2025 July: Mad Dash to the Ferry!

What a wonderful, crazy month we had. From Wolfach to Lofoten in North Norway and home again. From May 15 to June 15, we toured almost the entire country of Norway. Due to a family situation, we decided to cut our two-month trip to one month and head back to Wolfach. However, we were able to visit the east side of Norway, up to Lofoten, and quickly travel the coast back to Oslo to catch the ferry to Kiel. A total of 6500 km plus about 2000 km more with ferries and more than 100 tunnels.

We took the ferry from Narvik and headed to the north tip of Lofoten.

Before we boarded the ferry in Narvik, we spent the night in Ulsvåg, near the ferry. It was incredibly quiet and had stunning scenery. A little hesitant, seeing the snow in the background and realizing that it was on Lofoten. We spent a week exploring the Lofoten Islands and the surrounding areas. Not a soul around usually.

We slowly made our way down the beautiful Islands that connect Lofoten—camping on the water’s edge at each stop. This is the small town of Nøss. It’s so quiet and peaceful with mountains and sea. It’s like you can hear the mountaiins breathing with the soft wind.

We spent two days here in peace and quiet. Hiked up the mountain for a bit, then headed back home after speaking to a farmer about his sheep and the area. He said he had retired and was seeking a home in Oslo. After a while in Oslo he said he had to move back. He had missed the nature and his sheep.These people are incredible and resilient to cold, tough winters. Plus having to drive an hour for alcohol. Maybe it is for the best. At 10:00 am Lutz was flagged over by police for an alcohol test! He passed with flying colors.

Every town had cemeteries every mile apart. It seemed odd, but they were well cared for, and some tombstones dated back as far as 1800 to 2025.

Laukvik was a perfect spot, and a bike ride to the only restaurant was in order!

Right at closing time, but we got in a nice glass of wine and a view of the dried fish heads… don’t ask. We later conducted a thorough investigation.

We made some historic stops to check out the museums in Lofoten before heading to the main land of Norway. The one museum we had to visit was the Fishing Museum in Moskenesøy.

Everywhere we went, we kept seeing these fish heads drying in the sun. It was time for an answer!

We discovered that they are dried by the Vikings and used it to trade with the British. Today the British are still purchasing it to provide protein to their colonies in Nigeria. Now we know!

We visited several museums and enjoyed the Viking museum in Lofoten. The museum was located and rebuilt on it’s original location. Viking farms also housed a community which lived and worked together. This was a very interesting museum and the history informative.

Inside, I only found one Viking!

The Viking Museum in Oslo was under repair, so this was a great opportunity for a visit. It appeared that only the captain had a bedroom of his own in the Viking communities that were settled.

Driving south from small island to island, we decided to check out the surf spots that were supposed to be so popular in Unstead. We learned this at the restaurant, talking to four beautiful Norwegian young ladies who surfed!

It was the wrong time of the year! Surf was not up!

We made a stop to investigate the history of the Post Vessels (or Hurtigruten) that carried mail throughout the area in the early 1800s. Check out this site for more information about their history and shipwrecks. Today, they are cruise ships for tourists. This museum housed two of the first luxury boats.

The inside was just as amazing! Original furnishings.

In Olenilsøya⁩ , we landed at a cool harbor with new facilities.

We walked to a restaurant across the street for our daily fish! Lutz had the shrimp sandwich.

I had the seafood soup!

We made it to Moskenes, the southernmost point of the Lofoten Islands, with a perfect pitch, as the Europeans call campsites, to watch the sunset. Sunset never happens in Norway at this altitude!

It wasn’t until we reached the end of Lofoten and prepared for the ferry back to Bodø that we realized we had driven on the most dangerous and famous roads in Norway—the one where the James Bond movie was filmed. I took a picture because there were so many tourists and the bridges were radical. My photo didn’t do justice. So I took this one off the internet. We were just curious what was going on. Now we know.

Once again, we were on the ferry back to the west coast of Norway!

