Norge Part I (Fra Narvik til Å i Lofoten og Trondheim) +203

Welcome back, It wasn't long ago I finished complaining about Northern Sweden and now i'm here again in another expensive net cafe about to bleed my heart out again but this time the tales will be a little bit more on the positive side because Norway has shaped up to be just as I expected and I couldn't be happier. Im going to split my 3 weeks in Norway into two seperate journals, im hoping to get both Norway journals online before I get home but Im not sure if I'll have the time, it all depends I suppose but I'll end up doing my last one from the comfort of my own home. Some of you have stuck with me all the way through and other 'friends' got bored after realising my journals werent going to be dumbed down for easy viewing but indeed an indepth view into my personal feelings along the way, I made that obvious from my very first journal, so 20 journals later and here we are. I also noted some of my regular readers giving up on the last 3 or 4 entries. Im kinda sad because they have been the best ones! However, Im not 100% self obssessed and realise that people may indeed be busy with their own life or work habits but I do encourage you to read this stuff, it's actually pretty interesting sometimes, if you bypass all the boring things I talk about... trains usually, then there's something to enjoy. So before I bore myself, it's time to start exploring Norway. Starting at the North, well technically it's nowhere near the top but it was above the Artic circle so it's still quite cool so to speak. I hope you enjoy reading my exploits as much as I like typing them for you. Huzzah!

I was waiting for the bus at 7am, I couldnt wait to be out of Haparanda. The rains began to spit, asif to make my leaving a personal issues with Hapranda's weather system but I got on the warm bus, after meeting a cool bus driver with a 'rad tude man' and then it was onwards and upwards towards Luleå where my train awaited to whisk me accross the border and into my dream country. The bus ride was pretty cruisy, a huge modern double decker bus with all the mod cons like seats and windows, I sat out the 2 or so hours just admiring Northern Sweden buzz passed outside the window, the sad twist was that most towns along the route were more interesting to look at than Haparanda was, but that's not very hard after all, so Im not sure why I mentioned it! The bus slowed and stopped at the Luleå bus station where I was burdened with a 2 hour wait. No worries, it was a small town maybe i'll do a shopping run and see the sights. Maybe I forgot to mention that this was a Sunday morning and as I walked the streets I realised not a thing was stirring and the town remained ghostly. I could have sworn I was in Adelaide on a Sunday morning and not in the deep heart of Sweden. I walked around trying to find a supermarket that would be open and sell me vital snacks like chocolate and chips so I could survive the train trip but nothing opened until 12pm, seeing as though my train left at 11:47am, it was of no use to me. I checked out the 'sights' and was made aware that Luleå was almost pretty nice, as nice as it can be with no one on the streets and not a store open anywhere. It's lakeside location seemed very nice but I was in dire need of sustanance and that's all the really mattered. After an hour of heedless walking I returned to the train station but not before discovering that there was a Kiosk open and the adjacent bus terminal all along! how the gods torment me in times of need! I also found the snack bar at the train station and enjoyed a Hamburger, Fries and coke... how American of me. The price was 'steep' but it would be the last time i'd pay $9aud for a meal such as that. I noticed that bums had been sleeping in the train station over night and got a dirty look, as if it was me who stumbled into their bedroom. They made the place kinda creepy and I sure as hell didn't want to use the 'bathroom', who knows what things they might have left behind. I also noticed that 2 backpackers were also waiting for the train. I didnt strike up a conversation because well... I really just couldn't be bothered. I would have told them ALL about Haparanda and after 15 seconds there would have been an awkward silence. The train slid into the station, all 3 carriages worth and I was kinda angry that it looked so shitty, like some old crappy train like the one from Nice... no not again. Never judge a book by it's cover, some say and well it was true this time because I was greeted with quite a cosy package, wonderful reclining seats that were modern and clean and well, the whole train was clean and modern, so I couldnt complain at all. I dumped my backpack and ran over to the Kiosk, passing a bum on the way and picked up 3 chocolate bars (special deal!) and 2 botttles of softdrink (another special deal!) and a packet of Cheezy Doodles, an import from Norway with a rather weird name eh? I over spend simply because I wanted to clear out all my Swedish currency, completely forgetting id be back in Sweden in three weeks time, oh well! The snacks ended up being quite good in the end, even the Cheesy Doodles went down a treat. The conductor let us know that we had to change for a bus in Kiruna because of no apparent reason. This kind of blew my fantasy of arriving in Norway by train right out of the water, so 2 more shitty hours spent on a bus coming up for me. The joy of bus travel. The train pulled out of the station for 15 mins of Northern Sweden out the window before it grinded to a halt in Boden. We sat and waited almost an hour at this station. Waiting for a connecting train to arrive. Im not sure if it's how it's done normally of if there was a failure with the other train. I dont care either way, it totally sucked and we didnt get a 'sorry' or an explanation, all we got were more passengers including 2 old ladies who stole my leg room! The 2 other backpackers got off at Boden, which begs the question why the hell they waited for 3 hours to get to Boden from Luleå, they could have walked quicker or taken one of at least 3 buses that go there... hmm anyway, some people do weird things, some even stay in Haparanda for 3 nights. The train was back in motion and my mouth filled with chocolate and Cheesy Doodles and I was having a blast, listening to music and watch Sweden disapear and feel the aura of mighty Norway approach ever closer. The scenery here was typical of this region. The stagnant nothingness of the Arctic tundra, all the things I whailed and moaned about Finland in my last journal, all well and trully evident again here. At some point though the Earth began to rise as we slowly decended into hilly regions, perhaps headed towards some mountains. It was at this point I saw my first wild animal, it may have been an elk, or a Rheindeer, I really don't know but it was cool for the 0.1sec I saw it flash by my window. The train slowed and stopped in Kiruna, Swedens northern most 'big town', famous for it's Ice Hotel, which is a hotel, made from Ice (only in winter), Kemi in Finland, also has the exact same thing. Sounds cool I guess. The air outside was utterly freezing, a chilling reminder that i sent my winter jacket home from germany! Who would have thought it would get so cold above the artic circle? Anyway, I would survive somehow. Kiruna looked quite nice, it's small green hilly bits looked like they were incomplete without snow but with the way it felt like then, it was almost a feeling of a snow storm on the winds (says he who knows nothing about snow!) We were herded onto the bus and I quickly tried to warm myself up, it was SO DAMN COLD, please trust me on this. Immediately the scenery here began to look great. We were still passing through the baron wastelands but in the distance you could see a large hill, almost a mountain, it was blanketed in thick fog and/or clouds but which added to it's menacing effect. The beasts were also quite numerous here, lots of wild things, all the same looking. I think they were Rheindeer, looking back now with my non existant extra knowledge. We passed the mountain and it was glorious, now we could see more mountains and a lake suddenly began to glimmer of to the right side of the bus, at some stage the road came right next to the lake and we began to follow the lake along a mountainous road. The train line was to our left following the exact same route, it was a political problem that a Swedish train can't at the moment travel over the border and stop in Narvik, for once again pathetic reasons. After stopping at one stop and dropping off a host of old people with their nordic walking sticks and their back breaking backpacks, we headed off again. The scenery began to intensify with every kilometer, things just began to take shape, the closer we got to Norway the better it became. After one more stop we were now only like 20km from the border and the lake was dwarfed by low hills, the end of a fjord and by jeebus do the Swedes latch onto their piece of 'Fjord', there were SWEDISH TOURISM BOARD signs everywhere reminding you that you weren't in Norway yet, it was still SWEDEN and we have a piece of a Fjord and a national park right there, too! I was getting very excited at this stage, fancy that I was about to enter Norway! I had my camera ready to take snap of the 'WELCOME TO NORWAY' sign but there was no such thing at all, just a small blue sign on a post with white writing that read 'Norge' (Norway in Norwegian), it was a little upsetting but I had made it accross the border, finally made it after 6 months of SO SO holiday action, this was it, the whole point of this entire holiday. As if a gift from the Lord, the clouds split open and sunshine spread accross the ground and blue sky appeared, the threat of snow of hail at least, just a distant memory, it was almost like it had been a beautiful day all day but this only happened after I entered Norway. It was a very magical moment. The scenery also intensified by 100's of knotches, things just looked bigger and better here. The snow capped mountains and the lakes below them, they all had this ancient Norwegian charm, it was just how I imagined this great country to look like and even being 10km into the country I was highly impressed. You couldn't wipe the smile from my face. I really wish I could have shared my excitement with someone else who would give two shits about Norway but I was alone and that would have to do. The vegetation returned and the place looked green and almost like a fairytale, we came to a steep ravine and looked below us on the right hand side of the bus was a cool bridge spanning the water and it looked like something unreal, a bridge that just couldnt work architecturly but it was there, almost out of place in this natural wonderland but it did look spectacular. The bus turned left and we drove down towards and the water and eventually over the bridge we saw from the top and at this point you could see all around the lake and mountains around and feel completely overwhelmed with such majesty. People's homes dotted the mountainside. It would be hard to picture a better and more scenic place to live on Earth. We rounded a few bends and eventually the bus came to a stop in the carpark on Narvik's train station, where I hopped off and grabbed my backpack, I had a squiz at my lonely planet book so I could find my hostel and then walked... my first steps in Norway.

