Day 05 - Happy Birthday in Norway

21 August 2017

Charleen turns %&! today. So we are off to Norway, the target of our trip.

The daylight starts early in these parts and we woke early as well.  So seeing as the wind had died down from yesterday afternoon, we thought it was time to take Minerva out for a fly.  Down to the beach and after a few false starts, we got a couple of aerial shots of our lodgings and us on the beach.

Munchs Hotel, Tornby Strand.  Nice spot

Wave hello for a selfie.

The ferry was not due to leave until 11:45am so we had a slow start, packing up is becoming pretty much automatic.  Then it was go for a bit of a drive through the local town of Hjorring which recently celebrated it's 750th birthday.  Those numbers are mind blowing for us.  There are still quite a few old buildings on cobblestone streets which gradually merge out to more modern buildings then further out to things like Maccas, car dealers and giant hardware stores.

Time for a brekky at the local Hirtshals servo - just coffee and a hot dog.  The menus are a bit bewildering.  If you struggle with that as a breakfast, the guy two tables over was tucking in to a huge plate of chips and deep fried sausage accompanied by a large Carlsberg.  No french petit-déjeuner here.

On to the ferry terminal and line up for half an hour or so before they started to load.  It was fun to watch the big motorhomes having to reverse up the ramp and squeeze in.  Then it was our turn.  On forwards at least, but there were lots of twists and turns down in to the bowels of the ship and the big Volvo was not enjoying it.  Proximity alarms going off on every turn.  Finally slotted in we went upstairs to sit out the 3 hour journey.

Here comes our boat

Once we were all on, this poor bugger had to reverse his coach on board.

Big boathouse.

The big cat ferry throws lots of water out the back.

An easy passage through customs - just one officer sternly eyeing everyone off.  I gave her a big smile but got nothing in return.

Then we were in Norway. Yay.  And it is every bit as beautiful as I imagined.  Huge mountains and lake-filled valleys everywhere.  Just point the camera and click, you can't go wrong.

Just beautiful.

We had a few hundred kays to go to Stavenger and our booked accommodation for the night but the country speed limit is 80kph with lots of 70 and 60 sections, so it was a long slow trip.  A couple of roadworks didn't help, although we were lucky enough to be arriving just as they were letting 50 or so vehicles through.  It's a major highway so plenty of semi-trailers - just singles - and heavy traffic with many tunnels between the scenic spots.  Lets hope it thins out as we go north.

Our digs in Stavenger is a small apartment complete with kitchen.  But small is the operative word.  We booked it because it boasted a washing machine but it doesn't seem to work so we are hand washing and using the dryer.

Our street.  No room for a Volvo. Ours is third on the left.

Yep it's tiny.