Norway - Farewell

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So, the time has come for our adventure to end and to bid farewell to our friends in Norway. Wednesday morning we drove to Oslo and boarded a car ferry to Kiel, Germany. The ferry was really a large cruise ship with all of the amenities that happened to also carry cars. We had a lovely room with an ocean view. The trip was overnight and we arrived in Kiel the next morning at 10:00 am. Departing the ship was easy and well organized and we were on our way to Schiphol airport near Amsterdam. This would normally have been about a 4.5 hour drive. But, the Germans seem to have some sort of conspiracy to keep people from driving the autobahns! There was road construction everywhere and at one point we had to take about a 30 mile detour to avoid problems on the A1 one of Germany's main arteries. Nonetheless, we had plenty of time and arrived at our hotel with plenty of time for a martini and sushi. Next morning allowed for a leisurely hotel checkout and walk to the airport. We had a short layover in Reykjavik which brought back memories of the start of our trip over a month ago. We drove over 3,200 kilometers (almost 2,000 miles), took ferries, boats, trains and planes and enjoyed almost every minute of it! And then we were home.

We really have mixed emotions. Happy to be home but sad that the adventure is over. Mai Elise told us a Norwegian saying that sums things up: "borte bra, hjemme best" which roughly translates "Away is good but at home is best".

We saw a lot of sites on this trip, both man made and natural. But, it is the people whom we will remember! I have included some pictures from previous posts. Our special thanks to Ran and Marion Zurr who gave us a wonderful experience in Amsterdam. And what can we say to Hege and Bjorge? They so warmly invited us into their family and made us feel so at home! We will never forget their hospitality.

So, we do not say "goodbye" to these friends. We say "until we see you again"!

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Photos

Family Dinner Hosted by Vigdis and Rolf
This was sort of a farewell dinner for us and Vigdis prepared fresh red trout which was absolutely fabulous. And Hege made the dessert which could have been a meal in itself!

Fort Near Drøbak in Oslo Fjord
It was guns from this fort which sank the Nazi ship Blucher during the assault on Oslo in 1940. It is a well known event in Norway and it delayed the Nazis long enough to allow the king and government to escape.

Most Dreaded Road Sign in Germany!
I don't think I will complain about road construction in Minnesota for a long time.

Erik in Luneburg
Our "unofficial guide".

Mai Annie, Ragnhild and Katrine
The Harstad family.