We are still in the country of Lapland (Sapmi), which is a part of Norway, Sweden, Finland and the Russian Kola Peninsula. We drive from Norway to Sweden, from Sweden to Finland, from Finland to Norway again and that all in three days. Here in the North the border of this three countries are like criss cross, sometimes we don?t even know where we are right now.
See picture in German Version ? a Sami woman
Just on the bigger roads you find signs which tell us, that this is the border. Since a long time there are no more border controls at the barriers. We even gave it up to drive according to our roadmaps. The town signs are bilingual (Samisch and Norwegian/ Swedish or finish) but in the road maps there is standing a third variety. We drive along small settlements of huts and wooden houses. To call them ?villages? would be to much. Mostly they have such exotic names like Aissaroaivi or Beaivvaasgieddi. .
See picture in German version ? near Aissaroaivi
From now on we have much respect for the people living here in the middle of the forests of Lapland. Since one week we are now back again in the forests. First of all we thought: Oh how great, thousands of wonderful places to camp in the wilderness. No where any people around us. No wonder, because this country is so big, that the few tourists which are coming to the North are kind of disappear. We find a wonderful place just for us alone but five minutes later we are gone with the wind. Why, what happened? I am gone to pee, sorry normally I would not go so much into details, but here it is important, and while I am peeing three mosquito?s have been stung me on my ?backside? and at the same time about a dozen try to land on my face. Something like that I never have had in my live, not even in Thailand I had the experience, apart from the evenings but not during the daytime. Now I know, what people mean, when they say, that the inner part of Scandinavia belongs to a bloodsucking beast. But nevertheless we still have to stay in this forests, since it is still a few hunderts of kilometres to drive to the coast. And now comes the best! We have entirely shut the bus, as well the mosquito nets but it seems, that for this amount of mosquito?s even this is not enough. In the beginning we kill one after the other, but after a while we don?t have the nerves for it anymore. Next morning we wake up with about 40 mosquito?s inside the bus. The dead ones are still stuck to the windows as a kind of deterrence, but it did not work. We leave the place like a thunderstorm and drive until there is more wind around our noses because it seems that this is the only thing which the mosquito?s does not like at all. In the next bigger town we buy another mosquito net and meters of Velcro. No wonder that you can get this things easily, not even the natives like the mosquito?s. As well the reindeer are during the summer month up in the north at the coastlines, directly on the beaches.
See picture in German version? Mosquito free zone
But it?s funny, that when you talk to other tourists about mosquito?s, they pretend not to be bothered at all by them and they always just say: ?Well, you get used to it? Either they are just travelling along the coastline or they want to be cool. Funny enough that this people, which are trying to be most cool they have a kind of leprosy or are this maybe scratched mosquito stitches?
See picture in German version ? not even the mosquito?s can do something about, that we enjoy every minute here
We come back onto the road E 6 in Alta, the caravan way of the North cape driver and are part of the convoy of the motor homes, of which thousands of them are here during the summer month. To enter the most northern point, you have to pay an entrance fee. We do not even think about doing this stretch and therefore we save ourselves over 80 Euros (Entrance fee and toll for the undersea tunnel to the North cape) In Skaidi we drive to the left, direction Hammerfest. Shortly before the city of Hammerfest, there stands a model of a huge ice bear to tell everybody ?Hammerfest, the most northern city of the world? In Hammerfest, not a really nice city, we just stay for a short time. But it is interesting to sea all over reindeer. In front of shops, petrol stations and very often they even block the rush hour traffic.
See picture in German version ? Hammerfest
Near of Kvalsund we find a wonderful place to stay with a terrific view over the Fjord, where we stay a couple of days, especially to fix our new anti mosquito system. We go further through the sub-arctic landscape of the Northkinn peninsula on which a few fishing villages lie on a fissured coastline. But before that we come through a grey stone desert and this landscape has it?s own attraction. No trees to be found, no green colour at all. But if you look more close to the rocks, you realize the beauty of nature. Lichen!!! In all different colours, models and sizes.
See picture in German version ? lichen
See picture in German version ? in all colours and models
Shortly before midnight, in another ?darkless? night, we reach Mehamn, which lies directly at Sorfjorden. A simple fisher village, from which you find a lot of them here in the North. Who ever wants to see the typical construction style of North Norway will be disappointed. Russian and Norwegian troops drove out the occupying power of the Germans in autumn 1944 and nearly all of the settlements in North Norway were destroyed by the ?Politics of the burned earth?.
The street lead us another 20 km North till Slettnes tyr, where there stands the most northern mainland lighthouse of the world at 71? 05? 33?? N. The lighthouse is situated 550 km north of the polar circle and at the same latitude as the northernmost point of Alaska. We are right at the coast, covered with a few layers of pullover and jackets and watch the sun as she moves along the horizon of the Arctic ocean. Then some clouds cover the sun and the wind gets cooler. We go back to the bus in our warm beds and fall asleep immediately after a long day, till the heat of the sun wake us up again. It is already lunchtime.
See picture in German version 71? 05? 33?? N lighthouse of Slettnes
