Norway - Lofoten Islands

We rolled off the ferry and onto the Lofoten Islands late in the evening, with no accommodation booked. A few phone calls later Chris had arranged a room in the house of an elderly Norwegian couple about a hundred kilometers south. The old guy waited out the front for us to arrive, charged us practically nothing for the room (A$50) and the next morning spread the best breakfast I've ever had. A ten foot table layered with enough food to feed a small army. From obscure smoked fish and something that looked like caviar to garden fresh berries and home made jam to ham, cheese and eggs cooked as we liked. Stumbling upon a randomly great experience like that vindicates my disorganisation.

A couple of hours drive and another short ferry crossing got us to the small coastal town of Stamsund and we spent the next 4 nights there at a hostel right beside the water. Rowboats were available free of charge, but strong currents and a general lack of coordination ensured that Chris and I never made it very far. Chris returned to the hostel and undertook a different kind of 'boat race', while I convinced a Dutchman to join me on a hike up a nearby mountain in time for sunset (ie. midnight). Although the path was well marked, it was steep, exposed and at one point only a foot wide as it bridged near vertical 200m drops on both sides. It was approximately this point that my Dutch friend decided to turn back. Soon after reaching the summit I was joined by one of Norway's top sport hunters who had literally run up the mountain as a training exercise. He congratulated me on a good climb and casually mentioned that a German woman had slipped off the mountain to her death a couple of years ago. Stories like that have a higher shock value when it's midnight and you're 600m up a rugged mountain. I made a small note to that effect in the summit's guestbook, said a few final prayers and headed carefully back down to the hostel. Our hostel was run by an eccentric Norwegian and like most it was full of interesting people. A group of German dentists provided some classic one liners, none of which are suitable for this pg rated blog. I was rules-lawyered at cards by French girls and had to resort to cheating in order to win. We even met some friendly Italians! The weather turned sour for the next couple of days, with thick cloud and constant rain making the whole place pretty gloomy. Although magnificent in summer, I don't envy people who have to live here all year round. Cyril, A french engineering student, got a lift with us to a campsite on a northern beach. It didn't take an engineer to work out that it wouldn't be so much 'camping' as 'parachuting' and he wisely chose to return with us to the shelter of the hostel. We awoke to better weather, which inspired Chris to actually leave the hostel for a non internet/beer related activity. Climbing the southern island's highest peak took us about 4 hours and we even found a rogaine checkpoint at the top. Although the weather was overcast and slightly hazy, the views were still pretty good. Rain washed out our final full day although we did check out Henningsvaer a quaint fishing village built around a series of canals. The next morning we awoke early, crammed our luggage and a Swiss hitchhiker into the Aygo and drove another hundred magnificent kilometers along the Lofoten coast to catch the mainland ferry.

Norway - Senja Island

The next morning we commenced our drive south along the Norwegian coast. Although the road surfaces were good, they were often barely wide enough to fit one car, despite notionally supporting traffic in both directions. Fortunately, the Norwegians were smart enough to include regular 'passing lanes' so two cars could actually drive past one another.

The coastal road curled around fjords, through mountains (the Norwegians REALLY love tunnels) and incorporated several ferry crossings. The ferries were all large and took between 10 minutes and 3 hours. Although the driving was stressful at times, it would be impossible to see the amazing coastal scenery any other way. I set a new personal best taking 240 photos in a single day. This isn't even including the 500 or so that I took and then deleted right away. Anyone who's has ever shared a car with ChrisV can appreciate that he's a strong and enthusiastic singer. His specialty is dance music and he'll often doot/bleep along even if there aren't any lyrics. Sadly, he does however suffer some slight vocal limitations, primarily his inability to generate a tone even vaguely similar to the track he's 'singing'. Anyone planning to share a car with CV in the future would be wise to make a contribution to my "CV singing lessons fund" or perhaps my more expensive but effective "CV vocal chord removal operation" fund. After a long days driving, including 37 photos stops, 2 ferry crossings, a 7.4km tunnel, 2,900 doot/bleeps, 172m of mountain climbing and a stopover at the worlds largest troll (it's only a matter of time before a remote Australian town decides to build a bigger one) we made it to the Lofoten ferry.

