately had to say goodbye to each other. For sure we will see each other again in Switzerland.

For us it went then on the very well-known Hurtigruten mail ship, which should bring us up to Nesna. We made this decision due to the fact that the landscape doesn’t change much until we reach Lofoten, we want to have enough time in Lofoten and our route to Helsinki is still very long. What we experienced on the ship, you will read in the next blog.

For even more insight into our everyday cycling life, check out our latest video:

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