What can I say, It was so nice. Narvik itself isn't one of Norway's most scenic towns, infact it's rather drab and dull. It was flattened in WWII by ze germans and was rebuilt in a rather boring style but I didn't care. This was Norway. I walked and just looked around and breathed in the sweet arctic air, I looked at people and felt like saying to them 'I made it, maaaan!' but then realised I would seem like an idiot and they wouldnt care anyway. I kept looking out for these famous 'hot norwegian girls' but there weren't any above 13 years old on the streets but I wouldnt give up, id only been here for 10 mins! I found my hostel without getting lost (rare!) and started talking to the dude who signed me in, he was quite strange.... but nice strange. He had huge googley eyes, that looked like they were about to pop right out of their sockets at any moment. Thank goodness they didnt or he wouldnt be able to see anymore. He was nice and we talked about New York City and Oslo, he told me Oslo was more dangerous than New York City... not sure I could believe him but I guess i'd find out once I get to Oslo (note: Oslo is Norway's capital city and home to Svart Metal) I ventured into my room and found a young red haired lad and an old woman in there, my first thought was 'ew she's too old for you maaaan' and then I found out it was his Mum and I sighed with relief. They were both from Brussels and spoke french, I tried to explain to them where Female A and co. lived and where I stayed but im not sure if I said it right or if they had any idea what I was talking about. They mentioned that they had to get up at 4am to make a flight and I was like, sure but dont wake this mofo up. Someone knocked at the door, it was Lord Eyeball, he told me the ski lifts were still running up the mountain, until 9pm so I got VERY excited as it was one of the 3 attractions Narvik had and it only ran on weekends. It was Sunday thankgod so I could go up the mountain for a sunset over the fjord! What more could I ask for? (alot more really, now where shall I begin ... ) I thanked Captain Eyeballs with much hearty respect, I made my day bag a bit lighter by removing books and things and said bye bye to my Belgian Mother and Son team (it was the last time I saw them alive ... ) I raced accross the town and began hating and cursing the steep inclines, I wasn't made to climb hills damnit! but eventually I found the place. The catch: It cost kr;70 one way, so let's do the math here. For arguments sake, let's say Danish, Swedish and Norwegian Currencies had identical values and you can exchange them to Australian dollars exactly the same (but Sweden is the best Value, Denmark with the worst, about 3kroners seperate them, so it means nothing) so 70 Norwegian monies is around $14aud, for a 10min shleck up a hill. This was the first thing i'd bought in Norway, dont worry... the harsh facts will be revealed shortly when I buy something to eat! The cable car ride was great but I tried not to turn around and see the view til I got to the top. Once at the top I ran up some rocks and spun around and ... wham ... I saw it. I saw Norway at it's most spectacular (correction: it continued to improve the further south I went), the sea below, surrounded by mountains, my first view of an A-typical fjord, they're what Norway is famous for and if you have no idea what a Fjord is, would you like me to explain it to you? Okay, here goes, a Fjord is an inlet from the ocean, similar to a river but this river was forged over millions of years since the last ice age as a glacier began to melt and surge forward through the mountains creating deep channels in between mountians filled with deep cold water below until it reached the sea, so now it acts like a big river and where it's flat by the seaside, you will find townships and harbours, much like Narvik. The sun was behind a fat chunk of cloud but it's rays were still shining brightly from either side creating a vivid orange glow all over the area. I stood there watching the view and just realising once again. I really made it, here I am. Down below the town of Narvik was moving about, a steady slow of traffic could be seen, given away by their faint headlight glows and a ship was waiting in the harbour ready to be filled to the brim with iron ore before sailing away sometime tomorrow. After the fairytale was complete and the cold chill began to freeze my bones, I started the walk to the bottom. The Hill was about 600 or so meters I think, not a giant mountain by any standards (not including Mt. Lofty which is like 3m or something) The walk was great and the night air was just as awesome, I was working up a sweat and was passed by some locals, even an old man, I gave him a smile and a nod and got nothing in return. Odd, I thought... maybe Norwegians werent all friendly afterall. I'd have to investigate this theory later on. I reached the bottom and powered back to the hostel. I was totally exhausted and thought i'd leave food price exploration until morning. So I showered and hit the sack and passed out into complete content sleep.

