Motorradtour Norwegen 2005
Motorbike trip to Norway
July/August 2005
2005-10-22
Saturday, July 30, 2005
Trip to Gothenburg (388 km)
Everything was ready and around 15.00 hrs we got started. We made some stops in order to fill up the tanks and get some rest.
In Våxtorp we had a short coffee break.
The weather was fine until we reached Laholm. Just after we have entered the highway towards Gothenburg, it started to rain like hell. It was quite hard to drive.
Around 19.00 hrs we finally reached the hotel in Gothenburg.
We had a nice dinner.
We borrowed a couple of heat fans, which we placed in the bathroom where we have hang up our clothes, which had become quite wet from driving in the rain.
We slept very well this night.
Sunday, July 31, 2005
Gothenburg - Kristiansand
We got up at 7 hrs. All clothes were dry again. Terrific! It had even stopped raining, but it was cloudy and looked like it would start raining again. We had breakfast at 8 hrs and then we packed and drove to the "Frihamn".
They wanted to see our passports. Ops... we didn't bring them. But fortunately we did not need them since we should leave the ferry in Kristiansand and should not continue to Newcastle.
At 9.30 hrs we could drive onto the ferry. We fastened the motorbikes carefully and then we went on the deck. At 10.00 hrs the M/S Princess of Scandinavia left the harbour.
We spent almost all time on the sun deck number 7. The weather became better and better and the sun was shining from the blue sky. Great!
At 17.00 hrs we arrived Kristiansand and left the ferry. The hotel is places just some hundred of meters from the quay, but it took us exactly 45 (!) minutes to find ist. Kristiansand is a nice place, but there are so many dead ends... Unbelievable! But finally we found the hotel and checked in. When we came up to our room on the 6th floor, we could see M/S Princess of Scandinavia, which was just about to leave the harbour in order to go on to England (Newcastle).
We went to the Restaurant Egon and had a nice panpizza. Back at the hotel, we spent a nice and relaxing evening.
Monday, August 1, 2005
Kristiansand
We slept very well and got up quie late. After the brakfast we went downtown. The weather was beautiful! We looked for the quay from which the trip through the archipelago to Lillesand should start at 14.00 hrs. We came to a fish market. It was very nice there. Picturesque houses, nice boats, restaurants and the fish market, where you could buy all kinds of fish and shellfish. We were sitting on the quay, enjoyed an ice cream and the nice atmosphere.
We made a trip with the little "citytrain" through the city and along the beach. It was quite nice. But then in was time to go to the quay, where the M/S Øjer was waiting for us already. We were looking forward to the boattrip, which should take 4 hours. The archipelago is fantastic and we saw a lot of very nice houses and boats. The weather was nice. Well, it was raining a little bit twice, but that was ok. At 17.00 hrs. we came to Lillesand, a very nice and little town. Since it had started raining again, we did not spend any more time there but took the bus back to Kristiansand.
We went back to the hotel and had another pan pizza at the Restaurant Egon.
Then we packed our stuff and went to bed.
Tuesday, August 2, 2005
Kristiansand - Lysebotn (220 km) Ferry Lysebotn - Stavanger
We slept very well and had breakfast at 8 o'clock. We packed our stuff and left the hotel at 9. We drove route number 9 towards Evje. It was a beautiful road and there was almost no traffic. We stopped sometimes to enjoy the nice views. We had a coffee bread at a nice waterfall.
Then we continued towards Rysstad, were we filled up the tanks. Just behind Rysstad we turned left towards Sirdal and Lysebotn. Now the fun started! It was a quite narrow road with many turns and serpentines. We drove through the Highland. On some places there was even some snow! The highest place we reached, was 1.050 meters.
It took longer time than we thought, so we could not stop too often. Otherwise we would have missed the ferry which should leave Lysebotn at 15.00 hrs.
The last 8 km near of Kjerag were fantastic! A lot of turns and 27 hairpin bends! We even drove through a 1.200 meter long tunnel.
Just 15 minutes before the ferry should leave, we arrived in Lysebotn. Perfect timing! We drove onto the ferry and spent almost all the time on the deck. It was a nice trip through that wonderful Lysefjord. We even passed the well known Preikestol (Pulpit Rock) and it was quite nice to see it down from the fjord.
At 19.00 hrs we arrived Stavanger and another 30 minutes later we arrived at the hotel. The hotel is very nice, it's a high and round tower of glass.
Our room was placed in the 17th floor and it was just beautiful! It was round and had huge windows, from where you had a fantastic view over the fjord and the town.
We went up to the 21st floor where the restaurant is placed and had a nice dinner.
Kristian, the heli pilot, called and we agreed that we should get in touch again next morning. It was just to hope that the weather would be nice so we could make the heli trip.
Wednesday, August 3, 2005
Stavanger
We slept well and went up quite late. The weather wasn't nice. Later on, it even started to rain! Too bad... We talked with Kristian, who did not have a permission to start for the moment since the weather was too bad. Well, it looked like that there wouldn't be any heli trip. It's a pity, but nothing to do about it.
