And here it suddenly is: the last day of the North cape adventure. And what a beautiful nice riding day. Preparing ourselves in the morning in Finalnd for a long day in the rain, but that turns out to be a beautiful riding day. As soon as we left the tundra's of Finland and entered the Norwegian fjord area again, the sun came in and we had a memorable last couple of hours . Riding along the amazing fjord roads we fully immersed ourselves in the scenery of northern Norway. Entering Tromso , we stopped for a short visit to the ishavs cathedral . After this it was just a 10min ride over the brige and then it was really there: end of the tour.

But not before we had a wonderful farewell dinner and a last drink at the pub next door. Time to say goodbye: thanks everybody for your great company, good laughs and great riding to the top of the European continent

see you all on a next tour somewhere, sometime!

a last goodbye drink at the Rorbuer

We will ride through Lappland, the land of the Samis, today. Forests, lakes, straight roads and – mosquitos! Very different compared to what we have seen of northern Scandinavia so far, both the country and the population here have their own interesting histories. We visit the Sami museum in Karasjok that provides a lot of information about this interesting part of our planet.

South and west are our directions today. The roads are pretty straight and have almost no traffic as we cross the Finmark, entering Finland itself in the afternoon.

Sami dresses

Sami homes

we had a very outstanding coffee stop

Juhl`s silversmith

this was a very interesting place, nice architecture and we got a guided tour

last not least we entering Finland. Everything is cheaper here - even the alcohol

Finally the day everybody was waiting for: the route to the Northcape.  A little earlier than usual we heaed out of Alta in order to have some free time out of the 430 km stretch of today. And again we were lucky during this highlight of the tour: no rain at all and even the sun came sneaking in while visiting the Northcape and during the beautiful ride back south to our hotel in Lakselv. Prefect conditions for a perfect day: visibility very good and no fog at the cape! Loaeded with souvenirs we conluded this day with a very good feeling!

Short briefing in Alta in front of the hotel and then.... See you at the Northcape

N Lat. 71

last time we have been on the Cape of Good Hope

We take it easy today, before we conquer the North Cape tomorrow! Approaching Alta, we will visit the Tirpitz Museum. Alta (with its population of about 19,000 inhabitants) also calls itself the “cradle of humanity” because of its rock paintings that are up to 6,200 years old.

North Cape - we are coming soon

at the Sami

Fernando bought a raindeer fur - now he will never freeze in Costa Rica

Finally - we waited for days for the "Rudys"

The biggest German battleship, Tirpitz, was sunk by the allied forces in a fjord close to Tromsö on November 12th, 1944, after a long hunt. The museum gives lots of information about the life and death of this legendary battleship.

3,000 (predominantly animal-shaped) figures, between 2,500 and 6,200 years old, can be seen in the open-air museum of rock carvings. It was added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1985 . The regular museum right next to it is dedicated to the cultural history of the Finmark, which came to life about 11,000 years ago. 

Good-bye, Lofoten Islands – we have to go north! It’s quite a distance. The further north we go, the more beautiful the scenery! We will pass by the 4,780 ft. high glacier-covered Istindan (mountain), and rivers considered to be the best salmon grounds in Europe. In the west we can admire the panorama of the Lyngen-Alps. We will first see the settlements and huts of the Samen, the original population of northern Scandinavia, with their local handicraft shops. This is a place where people speak Finnish, Norwegian and Sami. Fish, agriculture and tourism are the income sources of the population here.

The day is dedicated to exploring the islands. Linked by tunnel, bridge or ferry, each island has something to offer. The distance to Harstad is not far, so we can do some side loops, too. In Harstad is the Adolf Kanonen - a huge canon from WWII

Nici and Fernando

the Australians and the Indians at.......

....the viewpoint Austnesfjord. A pity that it was cloudy

waiting for the ferry in Fiskebol

For more than 100 years, Hurtigruten has been an integral part of life in northern Norway, tying cities and communities together, carrying goods and people over the nations number one highway: The ocean. The Hurtigruten Museum has found its natural location in Stokmarknes, the very city where founder of Hurtigruten, Richard With, lived and worked.

The Hurtigruten Museum offers a journey through changing times, and lets you see these mighty ships from different sides: from mail and stateroom, through loading and unloading, safety and navigation.

Trondenes is a peninsula about 2 miles north of Harstad. You will find, beside the cannon, the Trondenes Church (dating from 1250) and the Sør-Troms Museum (Historical Center). Located on a hill next to the church, in a military base, is the only cannon left of that size. It was built during WW II in Germany, transported here, and was part of the Atlantic Wall. It's diameter is almost 16 inch. An exhibition has been installed in the bunker below. The Adolf Cannon is not the only reminder of WW II in this part of Norway.