We drove for five hours and spent the night along the way to Oslo. We stayed in cemeteries,

Modern camping sites like Skei.

Off-the-beaten-path campsites with only five hook-ups were the best, and I would love to return to this spot. Direct access to the fjord for a swim!

We also hit up several rest stops! This one had a hiking trail. Hummm…

We decided to take it. Found the ancient drawings.

And continued on a 3-hour hike trying to get back to the rest stop through a swamp! The boards were no help! Water invaded our shoes and socks!

Our destination lay beyond the trees through mud and yuck. Hot and sweaty with my coat wrapped around my waist, we crossed a falling-down bridge.

Since we took the hike backwards along this beautiful river for the first half mile, we thought the rest would be delightful….

We ended up at the trailhead. Hmm, guess we should have started here. This sign indicated the trail was under repair!

We visited the smallest Stave church,

The middle-sized stave church,

And the  oldest and the largest!

To get to Oslo more quickly and still see the sights, we decided to take the Geiranger Ferry back into the fjord. It was a 3-hour trip, but well worth it.

We saw the seven sisters waterfall!

And the huge tour ships that come into this fjord with over 5000 tourist!

We decided to venture to the other side of the tourist area and found a very peaceful campground and left the huge ship far behind us.

Goodbye to one of the prettiest fjords we have seen!

Of course, when a Viking museum appeared, we had to visit! This one was in Nordfjordeid. Very interesting and only one Viking found! AGAIN!

Since time was of the essence, we decided to visit Alesund rather than Bergen! Beautiful place. Small enough to explore the whole town in a day.

The day we visited, it was a holiday. No one was around! The history is amazing.

Lutz was happy,  I couldn’t shop! But, we had a lovely fish dinner overlookiing the water.

I especially loved visiting the Jugendstil Museum.

This town was burnt down in early days of 1900 and was rebuilt in the Jugendstil style.

Along the trail, we found the viewpoint advertised as a must-see in Aurland. That’s Lutz in the coral colored shirt!

Neither one of us is comfortable in high places, but it was worth the peek down!

Followed the old road path (below photo taken from a magazine) on a new narrow road that crossed it several times through the most beautiful part of Norway, in my opinion.

Gorgeous waterfalls and rivers around every corner. The best route so far!

Rivers as clear and teal as an empty Coke bottle!

Waterfalls around every curve! The road begins in Oda, following the Folgefonna National Park route, which is Route 13. Just don’t miss this part of your visit to Norway. It was breathtaking..

Lutz is a nature photographer at heart, and we had to stop to photograph each field of flowers. These covered the sides of the roads wherever we went.

On our last night near Oslo, we slept in a truck stop. Not too bad when you have tacos on the menu!

The next morning, we arrived at the ferry on time!

The last time, we couldn’t find our camper when we took the ferry from Kiel to Oslo. This time, we made a point of taking a photo to help us find it, since we were lined up with the truckers in the first row to exit. I don’t think they would be happy waiting for us to arrive!

We had a lovely dinner, a great tour, and a sad farewell to Oslo.

We were beat by the next morning and drove eight hours to Seligenstadt for the night. This town is where Lutz lived when I met him years ago. The folks there are still very dear to us. Thank you, Kallie, Christina, Albrecht, and Bergit, for making time to see us and sharing a meal!

We were welcomed back home by family! So wonderful to have family in a time of need! Love you guys!

A week later, we were back in action! Now we’re off for the last three weeks of RV camping in France. Stay tuned, folks!

Fave Recipe: Raspberry Cassava Crapes

Ready for summer and want a new way to use those delicious raspberries that are all over the markets right now? These cassava crapes whip up easily.  Use this recipe to make the best desserts, breakfast, or snacks.

Fave Resource: Restaurant Weinhaus Merowingerhof

I’ve shared this restaurant before, and since we had the opportunity to visit it last month, I wanted to encourage all my readers in Germany to make a point to visit. It’s just outside of Koblenz. It’s perfect weather for taking a drive and dining out on their amazing patio. Make sure to call and reserve!