Little Big Norway

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there and back again,
7,591 km in one month,

Hitchhiking From Sinj to Zagreb, Osijek, Zadar and from southern Norway trough north to west,
and in the search to find a camping position all trough south.



2,931 km of hitchhiking, walking and hiking.
I had a budget of only 1500 Nok, and been there for a 20 days.
Didn't spent a penny on the train or bus tickets, and sleeping in hostels.
It was all hitchhiking and Couchsurfing !
Manny Thanks to my Couch surfing friends who made this possible :
Cato Johansen Se MacLannacha Mich Elle John Fitzpatrick Paddy Cunningham Frau Moneike Jake Potter
and all others who made this trip so special !

26.03.2014.
Time is up ! Final preparations are made, 2 backpacks are sitting in the corner of my room, waiting to give them full attention.
After the lunch my mom prepared for me, with the special care and concern of my further future about hiking in the cold and wild
terrains in Norway, i am finally ready.
Hit the road, be happy, be free, those are all of my rules i have in time of being out there, on the road, on the boat to the unknown journey.
My father took me about 25km to Dugopolje village, on the A1 highway. I was standing for a 10 minutes maybe until i hitched a first ride to Zagreb.
It was a big truck, and i can tell you after a short wait to hitch a ride that truck looked so encouraging for me. I've jumped in, talking with
the driver, ride that was around 5h and 30min long, looked like a 2 hour ride. Funny guy !
Around the midnight, i arrived to the Zagreb city, standing on the highway entrance, with a low traffic. I needed to call a cab to get into the town.
I swear, i was dying inside of me, because i have payed for the ride, which is a direct rule breaker of mine.
Very good friend of mine Dujo was waiting in the student dorms for me, prepared me a dinner, grilled sausages and beer, in 1am ??? that's what I'm talking about, he knows how to surprise me, to put the smile on my face !
Tomorrow, with a 30kg heavy backpacks on my back and front, I'm on my way to Osijek. Using a city transport, illegally, i managed to get on the E70 highway for a good hitchhiking position ( 45.802281, 16.121388 )GPS coor. I waited maybe for a 15 minutes to hitch the ride, I'm on my way.
Got in the Osijek in the afternoon, to my dear friend Sanja. I sneaked into her hotel, and slept for a night, illegally of course.
I must add that we've been on the sea shell and sea life exspo, which i won't forget about, ever ! If anyone ever goes to Osijek, i strongly recommend to visit ! ( http://www.gloria-maris.hr/ )
After osijek, we have visited the beautiful Valpovo city, stayed with Sanja's friends and that's the times which i call the Good times !
For a first time I've met the guy Breza, his girlfriend Tena, and their good friend Doris (crazy little thing), the company which I'll always remember.
My flight to Norway is getting closer now. I vent to Zagreb city again, slept over at Dujo's place. And took a ride to Zadar.
I must say that i have replaced maybe a ten cars and trucks, and my longest wait on the road for the next ride was no longer than 15 minutes.
In city of Zadar i was staying with a two lovely girls, Nina and Zrinka. We had some good stories, barbecue and liters of a cheap vine !

03.04.2014
Thursday morning was just beautiful. on the airport i have notice a man with the same pants like mine, and also a same hiking boots as mine, and
somehow, i had a feeling i will meet him after. And i did, later in Oslo haha. We stopped to talk a bit, and took our ways after that with, best wishes.
After i bought a bottle of good Irish whiskey, Jameson, i was boarding at the aircraft. I had my flight with the Ryanair at 10:00am, and i got to Oslo Rygge airport ( 60km from Oslo ) at 01:00pm. First minute i have stepped on the E6 highway in Rygge, Norway, i hitched a football player who plays in national team for the Iceland. We shared some good stories about football, and he drove me to the Oslo center, even he didn't needed to go there, good lad !
It was afternoon, when i get to my host in Oslo, at majorstuen. Standing there at the plaza, i was waiting for him, thinking about what's he's like, is he a cool guy or just some stoked boring lad, so i could maybe ask some other hosts to come to their place..
We took off to his flat, where i met the other lads, Paddy the Irishman, Jake the Englishman, Monique the German, the man who took me there Seamus also was the Irishman. I didn't regret the second of the time i have spent with them. I mean, those people are so, open minded, party ready,
crazy fuckous who made my stay in Oslo so special. First day I've already learned to make some Irish drinks ( whiskey and the tap water ), and I've felted like I'm actually one of the flatmates. The whole atmosphere was so good, easy going and like ten kinds of hell in same way.
After a 3 crazy days in Oslo, i took off to Sandvika, E16 highway to hitchhike to Bergen, the rainy town in the west.



06.04.2014
After few minutes i hitched a ride, only to Honefos, but i have enjoyed the ride. The driver explained to me that in the province we are riding trough, once lived the king Ulav, the first king who presented christianity to Norway. Ulav was remembered as a strong men, like a Rock. In that honor, in whole province, the nature is called like Rocky mountain, rocky lake and so on. He lived until late eight hundreds.

In Honefos i hitched a ride for a next 300km. We were still on E16 highway, really scenic road, trough all the villages, nature, mountains... Words and pictures are all for nothing, if i wanted to describe it. In some point, he needed to take turn to road which leads trough the mountain to his holiday cabin to take the woods inside ( somewhere around the Utladen national park ).

