Sweden to Norway - Week 4

We’ve really enjoyed Denmark. The weather’s been stunning which always helps. The majority of people speak perfect English and will help you if you ask them to. We met an English guy who’s lived in Denmark for 18 years and he told us ‘Denmark isn’t big. There’s nothing big about it, you just have to look for the little things.’ He’s right, and I think we did just that. Apart from all the wonderful places we visited, there’s fields upon fields of farm land, trees, thatched houses and oh, they love their Danish flags!! If you’re into cycling it’s very cycle friendly, not just in the relatively flat countryside, but all the towns as well. It’s not a big country, so it doesn’t take too long to get from A to B which is always a bonus. It hasn’t cost us too much either as we stocked up on food in Germany and the price of fuel was cheaper than the U.K.! Would we go back? Yes, absolutely.

We crossed from Denmark to Sweden on the Helsingør to Helsingborg Ferry, just when England were playing Sweden in the World Cup. England won so we tried to look as inconspicuously as possible. 

 

We drove north up the coast along the tourist route and found a car park, a stones throw from the beach with fresh water tap & toilets. It had been quite hot and humid so we were very glad of the breeze (as you can tell from my hair lol). The sea was really shallow and warm and I couldn’t keep a certain person out of it.

We went to Gotham City!! OK, not quite, but Gothenburg always reminds me of Batman lol 😜 The trip advisor forums certainly are a brilliant source of information and when we did some research the previous night, we realised it’s Sweden’s 2nd largest city!! Jonas on the Gothenburg forum said there was a park and ride in Lindome, so that’s where where we parked. We had no idea how to get a ticket so Andy asked a guy in the cafe (bearing in mind England had just knocked Sweden out of the World Cup) ...

Andy - Can you speak English
Swede - Yes I can
Andy - Which platform for Gothenburg?
Swede - Platform 2
Andy - Where do you get the tickets from?
Swede - Store over the road or by credit card on the train
Andy - Thanks
Swede - Are you English?
Andy - Urm yes
Swede - Get out of my cafe!!
Both of them belly laughing.
I wondered what on earth was going on lol.

The train ticket was valid for all public transport in the city including the trams. It was OK for a walk round and a very bumpy ride on the dotto train. (Note to self ... check for cobbled streets next time.) Not sure I would go again but you can’t win them all 😉

Ps. I looked everywhere for Batman but he was no where to be seen, although we did see a guy on a motorbike with VERY big tyres lol.

We’d stopped in a free Motorhome parking area after leaving Gothenburg, with toilets and information boards in Swedish, German & English. It said you could follow the scenic blue green route (165) from Dingle in Sweden to Halden in Norway. I’m so glad we did, it was beautiful.

The further north you drive in Sweden the more stunning it gets. There were even signs along the road warning of Elks. Fingers crossed we get to see one.

Unfortunately though, we blinked and missed the border between the two countries. We only knew we’d crossed it when the road signs looked different and the lines in the middle of the road changed from white to yellow lol. Our route took us up through Oslo along the E18 and what a road. The Norwegians certainly know how to build infrastructure!! We drove on a motorway in a 4.5km long tunnel under Oslo!
We realised there were some automatic tolls, so when we parked up for the night, overlooking Tyrifjorden, we registered online with EPC. (Thanks to the guys over at ‘Our Tour’ for the info). Oh my goodness, what a spot!! The view was amazing and climbing up the wooden steps on the other side of the road, we watched 2 paragliders use the ramp to run off the edge of the mountain.

The next morning we'd only travelled half a mile when we had to stop to take photos of the bridge we were going to drive over. Then, Andy spotted a red squirrel, eating his breakfast 😍

Finally we were truckin’ along the E16 to Bergen, there was so much to look at, it was hard to take photos. Can you believe it!!

I decided to use my new washing machine. It was a Christmas present from my daughter. Filled it half full with warm soapy water and put the clothes in. Drove along the E16 for a couple of hours and hey presto clean clothes. It even fits perfectly in Harriet’s bathroom!! Now, if someone could please produce a ‘travel mangle’, I’d be ever so grateful.

We found a camping spot on the old kings route at Galdane, complete with waterfall. It’s a good job Harriet the Hymer has some serious insulation because the noise of the water would have kept us awake if she hadn’t. It was a stunning spot.

Another must see on my list for Norway was an original Stave Church. The one at Borgund was built in 1177. Can't believe a wooden church could last that long.

 

Next on the list was Laerdalstunnelen. It’s the longest tunnel I’ve ever been through, 24.5km, complete with pretty lights!

Our destination was Flam. The sun was shinning yet again and the walk around the harbour was stunning. 

We took the train up the mountain to look at the huge waterfall then carried on to Myrdal. The views were wonderful and the colour of the water was amazing.

The thing about life on the road is that you still have to do the jobs you would normally do at home, like cutting your fringe and hoovering up afterwards.

Another nights camping spot at Voss courtesy of park4night was up in the mountains again with an amazing view and some very hairy houses. I think it must be a ski resort in the winter.