In the East of Slettness tyr lies the Varanger peninsula with the village called Berlevag. Bee line between this two settlements is just 45 km, where in-between is just the sea. To go with the car from one to the other village you have to go to Tana Bru and then crosswise over the Varanger peninsula altogether about 350 km. With that kind of streets you need for this stretch about 1 ? day. Well, time we have enough. The second possibility would be by the Hurtigruten post ship, which comes every evening at 8 pm to Mehamn and goes northbound to Berlevag. The crossing takes about 2 ? hours. We calculate which way would be cheaper for us. To go by ferry or to go by car. We don?t have to much of petrol anymore so we definitely have to go first of all to a petrol station. There are two of them here. One is out of order, the other opens ?maybe? on Monday again. So the decision is already taken out of our hands. We take the Hurtigruten to Berlevag. On the waves you can see foam. Sailors speak about rough sea. It is so foggy that we can?t even sea the coastline which is just 1 km far away. The weather don?t change even on the next day. That?s the time when our ?Mobile VW-Bus cinema? comes to action again. We look at DVD?s which we can play on our laptop. Next day the weather has changed. It is a real warm Summer day.
See picture in German version ? Berlevag
The street along the coastline leads us through a bizarre Fjord landscape, which is formed from erosion, cracked rocks and cliffs. Then in contrast we can see bays with wonderful white sand beaches, which easily can coop with the beauty of tropical beaches. In a lot of this bays along the arctic ocean we see ?Ghost villages?. Since the new street construction have been finished more and more people leave their home villages since this is a very inhospitable region.
See picture in German version ? Arctic ocean beach
Now we are coming to the east part of the Varanger peninsula. We drive the E 75, which ends in Vardoe (by the way, the beginning of the Europe street 75 starts on Crete) Vardoe lies on an island and is connected by a 2,9 km undersea tunnel with the mainland. The deepest point is 88 meters under sea level. There are nowadays living about 320 inhabitants on Vardoe. As well in Vardoe lots of people left, to live more south. As in 2001 the government of Norway announced the closing of the airport and the sea radio station, the inhabitants of Vardoe defended themselves. There would have been no more a helicopter ambulance. The next hospital to be reached is in Kirkeness, five hours by car. The town councillor resigned and gave business to the government to the 2500 km far away Oslo. From all over Norway TV camera teams came to Vardoe. The startled state chancellor of Norway did send a state secretary to Vardoe. The politician from the south thought, that the sea radio station with the name ?Vardoe Radio? is a local music station. Airport and sea radio station could stay in the end and even 30 more working places have been developed. A department for national working supervisory body have been moved to Vardoe.
From Mauri we let us bring with a small motorboat to the nearby bird island Hornoya and we arrange that he picks us up 4 hours later. The noise of the 120 000 bird couples is to hear already from a long distance. In that moment we step on the island there is an incredible smell. We pass the first hill and we know now why the smell is so bad. Towers of fecales of the birds. We leave the meal in our backpack, which we brought along with us. We don?t feel like eating at all. The pathway leads us crisscross passed the bird rock towards the lighthouse. The birds are flying in short distances over our heads. Very often we duck our heads. Thousands of birds are starting and landing at the same time from the rock without any collisions
See picture in German version ?ah, like this I have to fly, a small puffin at his flying school
All different kind of birds are living here on the bird islands. Next to cormorant, guillemot and different kind of seagulls most of the birds are puffins. Their real funny way of moving and their big coloured beak let them look like clowns. And, yes they are terrific photo models. In that moment a puffin realize that someone takes a picture of him, he poses. At least we have the feeling that they know. Very well done!
See picture in German version ? puffin
Some part of the islands are closed till the month of August, since the birds are breading. That?s the reason we do not leave the pathways. And now it happens. We both hoped, that it would not happen. Raimund walks in front of me and then he is attacked by a seagull. The seagull comes back and faces with her backside Raimunds head. Bulls eye!! Over his bald head, the neck and his pullover runs a stinky liquid. That was a neat peace of work. Not even a fighting pilot with a lot of electronic could have done better. But this was not all. The seagull comes back and attacks us with her sharp beak. Right away we move backwards out of her way. With binoculars we see know, why she attacked us so hardly. On the pathway to the lighthouse their was sitting her baby after the first flight lesson and could not move any more further. She just wanted to protect her little baby. We go back to the boat which we see already coming. The evening we spend cleaning bodies and clothes. A small street leads us about 40 km more northbound to a fishing village called Hamningberg and here the street ends.
See picture in German version? Hamningberg
Long time ago during fishing season over 6000 people used to life here. Today, the village is uninhabited. Just during the Summer month there is life again, when the owner of the holiday cottages are back to spend their vacation here. A view km outside of Hamningberg we find a wonderful place to stay for the night. In the evening, as we walk along the beach to collect shells, we can watch in 200 m distance about 50 beluga whales. We are really happy after this experience.
See picture in German version? Beluga whales at Hamningberg
After two more days we reach Kirkenes, the last town before the Russian border. On a sign we can read ? Munich 4443 km?. In the harbour a lot of Russian ships with lot of rust on it are anchored here. The Russian flags are blowing in the wind. Russia is not far away! There are just 20 km left to the border itself. We buy some groceries and drive to a nearby campground to take a shower and wash our clothes. Our destiny for the next days is a small village, named Grense Jakoselv, which lies directly at the Russian border. This will be our last time at the arctic ocean and we hope that we will have the chance to see a last time the midnight sun on a cloudless night
