Km: 138

Latitude: 63.79

We had a lovely nights sleep in our secluded spot overlooking the small lake. When we awoke this morning about 6 other campervans had joined us overnight, and a couple in a roof-top tent were parked next to us. So much for thinking we were in the middle of nowhere!

Today we meandered through quiet country roads, avoiding the main towns around the area. We stopped at a train crossing, excited to get some “different footage.” But the train never came. 

The barriers were down, so we were trapped. One by one, cars gave up and turned around, but not us. Oh no, we were committed. Either a train would come, or someone would fix the barrier. Neither happened. So eventually, we admitted defeat and took a dramatic detour up a massive hill. At the top, I looked back down at the crossing… and yep, you guessed it. The barriers were up. Typical.

I’ve been seeing these hotdogs wrapped in bacon everywhere and they look really yummy. It’s not the sort I think I’d normally eat, but they are on every ferry and in every service station, so I figured it’s the Norwegian equivalent of a meat pie. So I decided to order one to share. It wasn’t cheap, about $14, but we didn’t come to Norway for cheap. We came for the experience. 

The long sausage came in a short brioche bun, so sausage was hanging out each end. We weren’t sure of the correct etiquette to eat it, so we made one up. Mike and I tried taking a bite from each end at the same time. Big mistake. Not only did we look ridiculous, but cheese oozed out all over us! So I decided to eat my half first, while Mike watched on longingly. It was actually really delicious. Cheesy, hot-doggy, and bacony. I’ll probably have another one at some stage.

Then we caught another ferry. Everyone got off and turned right. We turned left. No idea why. Everyone else seemes to know where they were going. Meanwhile, we’re out here winging it, changing our plans daily and trusting our gut… or occasionally Google. The problem is, Google loves main roads. We don’t. But Google doesn’t really get that, so sometimes it refuses to show us any scenic alternatives until we’re there.

The road we followed was the 720 and it was narrow and beautiful. I turned off to a little place I saw on our app which sat on the edge of the fjord. We drove down even narrower roads in the pouring rain until we found the spot. It was only 2.30pm, but the location was so idyllic, we decided to stay the night. The sun came out and we were even able to sit outside for a while. It was so peaceful, just the sound of the stream trickling into the fjord, the birds chirping and a cuckoo doing his thing. 

I was still patting myself on the back for a job well done, when a man on a digger arrived and started taking stones from the stream and making piles and shattering our peace! It wasn’t too big a deal. We were inside by this time, and I was busy working on a video.

I expected other campervans to join us, but after the digger man went we were all alone. It seems like we’ve gotten off the tourist trail a bit. Just the way we like it!