NORWEGIAN ADVENTURE

by Guest Contributor - JO KOPKE

This adventure began with a flight into Oslo, where I took the excellent and frequent train to the end of the line in downtown Oslo. I had downloaded the city map ahead of time, on the maps.me app, and I pinned the location of the hostel I found on booking.com. The hostel was around a mile north of the station and it was easy to get there. Oslo is a very walkable city, and I bought a bus pass and museum pass at the hostel.

The big National Museum down by the Oslo Opera House, is home to the famous Edvard Munch painting "The Scream". Shows at the iconic Opera House were sold out, so organize that ahead of time if you're interested. I took the bus out to the Kon-Tiki Museum and the Norwegian Maritime Museum, and I also went to the WW2 Resistance Museum which was interesting. There is a train out to a ski jump left over from the Olympic Games. A bus also got me to Vigeland Park where there are a bunch of large sculptures by Gustav Vigeland. They were really emotionally moving.

After a few days in Oslo I took a train to Bergen. You'll need to make reservations for this scenic train ride ahead of time as it's very popular. Bergen is a cute touristy town on the West Coast. There were lots of available hostel rooms on booking.com.

I pre-booked a ferry/cruise from Bergen up to Tromso. The ferry is one of 2 that plow this route year round. I had an inside single berth cabin, which was fine as you're outside checking out the views of the fiords constantly. We had beautiful weather and it was spectacular. Picture cruising along on the top deck, in a hot tub, with a beer in hand... looking at waterfalls plunging into the fiords on both sides! 

The ferry dropped me off in Tromso and I spent one night in a primitive hostel. I had pre-booked a station wagon from the Rent A Star car rental company. The owner was delightful and accommodating when I explained I needed a car I could sleep in. I got a comfortable Ford.

My supplies for this leg of my Norwegian adventure included a small backpacking stove (purchased a fuel cartridge at a sports shop in Tromso), some cooking utensils and collapsible gallon sized water containers. I had a collapsible bucket, 2 washcloths, a small towel, a sleeping bag and lightweight inflatable sleeping pad and pillow. There was also my day pack and all my normal hiking gear. A good sized battery pack kept my phone charged.

The Ford took me all around the Lofoten Island Chain. I slept in trailhead parking lots, pulled off in isolated places to give myself sponge baths with the collapsible bucket, mostly ate out of grocery stores, and had cafe coffee every morning. I found my hikes on the alltrails.com app and honestly saw some of the most breathtaking scenery on the planet.

I flew out of Tromso after 8 days camping in the Ford. It was back to Oslo, then on to home.

Norway is very expensive but this was a fantastic way to see it. This was one of my favorite countries ever!