See picture in German version ? aureole or hypocritical?
A few hundred meters before the border Storskog, Norwegians only official border to Russia, the street turns left towards Grense Jakobselv. We are surprised that so many cars come to meet us. Because there is nothing else in that village then a chapel, a vicarage and a few empty houses. But today is Sunday and it is definitely worth a trip out here.
See picture in German version ? double seater WC, in the old vicarage at Grense Jakobselv
At the arctic ocean we find a wonderful place for the next three days to camp with terrific view over the ocean. We do small hikings along the coast and the river (in the middle of the river is the borderline to Russia. I try again to catch some fish and surprise Michaela with it, but unfortunately I am not successful.
See picture in German version ? Raimund is fishing
The weather changes a lot. Sometimes we get free showers from the rain, sometimes we sit endless hours in the sun. Nowhere is Norway more German then on the arctic Ocean. On the last day we sit comfortable together in Lissi and Dieters ?Repair truck?, a Mercedes 608D, building year 1977 and just enjoy the moment. We call it repair truck, because Dieter has in his self-made motor home more repairing gear then some of the garages would have. The nice globetrotter are living in D?sseldorf. Horst, a 70 year old man from Pinneberg, who drive alone through Norway, comes as well to sit with us. Everybody of us brings their last bit of alcohol with and it is becoming a real funny evening.
See picture in German version ? great evening in Lissis and Dieters ?living room?
The stationary heating is on since outside it is really cold. Horst tells us a lot of great stories from his time being sailor on several ocean going ships. We sit together till about 2 am and then ? the wind stopped in the meanwhile and the clouds are nearly all gone ? we walk together up to the cliffs and enjoy the marvellous view over the ocean with it?s colourful midnight sun. Then we finally go to bed. Next morning we drive back to Kirkenes. Lissi, Dieter and we decide to drive together the next 550 km towards the Gulf of Bothnia. The border to Finland is not far. We leave behind the forestless area and so more we come into Finland so more forested areas we see. At a lake we stay for another night
See picture in German version ? one of thousand lakes
It becomes a ritual. Motor homes in position, change things for the night, collecting wood, burn a fire and then the easy going life is starting.
See picture in German version?first of all comes the work
Sitting on the evenings at the campfire is the daily highlight. Mostly it is long after midnight that we find our way into our beds, smoked and tired. Today we have the first time mushrooms, picked ourselves from the forests. Waltraud and Rudolf from Berlin are joining us and so everybody just gets a fork and we all eat from the pan full of mushrooms. Well we will have mushrooms the next days more than enough. Here we certainly are more successful then with fishing.
See picture in German version ? lots of mushrooms
Every day we drive kilometre after kilometre through endless forests and lakes. In the evening we camp either at lakes or rivers. This is our schedule for the next days.
See picture in German version ?Camp at the Inari-See (holy lake of the Samis)
Shortly before Rovanniemi we stop at the polar circle. Here the Santa Claus is living. Yes, the real one. He has an own post office and answers together with his helpers year after year about 500 000 letters to all children all over the world. Most of the people don?t know the following: The Santa Claus lives in Rovanniemi, is married and has three children. By the way in the finish language Santa Claus is called Joulupukki. We are back to darkness. It is our first night south of the polar circle. It is the first night that it gets dark again, at least for a few hours per night. We did not thought, that it will be dark so soon. Back at the Gulf of Bothnia we stay together a couple more days.
See picture in German version ? Our night camp at Kemijoki, on the right side Lissis and Dieters red ?Motor home and Repair truck
The last day we camp on a campground so that we can take a shower and more necessarily wash clothes. Dieter, who actually should have been born as a screwdriver, at least found someone who needed his help. Next to us is a Swedish guy who was stucked in fresh tar. Now all over the tyres was fresh tar, which is hard to remove. Dieter is going right away to him and offers help. In his self-made motor home one can find from screws over special tools all kind of things Dieter is not only a superb mechanic as well a fantastic inventor. The VW K?fer of a couple in Brasilia he onetime did change into a functioned motor home. The sympathic 65 year old man is always ready to help. In the time when Lissi and Dieter travelled through Asia, North- and Southamerika he could help quiet often other travellers who where stucked with their motor homes. Even in mission stations he always offered his help for all kind of work. A lot of friendships have turned out of this time and they get still quiet regularly visits from all over the world. When you listen to the two, the wanderlust is getting up high into the red temperature. On our last evening together,r we eat once again mushrooms which we just picked in the nearby forests. There are plenty of them that you even don?t have to search for them just harvest them. Lissi and Michaela are playing a round of badminton, while Dieter and I are watching ?Dick and Doof? on the laptop.
See picture in German version ? Dieter and Raimund enjoy watching ?Dick and Doof?
This was a great time together with Dieter and Lissi. Time passed much to quick. After eight days together we are really sad to leave them. But Lissi and Dieter are going over Sweden back to Germany while we are on the way to Elsa and Matti in Oulainen. Elsa and Matti are the parents of our Finnish friend Liisa, which- as you know by now – lives in Munich.
Ok, that was it for now,
See picture in German version ?