Norway - Tromsø

After dropping Alana and Lauren at the train station, Chris and I crossed the border into Norway and headed north to Tromsø, the most northerly university town in the world and also the most northerly point of our trip. Tromsa is mainly located on an island and is unique in a couple of ways. Firstly it has absolutely no street signs (we had to follow a bus to find our hostel) and also no strict road rules. The locals preferred a "Law of the Jungle" approach to right of way, where the car that 'wanted it the most' got it. Given we were driving a small plastic Toyota I ceded all rights and settled for driving very slowly. Also impressive was the ridiculous price of everything. A non-imperial pint set us back A$13 while an adequate thai restaurant had mains starting at A$30. It's amazing how good peanut butter on bread starts to taste when all the alternatives will send you broke. Unable to afford much else, I dragged Chris out to hike a mountain just north of the city. Despite his whining, the fairly gentle track, which was actually a cross country skiing route 9 months of the year, provided spectacular views. On our last night we got some more great views of the almost-midnight sun from our hostel balcony whilst drinking warm cider and attempting to play backgammon. I'm not even going to bother with photos - you have to go up there and see it for yourself!

Norway - Narvik

The next day was Lauren's Birthday and she was rewarded with some truly spectacular weather. It would've been better if she'd been born a couple of days earlier. Bright blue skies completely transformed countryside we were cursing just 24 hours prior, into something magnificent. Alana and Lauren took the train while Chris and I drove from Abisko to Narvik, stopping every few minutes to take photos. The girls met us in Narvik and we snacked on meatballs and potatoes before driving out to our first fjord. The Norwegian countryside sparkled in the great weather as we explored the banks of the fjord, stopped for a picnic lunch on a huge section of flat granite, climbed down to a waterfall and at the Birthday Girl's insistence, frolicked in some purple flowers. It was good to actually have photogenic weather for a change. While stopping to take one final group photo, I managed, very uncharacteristically, to trip over a road barrier and landed shin first on its sharp, metal edge. Despite the whole accident practically happening in slow motion, I carved a huge chunk of skin off the front of my knee, leaving me in significant pain, a state of shock and dripping with blood. Things were about to get a whole lot worse as my injury left ChrisV in charge of the driving. Having acclimatised to right-side driving in Canada, I had no trouble driving out little Toyota, despite the fact it was a right hand shift manual. Chris on the other hand, had a few problems, primarily with the windscreen wipers which came on the first 20 or 30 times he approached a corner. After 15km of straight highway, his first corner was almost our last. Deciding at the last minute to turn right, he braked, engaged the wipers, cursed loudly and hooked into the left hand lane, straight into the path of an oncoming car. Both drivers jammed on the brakes, narrowly averting disaster. The look on the other drivers face as the two cars sat bumper to bumper, was pure gold. Cruising around a subsequent bend he commented that "this feels more like playing a video game than driving a real car" which didn't exactly inspire confidence, although I he achieved a high score this time by getting us all back to Abisko safely. I was able to distract myself looking out at the spectacular midnight twilight. We said goodbye to the girls the next day, Alana was headed to New York and San Francisco for some maths seminars while Lauren was back to Holland and her beloved Joost (who was mentioned so many times during the hike that he really felt like part of the group). Many thanks to both of them for a fantastic trip. You'll be hearing more of ChrisV's driving exploits soon!