I wasn't awakened by the departing Belgians and ended up sleeping nicely til 11am or so. I really did need sleep, it seems. I ventured out the next day with no real intention of doing much even though there was so much shit to do. Firstly, where was I going next? To Lofoten like I wanted or to Tromsø so meet that 'someone' ? hmm I had no idea but today was crunch day, time to work out what the hell I was going to do. Secondly, I had ALL my washing to do but where?? and I was definatley gonna call home today. I went to the tourist office first up and had a nice chat to the lady there, I spoke euro english until I learnt she was from London, so I relaxed and actually enjoyed having a real english conversation. It had been awhile! She gave me some clues about where to wash my clothes and I thought it was a great idea, too. She also informed me that a ship to Svolvær on the Lofoten Islands departed daily (but not on Saturday) and 3pm, so I had that option open but i'd wait until later in the day before booking a hostel. Perhaps i'd get a phone call saying 'come to Tromsø!', I mean i'd already been waiting what months? well at least 6 weeks but the call would eventually come through. I found an imigrant shop and bought a phone card and managed to call my mother and have a nice chat until the phone cut out. In norway, like Sweden, you need to insert money even to make toll free calls. It appeared my credit for opening the line ran out so my 'toll free' call got cut off. I was angry but managed to talk for an hour or so, no problem but I wanted to call my dad, too. I'd try again later. It was now I needed lunch. Prepare to be shocked! I went into the Take Away place accross from the hostel and checked out prices. It costs at least nkr,100 for a hamburger, fries and coke... yes that's double Sweden and equals $20aud, yes TWENTY Australian dollars for a take away meal. Slightly more than Mc'Donald's and Burger King but those places are around $17aud, too. Needless to say, I almost broke down and cried. I bought a kebab for nkr,75 ($15aud) and decided id eat and then have a cry. To Norway's favour, that was an extremely expensive Kebab and you can get them for about nkr;40 which isn't THAT bad in any country. I returned to the hostel and ate, there were 3 german girls in the kitchen and they were sitting there playing UNO, they asked me if I wanted to join them but I tried explaining to them I paid $15 for a kebab and how could I think about playing a GAME after that. Well I didnt mention the kebab, I just can't remember how to play Uno. I sat there and contemplated my next move. I had 3 choices, one to boat it to Svolvær but Svolær has no hostel, so i'd need to make sure I could get a bus OR another ferry to Stamsund where a really great hostel was but how could I be sure there was a connection at 18:30 when my ferry arrived in Svolvær? You see these MINOR problems that hurt backpackers and travelers? They're rather stressful times. My other choice was to catch the bus to Bodø and then the next day take a direct ferry to Stamsund. Of course the other option was to goto Tromsø and then take a boat to Lofoten after I finished there. Tromsø being North of Narvik by aprox 250km and Bodø being South by the same distance. It was too much to bear and to think I still had dirty washing! I walked around the town a bit, infact down to the docks. I saw where the ferry left and a small shitty looking boat, too but it wasn't enough to make up my mind. I was still waiting for that call. I should make it clear, I only came this far North because I was meant to meet up with someone in Tromsø and the bus connection is easiest and cheapest for me from Narvik but with no contact with this person, who had my number but me not hers it was highly frustrating, I know if it was a guy who was being so unorganised I wouldn't give a shit and would have made a decision by now. It's funny how it all works. By now it was like 5pm or something and the day was coming to a close. I took all my dirty washing and decided to head to the HI Hostel down the street. I asked the guy beyind the counter if I could use their washing machine and he said sure of course! He led me to the basement and showed me where it was. He said I could use it for free, even though it's meant to cost nkr;20 per load. He also gave me free deturgent. What a nice guy! I wonder if he even realised I was from a different hostel haha. I noticed a PC (Personal Computer, or 'desk top') in the room accross. I walked upstairs while my washing was being done and asked if I could use the internet and more importantly, how much! The nice dude said I could use it for free! Well, it appears MOST Norwegians are nice afterall. I spent 3 hours finishing my last journal and I also bit the bullet and booked my hostels for the Lofoten, I followed someone's advice after i'd mentioned my issues with the girl from Tromsø which were 'fuck her' so from the moment I booked the hostels, in a sense I did just that. I wasn't going to head North anymore. After my washing and drying were done, I walked back to the hostel and read my book for a couple of hours, showered and then sleept. This time the dorm was completly empty. No belgians and no german girls either. I like the empty dorm sometimes, I really do.