Ole our guide explained everything very well and was very patient with all the questions

these are the spots where the Gerrmans positioned canons along the Atlantic coast of Norway as part of the Atlantic Wall

This remnant of global history can be rightfully called a "relic of barbarism" and can be a portal to an era that may be difficult to comprehend for generations who have not had contact with the traumatic experience fo WWII.

What an absolute blast we had today. After the rainy days the sun was already out this morning when we left our hotel in Bodo. Only 5 minutes up to the ferry terminal where the ferry would bring us in three hours to Moskenes on the island group of the Lofoten. After this nice breezy ferry ride we left the ferry landing and went left to the genuine fishermans village of Å. In this pitoresque village we visited the fishmuseum and learned everything about the proces of drying fish.

A dazzling and amazing ride over the islands took us along incredible mountianviews, sandy white beaches, beautiful green meadows .. And that all with the  ensemble of wind and sunshine. Welcome in postcard land!

After coming in we were very pleased with our hotel rorbuer (fishermens' hut) at the waterfront. Which made this great day complete

approaching the Lofoten - even the ferry the van took was an experience

famous Hurtigruten is coming in to Solvaer

Today we will take the inland route. Long, scenic and especially rewarding because we will cross the Arctic Circle! Although it’s the main road, there will be surprisingly little traffic going north. We will really be approaching the end of the continent. Riding through the industrial city of Mo I Rana and along the Dunderlandsdalen, we will reach the Arctic Circle around noon.
Surrounded by sub-arctic scenery and barren rocks, we will have enough time for the visitors' center and a break at this location. In the evening we can do an extra stop and observe the strongest Maelstrom on earth – a very strong current caused by the change between low and high tides. We overnight in Bodø, where the ferry will take us tomorrow to the magnificent Lofoten Islands. 

the Arctic Circle

Viky and Mary

Saltstraumen has existed for about two to three thousand years and it`s one of the strongest tidal currents in the world, with up to 400.000.000 cubic metres of seawater forcing its way through a narrow strait every six hours, with water speeds reaching 22 knots (42 km/h, 25 mph). Vortices known as whirlpools or maelstroms up to 10 metres (33 ft) in diameter and 5 metres (16 ft) in depth are formed when the current is at its strongest.

There won’t be any significant altitude changes. Instead you will see water – lots of water! We will ride the small road along the coast today. Breathtaking scenery and three ferries during the day will give us a good impression of the coastline. Liquid sunshine today, so hopefully we will see anything.

What a difference! After the busy city of Trondheim, we take our first ferry and dive into the remote backcountry, exploring the small roads and riding past colorful farmhouses. In Vingsand, right on the beach, there is a restaurant where we can taste the famous Norwegian fish soup.

There are not sooo many pictures today. We had some issues. But we made it

waiting for the ferry to Rorvik

Shyam and Sheetal from India

Gus is enjoying the view

We get a view of how people make their livings in the Norwegian backcountry. Passing by colorful farmhouses and through small villages, we get a good impression of life far away from any industry. And far away  from pretty much everything as well.

Out on the sea coast, where wind can be though in winter, there is a small and remote fishermen village. Vingsand, with its bright red or yellow tiny rorbuer (fisherman cabin) is a gem far from mass tourism. And Tone makes the best fish soup ever.

What a nice riding day again in the countryside of Norway! Heading out this morning from the charming place of Sunndallsøra, we encountered numerous small waterfalls, rapid streams, a beautiful coastline route towards our final destination of today: Norway's third largest city of Trondheim. Arriving a little earlier than usual on a normal riding day in order to have the possibility to make a nice ity walk throuhg this lively city. Strolling along the ol former trading - and storage houses along river Nidelva, we walked to the beautiful , more than 1000 years old, Nidaros cathedral. Further though the old town and over the Olav Tryggvason plaza with its very attractive terraces outside

Where would we be without our smartphones

nicest fishplace in town

The Alesund Troll says hello to quite an international group which is on the way to the North Cape for the next 2 weeks. We welcome the guests from Costa Rica, Israel, Canada, India, Austria, America, Germany and  last not least from the Netherlands.

On our first day's ride we will see Trollveggen (“Troll’s Wall”). At 6,000 ft., it is Europe’s highest vertical rock wall. We will also see Trollstigen (“Troll’s Staircase”), Norway’s most famous mountain road. Before we get there, we can have a look at Gudbrandsjuvet, Norway’s narrowest gorge, and then sample Norway’s best strawberry cake (restaurant “Jordærstova”)

quite unspectacular from outside ...

but inside there is the best strawberry cake of Norway

at the Gudbrandsjuvet waterfall

ok, it is not Nigara, but the cristal clear water and the power it carves through the rock is amazing

Mauriiiiiice, don`t fall

Puah and Avi from Israel

at the Trollstigen lookout

after 11 years of construction the road was opened for public in 1936. 11 hairpins in an almost vertical rock

Trollveggen - the Trolls Wall

and here the Trollstigen Troll