Isn't it good, Norwegian Wood
Trip to Norway, July 2004
In July 2004, I took my first long-distance motorcycle trip, riding
pillion, from Germany to Norway and Sweden.
It was one of the best trips I have
ever taken in my life, to
one of the most beautiful places on Earth - Norway. It was a trip filled
with fjords, sea life, mountains, glaciers,
primitive
rock art and more beautiful sites that I thought could be in one
place. Every turn of the road brought a breath-taking view. I was so
overwhelmed by the scenery at times that I had tears in my eyes. I not
only fell in love with Norway, I fell in love with motorcycle travel. The
natural beauty of that country is absolutely staggering, and
the
cabin system they use for accommodations is one I wish all countries
would adopt, including right here in the USA.
I went with
my
then boyfriend (married him in 2007, still with him). I was on the
back of his
Honda
NX650 Dominator RD02. We went up through Germany and Denmark, then
by ferry over to Norway. We drove about a third of the way up, crossed
over into Sweden, and drove back down to Denmark, and then home.
I fully intended to write about this trip in detail... but various
circumstances conspired for that not to happen right after we returned,
nor in the month, and then years, after. And the reality is that I'm just
never going to do it - my notes aren't good enough to reconstruct the trip
in my usual narratives. Which is sad because, as, as I said, it's one of
the best trips I've ever taken, maybe the best up to that point, and it launched
my travels by motorcycle.
Here's some things I don't want to forget and some things you might find
helpful:
- In Kristiansand, we stayed with someone that I'm pretty sure is no
longer with us, but she was an extraordinary woman and she her kindness
and stories set the tone not only for my entire trip, but maybe for my
life after that. Her name was Gerd Reibrå, but she insisted we call her
Tanta Gerd). We found her via Bed
& Breakfast Norway - bbnorway.com, which still exists. I wish
so much I'd taken a photo of her, even with her. Her house was filled
with items from all over the world, which she'd accumulated with her
husband, now deceased - he'd been worked on a ship, I can't remember if
it was an oil tanker or what, but she went along often. She called us to
breakfast in the morning with a small gong, and her breakfast was a
bountiful feast. She told us wonderful stories about her travels all
over the world and fussed at Stefan for smoking and fussed at me to
attend to Stefan as we ate, which we both found terribly amusing and
still refer to now ("Better take care of my man!"). Tanta Gerd was an
inspiration to me. Someone should have written a book based on her
travels.
- You cannot spend too much time on the West Coast of Norway. Take
plenty of time to just sit in one spot and take in whatever is before
you, fjord or glacier or lake or waterfall or jelly fish swimming by the
ferry or whatever.
- Even people with the strongest stomachs have problems on the ferry
from Denmark to Norway. Take seasickness medicine and take some ginger
to eat or ginger ale to drink. And go to the bathroom early in the trip,
because later, you won't want to be anywhere near the well-used
bathrooms.
- So many winding
roads... incredible, and all in wonderful condition.
- We didn't camp. We stayed in cabins at the plethora of campsites on
our route. That said, you want to stop early, because cabins do fill up
and sell out. I like stopping by 5, at the very latest. Cabins did not
have sinks or any plumbing. They sometimes had a hot plate. We never
needed our own air mattresses - there was always something to lay our
sleeping bags on top of.
- Norway is not known for its food nor its beer. And when you visit,
you will learn why.
- Bring something to put over your eyes at night, or you won't get any
sleep in the summer, when it never, ever gets dark.
- Nothing to see in Lillihammer except the old
Olympic ski jump (and maybe a demo of such) and the bobsled
simulator at the bottom of it. Which we enjoyed.
- If you go over into Sweden, don't miss the rock
carvings at Tanumshede.
I wish we'd had more time and different clothes, so we could make an
extensive exploration of the area. The gift shop is nice, and the
camping next door is excellent.
- The hiking is awesome -- just be sure you bring the clothes for it
(which I did not).
- Mind the bicyclists -- they are everywhere, on every hill, on every
mountain.
- For highlights of our trip, visit Stefan's
web site.
What I was reading on this trip: Girl With a Pearl
Earring by Tracy Chevalier and Journey to the Center of the
Earth by Jules Verne.
Return to the coyotebroad travel home page
Disclaimer
Any activity incurs risk. The author assumes no responsibility for the
use of information contained within this document.
If you have read anything on
coyotebroad.com
and found it helpful, or want to criticize it, PLEASE
let
me know.
Comments are welcomed, and motivate me to keep writing -- without
comments, I start to think I'm talking to cyberair. I would welcome
your
support for my work as well.
Quick Links
Index
of resources for women travelers (how
to get started, health & safety
considerations, packing suggestions,
transportation options, etc.
Advice for camping
with your dogs in the USA
Saving
Money with Park Passes in the USA
Advice for women motorcycle riders
and travelers
transire
benefaciendo: "to travel along while doing good." advice for
those wanting to make their travel more than sight-seeing and
shopping.
Suggestions
for Women Aid Workers in Afghanistan (or anywhere in the world
where the culture is more conservative/restrictive regarding women)
my
adventures in Germany
my
adventures in Europe, Africa, as well as road trips in the USA
Advice
for Hotels, Hostels & Campgrounds in Transitional &
Developing Countries: the Qualities of Great, Cheap Accommodations
Disclaimer: Any activity incurs risk. The
author assumes no responsibility for the use of information
contained within this document.
This material is provided as is, with no expressed or implied
warranty.
Permission is granted to copy, present and/or distribute a limited
amount of material from my web site without charge
if the information is kept intact and is credited to Jayne
Cravens
Please contact me for permission
to reprint, present or distribute these materials (for instance,
in a class or book or online event for which you intend to
charge).
The art work and material on this site was created and is
copyrighted 1996-2022
by Jayne Cravens, all rights reserved
(unless noted otherwise, or the art comes from a link to another
web site).
The personal opinions expressed on this page are solely those
of Ms. Cravens, unless otherwise noted.
Follow
me! 