Norway is a huge country and we soon realised we needed a map so we could mark out a travel route.
a) so we didn’t miss anything we wanted to see and
b) it didn’t cost a fortune in ferries.
So we got the highlighter pen out along with google maps and the ‘must see’ list and marked a route. It was so easy to do in Harriet the Hymer.
The table is the right size and if that isn’t enough, it slides backwards and forwards and side to side with a lever to lock it in position. It’s so versatile and I think the person who came up with the idea, needs a pay rise.

We drove the rest of the way to Bergen, still marveling at the scenery and all the tunnels! 

We’re camped at Lone Campsite now for 2 nights.

We’ve loved Bergen. It’s small, easy to walk around and plenty to see. We went in to the centre on the tram. The public transport was frequent, clean and easy to use. We ate lunch sat on one of the many benches conversing with an American, an Australian and a Norwegian, (no, it’s not the start of a joke lol) overlooking the colourful buildings of Bryggen. The fish market was in full swing (Saturday) and even the 5 piece brass band were great to listen to while we sat in the sunshine.

And to finish off this weeks post, Norway seems an easy country to travel in, in a motorhome. Even some garages have places you can fill up with water and empty your waste. Look out for this sign (most of them seem to be on the park4night app) and follow the directions.

Some we have been to have a specific place to empty your toilet cassette, some, like this one, you empty in the same place as the grey water?!! (The hose pipe is for cleaning up afterwards, you have to fix your own hose to the drinking water tap).

Denmark - Week 3

Monday afternoon we stopped in Jelling to have a look at the Rune stones which were on the UNESCO World Heritage list. Wow what a place!! 

Hans, the director of the museum, told us it was the most important site in Denmark and even appears on their Danish Passports. He was very proud of the fact that it was all free. 

Google ‘visit Jelling’ for more info. 

After spending most of the afternoon there, we asked his advice on what else we should see and he pointed us to Fredericia. It was going to be the new capital of Denmark in the 1600s and was laid out in a grid system similar to the cities in America. Unfortunately the King, who ruled at the time, ran out of money, so it never happened. He even showed us where to stay the night along the harbour. Not much of a chill out day lol. Anyway, When we got there we could hear a marching band playing so had to investigate. They were waving the ‘Viking Sun’ off on its Cruise. Must admit, I don’t know about you but I’d rather be exploring on 4 wheels than by water!!

I can’t believe how amazing the weather is here in Denmark at the moment. It was a beautiful evening so we walked round the town (Fredericia).

When we were at Legoland a few days ago, Egeskov Castle was one of the buildings in mini land. It inspired us to go and find the real thing and we were so glad that we did. 

The castle has the biggest, most detailed dolls house we’ve ever seen. 

If that wasn’t enough, up in the loft was an unusual display of vintage toys. Outside, the gardens were full of topiary and beautiful trees and flowers. 

Then Andy spotted a tree top trail! ‘Let’s go up there’ he said. Flippin heck, it was a bit wobbly to say the least lol.

Someone has been a serious collector of ‘things’ over the years. There were buildings full of motorbikes hung up, fire engines, bicycles, cars all manner of things to look at.

We left the Danish Island of Funen and travelled by bridge to the the island of Zealand. What a bridge! 6790 metres long and travels over a little island in the middle complete with lighthouse. It’s a toll bridge and cost us £43 for a 7m van which I didn’t think was bad as a car costs £36. The toll booths are at the Zealand end and you have to follow the big yellow signs saying manual payment so they can see which class Motorhome you are. It was quick & easy and the lady knew exactly what size we were and spoke perfect English.

Our next destination was Roskilde to visit the Viking Ship Museum. You get a free guided tour as part of the entrance fee.The exhibition includes five unique Viking Ships, which were excavated in 1962 from Roskilde Fjord, near the village of Skuldelev. At the end of the Viking age - the late 11th century- a system of barriers was constructed to protect the royal seat and Cathedral in Roskilde. The five Skuldelev Ships come from a barrier about 20km north of Roskilde. The ships were sunk across a sailing channel and were part of an effective barrier.

They were building a replica ship using traditional Viking methods in the museums boatyard. The ones that had already been reconstructed were moored in the museum harbour and you could pay extra to take one out for a spin.

The sun came out again after tea so we went another walk around the harbour. It’s the second town we’ve been in in Denmark where there’s been a meeting of classic cars and their owners. This time the harbour was full of motorbikes too. I loved the strawberry hats on the trio of Danes and they didn’t mind posing for me either lol.

We didn’t fancy driving into Copenhagen and having the hassle of parking, so we went by train from Roskilde. The parking by the Viking Ship Museum was free all day and it only took 30mins and cost 150dkk each so we thought that would be the best idea. The lady in the tourist office said it was the cheapest way to travel. It’s called a tourist ticket and allows you access to trains, buses and water taxis all over the city for 24 hours. We only wanted to spend a day in Copenhagen as we’re not really a fan of big busy places so when we got there we opted for the City Sightseeing Hop on Hop off bus. It’s just up the road from the train station and took us to all the usual places.

Laundry day - Danish Style!! One up man ship on the German Laundromat!! You pay for it in the same way by putting coins in the machine on the wall and pressing the button that corresponds to the number on the washer. (We had to go to an ATM in the shopping area first and then change the notes into coins at the supermarket.)

It spins your washing first to weigh it and then dispenses laundry detergent automatically into the machine. OMG how cool is that!!