Lots of greeting from the country of the thousands (mosquito)lakes.

Michaela und Raimund

Dieter explain us how easy it is with the Swedish health system. If you are ill, you go to the doctor and pay your bill right there to the yearly limit up to 900 Euro. Whatever is over this amount the government take care about. He also goes into raptures about the people here in Sweden which are always ready to help. Dieter and Silvia (in their 50th) know what they are talking about, since they left Germany last year for good with their three dogs all the way from the Black Forest (south-west of Germany) and emigrated to Kornsj?garden in North of Sweden. They are running a campground and as well a small restaurant where Dieter, a passionate chef ? is serving specialities from the Black Forest. An idyllic place they have chosen. We stay here two days in which we do our necessary laundry and clean up our bus before we are heading North through the forests of Norway.
See picture in German version ? Forests, rivers and lakes
The colour green in all shades is mandatory again in our all day travel. We drive from the Bottnic Bay at the Swedish North coast to the North sea at the Norwegian Northwest coast. 500 km just forest, rivers and lakes.
See picture in German version ? somewhere in Sweden
Mostly in the morning or evening hours we are visited by a vast amount of mosquito?s. Some days you can cop with it and they don?t bite as much, some days you don?t know what to do. You have the feeling they want to eat all of your body. Even the reindeer flee during the summer month to the coastline or up the mountains. You have to give lots of blood for the beauty of the North.
See picture in German version ? not even mosquito spray is helping
But on the other side we see a animal kingdom which pays out a lot. Quiet often we can watch reindeer grazing on the plateaus. They belong to the family of deer but are smaller then their relatives in middle Europe.
See picture in German version ? Reindeer
We take the street E 12 to Fosnacken and decide for a side road. After a while there is no asphalt anymore just road metal. A real dusty business which lasts fort he next 200 km till the border to Norway. Here at the border there is no border guard, no sign, nothing at all. But suddenly the streets are made of tar again. And now the king of the North say hello to us. Right next to the street there are three grazing elks. Nothing on this earth can disturb them. Happily we can send Heinz after all the promised picture about an elk. (Heinz guarantee no zoo picture!)
See picture in German version ? the king of the North
In the evening we reach the coastline at the North sea and enjoy after five days forest the wide view onto the sea.
See picture in German version Finally far-sightedness
The first time since we are on the road the temperature is getting unbearable. This kind of climate we actually just know from movies from Africa or from previous phone calls back home to Germany. Already since five days it is lasting now. Our VW-Bus becomes a sauna. During the day we try to hide in the shade or at a cooler place.
See picture in German version ? Cooling down in a mountain creek
We have no problems with the constant broad daylight. Around 2 or 3 am we mostly go to bed and get up around 8 am again. The body cop with it quiet easy and does not need any more sleep. We drive further on towards Mo I Rana, a rather ugly industrial city, where we meet an acquaintance of Michaela. Then we go further direction to the Lofot Islands. We have passed the polar circle. A sign ?Welcome to the Arctic? stands here. But none of us two ever thought that it can be as hot in the Arctic. Around 0.15 am we reach with a ferry the Lofot island Moskenesoya. The island state of the Lofoten goes far out into the North sea. The mountains are rising right out of the Sea and are not to compare with any other mountain range.
See picture in German version ?in the background the peaks of the Lofoten
Here you meet any kind of outdoor people: from the fishermen to the mountain climber. Since our last visit seven years ago, a lot of things have changed, concerning the traffic net. They have build tunnels and new road layouts. Butt his was more then necessary, since the tourism have tripled since then. The five largest islands are connected with either a underwater tunnel or bridges. For the smaller ones there is a frequent ferry running.
See picture in German version ? The houses gloom in the midnight sun
Skrei (spawning cod) which is caught during the winter fisheries is the most important for the industry. Fishermen from all over Norway take part in the Lofot Fisheries and stay for this time in fisher huts which are called Rorbuer and build on wood into the sea. In Summertime this Rorboer are rented to the Tourists.
See picture in German version ? Fisher huts on Sakrisoy, water like in the South pacific
As well we try to fish after everybody told us ?that even the blinds would catch fish right away?. Perseverance we brought with us along, but still we have to go after a good while into a supermarket to have some steaks instead of fish for our barbeque.
See picture in German version ? on Moskenesoya)
Thomas, a biker from Regensburg, him we met yesterday, comes in the morning for a cup of tea and tell us the last news from our ?old? native town, before he leave us again. (?Thomas, we hope you did got save home again?)
See picture in German version ? Thomas from Regensburg
The weather god can?t hear our moaning and groaning anymore about the heat. So therefore after six days we get from one extreme into the other. Since a couple of days now it is raining cats and dogs and the wind comes from every direction. On top of it it?s cold and misty. We realize how difficult it can be ? weather wise -, to call a bus our home since we still can remember the bad weather from the Shetland Islands.
See picture in German version ? on Vestvagoy
We meet Karen on the ferry from Bodo to the Lofoten islands, a native from Norway, which leaves already over 30 years in Sweden. She grew up on the island of Vaeroy and is on the way to visit her mother and two brothers. Karen did invite us for a cup of coffee when we would come over there. The island of Vaeroy is the last island of the Lofoten and just to reach either by ferry or helicopter
See picture in German version ? fascinating mountain range
The weather is not getting better at all. After a few days, in which we thought it will change we decide to continue our travel and phoned Karen to tell her that unfortunately we can not manage to come. We travel further up north into the forests of the Northland where we came from, a week ago. Our next destination is Lappland, which stretches over four countries: Norway, Sweden, Finland and the Russian Kola peninsula. About 70 000 people of the natives of North Europe are still living all over this four countries. They call themselves Sami, Samit or Sameh and the country itself Sapmi. By the way, it is an insult to call the people of Lappland: Lappen.
See picture in German version ? Sami-girl in her traditional dress
The breeding of reindeers is still one of the main income of Lappland. But just only a few Sami still live like their ancestors in Lavvu (tents) and wander around with their reindeer from place to place.
See picture in German version ? Lavvu, the tent of the Samish people
The modern breeder of reindeer is doing his work with a motor slide and always having a cell phone with him. As well helicopters are of big help when they get the reindeer together. Fur of Reindeer and other handcraft you can buy all over Lappland on the main traffic roads. Some of the Samish people are living during the summer month in tents right next to the streets and while they are selling their goods they even wear their old traditional dress. This dresses are nowadays just worn on festivity days or on big meetings. But there are exceptions to the rule. In Kautokeino we saw yesterday at the supermarket two women with their traditional dresses.
See picture in German version ? somewhere in Lappland
Well that was it again from us from Lappland
Till next time

