Crossing the Arctic Circle

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“On the way to the North Cape, you absolutely must pay a visit to Lofoten,” a woman recommends as I’m about to go on the morning round with Ajaci. The Norwegian woman who has parked her camper right next to us with her husband and two grown-up daughters is, like many of the locals, very nice. Without further ado, we get talking. After clarifying the questions of where from and where to, I say goodbye to our open-hearted neighbors, who, as they tell me, travel their own country every year in their motorhome. “Enjoy the beautiful morning by the lake!” the woman calls after me. “Absolutely!” I reply and throw Ajaci a few sticks, which he chases after as if it were a matter of life and death.

I don’t put the ignition key in the ignition until after 12:00 today to steer our Terra further north. The weather is perfect. A few cumulus clouds adorn the blue sky. The road narrows again and again due to roadworks, sometimes without any warning. Because it’s summer, the road construction workers are apparently on vacation. Since none of the heavy machinery is moving and there are no people to be seen on the construction sites, we at least assume that this is the case. “Look what it says on the bulldozer blade,” Tanja exclaims delightedly. “God Sommer. Kjor Pent”, I read. “They really do wish us a good summer and a safe journey. I’ve never seen that before in any country in the world,” I say. “Yes, the Norwegians are friendly. They really make you feel welcome,” says Tanja cheerfully.

In the afternoon we cross the 66° latitude and thus the Arctic Circle. “Shall we take a break there by the imposing building?” I ask Tanja, pointing to a large igloo-like building. “Sure, why not,” I hear and put the blinker on. As soon as we park our Terra Love next to the many motorhomes and cars, it is photographed by visitors. “That’s an amazing vehicle. Can I have a look inside? Are you driving it to the North Cape? What, to Russia too? Oh, you want to travel to Cambodia in it next year? That’s fantastic. Really great,” we hear and answer the many questions.

The building, which reminds us of an oversized igloo, is the Arctic Circle Center, built in 1990, with a cafeteria, souvenir store, post office and a modern cinema. After we have had a look around, we take a short hike into the impressive Saltfjellet-Svartisen National Park, on the edge of which numerous cairns have been erected. “Why do people pile up the stones here?” asks Tanja. “No idea. I think the tourists do it for fun. According to tradition, however, the locals built a cairn to remain undisturbed by trolls. However, many of the cairns were intended to show lonely hikers the way. Even today, hikers are encouraged to replace damaged cairns with new stones. In this way, the important signpost is preserved,” I explain.

Although we would have liked to extend our hike in this breathtaking, sometimes barren landscape over several days, the lack of time forces us to drive on.

Just half an hour later, we discover a rushing mountain river, whose blue-green, crystal-clear and ice-cold water forces its way through a rocky valley. “We’ll have to take a closer look,” I say, putting the blinker on again and parking our vehicle at the side of the road. “Wow!” we marvel, overwhelmed by the sight. We sit down on the bare rocks, warmed by the sun, and let ourselves be enchanted by the incredible nature. The route then continues through a hilly landscape, past fjords and lakes glistening in the sun.

At 8 p.m. we discover a wonderful spot for the night on the back of one of the many hills. “Don’t drive too close to the precipice,” warns Tanja as I maneuver our expedition vehicle backwards to the edge of the hill so that I can look down from inside the cabin onto the lake in the valley.

“Where did you come from?” ask two young men politely, who park next to us minutes later. “Can we shoot a video for our Instagram account?” While they film us and the Terra Love with great joy, we learn that they are originally from Afghanistan. One now lives in Sweden and the other in Austria. Both are former political refugees. “We are friends and are spending a short vacation here in Norway,” they say in perfect English. After we have shown them the inside of our vehicle, they bid us a fond farewell and drive on. Meanwhile, we get ready for the night when the sun never sets…