The next day was exactly the same really, but this time I went to the supermarket and bought some lunch to make myself, 2 breadrolls, some salami, a piece of fruit, a green tea and a small cake but it cost roughly $12aud which is still far too expensive I think. Im going to have to get used to these prices if im going to survive here in Norway. I returned to my room with plans to eat then head off and try call my Dad. I found my room with a new guest. He introduced himself as Stephen from Switzerland and he was another chatterbox. I was trying to munch on my lunch, I had quite a feed actually and it would take time to get through it all. Stephen turned out to be a really nice guy. He had just returned from Nordkapp (North Cape) the most Northerly town or place of mainland Europe. I would have died to go there, well not that extreme but I wanted to, it's just that the season had already ended but Stephen was a bit more adventurous than I was. He Hitchhiked his way back down, after using the 'Hurtigruten Coastal Steamer' to get as far North as possible, followed by some expensive buses and then he hitchhiked his way down, lucky enough to get a huge truck to pull over and take him 8 hours to Narvik for free, from much further North than Tromsø. I admired his travelling spirit and wish I did something similar (note to self: just saw something hideous in the net cafe, will you remember when you read this? eww..) but alas it was too late and I was about to head to Lofoten instead. Luckily for me, Stephen had also been there recently and told me how AWESOME it was, infact he made me wish I was leaving right at that second because it was that good. He also informed me of the Hurtigruten and that it indeed conect with the express boat to Svolvær and I could get to Stamsund that night. I wasnt 100% sure yet but this was the info I needed to feel a bit better. I'd check it out for certain tomorrow. After i'd finished eating, Stephen and I talked for awhile longer until we both went out seperate ways. I went and called my dad and it actually worked, I was quite happy about that and afterwards, I went to Narvik's Krigsmuseet (Narvik's War Museum) because I can never get enough of Nazi occupation and terror, I seek it wherever I travel accross Europe! like a fiend! The Museum was pretty good, it told the story and had heaps of pics and an interesting English translation text that kinda made sense but it must have been translated by a 5 year old. I hear you asking 'what part did Norway have in WWII and in particular why was Narvik so important? It's a shitty town! what could Hitler possibly want with a shitty town, c'mon man' Well it goes a little like this: Once upon a time, Norway was a small but prospering country on the border with Russia and it had a wealth of Minerals, in particular Iron Ore. Iron Ore was mined all over this region and the main industrial port and railhead was the small town of 'Narvik', so along with Trondheim, Hitler decuded he wanted to occupy Norway and take advantage of their 2 main port cities aswell as all the others while he was at it! So a major battle took place in Narvik, well major as in Narvik had 2 navy ships from even before WWI defending it and Hitler sent at least 10 modern destroyers in. As much as the museum likes to claim that Norway was 'brave', Hitler's navy completelty wiped out any chance Norway had of defending itself. 5 Days after the 'fierce battle', Some british ships came to help out but Germany somehow managed to overcome it even after losing most of their ships. With superior death from above, Hitler made the British ships and troops flee, along with Norway's major political and military leaders and from that time until the end of WWII, Norway was part of Germany and Narvik's iorn ore trade certainly helped the Nazi movement. When the war ended, the retreating Germans completely wiped out the town and the train tracks, the harbour. Like spoilt kids, they ruined the place for everyone else. Alot of towns in Norway and Finland had recieved the same treatment that's why half the towns aren't 'old looking' but modern monstrosities. So there's a short history for you! After my cool walk around the museum, I went for a walk in the rain to see well... mist and fog over the fjord then returned to the hostel to read for a bit. Lucky for me, Stephen was there and I was saved from reading more of my book. We discussed going and buying groceries for a joint dinner, so that's what we did. Fine cuisine ensued, even though I hate having 'advice' in the kitchen, it was still fun and tasted quite good. After stuffing myself, I tried to read a bit but ended up falling asleep. So today was mildly worthwhile and tomorrow I was heading out to the Lofoten but not until 3pm... what the hell could I do for all that time?

Stephen was heading off that morning, so I walked him towards the train station and shook his hand and said bye, yet another to add to the list and I went into the tourist office to ask, or beg for one last chance of information on how to get to Stamsund, I mean, what if the Hurtigruten wasn't going? I was stressing for the sake of Stressing I think, so I walked down to the Hurtigruten office instead and the girl made it perfectly clear that it was all going to be alright. Something had to go right with this situation. I then did a spot of shopping for a new book and some food, then somehow managed to waste 3 hours doing nothing at all and it was time to board the 'ekspress båt' (Express Boat). The small beast took off quite slowly but it wasn't long before it hit full speed and the fun started. I think only 5 or 6 people were aboard the boat and eventually one African looking woman began to look kinda sick but I didn't blame her because the speed boat was rocking pretty massively, jumping over the small choppy conditions like a small boat out on a sunny sunday morning fishing for whiting. I thought it was alot of fun even though my stomach was churning a bit (maybe due to the overpriced Hamburger I had for lunch) The ride began to get a bit better when the landscape either side changed. You see, we were never heading out to see because the Lofoten Islands almost run parrallel alongside the mainland heading south, so I was pretty much leaving from the point the Islands seperated from the Mainland and towards the 'capital' of the Lofoten, Svolvær which is pretty much right in the middle and it sure as hell is alot cheaper and faster than sitting on the bus. It was cheaper because I asked the guy as I was paying for my ticket if I got a discount due to my Scanrail pass and he said yes, so I was entitled to a kr;180 discount which is around $35aud, so I wasn't complaining, infact I was loving the whole situation. I read my book and ended up finishing the first book of 'Otherland', first in a series of 4, this one a mere 941 pages long but it took me awhile to finish it, now the hunt was on to find the 2nd book! The scenery had manifested itself into small mountainous islands floating out in the sea, almost like a glacial archipelago. I had reached Lofoten seaspace and not a moment too soon, I was feeling mighty happy to have made it here, once again smiling like a lunatic. I decided to play some music and just before the last song ended, I felt a tingling sensation in my pants. How odd. I realised it was my phone but the tingling continued, shit someone was calling me (who could it be?) and lo' it was someone I expected to hear from 6 weeks ago. This person finally decided to call me and well, it was all over. Perhaps the last contact i'll have with that person ever. It didnt stop making me feel bizzare, even retarded emotions, I mean here I was heading towards the Islands and this phone call out of the blue was sending shockwaves through my brilliant mood, I wouldnt let it spoil everything and I tried so very hard to let it go. I played some more music to block the irritating thought patterns and it eventually went away or mutated into more positive emotions which was great. I thank the lord for music and praise my Iaudio for having 20gb of it to keep me on the right track and at peace with myself. By now the mountains were rising all around and I could spy small communities along the water's edge aswell as tiny little beaches in hidden rocky coves, I wondered if they ever got used here in the summer. Coolest beaches I had seen just about ever. It was time to play some 'fitting' music for this scenario and what else could you listen to whilst sailing accross an expanse of water in Norway to an ancient viking settlement? Black metal, of course, real Norwegian black metal and the masters of Viking orientated Svart Metal, Enslaved. They've been around since 91' or 92', have 8 albums or so, were even signed to Euronymous's Deathlike Silence productions (which we'll discuss in Norge Part II). Enslaved are one of my favourite bands ever and no matter what you say about Black Metal in general, nothing at all could be more fitting and in Particular the album Eld, even though the album is dedicated to the dawn of the Viking Age, spearheaded by Danish rebels, it was still the best thing to comemorate this moment of crossing the sea to the Lofoten Islands. So with the opening track coming to an end we left our first stop and 15 mins later we'd be at the Svolvær docks. I lept up the gangway and touched the surface of the Lofoten for the first time and it was marvelous. The scene was just how I imagined. A miniature town dwarfed by giant mountains with a plethra of fishing boats and small docks all around. I had an hour to kill before the fabled 'Hurtigruten Coastal Steamer' pulled into shore to take me to my hostel town of Stamsund. I walked around for a bit, I actually wanted a beer to go with my meat and bread I bought back in Narvik. For a tiny town with like 4,000 people scattered accross the countryside there sure were alot of supermarkets. I went into 3 and none sold beer, apart from 'Alkohol frei' rubbish, so I settled for a coke instead and a cake, I had a particular fondess for a cake sold in Norwegian supermarkets, too bad I forgot how to spell it! The town itself was very quiet, I mean it was literally in the middle of nowhere, even though a major hub for Lofoten but a tiny town anyways. There were youths about though, I hope they appreciate the brilliance of their town because it was so damn beautiful but the seabreeze was quite chilly. I heard a large horn sound and realised it must be the ferry pulling into dock, so I slowly made my way quayside just as the monolithic ship had come to a stop and was tying up. The ship was similar in size and dimension to my other Baltic ferry crossings, which meant 200X the size of the tiny thing I got to Svolvær in. I hopped onboard and paid my fare, a kinda pricey kr;130 for a 100min ride to it's next port of call but when I got upstairs, I realised why. The ship was like a 5 star hotel, wood trimmings, mirrors, clean carpets, paintings and model ships decorated the halls and dining rooms of the ship. There was a netcafe (expensive beyond belief) and a children's play area aswell as TV's and shit with Soccer playing for the plebs to watch as they sailed the seven seas. I parked myself in a leather chair with my own window and small table and munched on my supermarket food, momentarily forgetting I was amongst rich people and an expensive restaurant just 10meters behind me. After the food, I headed up to the bow of the ship and watched as we spun around and exited the dock once again in awe of the Captain's skill in guiding the ship through such narrow area's. I moved around the decks a bit and spied people. Most were American pensioners but occasionly the germans, you can always tell whose german, they have these scowls all the time. At the back of the ship I noticed a girl sitting on a deckchair reading, an african girl but she looked more like a backpacker so maybe it was possible I wasn't the only peasent aboard. I'll explain this Hurtigruten to you briefly. Basically it's a service been running for over a 100 years, as a passenger link to those in far north Norway and the Lofoten to connect them to the rest of the mainland. It soon developed into a prestigeous and very luxurious cruise along Norway's coast. It covers the sea from Bergen all the way up to Kirkenes, which is right nearby Nordkapp. It takes 6 days to do the whole thing and another 6 to return, so as I mentioned earlier it's like an expensive 2 week vacation for the old and frail who zoom up and down the coast without getting their hands dirty. It also makes life a little easier for us backpackers because the daily service runs year round and makes connections not possible with other ferries the rest of the year. So I sat back, listened to music and watched the Lofoten slide past as the sunset ...