Hiking The Kungsleden

The Kungsleden or King's Trail stretches south from Abisko for about 400km, with well maintained hostels located every 15 to 20km. We planned to hike 75km of the northern trail over 4 days and although the hostels provided comfortable beds, cooking facilities and occasionally saunas, showers weren't part of the deal. Hiking in the far north during summer is an amazing experience because it is literally light 24 hours a day. Even a month after the solstice, the sun dipped below the mountains only briefly, replacing night with a surreal pink twilight. We made the most of the midnight sun, setting out at 2pm on our first day. Flat terrain, great weather and high spirits saw us reach the first hut quickly and I managed to convince (or perhaps trick) everyone into continuing onto the second, which was nestled at the foot of the mountains. We made it there just after midnight, having traversed 37km of picturesque countryside. Although I was still feeling olympic, the rest of my team were suffering. Chris was complaining about blisters and devastated that the hostels only sold light beer. Lauren, having brought enough fresh fruit and vegetables to last several months, was struggling under the weight and although Alana never complained, her otherwise excellent hiking boots had been indirectly responsible for a large blister on her heel. We decided we could afford the luxury of a rest day and spent it lazing around the hostel. In the evening Chris, Alana and I headed to the sauna and attempted the plunge - from 70 degree sauna to 5 degree lake. This plan was partially foiled by the steep, slippery 20m path to the lake which ensured we were already quite cold by the time we got there. At least it was like a bath. The next 8km of trail were the most scenic of our trip, winding through a valley between steep mountains, past glaciers and pockets of snow (Wes 1 : Alana 0). We stopped for lunch at a waterfall and watched as the weather turned from overcast to rainy. The final 10km were slow going, along a boggy, bug infested riverbed in the pouring rain and even I was glad when we finally reached shelter. We had arranged to meet up with a local speedboat driver who offered a ferry service to the nearby town of Nikkaluokta, shortening our hike by 12km. Unfortunately we'd arranged to meet by 1230 at a point 20km from our hostel, further along the boggy, bug infested riverbed. We awoke at 0530 and noted with excitement that it had rained all night and didn't look like stopping anytime soon. After a quick breakfast and a few prayers to the rain gods, we began the long trudge. Two days of rain had turned the vegetated sections of the trail into mush, while the rocky parts were more like small rivers. Things got a little hairy on a couple of occasions as we waded across small streams that had been turned into raging rivers by the torrential rains. The rain eased during the mid morning which allowed us to increase speed and arrive at the meeting place right on time, just as even heavier storm clouds rolled back in. Dripping wet, we boarded the speedboat for the coldest 40 minutes of my life. Frigid winds left Chris and I huddled together in the middle of the boat, while the girls were fairly sheltered at the front. I was still shivering 15 minutes later and it took about 30 minutes in the bathroom with warm water and a hand drier to thaw me out completely. At this point we discovered our bus had already left so we split into pairs and hitchhiked to Kiruna. Alana and I were picked up by a elderly Swedish couple who took us right to the centre of town while Chris and Lauren independently found their way to the "only car rental company in town," without too much trouble. We picked up our tiny rental car (Toyota Aygo) and drove back north to Abisko for hot showers and victory celebrations. Not the most enjoyable hike ever, but at least it was memorable!

Stockholm

28 hours of sleepless transit got me from New York to Stockholm but left me tired and plague ridden. I got to break up my trip with a couple of hours in London, grabbed lunch with Maz and then hurried back to meet ChrisV at Heathrow.

After a brief and tearful reunion arrived in Stockholm and immediately began spending inordinate amounts of money. $20 on a 20 minute train ride, $20 total for 10 minutes in a taxi and $60 per night for a bunk in a 6 person dorm room. I made the most of my bed emerging only twice in the next 48 hours to take advantage of the hostel's complimentary breakfast. Getting down to the basement rekindled traumatic memories from my last Europe trip, as I smashed my head on a door frame, a light fitting and a 5 foot ceiling all in the space of 5 minutes. Somewhat ironically it was Chris who suffered the first near-fatal head injury, impaling himself against the sharp wooden corner of his bed. Our hiking plans commenced in Abisko, well inside the Arctic Circle and about 18 hours north of Stockholm by train. Alana and Lauren joined us a couple of hours into the trip and a significant amount of duty free alcohol, comfortable triple bunk beds and some interesting stories from Swedish swing dance camp made the journey pass quickly. Next morning we gathered supplies, carefully removed the make-up and high-heels from Lauren's bag, donned matching "I <3 NY" tshirts and headed to the Kungsleden!