Raimund and Michaela

After so much cold and rain the last days here on the Shetland Islands, we don´t hesitate to leave them now direction Norway. The ferry which comes from Iceland, will stop tonight the very first time in Summer 2005 on the Shetland Islands. Since we have gas canister in our bus, there is a control at the check in, to ensure, we definitely have shut off the canister and even if the gas line is disconnected to the canister. In that moment as I want to close the back door of the bus, I feel a horrible pain, which goes through my body like a lightening. Suddenly I can´t move down my left arm. Something in my back is not right. With a stretched out arm I try to get on the passenger seat. This does not work out without the help of Michaela. Behind us there is already a long queue of cars. Michaela drive our bus onto the ferry. In that moment I try to move myself in another direction it hurts. What shall we do? Going back onto the Shetlands, or stay on board and hope there is a doctor who could help to release me from my pain. Staying back would mean we have to wait another week till the next ferry leaves to Bergen, to tell them on the ship at first about my situation would mean the Captain would send us right away back off the ship. We decide to stay onboard and will ask them after we set sail, if there is a doctor on board. It is already 10 pm when the ferry leaves the harbour of Lerwick direction Bergen on the west coast of Norway. The crossing takes 14 hours which means we should be in Bergen around lunchtime next day. Michaela get me in to our booked couchette where there is place for 10 persons altogether. I try to get myself on the mattress on the very bottom. This works not as good as I thought it would. I kneel on the floor, the upper part of my body lying on the mattress. For me this way of resting is in the moment the most comfortable way and I wait for Michaelas return. She is gone to ask whether there is a doctor on board or not. Now an elderly English couple comes in the couchette. I am sure they think I am drunk, since this route with the ship is much favoured by the Norwegians as a „Party route“ (Alcohol in Norway is extremely expensive) But honestly to say I don´t care what say think about me, apart from that I can´t really look at them. Michaela comes back, with for me the horrifying message “There is no doctor on board” But they will check, if there is one among the passengers. Since it is nearly midnight, we have to wait till tomorrow morning. We decide to take a double cabin for us alone. I am happy as we enter the cabin, since I know, now we are alone. It is an inside cabin without window, but still you can hear how strong the wind is outside. The ship starts moving more and harder. An empty glass falls off the table and Michaela take all loose things away. In the cabin next door, we hear a few things rolling for- and backwards and lasts for the rest of the night, so this cabin might be empty. I am awake till the morning then the sea gets calm again. Michaela goes back to reception to hear what is all about. But no, there is no doctor found. But the lady at reception gets hold with the ships agent at Bergen and he will upon arrival give as an address of the nearest doctor. I am resting on the bed in our bus, while Michaela drives criss cross through Bergen City. At the first hospital we stop, we do not know if this is that on which we´ve been told neither it interest us, and rush into it. Michaela coordinates everything. At the waiting room there are at least 25 people. But god thanks we don´t have to wait so long. With my arm high up I go through the room, while people look a bit strange at me. The doctor tell us, that most probably it is a pulled muscle and it all presses on the nerves. He gives me a receipt for tablets to relief the pain and more he says he can´t do. I demand he should give me a injection “ the tablets are just as good they may need a bit longer then the injection”. I am quiet unsatisfied with it. We find ourselves a place to be for the next few days on a campground, in one of that hats you can rent in Norway. Slowly the pain is getting at ease. Day after day, I can move my arm down again a bit more. From Erna, a very special lady and being a physiotherapist, which the owner of the campground have been recommended to us, I get a full treatment, which helps me to live and walk quiet normal again.
But now time is running. Already on the Orkney Islands we booked a flight for Michaela with Ryanair from Oslo to Salzburg, since our Wireless Lan of our Laptop is not working from the beginning of our trip. In Great Britain we gave our Laptop three times to different companies but nobody could solve the problem. The brother of Michaela, which lives with his family next to Salzburg did coordinate all in advance, so in that moment Michaela would come there, the Laptop could go right into reparation since the flight back would just be five days later.
We now had still five days to go, till Michaela would leave and certainly in this moment we were not quiet sure, if I could manage all by myself when Michaela is gone. My condition was coming back, but slowly. We drove from Bergen to Oslo over Europe’s highest plateau, the Hardangervidda, where on the 6th of June in 1000 m height still was about 1 meter of snow.
See picture in German version …at the Hardangervidda Winter is still there even in Summer time
Slowly I have to get used to driving again and therefore I do some stages from about 30 km. We reach our destination Sandefjord, south of Oslo, where there in the near the airport of Ryanair is situated, one day ahead of time. Now it is clear, that I can manage without Michaela for the next five days. Next day in the morning I bring Michaela to the airport where she is flying over London onto Salzburg.
See picture in German version … Departure to Salzburg
At the airport I discover German Newspapers. The first in nearly three month. I buy them all. One Süddeutsche, one Frankfurter Allgemeine and one already four days old BamS. My yearning for German newspapers is huge and the next days I have plenty of time to read them. I stay a couple more days in Sandefjord, where I find myself a wonderful secluded place at the coast. This is the perfect place to recover.
See picture in German version … Islandgarden of Sandefjord
Michaela´s return flight is booked to Stockholm, since just two days later Anni and Heinz, Michaela´s parents are visiting us and will also arrive in Stockholm. So I drive the about 530 km in a very relaxed manner from Norway towards Sweden till the East coast. This forested area is sparsely settled and I come along wide lakes. I see a lot of elks — but just on traffic signs. The premiere for my first elk is still to come.When Michaela arrives she ask me right away, if I have already seen an elk. I tell her about my “Sense of achievement”. We decide, that one of us, which see the first elk, have to get from the other one Maß beer (liter of beer).