My driver, no, i can not call him that way, Kindest man i have met so far in Norway was that kind to offer me to stay in his cabin to sleepover the night, or a few days if i wanted, with his food and everything. I refused, with a lots or regret. But what could i do ? Cabin was on the mountain road, and therefore i had minimum chance to hitch a ride from there. He took me over than 70km

off of his route to get me in the better spot to hitchhike further to Bergen. I will never forget about kindness that is overwhelming that man !
Somewhere around the midnight i got to Vossevagen, 100km from my goal. Traffic was very low, rain was coming down as a fast train long over a thousand miles and it wouldn't stop.

I slept over in the little wooden bus stop, at least i had a cover from the rain, so i can't say that was a disaster, it was kind a cool.

In the morning, first van i laid my eyes on stopped for me, and took me almost to Bergen, kind old man took me to Nesttun. It was hard to get on the highway there, but i took the old road,

and it worked very well. I Hitched a French girl and she took me right on the address of my host in Bergen, kind of her, right ? Next day i was walking trough the city alone, and suddenly someone

starts to jell my name across the main plaza Andelkoooooooo, haha it was her, the french lady just saying hello.

07.09.2014

Three beautiful days in Berger, for which they say that Bergen is a rainy town, almost 350 days of the rain in one year ! I had a two sunny days from three days being there, lucky bastard :D

Third day in Bergen i decided to spent on hiking in the surrounding hills around Bergen. It took me a 7 hours to get to the last hill Ulriken mount. It was truly a beautiful hiking day. Nature is representing all the stories about Norway, fjords, hills, woods, the rivers, everything is so heavenly nice. I forgot about every single problem in my life, all the responsibility i had, and all the shitty thoughts worn of from my head. It was like i am totally connected wit the nature, sitting there all alone.

After a three days of Bergen exploration, I'm back on the road. Somehow it feels like I'm on my thing, doing what i love to do without experiencing the burden of the same matter. Walking on the roads with two big backpacks can be really hard, specially if you have the rain and cold weather. Still it wasn't hard, just because the felling that was growing inside of me, some unknown happiness, strength from nowhere.

I have exchanged a few cars, and next interesting person was first officer on the oil rig, working as the doctor for the crew. We had really nice stories to share, and it wasn't boring at any moment. we drove almost 400km trough really scenic road trough fjords, villages and trough high plato in the mountains. When we stopped to the groceries store, where i had to buy my supply's for the seven days of camping into the wild, he payed me all of my stuff and didn't wanted money. I will never forget the man, not because the money but the stories, and positive energy we had.

10.04.2014

Finally, around 8pm i managed to find myself a good spot to place a base camp. I had no plans where I'm going, i was looking trough those 400 km to find a good position in wilderness where i can be near water, and have the mountains around me to climb, hike and exercise. Be alone, connected with just the nature. I have placed my tent by the lake Nisser, cooked a dinner, arranged my stuff in the tent and after preparation works I've jumped in my sleeping bag for the sleep.

In the morning next day, first view from my tent was just the sun, water and the woods, and there are no words to express my self, my inner happiness just for being there, feeling that place around me. All the day i was reading the book, King alcohol from Jack London, cooking, washing my clothes in the lake and resting from the roads. I found a piece of wood and I've tried to carve my self a spoon from it. I was on the good way to carve that spoon, but in the end i broke it, so I've decided not to throw it away, instead, i carved a pork from it hehe.

Seven days of camping was turned into a three days of camping, because third day started to rain a lot, i had -6 degree, and no battery on the phone or camera. ( and i really hated it, because i couldn't brig the pictures from hiking, jumping in the cold lake and lots of other stuff. ) before i went off of battery, I've needed the remember the highways, and the roads back to Oslo, so i drove myself a map, which way to hitchhike 😊

13.04.2014

First car i hitched was the old couple, on the way to their cabin in to the mountain, they insisted to took me to the cabin, even they were with their family of 6 people, fed me, gave me drink, chocolate and the old man took me almost 100 km north to my highway to Oslo. After he dropped me there he was insisting to give me the money, and i took a small greenback of 50 in memory of him. I'll never forget about his kindness! After a few more rides, i got to Oslo, around 6pm. Even if i was expecting to rest a bit or go to sleep, but my man Seamus was waiting for me with a bottle of Cpt. Morgan, good old Rum haha. we had a really crazy night in the pub crawling trough the town, meeting a lots of interesting people from all around the world.

Seven more days in paradise, i was walking around the city, reading, cooking, having a fun all the time. For a one almost whole day we took a boat trip to island Hovedoya, really little piece of the island beauty. We took 6 more couch surfers next days, and yes i can say WE, because i was already like a flat mate, more than a couch surfer haha. It was really special to know each one of them, couchsurfers. But the craziest parties we had with the Sini, Lisa and Katarina 😊
I've met a lot's of Seamus's mates there, and i can say that all of the are something special. Really laid back folks, and they know haw to party 😊

As the days passes by, my departure date is closer, I was feeling sad because i had to leave.

20.04.2014

That day i had to leave the Norway. Sun was rising and hugging the clear skies, and i was packing my backpacks, preparing to leave.
I had some breakfast, and around 3pm, i was already on the road. Switched two cars before I've reached the airport. It was a three hour flight to Zadar, Croatia.

We had some bad turbulence up in the skies, and on the landing attempt, it was a really hard wheel kick on the track, i thought we'll crash, but all was good, and soon enough i was out to meet my family, waiting there for me like a two puppy faced dogs 😊

That's all from me now, i hope i will write again soon enough !
Cheers !

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