• Mouth of the Architect - The Ties that Blind (My fav album of the year so far but I havent heard THAT many from 2006!)
  
• James Plotkin - Joy of Disease (throwing a spanner in the works with this one but I love this album)
  
• Enslaved - Eld (Perfect Viking Music!)
  
• Isis - Oceanic (Keeping the nautical theme going, one of my all time favs...)
  

... The trip was sublime, lighthouses dotted the shore, beggining their nightly lightshow, as the mists began to decend upon the smaller islands and tiny fjord-esque inlets and surrounding mountains, the sun's eminating orange and pink glow was beyond words, one of the most invigorating spectacles of my entire trip so far. I eventually saw a warehouse with the name 'Stamsund' written on it. I was here and eariler than expected. I lept out of chair and headed for disembarkment. I was joined by 4 others, all backpackers, including the african girl. They were all speaking german and I was too tired to talk so as soon as the gang was landed, I began my steady march towards the hostel. I had basic idea where it was but still managed to get lost, well not lost but I asked for directions about halfway along the correct road. I made it, though and dead on 2130. I was greeted before the entrance by one of the hostel owners 'Roar', a bizzare fellow who rang his wife and said that a chinese man had arrived and wanted a room ... I was greeted by Cecily and the front door and as soon as I got in, the other 4 travelers rocked up behind me and we all got signed in. The place looked very nice, as you can see from the pic it was right there on the wharf in a fisherman's hut. The place was full and buzzing with life. I got my gear settled and began talking to this French guy, whose name I never got or if I did I couldn't remember but we had a jolly good conversation, generally about France. He made it sound like a great place. It's his job, though, being French and all. We made our way outside eventually and talked a bit more and eventually being joined by the African girl and one of the other travelers. We all sat and listened to a German guy from Munich rattle on about his biking trip. He had rode his bike all the way here from home. It was a great effort and not the first time he'd done it. He had been coming to this same hostel since he was 24, all the way back in 75', crazy bastard but a nice enough bloke. I spoke a bit to the german speaker, he was actually from Switzerland travelling with his sleeping girlfriend but he had a funny attitude, like Ice, there was nowhere to turn as far as conversations went. I began talking to the African girl who I spied on the boat eariler. Her name was Amina and she was from Vienna and travelling with her friend whom was also asleep already. I talked to Amina about Norway and how much we both loved the place but she could speak norwegian and has worked here for a year or so in Summers, so she was able to give me some tips on places to go see when I was in Oslo, metal places, she was into rock music I think ... I never actually asked but she reccomended some cool places. She eventually left me as it was damn cold. I stood there freezing for 15 mins by myself before heading to sleep, myself. I fell asleep quite content but with my phone buzzing in my mind. That damn phonecall.