see Picture in German version: Where are the elks?
Michaela comes back without the Laptop. Michaela and Christian have been running around the last days all just because of this “stupid thing”. From one specialist to the next one. They found the defect but it could not be done in that short time left. But this is not a big deal. Anni and Heinz will bring them with in two days time. We would like to take the opportunity to thank you, Christian, once more again, we do know that all of your work stayed behind, just to help us solve the problem. Thanks again for your helpfulness. And thanks as well for the updates on our Laptop. A “Lapin Kulta” (Lappland cold) on you.
Today in the evening at 10.45 pm Anni and Heinz will arrive. The time till there we spend with searching for elks. But even today we have no success.
See picture in German version … Woolen gras in the evening light
Punctually at 10.45 pm, it is still light, we welcome Anni and Heinz at the arrival hall. Heinz is full of words for the magnificent view down to the countless lakes and enormous forested areas.
See picture in German version ….countless lakes and forests
We drive onto a campground where Anni and Heinz will spend the night in a small hut. We sleep like usually in our bus. Next day the sun gets us out of our sleeping bags quiet early. For today we don´t really have a plan and so we drive criss cross through the countryside. God thanks in this area are not so many churches, since Heinz would like to stop at everyone of them.
See picture in German version … Michaela, Anni and Heinz
Some of the churches we can even visit from inside. Most of the churches here are during working days closed. So even Heinz is satisfied now. In the evening we come to a small village named Grisslehamn, where it is quiet busy at the harbour. A few men and women wear historical dresses. We get to know, that tomorrow the yearly historical sailing regatta to the far Aland Islands takes place. About 40 boats will attend this regatta and the crossing will take about 4 – 6 hours. The crew of the old sailing boats exists of four persons which all will be dressed historical
See picture in German version …historical sailing regatta towards the Aland Islands
This happening we would not like to miss and so we decide to go with the ferry to the Aland Islands for the next two days. The Aland Islands exists from over 6500 islands and rock formations and lie between Sweden and Finland. They are an autonomous area, belong to Finland but the main language is Old-Swedish. Next morning we are already onboard the ship when the sailing regatta starts. The ferry accompanies the first few boats and sets on sail then itself. The next two days we drive through the mainland of Aland. Once in a while there is as well a church for Heinz.
See picture in German version Family Robinson to camp on the Aland Islands
Back on the mainland on the next day the actual highlight of our travel together is waiting for us. Therefore we have to start with the story in the beginning for all of you not knowing Liisa. Liisa is our Finnish friend. Michaela and Liisa did work and lived together in a cabin on the sea going ship „MS Vistafjord“ 17 years ago. After this time, Liisa did go back again to Finland, just to return a few years later in Germany-Munich where she again lived together with Michaela till we met each other. Liisa still works and lives in Munich and she is an integral part of the Mark-Clan.
See picture in German version Bild … Evening sun in the North
When Liisa got to know that Anni and Heinz do visit us in Stockholm, spontaneous she booked a ships travel from Stockholm to Helsinki and back again with a personal guide in Helsinki. As we heard about that we could not believe it. What a surprise! One thing we can already tell ahead of time: it was a unique experience for all four of us. First of all we loose our way in Stockholm. Finally we come to the harbour. Bad luck, it is the wrong harbour. Back to the Stockholm traffic chaos till the next harbour. This time we can already see from far away the big ship of Viking Line.
See picture in German version … with the Viking Line ship to Helsinki
At 5 pm the ship departs and will arrive Helsinki at 9.30 am. As we enter our cabin (this time with window) we get the next surprise: a bottle of champagne, four glasses and a greeting card from Liisa and Ari.
More then three hours it takes to pass by ship the complete island garden of Stockholm. Again and again we see the small islands with the colourful houses on it from up ther,e 35 m above sea level, from the sundeck. The deep standing evening sun is colouring the islands in a very special light. The whole night it is not getting dark in this part of the world, at this time of the year. So we see the same sun, which we left behind yesterday since there is never a sunset. Pävi, a friend of Liisa, which lives in Helsinki, awaits us at the exit. She did take a day off for us to show us Helsinki. From the harbour we go on foot over the market, further on to the cathedral and then into the inner city of Helsinki. Then we continue our sightseeing tour by streetcar.
See picture in German version … the cathedral of Helsinki
Passed the Olympic stadium and back to the inner city where Ari, a friend of Liisa, booked a table for us in a restaurant with specialities from Lapland. We have grilled reindeer, bear salami, air dried elk meat, lax from Lapland and as a dessert cheese from Lapland in hot cinnamon cream, with it the arctic berries.
See picture in German version … Lappländische Spezialitäten)
After this delicious meal we go back to the ship where we have to say Good bye to Pävi.
See picture in German version … We say good bye or better see you again Pävi)
Next day we arrive Stockholm at 9.30 am.
Now we would like to take the opportunity as well in the name of Anni and Heinz to say thank you to you, our dear Liisa. You have served us two wonderful terrific days, which we will definitely remember for the rest of our life. As well to you a “Lapin Kulta”. A warm thank you certainly to you Pävi and you Ari to make this surprise come true.
The last day we start relaxed. We believe that even Anni and Heinz did got the Elk fever They keep looking just like we do, on and on and on. But unfortunately no elk.
It has been a fantastic week for every one of us. We now say good bye to Anni and Heinz at the airport and promise, that we will send them a picture from the first elk we see.
We travel further up North. Just after a few meters we entered the motorway, we see while we are driving on the right side next to a bridge our very first elk. Immediately Michaela gets on the cell phone per sms “Elk alarm”. Reply to this “Where is the picture”
See picture in German version … till next time

