TRIP DIARY: ROMA – NORDKAPP 2015

Travelling with a 4WD Fiat Panda towards the far north

ITALY TO GERMANY

15.09 DAY 1: ROMA – NURNBERG (16hr) - 1177KM

Leaving Rome at 2am and driving north, just stopping at the Brenner pass for breakfast and in Austria for lunch. In Nurnberg we have been visiting around the city centre and the old castle.

ACCOMMODATION: Jugend hotel in a 4 beds dorm

16.09 DAY 2: NURNBERG – ROSTOK (13hr) 708KM – TOT: 1885KM

Stopping along the way for a while in Bamberg before reaching the harbour of Rostok to catch a ferry to Sweden

ACCOMMODATION: Ferry Rostok – Trelleborg (7hr)

SWEDEN

17.09 DAY 3: TRELLEBORG – STOCKHOLM (12hr) 698KM – TOT: 2583KM

Stopping in Jonkoping and having a lunch in the nice town of Granna before arriving in the evening in Stockholm

ACCOMMODATION: Angby camping in a 4 beds cabin

18.09 DAY 4: STOCKHOLM   69KM – TOT:2652KM

Visiting the Hogalid church, Sodermalm lookout with a panoramic view over the city, the Gamlastan suburb and getting lost at night in Skogskyrkogarden cemetery

19.09 DAY 5: STOCKHOLM   56KM – TOT: 2708KM

Walking around the city centre, visiting and having lunch into the Ostermalm market and arriving at night at the Fjallgatan lookout

20.09 DAY 6: STOCKHOLM – ROVANIEMI (18hr) 1335KM – TOT: 4043KM

Leaving Stockholm late in the morning, stopping along the way in Hudiksvall, having a lunch in the fishermen village of Kuggoren, then passing by Ilsbo, Grangsjo, Sundsvall and Ornskoldsvik. Stopping in the night in Umea for some food and a break, then arriving the morning after in Lulea where we had breakfast and after visiting the old town of Gammelstad, and after in Kalix, Sangis where we found some nice wooden sculpture and the Haparanda border

ACCOMMODATION: Car sleeping

FINLAND

21.09 DAY 7: ROVANIEMI

Driving along the Kemijoki river before arriving in town, then walking around the city and the Ounasvaara sky centre

ACCOMMODATION: Kallentalontie arctic apartment

22.09 DAY 8: ROVANIEMI   35KM – TOT: 4078KM

Visiting the Santa Claus village, spotting some Reindeer in the forest nearby the town and visiting around the city centre

23.09 DAY 9: ROVANIEMI – INARI (8hr) 402KM – 4480KM

Driving north to this town on a lake, and stopping on the way at the giant kettles of Hiidenkimut

ACCOMMODATION: Holiday village Inari in a 4 beds cabin

NORWAY

24.09 DAY 10: INARI – NORDKAPP (8hr) 395KM – TOT: 4875KM

Passing by Karasjok, Lakselv and Olderfjod before arriving in the European northernmost point where we settled down and had a dinner under the northernlights

ACCOMMODATION: Car sleeping

25.09 DAY 11: NORDKAPP – TROMSO (13hr) 678KM – TOT: 5553KM

For the first time driving south, we stopped in the towns of Skarsvag, Honningsvag, Olderfjord and Alta where we visited the Hjemmeluft rock carvings before arriving in Tromso

ACCOMMODATION: Ami hotel in a 4 beds room

26.09 DAY 12: TROMSO

Visiting around the city and taking some relaxing time

27.09 day 13: TROMSO – SOMMAROY – TROMSO (4hr) 237KM – TOT: 5790KM

Visiting the arctic botanic gardens in town before driving and visiting around the local fjords, and visiting Eidkjosen, Kaldfjord, Sommaroy, Hillesoy, Hella and Kvaloyvagen

28.09 DAY 14: TROMSO – GROV (8hr) 267KM – TOT: 6057KM

Stopping for lunch under the Stortind glacier, and then passing by Balsfjorden and Setermoen

ACCOMMODATION: Elvegard Hytteutleie Og Fiskeferie 4 beds cabin

29.09 DAY 15: GROV – FREDVANG (9hr) 299KM – TOT: 6356KM

Driving through the Lofoten islands all day long under an heavy atlantic storm

ACCOMMODATION: Milas house B&B

30.09 DAY 16: FREDVANG – TRONDHEIM (18hr) 1087KM – TOT:7443KM

Driving back the Lofoten islands under a very bad weather and visiting the Utakleiv beach and Haukland stranden beach, taking the ferry from Lodingen to Bognes, stopping under the rain in Fauske and having a dinner inside a bus stop, the driving the day after through Medja where we had lunch