At 13.00 hrs we ordered a taxi and went downtown. On the market place we bought some delicious cherries. Then we went shopping, bought some shoes and had a nice lunch at the Restaurant / Pub "Bevaremigvel". We ordered shrimps and advocado and it was very delicious!
We continued go through the town and had a look at the old part of the town with its white wooden houses and the nice boats in the harbour.
The weather became better again. We called Kristian again and now we agreed that we should meet at the helicopter base in Sola at 17.30 hrs.! Terrific! It looked like that we could make that heli trip at all!
We took the bus back to the hotel, changed clothes and took another bus to the helicopter base. Unfortunately the bus driver did not stop at the base, just some km behind. So we called Kristian who picked us up.
There were no more clouds now and the sun was shining from the blue sky! Isnt' that great?
We went to the helicopter - a blue Clipper - and got some instructions, took the headphones and then it was time to take off! WOW - it was just great!!!!! We went over the city of Stavanger and could even see our hotel! Also we could see the old part of the town and the harbour from above. The speed was 220 km per hour and the maximum flight height was 1000 meters.
We flew over the mountains and small fjords and then we saw the Lysefjord. It is really a breathtaking experience! We flew above the Lysefjord to the Preikestol (Pulpit Rock), which is so famous. People, who were sitting on it, were waving. But to be honest, we were not very impressed of the Preikestol. It's just a part of the rocks along the Lysefjord. And it's not more beautiful than any other parts of the rocks there.
Then we flew back to Stavanger over the Lysefjord, the mountains and the archipelago. It was just great and we could have continued for hours...
Kristian landed on a large meadow near the hotel. So we could just walk back from the helicopter to the hotel and did not need to take the bus from the helicopter base.
We had a nice dinner, packed our stuff because we should leave Stavanger tomorrow.
Thursday, August 4 2005
Stavanger - Bergen (160 km)
We went up early, had breakfast and started. Today's tour wouldn't be so long, but it should take long time. We drove over many bridges and through many tunnels. Two tunnels were quite long - one was 6 km lång and went 233 meters blow the sea level and one was 8 km long and went 260,4 meters below the sea level with a fall of 8 %!
We drove on very nice roads and there was almost no traffic.
Today we had to take two ferries, one took just 25 minutes and one took 50 minuets.
We stopped at a very nice place and had a coffee break.
The weather was quite nice, but we even had some rain, but that was ok.
Finally we reached the hotel in Bergen. We checked in and took a taxi to the city. We went to a radio shop in order to get a cable from our communiation repaired. It took half an hour and he didn't even want to get paid! Unbelievable.
We went through the old part of the town and came even to the quay of the Hurtigroute. We saw the M/S Finnmarken, on which we had made a trip last year. It was nice to see that postal cruiser again.
Of course we went to the harbour and to "Bryggen", where the nice olf houses are. It was very nice. On the fish market we bought half a kilo of shrimps and had a nice dinner with fried crayfish and Calamare. That was nice! We went to the Fløjebanen, but decided not to make the trip up to the hill, since it had started raining again. We made some shopping instead.
By the way, Bergen is the city with most rain in the world! Each year they have 5000 mm of rain here!
After some hours we took a taxi and went back to the hotel. It had become colder now, only 12 - 14 degrees.
It has been a nice day. We had the shrimps, which we had bought on the fish market, for dinner.
Friday, August 5, 2005
Bergen - Hamar (460 km)
At 10 o'clock we left Bergen.
It was raining a little bit in the morning but then the weather became better again.
When passing the mountains in 1000 meter height it was only 10 degrease warm. We drove the E16 and then route number 33. We drove through approx. 40 tunnels. One of them was the Lærdalstunnel. It ist 24,5 km long and the longest street tunnel in the world! Some of the tunnels had a fall of 8 %.
We drove on very nice roads with fantastic views and we passed at least 50 waterfalls. The weather had become really nice again and it was 20 degrees warm.
In the evening we reached Hamar, had a nice dinner and a relaxing evening.
Saturday, August 6, 2005
Hamar - Karlstad (255 km)
Since today's trip shouldn't be so long, we had a relaxing morning.
After breakfast we packed our stuff and started. The weather was nice and in the afternoon we arrived in Karlstad.
Sunday, August 7, 2005
Karlstad - Jönköping (375 km)
We drove from Karlstad towards Jönköping, but we made a stop on the way to visit some friends. Then we continued through the national park Tiveden and Askersund and along the lake Vättern to Jönköping.
It was planned to drive all the way home today, but just 30 km before Jönköping it started raining like hell, so we decided to spend the night in Jönköping.
Monday, August 8, 2005
Jönköping - home (220 km)
We got up early and were back home again after some hours.
By the way - this trip was the last trip (so far) with motorbikes. Why?
That's why!