The next day began with the reek of fresh fish, someone must have cooked it for breakfast and the whole place stank. I went downstairs and had a shower, had to pay for hot water in 8 min slots but it wasnt too much seeing though the hostel was less than kr;100 a night to begin with. After my brief shower I ventured back along the mainroad to the dock, en route to the supermarket for breakfast. This was the first time I could see Lofoten for an extended time and I embraced the morning cold air and enjoyed every small dose of sunshine offered to me, as it hadnt been sunny since my first night in Narvik. I ate dockside and then meandered back to the hostel because of the bitter cold. Back at base camp, Amina's friend approached me and asked if I wanted to join them in a row boat later... err... I said sure, why not. It will be fun. She smiled and Amina came out and they both did a supermarket round. I studied my guide book while waiting for them to return. I also started some conversations with the German bloke, my french friend had left earlier that morning. The german fellow was smoking some fish he caught with juniper berries and was getting very excited about his upcoming feast. I also spoke to Roar a bit and he was a bit of a hard nut to crack and I didnt have the patience for a 'pushy' conversation and just enjoyed a brief encounter with the kult figure of Stamsund hostel. I was asked to join a fishing trip with Cecily and some other guests on their big boat but declined as I had a rowing adventure to look forward to. Eventually the 2 ladies returned and we hopped into the row boat. It was dodgy as hell but offered for guests at the hostel for free. I hadn't been in a boat this tiny since my Year 7 camp at Murry Bridge in Winter and god did that suck. I sat in the front and the 2 girls started rowing. I sat there like a king being chauffered accross the sea. The going was slow at first and then it remained slower, perhaps even getting slower and slower as time went on but it was the experience that mattered. I got to know the girls pretty well and they got to know me pretty well, too... including my pussiness as far as being in a small boat was, I wasnt scared but was taking my time getting used to it! The views were extraordinary, being about 100m offshore and surrounded by tiny tiny islands covered with birds with tall mountains and thick veils of mist surrounding us. Never had I been this close to nature myself. We stopped floated and talked awhile, just around the corner of the cove where the hostel is situated, possibly only 500m we traveled in like 45 mins haha. After the brief intermission, I took over one set of ores, from Amina's friend (still nameless) and then it was kinda weird because staring at her friend and talking to her made me feel funny. She was a very nice girl and what a perfect place to be with such a nice girl. My rowing skills were awful and embarrassing at first but after about 10 mins, I was a pro and fighting the current like a champion. We made it back to shore and split up for a couple of hours, I returned to the supermarket and went for a brief walk about the cliffs and Lighthouse before returning just before darkness fell and the rains set in. The night was kinda a mixed bag, I sat there and spoke to Amina's friend for over 2 hours and yet still didn't ask her name. I got mildly drunk on the free vodka she offered me and we both discussed stupid drunken shit like old friends. It was such a social place, like 20 people gathered in the kitchen playing cards and chatting away, like a big giant family. It was great but not so much for me, it was almost an alien sensation. I can vaguelly remember many family dinners at home with all 4 of us sitting around, I know we had them, many of them but they were a long time ago and it's painful to remember sometimes but this gathering here also had one more problem. Everyone was speaking german! Ugh, even my nameless new friend was speaking English but only because I was there. I felt like the odd one out and after a few of us slipped outside to try and spot the northern lights and freeze to death, I got kinda angry my german sucked so much and retreated to the warmth of my bed. At least I worked out I had travel partners to my next destination, Å, Amina and her friend would acompany me the next morning and that would be great. Hopefuly no-one there would speak german!

My time in Stamsund was great but 2 nights and it was over, time to hit my main place on Lofoten for 3 nights of relaxation. Amina's friend joined me in the kitchen and finally I learnt her name, she flashed a card at me she was trying to explain they mispelt her name the night before and had the proof for me now. Daniela was her name. Amina eventually came down and we all hit the road to the bus stop. We waved goodbye to our hosts and within 2 mins were on the bus and on towards Å, situated on the southern most Island of the Lofoten and it's most Southernly township. We changed buses and had a coffee and cake in a town called Leknes before starting the scenic bus route through the core of the Lofoten. The trip was so awesome, one side of the islands being battered by the sea with high winds and torrential rains whilst on the other side of the bus, rich green valley's and fjords with towering mountains were casting their shadow and putting on a marvelous show for us as the sun popped out now and again. The Lofoten islands are simply amazing, you have to visit this place, all of you! We eventually made it and followed the instructions to our sleeping place for the night. Yet another fisherman's hut, an age old building built on the wharf but this place even more scenic and spectacular than the last. Easily the best place i've stayed in. Ever. The man never came and collected his money like he said, so after settling in, the 3 of us strolled to check the place out. We came to a cliff looking over the sea and watched as the waves crashed and splashed on the bottom and braved the cold winds as the sun was still deciding whether he wanted to come out and play or not, perhaps later the clouds might disapear at least. We stood in seperate positions and took our time taking in the surrounds and being overwhelmed by nature's beauty before getting back together and walking to the small grocery store. We found it closed but some dude offered to drive us to one still open about 4km away, so we drove with him and then walked back together. Sharing a few laughs and stories. I liked these 2 girls, they were great companions and Daniela in particular was kinda special I think. We eventually bumped into the owner of the store, he actually passed us on the road but we were none to the wiser. We went into the office and paid our dues. Me for 3 nights but the girls only for 1... damn I was gonna be sad and lonely already tomorrow. Only problem was that there was no ferry on Saturday so the girls had to make it maybe by bus but it was a one in a million chance that they would make all the connections. I was secretly hoping they would stay with me but that's not very nice because they didnt have enough money left so they HAD TO GO and well they decided to take the chance. After the crazy cod fisher/museum owner/accomodation baron had finished spinning his tales for us... an utter chatter box but a delightful man, we headed back to our room to cook and relax a bit. The owner asked me to help him out a bit tomorrow and I said I would. After dinner, the clouds disapeared and the moon rose into the sky in all it's glory. A Full Moon, nothing compared to the wonder of the Northern Lights which were eluding us all on this trip up North. Daniela and myself stood there together outside gazing madly at the rising moon and with wonder at the reflection on the water, glistening with such a pure white light. It was one of the sweetest experiences of all time. You know, it was almost the defyning moment of this whole holiday when I could say 'right, it was all worth it, man' so we stood there watching and talking and I realised just how nice this girl was and she offered me accomodation for free in Vienna next time I get to Europe... success! ;) After the moon became to boring for Daniela, she departed to shower and I remained them by myself watching a ferry pass close to shore before going inside for a quick chat before sleep. We all agreed to get up and watch the sunrise together at 6am and with that promise we all fell asleep.