ACCOMMODATION: Car sleeping

01.10 DAY 17: TRONDHEIM

Arriving in town late evening and just relaxing inside our hostel

ACCOMMODATION: Trondheim Vandrerhjem Hostel in a 2 bunk bed rooms

02.10 DAY18: TRONDHEIM – KRISTIANSUND (7hr) 200KM – TOT: 7643KM

Visiting early morning the city center of Trondheim, then driving to Kristiansund and taking a ferry from Halsa to Kanestraum

ACCOMMODATION: Atlanten Turistsenten in a house

03.10 DAY 19: KRISTIANSUND – SJOHOLT (10hr) 167KM – TOT: 7810KM

Visiting in the morning the city center and the local street market where we had some street food, then we passed by Sandoy, the awesome Atlantic road, the city of Molde and the Varden lookout before taking the ferry from Molde to Vestnes

ACCOMMODATION: Sjoholt camping in a house cabin

04.10 DAY 20: SJOHOLT – GRODAS (12hr) 282KM – TOT: 8092KM

Visiting Alesund in the early morning, the art nouveau city, the Fjellstua lookout, having lunch along the Storfjorden, then taking the ferry from Linge to Eidsdal and arriving at the most famous fjord of Geiranger before reaching the Dalsnibba mountain lookout by car

ACCOMMODATION: Knausen cottage

05.10 DAY 21: GRODAS – AURLANDS (11hr) 320KM – TOT: 8412KM

Another long day in the car visiting the Innikfjorden, Loenvatnet lake, doing a trekking up the Kjenndals glacier, the driving along the Oldevatnet lake, Brigsdal, Skei and taking the ferry from Mannheller to Fodnes and after driving inside the Laerdals tunnel, the longest on Earth

ACCOMMODATION: Skahjem house

06.10 DAY 22: AURLANDS – OSLO (25hr) 792KM – TOT: 9204KM

Visiting the Aurlands town and the lookout over the fjord and after driving some panoramic roads to the city of Bergen, where we had a walk and the dinner before taking the car on the way to Oslo, passing by the Tynkrysset pass the day after having our first and only snowy day

ACCOMMODATION: car sleeping

07.10 DAY 23: OSLO

Having a big walk around the city center and the harbor

ACCOMMODATION: Vandrerhjem hostel in a 4 beds dorm

SWEDEN

08.10 DAY 24: OSLO – HELSINGBORG (12hr) 588KM – TOT: 9792KM

We had our last stop in Norway in a supermarket in Moss before passing the Swedish border, then visiting the Hallristningar heritage site, having a lunch in the nice fishermen town of Fjallbacka and visiting at night the town of Goteborg with the famous towers of Skansen Lejonet and Skansen Kronan and the old suburb of Haga

ACCOMMODATION: Nyckelbo hostel

DENMARK

09.10 DAY 25: HELSINGBORG – COPENHAGEN (5hr) 119KM – TOT: 9911KM

Visiting in the morning the city center and the castle of Helsingborg and the city of Malmo before passing the Denmark border over one of the longest bridge on Earth

ACCOMMODATION: Valmuevej apartment

10.10 DAY 26: COPENHAGEN

In this morning Daniele and Luana arrived here to spend a few days together for Daniele’s birthday, we spent all the day around the city center; Christiania and Nyhavn

11.10 DAY 27: COPENHAGEN

One more day around the city and up to the famous little mermaid

DENMARK TO ITALY

12.10 DAY 28: COPENHAGEN – ROMA (42hr) 2432KM – TOT: 12343KM

Having a breakfast in the morning all together, then Daniele and Luana went back to the airport and we went back on the road, visiting the Danish cities of Roskilde, Hejlsminde and having a dinner in Aabernaa

ACCOMMODATION: Car sleeping

13.10 DAY 29: GERMANY AND AUSTRIA

Driving all day long through Germany and Austria, stopping along the way on Rendsburg, Rosdorf, Mader and driving the Arlberg pass before arriving at the Brenner Pass

ACCOMMODATION: Car sleeping

14.10 DAY 30: ROMA

Back home early in the morning