Ferries, tunnels under the sea, fantastic bridge constructions, countless bends and breathtakingly beautiful scenery

Day: 09

Country:
Norway


Place:

Bergen

Daily kilometers:
183 km

Total kilometers:
1.724

Aver. Speed
65 kmh

Soil condition:
Asphalt

Sunrise:
22:41

Sunset:
04:44

(Photos of the diary entry can be found at the end of the text).

LINK TO THE ITINERARY

“That’s a great vehicle,” a Swede who has also spent the night here with his camper speaks to me in the morning. “Yes, we’re quite happy with her too?” I reply. “With her?” he asks in surprise. “We named the monster Terra Love,” I reply with a laugh and want to know if he is also on his way to the North Cape. “No, no, that’s far too far for my wife and me. We’ll be spending the next few weeks mainly in the south of the country. This region here alone is very interesting. Have you already been to the city of Stavanger?” “Unfortunately not, we want to go up north and only have three weeks left,” I say thoughtfully and realize on the second day that a lot of things will fall by the wayside due to the tight schedule. “Oh, that’s a shame, Stavanger has lots of sights such as the cathedral, a great oil museum and a really pretty old town. But you shouldn’t miss out on the hike up the legendary Preikestolen under any circumstances,” he says, raising both white-haired eyebrows as if to add weight to his recommendation. “I’ve read about this striking rock, but we really want to continue north,” I apologize. “Why go north when there’s so much to see here? You don’t know what you’re missing. The Predigtstuhl, as the rock is called in German, stands about 600 meters vertically above the Lysefjord. Up there is a 25 x 25 meter rock plateau from which you can enjoy a 360° panoramic view of the fjord and the entire mountain world. You absolutely have to see it. It’s one of the most spectacular photo opportunities in Norway,” he adds, shaking his head as if he can’t believe how you can miss out on such a highlight. “I’ll talk to my wife about it,” I reply, so as not to look quite so stupid. “Well then, I hope your wife makes the right decision,” he says, saying goodbye.

After the conversation, we actually study the road map. “You know that whole busloads of people unload there. Especially in this beautiful weather, the Preikestolen should be teeming with tourists. I’m not sure we want that,” Tanja points out. “If we really do the hike, we’ll have to leave out Lofoten or the island of Senja,” I think. “But I’d love to see both,” Tanja interjects, which is why we decide to continue.

Just an hour after our departure today, we reach the first ferry connection in Norway under a steel-blue sky. “I hope we don’t have to wait forever,” says Tanja, pointing to the stern of a departing ship. “I don’t think so. Look, there’s another one coming,” I say, pointing to the ferry boat, which is heading for our shore.

Half an hour after the ferry has docked, we are still standing in the growing queue. “What’s going on there?” I ask the cashier, who charges us 500 crowns (€50) for the short crossing. “A tourist has fallen off the bus. The ambulance should be here soon, then they can get on the boat,” we hear. “How quickly a vacation can come to an end,” I say thoughtfully and am glad that our journey continues. Tatock, tatock, tatock, it rattles as our wide off-road tires roll over the ship’s steel landing flap a little later. A signpost waves us into one of the five lanes. I apply the handbrake as prescribed, then we leave our Terra and climb onto the foredeck. Extreme wind blows against us, so we have to hold on to our caps and sunglasses. Three boys stand on the empty wooden tables, spread out their jackets and lay their bodies diagonally in the wind. Just a brief interruption of the gusts and they would slam into the steel railing in front of them. What don’t you do when you’re fearless and can’t yet properly assess dangers, I think, and I’m aware of all the hair-raising crap I’ve already done and survived in my life.

We enjoy the crossing in fantastic weather, especially the impressive mountain scenery in front of us. Somehow we are happy to be on a trip again, just like other vacationers do. Hopefully no adventurous surprises await us here in Norway. There are no mujahideen shooting at us and no chance of getting caught between the fronts of a religious war, as we experienced in Pakistan, or highwaymen who want to take everything from us, as we experienced in Siberia. There are no cannibals after your life, as I experienced on one of my expeditions in West New Guinea, or being wiped out by a super-class cyclone, as happened to us by a hair’s breadth during our Australian expedition. Over the last 30 years, there have been numerous, almost unbelievable situations. Even if the chances of getting caught up in it are one in a hundred, we have been caught out from time to time. What a wonderful feeling it is to be able to be completely carefree on the road. Simply go on vacation. “Yeeesss!” I shout against the strong, cold wind that literally brings tears to our eyes.

After two more ferry connections, some long and impressive tunnel passages, which took us under the sea to one of the countless headlands, crossing fantastic bridge constructions, endless bends and a breathtakingly beautiful landscape, we reach Bergen, the second largest city in Norway. “Do you think we’ll get a parking space in the city center?” asks Tanja. “I always manage to get a parking space,” I try to remain confident as we work our way through the heavy traffic at the port in the bulky Terra Love and parking spaces are as rare as rain in the Atacama Desert. “Stop, stop! I think I’ve spotted one!” exclaims Tanja excitedly. I immediately shift into reverse and can hardly believe it. “Really, that’s a free parking space,” I say happily and manage to maneuver the Terra in there without it getting in anyone’s way. “There’s a parking meter,” says Tanja and gets out to put some money in. “So, how long can we stay?” I want to know after Tanja returns. “Two hours only cost 70 crowns (approx. €7). But I didn’t get a receipt.” “Hm, then we don’t know whether the parking meter has just eaten our money or whether we’re really allowed to stay. It could be expensive in Norway,” I think. To avoid any unpleasant surprises, we decide that I’ll stay in the mobile while Tanja gets a Norwegian SIM card and a few other little things.

After an hour of waiting, I leave the Terra to take a few photos of the harbor. Just as I return, the meter maid is there and writes us up. I rush off and come to a halt in front of the young woman, out of breath. Gesticulating, I explain that we had put 70 crowns into the machine, but unfortunately it didn’t spit out a receipt. Yes, yes, a thousand people have told me that before you, she seems to think, at least I think I can read that in her facial expression. “You know, the vehicle is brand new. We’re just testing it and will continue our 30-year expedition with it next year,” I make one last, desperate attempt to persuade them not to give us an expensive parking ticket. “A 30-year expedition?” she asks, putting away her little computer, where she had just typed in our license plate number, and wants to know more. Half an hour later, we’re still chatting and exchanging Facebook and Instagram addresses. As she says goodbye, she says: “You’re welcome to stay here all night. I’m off work now and nobody checks my area except me.” We can hardly believe it. Who is allowed to spend the night with their motorhome at the hotspot of the city of Bergen without parking fees?…