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.
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.
Alta is not only a pleasant town in northern Norway, but also has some prehistoric rock carvings to offer. A nice walk at the shore lead me to impressive prehistoric art. But before i was visiting the Alta Museum for more information about the history on this UNESCO World Heritage Site.
After the endless ways inland in the past days, i enjoyed the roads along the fjords very much. Many times i felt to stop for the view or having a coffee break in a breathtaking landscape. So i arrived Tromsø too late for visiting any museum or the famous Arctic Cathedral. However, there was enough light to stroll trough the town and get an impression before leaving for the fjords again.
Another long drive trough beautiful landscape of northern Norway. Even the sun comes out for awhile, just when i was on a hike at Silfar Canyon. Another traveler approached me for a chat. So we went together along the the canyon, shared travel stories and enjoyed the nature around.
Due maintenance the North Cape Tunnel was closed for a couple hours. This roughly 6.9 kilometer long tunnel dives 212 meter underneath the sea and connect the mainland with the island Mageroya.
Just to make it clear: The North Cape is not the most northern spot, neither from mainland Europe (what is at Sletness Fyr), nor from Europe as in general (what is on Svalbard ). It’s simply the most northern point one can reach on road from mainland Europe. When i arrived there unfortunately strong winds brought dense fog too. With that the midnight sun was hidden behind clouds. Just for a minute there was some sun rays pushing through the thick mist, slittering over the surface of the Barents Sea and reached the foot of the cliffs.
A nice surprise to meet my old traveler friend Paolo, who i met before in Africa. He’s traveling for years around the world with his motorcycle. There’s a lot to catch up, and so we spent hours in the cold to share stories.
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.
I played tourist in Riga.
Just strolling trough the old town, looked at historical building, visited churches and parks and learned a bit from its history.
Not going to bore you with many details about Riga, what you could find in a better way online, but post some impressions on my walk trough the city, before i found a quite place for the night just at the bank of the river Daugava.
Just cruising trough the beautiful countryside on minor roads, stopping by some unknown landmarks, watching the local sunbather at the crowded beach or listen to their nightly party music on a picnic spot next to a lake on a weekend.
The Baltic people love the outdoors. They spend the weekends out camping, enjoying fishing at the lake or just chilling at the sea. That’s why there are easily to find picnic spots in beautiful surrounding for a overnight stay including a refreshing dip in the lake after a day driving.
Time for traveling was limited this summer, but at least an extended road trip should bring me to a few interesting places. Going north, so was the plan!
In my mirrors i saw the sunset when i hit the road. I like night drives to cover long distances. Especially those long stretches on German Autobahn. Just filling up my diesel tank, get some strong coffee and driving into the night.
Then finally reached Poland. Not long until i crossed the bridge of Wroclaw, what felt like to enter a new section of my trip.
That new phase of my road trip wasn’t going as smooth as expected. After a break, my Land Rover, called #TinaTortuga , won’t start anymore. Not even a sound when i turned the key, just nothing.
It took five hours until a guy from the road assistance turned in. Meanwhile i found the issue. A main fuse was broken. Unfortunately i didn’t bring these kind of fuses with me, but at least i could send a message to the road assistant. So, i just had to wait and prepared myself for another night drive as the sunlight faded.
What a lovely sound to my ears, when the diesel engine of #TinaTortuga started again. I thanked the nice man who brought me the fuse, and hit the road again. There was another night on the highway with just a few hours sleep. But at the next day i crossed the border to Lithuania. Here, so i felt, finally will start my Northern Europe road trip.
There was this occasion of a family reunion in a small valley. As a boy i used to spend our family holidays in these mountains in Northern Italy.
Blue sky invites for a hike in nature. From the top of the mountains shines the first snow of the season, and the colors of autumn burst from the forest.
A good opportunity to grab my Nikon and take some shots of this colorful world in autumn…
rene bauer photography 