This country is to beautiful that we don´t want to bother ourselves to work here and in the moment we still have time and a bit of money to do without.
see picture in German Version … as well the East coast of Scotland has it´s appeal
After one week at the East coast we are longing for the peace and tranquillity as well the beauty of the Northwest coast of Scotland.
A lot of animals which are already extinct in Germany we can watch here from a very short distance. For example deer. On our last holidays here in Scotland we came back from a trekking tour and saw right in front of our car a herd from about 50 of them. Since they were separated from us through a fence, we thought: ok that’s a deer breed. But a few days ago we chatted with a forester and he explaint to us that the fence is there to protect the villages from the deer. They would otherwise eat all the new planted trees. So you can see lots of Deer grit instead of cattle grids (which we already explained in our last travel journal. If we count just the deer, which we have seen the last 6 weeks we definitely come more then over a thousand without exaggeration.!! ( I know I personally do sometimes exaggerations, but God thanks Raimund is the opposite). So therefore, you can trust me. The forester told further on that the deer in this area can be a real nuisance. Unfortunately you can’t do so much against it, since the Highlands are a wetland and therefore they are out of sight quiet quick. We certainly being only “watchers” appreciate it a lot to watch them in big herds.

… deer on the peninsula Applecross

Then there is here the world of birds. Species which you can´t look at them anymore or died out, like the Tetrao urogallus (latin, I could not find the English word for it), the cuckoo, the peewit, the Somateria mollissima (latin, same thing) and so on. Here we can see them in droves. Every time we pitch camp for the night, a cuckoo is greeting us.

… pitch camp on Loch Etive

Raimund assert that this cuckoo is always the same and he travel’s with us already through whole Great Britain (?). In a way we became already a kind of birdwatcher, even if we have instead of this huge monsters (they look like canons) just a tiny binocular. But it does it´s job.

...Eilean Donan Casle

When we are telling about our past travels to Scotland, people are always asking us: „And how do you cope with the food“ Honestly to say, we don´t. As we all know, food in Great Britain is a lot of fast-food and deep-fried. Even the best scampi’s are coming deep-fried! But if somebody like we, would like to see the world with not much money, then there is anyway no question about going into a restaurant or even into a pub. (In the pubs you get so called Pub food which is the smaller version of a restaurant food but never the less the price for German standards are quiet high: 7,50 Euro for a kind of starter and up to 25 Euro for the main course). Some of the Scottish dishes we still would like to mention. Haggis which is minced innards of a sheep mixed with oats, the Scottish National dish. It tastes much better as it sounds, to be honest we love it! As well the dishes made from deer are fantastic. Very tender, nicely spiced and not even deep-fried!! After a Scottish dinner it is certainly a must to have a glass of one of their hundreds of good Single Malt Whisky’s
But through the years we already noticed quiet a change in the cuisine as well in the food stores. A few years ago you could not buy any other bread then this wobbly white and brown toast (sorry our dear English friends, but we do love our good black bread from Germany). But know you can already buy so called French sticks which is really tasting like French baguettes. Well and yesterday by coincidence we saw a counter where you could taste “German bread” and it was not just looking like German bread, it tasted nearly like our bread at home. But unfortunately they had no stock of this bread, it was just that people could taste it. Strange sales strategy.
Now to our further on route. Like we mentioned already, we did drive again back to the North-West, where there is not just the beautiful mountain range, as well you can find here on a sunny day, beaches like in the South Pacific or in the Caribbean Sea. Just the temperature is a bit lower.

