Fascinated from the cliffs at the sea i spent hours to watch the waves rolling over those sharp rocks when the tides came in. Just some impressions from these hours.


















Fascinated from the cliffs at the sea i spent hours to watch the waves rolling over those sharp rocks when the tides came in. Just some impressions from these hours.


















A dear friend and fellow photographer asked me to join her for a trip to the Swiss Alps.
Actually we supposed to find some Alpine chamois to observe and photograph. But we were unlucky with this task. However, we had a perfect weather for collecting some impressions from the landscape.



































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.


















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.










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.
































Friends told me not to miss the island Senja. And they were right!
Typically Norway weather with quick changes from sunshine to rain and dropping temperatures also. The landscape however was stunning. In every weather situation. Especially at the cooler morning when the mist is floating around the mountains or falling from the cliffs.
I also had a hike on smaller mountain peak or a stroll along a beach. But not boring longer with words, let’s show some pictorial impressions.







































Who was expecting to see now the famous North Cape will be disappointed, because I was talking about the most northern point on mainland Europe. And this is in fact at the lighthouse Sletness Fyr, which also is the northernmost mainland lighthouse on Earth!
It’s situated outside the small fisher village Gamvik. What is now a fairly busy tourist region, the village was only accessible by boat until they build a road in the 1980’s. But nowadays it’s a long, but easy drive trough stunning, barren landscape. Especially in summer time, when i was traveling there. To my surprise my weather app told me, the sun still won’t set for the next few days up there, and this was end of July. No hurry to find a place for overnight, since there won’t be a ’night‘ anyway.
Once reached the town, i found also an abandoned fortification from World War II. This region near the Russian border had a strategical importance. From there it was only a couple kilometers to get to the lighthouse, and get a coffee at the busy, but cosy restaurant.
A walk along the windy coast brought me finally to the most northern point of mainland Europe, since the Northern Cape is actually on a island, but read more about it in my next post.




































Long way up north. The weather wasn’t really welcoming, but this way I just cruised across Finland from south up to Rovaniemi.
The Arktikum in Rovaniemi is a museum which explains life and culture on the arctic circle in a interesting and wonderful way. One shouldn’t miss it when up here.
I wasn’t sure what to expect from the Santa Claus Village just bit north of the town. It’s a tourist trap, no question about that. Next to restaurants, hotel and souvenir shop, there’s also to meet Santa Claus himself. ‚Free Entrance!‘ a sign told me. I found it ridiculous to queue up for a photo with the white bearded, old man in red dress. So I skipped the line and went straight to the souvenir shop, located just after the room where Santa Claus awaited his visitors. There, the young cashier explained me, I wouldn’t be allowed to make a selfie with him anyway, but could buy a photo from the shop, starting prices from €30.
I stepped out from Santa Claus house, passed the famous Santa Claus Post Office and just stepped over the line of the Arctic Circle. Finally i made it to the ‚real north‘!
And with this i made it definitely also to Lapland, the land of reindeers. Along the way i spotted some of these majestic, but shy animals. Still mid-summer, the long daylight allowed me to drive till late, stopping for observing some reindeers and to cook a midnight meal before finally get some rest.



























It’s a short ferry ride from Tallinn to Helsinki. Just after i was experiences the vast land of Finland with its endless forests. Also the dusk seemed already endless, but i found a quite spot next to an idyllic lake for a short sleep.
Next day i stood under the mighty pillars of the ski jump of Lahti. To my surprise it was possible to get up to the top. The view over the lakes and forests was stunning.
My first real stop was in Kangasniemi, a small town surrounded by even more forests and lakes. I planned a few quite days resting on the campsite here. The arrival of roughly ninety (!) students from Helsinki on their holiday seemed to threaten my plans. After all, they behaved surprisingly calm, I even got into some nice chats sometimes. I decided to like Finland 😉



















