After 4 solid weeks of planning, the trip to Norway has begun. Ever since the plane ride back from Scotland, I've been reading books, maps, and the web about Norway. High off my trip to Scotland, where I planned a 3 day road trip from the east coast (Edinburgh) to the western island of Skye and back with my family, I was delighted to have a full 7 days in Norway to plan outdoor adventures.
With 7 days in Scotland, I could have driven around the whole country, and with this thought I began my Norway planning.
Originally, I assumed all the best scenery would be up north, but found that the major fjords and mountains were in the central and west Norway. Up north there was the artic circle and beautiful mountainous islands. 7 days seemed like enough time to cover both regions, and I decided on renting a car to give me more freedom (and carry more supplies). I found a route planner online, and typed in Sandefjord (site of Karl and Mariann's wedding), and a northern town, and when 2500km came back as a 1-way distance, I suddenly realized Norway is big. So I scaled back, and put together a first draft plan to visit the fjords, walk on a glacier (w/guide), drive scenic roads in central Norway, drive up the western coast to the scenic Lofoton islands past the artic circle, ferry hopping up the coast, and driving straight back south. 2240 miles.
Well, 320 mi/day didn't seem to bad. Did a couple 250+ mi days in Scotland, driving on the left side of the road. As I'd likely be solo on this trip, I figured I could push myself to the limit, and try for the aggressive itinerary. Plus driving in Scotland was fun, with beautiful scenery. Norway had to be just as good, if not better.
Well, 1 week til departure, I realized that the equivalent of a Boston -> Atlanta and back trip may be doable in the US in 7 days, but with a speed limit of 50mph (80 kmh) on most roads, strictly enforced (as I read), and unknown traffic and ferry crossing delays during the start of peak season, and windy roads,... even with 24 hours of light to drive in, I wouldn't have much time to get out of the car! I looked into a one-way car rental, cause I found a $88 airplane ticket from N. Norway to Oslo, but a $750 "one-way rental fee" scratched out that idea. Time for more research and a new itinerary.
After more research, I narrowed my route to the central-west area for an 1100-1200 mile route, with just 2-3 ferry crossings. A few days before leaving, I found a helpful e-book online on hikes in Norway, which was an excellent source. There were too many hikes out there to fit in my schedule, and so I made a list of hikes along my path with various lengths and heights, so depending on the time and weather, I can pick the best. This itinerary lets me do plenty of hiking everyday.
I read everywhere that Norway is really expensive for everything. Groceries supposedly costs 4x mainland Europe prices, and restaurants are so expensive that there aren't a whole lot of them, cause people can't afford them. I decided to bring 16 cans of tuna, plenty of peanut butter, tortillas, energy bars, dried fruit, and other misc food items. To save on lodging, I planned to live out of my rental car as much as possible. But to be safe, I'm bringing a tent, cause my GTI isn't that comfortable to sleep in (yes I've done it before), and my rental will probably be even smaller. Plus, there are tons of camping areas ~$15 per night for a tent spot (and facilities). I'm wondering how much food I'll bring back. I worried that my two large bags might go over the weight limit. Fortunately no. But I suppose an extra fee would still have been cheaper than buying food in Norway.
My goal of the trip is to take in a wide variety of Norway's spectacular nature, and experience the magnificent 3D theater of nature at its best. At the same time, be efficient with the time, and cover a wide area. And capture the experience on camera to re-live later, and bring a Norway experience to friends and family.
I bought an additional 512MB memory card, for 1GB total storage, and purchased a power inverter so I can recharge my camera battery in my car's cigarette lighter. I really hope it works. Since I'll be mainly solo on this trip, this journal and camera will be my companion, thus bringing you all with me, in a way. Karl is planning to meet up with me for some of the trip, though when, where, and how has yet to be determined. He and Mariann would be skipping their honeymoon to stay around and visit people. Or perhaps I'll meet someone at the wedding interested in joining some part of my trip. It might impact my aggressive hiking/travel schedule, but company could be fun. "I once met a girl, or should I say, she once met me." -lyrics to Norwegian Wood, by the Beatles.
6/25/04
6:50pm
Logan Airport Runway
Well, the plane boarded early, but we're sitting on the runway for ~30 minutes now. Northwest is a big drop in class compared to British Airways. No personal video, anyway. Fortunately, "Win a date with Tad Hamilton" is the movie, which I have no interest in, so one less distraction to trying to sleep. I doubt the food will come close to the gourmet of Brit Air's. Got the window seat, so I'll get a good look at Amsterdam. Man, it sure takes a long time for 6 planes ahead to take off...
Finally 7:09 we have lift off, on a 6:15pm flight over the foggy Boston Bay. 6hr 26min til Amsterdam, and 9hr 10min til Norway