6am and Amina's alarm blasted, I heard some shuffling about and whispering and then silence. Next time I checked the clock it was 730am and so much for sunrise watching! Daniela was still asleep, too, so it wasnt just me a lazy bastard. Amina returned and said it was awesome. I informed her that sleeping is also awesome. 9am and there bus came, I waved them goodbye and watched as the bus drove off. Slim chance i'd ever see them again but let's see how long the email contact with Daniela keeps up. 5 bucks says 3 months. The rains had just begun and I slowly walked back to the room, where I would remain just about all day. I layed on the couch and read for at least 5 hours, I think, it was picture perfect. A small fisherman's hut surrounded by water and a small reef, the sound of roosting seabirds otherwise just total silence and the smell of the ocean and I could look outside the window and see Jellyfish slowly moving in the current. Such serenity. Total peace. No Sightseeing today. Who needed it. I went for a small walk in the afternoon and bought some gear for dinner and also supplies for Sunday as the shop would be closed. I never heard from the owner who wanted help. So I sat out my day reading, studying my travel book and contemplating. The owner came in at one stage and wanted me to drive his car somewhere but I couldnt help because I dont drive... another time I wished I had my liscence. He laughed and didnt seem to care but it would have been nice to help out but after he left I just read some more.Hey and then I slept after the sun went down. I mourned the loss of my Austrian friends but I was used to losing new friends on a regular basis. Just not all of them are as nice as Daniela... boohoo ;(

The rains were still present on my 2nd full day on Å but they didn't last forever, so after I slept until lunchtime and ate, I then sat and read (a new trend!) before deciding to endure the weather and hike around the lake I spied on my walk yesterday afternoon. I took off at 2pm after not hearing from my accomodation owner. The hike was brutal and pushed my skills beyond their limits. It was soggy as hell. The rains had created a marsh and within 10 mins or so my shoes/socks and pants upto my knees were completely soaked but this was nature and I was the only one out here. Total silence apart from the distant roar of waterfalls and the gentle sounds of streams heading towards the all swallowing lake. At some stages I had to hang onto chains which had been grafted into the rocks and haul myself to the top... I felt like such a mountain explorer, it was great. After 2 hours I had made it half way and could see right back to the town's entrance but behind me was a sheer face of mountains with numerous waterfalls thundering downward. I continued through the small portions of forest and moss covered rocks stopping occasionaly to take pics and to brace myself against small waterfalls threatening to send me slipping to my death, I eventually made it back to the other entrance of the trailhead, after 4 hours of 'hiking' and I sure was quite tired to put it mildly, I returned to the hostel for an extremely long free hot shower before heating up my half shitty vegetarian pasta I slopped up earlier. I then returned to the books before passing out into an intense slumber, tomorrow morning I had to be up and at the bus stop at 630am to make a 700am ferry back to the mainland. Such joy but unlike Haparanda, I didnt want to leave this awesome place.

So fast forward to me sitting on the ferry, a much nicer one than on the way to Lofoten and I am powering towards Bodø for the continuation of my mainland quest. I was reflecting on my time on Lofoten and the cool people, well one really cool person I met and I really believed I had fulfilled my purpose for this trip. It's just a shame that the weather wasn't as good and I didnt get to see the Aurara Borealis, but that would have been one in a million only just after the summer had ended. Oh well... there'll always be a next time because I have to come back to Lofoten again. The ferry trip was fairly bland, this time it crossed in a more 'sea' part of the fjord and at some stages you couldnt see land, so I sat there listening to music and generally being bored. At roughly 11am the boat stopped in Bodø and it was time to depart. I made the choice to catch the 9pm overnight train to Trondheim instead of spending 2 days farting around Bodø, so I booked my 'couchette' for the evening and then hit the town. 10 hours to kill in a small town, surely enough time to see it all! After an hour of walking around I was hit by a mammoth boredom. I walked through 3 bookstores, well 4 including a christian bookstore with a weird man behind the counter, I wasnt sure the church accepted homosexuals but it must be different here in Norway. I ended up spending nkr;100 on a hamburger and chips, first time ever i'd spent $20aud on a hamburger meal but times are different here in Norway. They really are. After lunch I hit my last chance bookstore to try find part 2 of 'Otherland', a used bookstore. I had a weird conversation with the owner, I made the comment after not finding my book: 'maybe i'll have better luck in one of the bigger cities', and he just laughed 'hohohoh, you will be QUITE surprised hohoho' like he knew every bookstore in Norway would thwart my attempt at finding the book I wanted. I made a promise to myself to check EVERY bookstore in Norway to prove him wrong. I was so bored, I needed something to excite me. Well apart from that and a lack of a netcafe what else could I do besides walk aimlessly? Drink beer maybe? Well I went for a walk first, admiring people's homes, I mean Bodø looked nice in the suburbs but downtown, another post WWII wreck because of the Nazi's was not too far short of the title of Norway's most boring town. After my boring walk, it even started raining... oh the horrors never end in Bodø... I sat in a pub and drank 2 beers slowly, wasting 2 hours and also wasting $25aud (yes for 2 pints ... ) but I still had an hour to waste, I sat in the trainstation and WAITED. The problem was that rocks had fallen and blocked the train tracks for the first 3 hours of railway, so we had to take a bus and then change over for the train at midnight. No luck getting a half decent night's sleep then eh? So I borded the bus and began listening to my sleep inducing fav band Sunn 0))) and I got through 2 full albums dazing back and forth in half sleep ... the only sleep one can muster cramped up on a bus. I also finally drank my flask of Jagermeister that's been travelling with me since Aumbach. I thought it would be easier to sleep when slightly drunken. I can't say much about the view because... well... it was night outside. One of the downfalls of overnight travel is the lack of scenery and the lack of sleep is the other downfall. Eventually we stopped in some small country town where it was safe to board the train and get on our way like planned and maybe get some sleep. The night train was pretty awesome, the interior was set out like an old fashian carriage, or thats how it looked at midnight after a few jager shots. On this particular journey you get a 'travel pack' for free, which included earlplugs (needed for those noisy germans sitting accross the aisle from me, eating their dinner at 1am for some reason?),an eye mask (needed to block the view of the weird looking african guy accross from me) and a blanket and blow up pillow (needed for obvious reasons!) ... so with my night pack neatly set out, I tried to sleep and... I guess I must of ... eventually ... dozed ... off ...

