I took some time to visit dear friends on my way back. One of them invited me to a pretty special place to camp on a private, very idyllic pond, where we had a barbeque and nice chat.
Every journey comes to an end, but the good memories stays.
No comments needed, just impressions from my stay in beautiful, bustling and interesting Copenhagen:
Photos taken at:
Just another brief visit of a rather touristic but very pretty town in Sweden: Eksjö.
It’s famous for the typically red houses and the flair of the old days. But see for yourself…
In Stockholm i bumped into the Pride Parade unexpectedly. I spent long time to watch them passing by and photographing. Watch the photos from that event, which i posted earlier:
But of course i visited also the world famous Vasa Museum and the old town of Stockholm.
Don’t miss the beauty of it, they said. The Geiranger Fjord is another highlight of every Norway trip and also listed as an UNESCO World Heritage Site. But this means lots of visitors to expect. Luckily there the most tourists were still asleep when i arrived the fjord early morning.
The sky was scattered with clouds and the morning mist just lifted slowly, hovering over the mirror-smooth water of the fjord. The scenery was spectacular in this tranquil hours of the early morning.
Just when the first tourists arrived and started to do their stupid things, like ignoring safety fences for silly selfies or shouting funny words to hear an echo, i was on my way for more quite spot for another coffee.
Can anyone explain me:
Traveling further south i had to climb up the famous pass route of Trollstigen.
Just before the climb i stopped to get some photos and took a small hike in the nearby forest. No trolls to see. But even here some tourists tried desperately to get in front of my camera.
On the top of the pass the crowd grew even bigger. Despite the rain started to pour down. I just took some pictures to collect memories, but been happy to find calmer places in the fjords again.
Unexpectedly i heard some trolls calling me on my way. They showed me a nice spot to sleep under their watch.
I was expecting a crowd in Trondheim, but little knew about the Olavsfest, what was held on that particular weekend. The famous Nidaros Cathedral was overrun by spectators and entry tickets were sold out for the day. But there was still a lively market place to visit.
Not far from the cathedral flows the river Nidelva, which divides the city in two parts. The old city bridge ‚Gamle Bybro‘ connects them and leads to the neighborhood Bakklandet, what’s certainly worth a visit.
After a long day strolling around, enjoying street life and drinking coffee with sweets, i was longing for a calm place again. Luckily i found a nice hike in the hilly forest just outside of the city. The gentle rain that started to fall didn’t even bother me, but it also gave me a beautiful rainbow.
Another calm night drive with the chance to see wildlife along the road, or even crossing it.
Early in the morning I crossed the Arctic Circle again. This time southbound.
Short time later the barren landscape changed to forest. I decided to look out for a quite place to camp. A small forest road brought me to an old path in the wood. This wonderful lonely spot next to a small stream was just perfect to rest for awhile.
With lots of sunshine the Lofoten was pure bliss.
Pure? Almost, if there wasn’t those dirty people using the bushes as camping toilet. It makes me angry to see how some tourists pollute the nature, while posting about the their passion for outdoor activities. I guess there will be consequences for other tourists and traveler sooner or later. I wonder how much longer wild camping will be tolerated.
Back on the road i noticed wooden frames with left overs of dry fishes. Stockfish is an important good in Norway and its export was recorded back to the medieval times. Although it’s originally not salted, i found some salt on the bottom of these frames.
There are quite a few villages. Most are suited themselves best for tourism. They’re pretty, some have also museums and other information centre. Probably most important are the restaurants and cafes settled on beautiful places.
After a couple beautiful days on the archipelagos i reached the village of Å , where i had a last hike before boarding the ferry to south at midnight.
The very famous Lofoten belongs to the best known region of Norway.
As beautiful the landscape is, in summer saison it’s overrun with tourists. All the visitors want enjoy the fjords with crystal blue water, hiking the many peaks or just relax by a good meal or refreshing coffee along the route.
Once i’m here as a tourist myself, i gonna take a hike too, i was thinking. But it wasn’t easy to find even a free parking lot near a hiking spot. The more famous hiking routes i had to skip because of that. Eventually i found a less popular hiking path on a top of a mountain. Surprisingly few wanderer on the route. Maybe they were scarred of the steep slope, especially at the top. But it was definitely worth to stand on the peak with its breathtaking view.
rene bauer photography 