I HATE Airports (part 3 - The Revenge of Air Canada )

I can barely bring myself to recount my airport experience leaving New York. Just thinking about it makes me feel ill. Needless to say, my scheduled flight was cancelled. I had anticipated this and arrived at Newark airport more than 3 hours before my plane was scheduled to depart. What I hadn't anticipated was the complete incompetence of the Air Canada staff - 4 of the 5 staff 'working' at the check in counter had no idea what was going on, leaving the fifth to basically serve 5 people at once. My particular staff member tapped randomly at his computer for about half an hour before eventually giving up and seeking help from the supervisor who rebooked me on an SAS airlines flight to Stockholm, via Copenhagen and London in about 3 minutes. Dragging 2 huge bags behind me, I took a shuttle train to terminal one, where SAS was located but when I made it to the check-in counter, I was informed that my ticket needed to be authenticated by the SAS ticketing booth at the very other end of the terminal. Time was getting tight so I hurried to the other end of the terminal, only to discover that the good people at Air Canada hadn't given me a valid boarding pass and weren't answering the phone. With bags in tow I shuttle trained back to terminal 3, charged across to the Air Canada desk, singled out the one competent staff member, demanded he give me a valid boarding pass, trained back to terminal 1, sprinted to the SAS ticketing booth and then back to the the check-in desk at other end of the terminal, finally checking my 20kg bag with about 3 minutes to spare. If I never set foot in an airport again it will be too soon.

I <3 NY

From the moment I walked into Times Square, still bustling at 3am on a Tuesday, I knew I was going to have a great time in New York.

Geographically speaking, New York was about what I'd imagined but on a vastly bigger scale. I spent my first couple of days eating pizza whist hiking all over Manhattan Island, from Wall Street and ground zero in the financial district to the north end of Central Park. I probably clocked up 10,000 calories and 30km. Central park is literally big enough to get lost in and if the 3.4 square kilometers it comprises were subdivided, it would sell for $600,000,000,000. One misconception I'd like to dispel is that New York is an expensive place. With the exception of accommodation (one bedroom apartments on the island rent for US$3000/month) - food, transport and shopping are remarkably cheap. A $23 ticket allowed me ride the subways for the whole week and cheap, delicious food was available anywhere, at any time, from huge $3 pizza slices to a ridiculous $15 pastrami sandwich from Carnagies. Just for the record I did managed to finish it all, sustaining only a minor heart attack in the process. Other excellent meals included an Afghani dinner (something like a combination of Indian and Turkish), a fine dining, 3-course lunch and as many small Thai noodle bars as i could manage. After 2 months of Thai withdrawls I had a lot of catching up to do. One reason New York can seem expensive is that there are an infinite amount of things to do, so it's easy to watch your money divide into an infinite amount of tiny pieces and fly away. There are a good amount of free activities if you know where to look and I managed to check out the last 5 minutes of a huge, free outdoor concert by the NY Philharmonic orchestra. Broadway shows offer standing room tickets at vastly discounted rates ($20-$25), so I took the chance to see Avenue Q and Phantom of The Opera, both of which were top class. The same ticket allowed free entry into the Birdland Jazz club and I made it there for open mike(sic) night. Chelsea (who previously starred in Road Trip : New York) invited me to a games night with a bunch of her friends, so I spent my first Saturday in NY playing Balderdash and Cranium. I'm sure i would've been doing exactly the same back in Australia - just without the New Yorkers. A 2 hour boat cruise with excellent commentary gave me an overview of the city's history and I also absorbed my yearly dose of culture at the Guggenheim Museum, the Museum of Modern Art and the Natural History Museum's Planetarium. The Statue of Liberty was impressive, but tiny when compared to buildings in the city. Looking up for the beer garden at my hostel gave an amazing view of the 80 story skyscraper situated right next door. Once again I met a bunch of fantastic people at my hostel. I shared a room with Daniel, a firefighter from Madrid, who was just starting to learn English. Trying to understand me, must have set him back at least a couple of years. I spent my first few days escorting Kerstin, a school teacher from Bonn, though the rioting gangs of Brooklyn and Harlem although we did also make it out to a live comedy gig, a Maximo Park concert and some great nightlife in the East Market. I joined forces with two students, Hiroki (Melbourne) and Stephanie (Paris) for the last few days of my trip, celebrating my final night, and Steph's birthday at an exclusive 'Employee's Only' club which stayed open until 5am on a Tuesday. New York retakes #1 position on my favourite city list, dislodging recently crowned champion Montreal. I'm not sure if I could stand to live there for an extended period, but for a few weeks of non stop excitement and cultural diversity, nowhere else even comes close.