I woke up around 730am, 30 mins before our arrival in Trondheim, so I woke up just in time to pass through Hell. You see, Norwegian and English dont always translate so well, the words Fart and Fag mean totally different things here and Hell also means something different here and in this case, the town was called Hell. It didn't look like a particularly nice looking town, infact quite hellish you could say. Eventually my sleep deprived nightrain stopped and I was in Trondheim, my first of the 'big cities'. It was 8am, so way too early to goto the hostel and see if they had a bed for me, so I sat around trying to shake my tiredness off and eventually my brain turned itself on and 9am came around so I decided to go book hunting. The first bookstore was kinda crappy... the same chain as in Bodø and Narvik... damnit maybe the used bookstore owner was right. The second was a totally different chain and it had a giant sci-fi/fantasy section, so I got my hopes up but they still didnt have it but I asked the girl working there and she told me there was ONE more store. So I ran there, my energy levels at an all time low and ... I found it! The glistening blue cover, another 800 page book to plow through over the next couple of weeks, boy was I extatic, I wanted to share my joy with someone but I dont think anyone could understand. During my tour of the bookstores, I became quite familiar with Trondheim and realised just how nice a place it was, a huge cathedral in the center of town and a grim cemetary, lots of cobbled streets and a monument to a viking king on a huge pillar in the middle of the mainstreet. Can't get too much more Norse than that can you? Great city visually. The city was also disected by a nice river that curved around and actually passed behind the main city creating a headland where all the old buildings are set on. The area along the back river is a huge park with numerous pedestrian bridges crossing the river at various points with a glorious walking/biking trail following the entire river systems until you end up leaving downtown and heading towards the forests in the outer suburbs. I really liked this place. After my grandish tour and my book aquisition, I headed to a netcafe where I spent 3 hours or so spinning my last journal, I got nowhere near finishing it and am still trying to forget how much net cafe's cost here in Norway (note: too much), too bad i'm in one again now. After my play time there, it was time to get my skates on and find this hostel. According to my research, the most expensive hostel I would have stayed at thus far. A mind blowing $50aud a night but a bed was what I needed and I had to pay. The walk was scenic but also brutal, I bypassed some rather interesting places but i'd leave them for a secondary walking tour after I drop off my hideous bags, god how heavy they felt that day. I had to walk at least 2km from one side of the city to the other and uphill, aswell. It was a nightmare but after getting into my room and dumping my bags, I felt a whole heap better. 15 mins later and showered and I was ready to hit the town again. Basically I walked around looking for Trondheim's 'metal club' where I would buy a beer but after seeing it, I was disapointed and decided to head to a 2nd reccomended 'bar' where the cold beer flowed cheaply. I walked along the old docks, where a whole heap of trendy bars (incl. the metal bar) were located aswell as all kinds of expensive restaurants and I must say it was impressive. I wish I was a Norwegian student surving off government handouts, im sure it would almost be more than what I was earning back at home and then I could afford to hang out at these places and drink. I did a brief tour of downtown again, mainly just wasting time before heading to 'Grannies', a kind of coffee shop that sells ... coffee... amongst other things such as cake and of course beer and between 5pm and 8pm, they have cold pints for nkr;31, which is about $6.50aud, not too much considering this is norway, so almost half what I paid for worse Beer in Bodø, the place just hasnt got anything going for it, does it? After a couple of beers, I returned to the hostel with some groceries and cooked dinner... had a conversation with a chinese girl but she was a bit strange and the conversation didnt go anywhere interesting, so I ate and got the hell out of the kitchen asap. I walk around the streets ensued and after being completely bored, I returned to the hostel once again and slept like a baby in my empty and quite boring room. Tomorrow I had a whole day to explore, a whole city of wonders awaited me but did I care?

I slept in as long as possible and hit the road about 12pm. My plan: to walk wherever and just enjoy what Trondheim had to offer. I walked to the trainstation, I wanted to use of their 'free bikes' but unlike Copenhagen where you chuck in a 20kr piece, in Norway you must have a special card you can load up with credit or something to use these 'free bikes', I was mildly disapointed but not too much and continued to walk. The city had no more to offer me than what I had already seen, so I just kept walking until I eventually hit the point where my city map ended. No-mans land, no tourist dares to tread here but im not just a mere tourist but an explorer. I kept walking along this small stream and it lead me into the forest, which is where I spent the next 3 hours walking aimlessly. It was my first experience in an a-typical Norwegian forest and I swear at times i'd walked onto the cover of a 'Darkthrone' album, a band once again famous for it's Black Metal heritage and here I was, at home with my old fav style of music, it was just perfect. I rounded a band on a root torn path off the main path to be confronted by a herd of sheep ... almost goats! That would have been just TOO satanic but sheep are kinda cool, too and why the hell were there sheep in the middle of the forest without an owner? Who knows. I walked for 4 hours or so altogether and then ended up at Grannies for another couple of pints before heading back to the hostel for food again. There's a pattern here, do you follow? It's a boring pattern and after 7 months it's almost over and will be replaced with my old pattern but replace hostel with 'home' and that speaks with enough positivty to keep me happy. I spoke to some crazy german hippie type dude who was even more extreme than Stephen but he gave me some good idea's for one of the next places I was going to visit. I never got his name but his information was worthwhile. Instead of hanging out with him in the hostel I returned to the netcafe in an attempt to get my giant last entry done. Alas, after 2 more hours it still wasn't done. Id spent like 5 hours on it without completion (oddly enough this one's roughly the same amount) At about 11pm, I wandered alone through the empty streets of Trondheim. Even the traffic lights had been changed to their constant orange flashing, a day of traffic over, and only a handful of drunken students were my companions as I walked back. The area of cool bars was still on fire though, as I noticed before, seems like the coolest place to be in town. But Im a lonely backpacker and sleep was the only place for me... tomorrow I would head to Oslo, Norway's capital where my journey would continue. Slowly getting a bit lackluster, my lethargy catching up with me but here I was in Norway I just have to make the most of it. Trondheim was a brilliant small city, Norway's 3rd largest at 130,000 so I guess the big city of Oslo was something to look forward to. So I lay my head down for the 2nd time in Trondheim, waiting for my alarm in 6.5 hours to force me into action and another Train trip...

So that's it, a GIANT entry about my first half of Norway, I very much doubt i'll get the chance to do another so you may be reading my 2nd part after I get home. I hope it's okay with you all but I'll try and get it done before I get home, just no promises. Until Next time, thanks for reading!

Bye.

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