... Seclusion

... and beauty of the beach at Durness

On such places we certainly stay for a longer period.
Then the street leads us passed deserted villages and farmhouses.

... at the Loch Eriboll

So more we come to the East again, the countryside is much more densely populated.

…

Once in Thurso, the first bigger town since a week, we have to fill up our grocery stock. Since one or two years Germany has landed in Great Britain: A Lidl Supermarket. We do not want to make any advertisement but compare to the other supermarket chains we can save lot´s of money going shopping at Lidl. For example vegetables and fruits are half the prize if you buy them on a Friday or Saturday. But even the rest of the food, drinks and even toiletries is much cheaper. A lot of the stuff is coming all the way from Germany. For example the Mozzarella cheese. In another supermarket chain the price for mozzarella is about 1,30 Scottish Pounds, at Lidl you get it for 0,69 Scottish Pound. As we had a closer look onto the back of the package we were quiet astonished. It was produced in Cham in Upper palatinate/ Bavaria.
This are now our last days on the mainland in Scotland. At the lighthouse at Dunnethead, where we have already been 3 weeks ago, we pitch our camp.

… sunset at Dunnet Head (23.45 Uhr)

The last time we where here, we saw the Orkney Islands just from a distance. Now, better to say at the next day, we take the ferry to the Orkney Islands. The sea swings the old ferryboat in about 1 ½ hours into the save harbour of St. Margaret´s Harbour. After just half an hour on the islands we realize that we are now in a complete new surrounding. Nothing like the Scottish Highlands, just wide green farmland with lots of cattle and sheep. From nearly every point of the island you have eye contact to the sea. In the west of Orkney it is a bit more hilly and there are even cliffs.

… the cliffs in the West near the Island of Hoy

The Orkney Islands and especially the bay of Scapa Flow are a paradise for wreck divers. In both world wars the islands have been the scene for war historical events with German participation. The high sea fleet of the German empire, at that time the second biggest after the British one, have been intern in November 1918 in the home harbour of the British navy Scapa Flow. The ships have been disarmed and been controlled by the British. Just an emergency crew of sailors were on all of the 70 German ships. On the 21st of June 1919 after the British navy set out for a manoeuvre in the North sea, the commanding officer of the intern unit, Konteradmiral Ludwig von Reuter, gave the command to sink there own ships. He presumed that the German Government would not accept the peace treaty and the hostility would continue next day. As the British navy returned from the manoeuvre the bay of Scapa flow was a “sea of rubble”. In the 2nd World war, lieutenant-commander Günter Priem did the impossible. He managed to come in one of the two access into Scapa Flow with the submarine U-47 unnoticed and sank the warship HMS Royal Oak with 1400 crew on it. At the Cathedral of Kirkwall we found a commemorative plaque which commemorates 880 sailors, which have been drowned. Most of the wrecks of the sunken ships have been elevated, but still there are a few on the bottom of the sea. Divers from all over the world love this diving ground

… in the bay of Scapa Flow

We go further to the North, to the Shetland Islands (60. latitude) This islands are half way between Scotland and Norway and exists of about hundred islands with 22 000 inhabitants and 330 000 sheep.

…Shetland Inseln, there were the famous ponies are coming from

This time it is a night trip. At 11.15 pm we enter the ferry. After we have set up our night camp, we go once more outside to the rail to get some fresh sea air. It is already 0.10 am and still not dark, infect it is still twilight. The duration from the Orkney to the Shetland Islands lasts 7 ¾ hours. The rhythmical noise of the ship puts us to sleep on the relatively comfortable sleep chairs, which are looking kind of cinema chairs. Shortly before 7.00 am a voice from the loudspeaker wakes us up. “In half an hour we will arrive Lerwick“ After checkout we drive to a nearby hill, have breakfast and get the first impressions about Lerwick and the Shetland Islands.

...Lerwick, capital of Shetland with the ferry Northlink

For the next days we prepare our travel route.
Today we drive to the most westerly points of Shetland Mainland, where we pitch a camp right next to the Lighthouse. We have a terrific view over the sea. The wind gets stronger. After a careful consideration we decide to try to find a bit more secured spot for the night. During the night it starts to rain. I am half asleep as I hear Michaela: “Oh my God… we are standing with our bus right in the middle of a creek”. There, were six hours ago still was dry ground, is now a small river. But fortunately the ground is quiet hard, so we have no problems to bring our bus back onto the road. The wind and the rain are becoming quiet strong. You even can see the rain walls which the wind carries around. We stay in the bus and read and look at movies which we can watch on our laptop and which we brought with us along for this “extreme sunny days”

...Shetland, Shetland, mystic island before the sh.. weather

During the next days it gets colder. Temperature is around 4 ° – 7° C. The stationary heating is mostly on duty. In the evening we hear on the world radio the temperatures in Germany “ Hamburg 31° C, Frankfurt 30 ° C und Munich 28 ° C “. In that moment we think we must be nuts. The weather unfortunately is not changing to better for the next two days. Therefore we decide in the morning to go back to Lerwick. There is an indoor swimming pool where we relax in the whirlpool and our mind is in Germany with sunny temperatures.