Our next adventure - Australia and New Zealand

Tomorrow we leave Sweden and fly to the west coast of Australia. We will spend almost 2 weeks driving from Perth in the south, to Port Hedlan in the north.
From Port Hedland we fly to New Zealand and will spend almost 3 weeks exploring both the south and the north island. In New Zealand we have rented a nice RV, and Anne´s oldest daughter Pernilla will join us for the first half of the NZ trip.
After New Zealand we will fly to Sydney and spend almost 2 weeks on the east coast of Australia.

2011-08-21 -- 2011-09-07: Finland and back home

We crossed the border to Finland - "The country of thousand lakes" - and headed for Inari. There were several places selling Sami craft-work, and at one of them we met a nice Sami man that gave us some advice were to camp for the night. It was a lovely place at the shore of Rahajärvi (Moneylake) with a lot of reindeer and very peaceful.

At a hill close to our camp we found the blueberries and the first ripe  lingon-berries for the season.

After a couple of nights we continued towards Ivalo to get some supplies, gasoline and fill water, before we head south through the amazing landscape with rivers and lakes everywhere. Finland is really beautiful!!!

At Rovaniemi we once again pass the Arctic Circle - this time from the north.

As everyone knows, Rovaniemi is the home of Santa Claus, and there is a huge village with shops built on the Christmas theme.

In Rovaniemi we had one of few nights in a commercial camping, just next to Kemi River and walking distance to city. Finland is very well known for two things - Sauna and Tango. During the time in Rovaniemi we experienced both. The camping had a wonderful sauna that we rented by the hour, and just a couple of hundred meters from the camping there was a restaurant with live tango music. We were amazed to see the mix of people on the dance floor. The most active couple was 80+, and the youngest around 25. All of them were there to dance!

When we travel we like to visit local markets. In Finland indoor markets are very common.

This one is in Oulo and offered fantastic seafood among other things.

Next stop was Kannus, where Anne´s roots on her mother side are from. In the area of Kannus we found amazing amounts of mushroom - Boletus edulis (Karl Johan svamp in Swedish, Steinpilz in German, Penny bun i English). We spent hours cleaning and cooking what we harvested.

We continue our trips towards Tampere to meet some of Anne´s relatives. It was nice to meet uncle Erkki and his wife Kajsa, as well as cousin Elina and her boyfriend Teppo. With some hints from the family we managed to find the place were Anne spent every summer when she was young. It was a place in the middle of the forest, so we had to do some walking as we didn´t dare to drive our big vehicle on the narrow and bumpy road.

Helsinki is our last stop in Finland. We had made reservation for the ferry to Stockholm in advance, but had 2 days for sightseeing in the beautiful capitol of Finland. One of the days we visited the old fortress Sveaborg, situated on an island just outside Helsinki. It was very interesting to visit this beautiful well preserved historic site.

Just next to where we parked for the nights in Helsinki, car fanatics gathered in the evening. Really cool to see all those amazing cars!

We spent a couple of days driving from Stockholm to our home in south of Sweden. We tried to avoid the larger roads and enjoyed the trip. 

We are very pleased with our 7 week long trip through Sweden, Norway and Finland. Scandinavia is fantastic!

For us it was the perfect choice to use a RV for the trip. It has given us so much freedom, and so many wonderful moments around a camp-fire just next to a lake or a river.


















Some more pictures: Nordic Trip Part 5

2011-08-18 -- 21: Senja Island, Alta River and Nordkapp.

We left Lofoten in the morning by ferry to Senja Island. The weather was beautiful and the ride was really enjoyable, sitting on deck in the sun.

We drove right across the Senja Island, but made a stop at the Senja Troll. It was a fun stop, even if the target group for this place probably is for a bit younger people.

We continued our trip towards Alta, and one of the most famous salmon rivers in the world. It is a beautiful drive with snow dressed mountains and blue fjords. The trees are starting to change colours - autumn is starting in the north.

We regularly meet reindeer on the roads, so we drive carefully and enjoy the scenery.

After walking around the city of Alta, we looked for a place to stay for the night near the river. We were really lucky and parked just a couple of meters from the river, with a fantastic view with fishermen and jumping salmon only meters away.

More than once it was tempting to get the fishing gear out of the car and try our luck, but we had no license and are law obedient Swedish people.  We are so far north now, so we only have an hour or two of darkness in the night.

We had decided to go as far north as possible, so Nordkapp was our next target. To get there we had to pass through a long and  rather expensive tunnel.

Nordkapp was different and very beautiful, but we continued our trip towards Finland after a brief stop at the most northern point.












Some more pictures from this part of the trip: NordicTripPart4

2011-08-14 -- 18: Lofoten in our hearts

We arrived to Lofoten by ferry from Bodö. The weather reports had predicted that it could be a bit rough on the sea, but we had a wonderful crossing with calm water and sun. We arrived at the most westerly part of Lofoten, in the small town of Moskenes.

As dried fish is a very important part of Lofoten culture and business, we decided to visit a museum that specialised in that area.

It was an interesting visit, and also the way to serve cookies was a bit different.

The car has been working very well for us so far, but here we had some problems with the drainage. Mats made a temporary repair.

It was very easy to find good places to spend the night. Every night we spent close to the water with amazing views.

You find sheep everywhere on Lofoten islands, so you drive very carefully.

The last day at Lofoten we went for a whale safari. A well organised trip with very good information.

We were soooo lucky and had the warmest day so far this summer, sun and no wind.

On top of that, there were a lot of whales. We saw 8! All of them sperm whales.
Wikipedia info about sperm whale: Wikipedia_Sperm_whale.
It was a fantastic experience to see these huge (up to 20 meters) animals catching air and dive back to hunt for giant squid and fish.

The day after the whale safari we left Lofoten as we arrived - by ferry. The ferry from Andenes to the island of Senja was enjoyable, as we once more had wonderful weather. We really loved Lofoten with its friendly people and fantastic nature - a place to come back to, and spend more time!










Some more pictures from Lofoten: NordicTripPart3

2011-08-05 -- 13: Nordic trip part 2, Höga Kusten to Bodö, Norway.

After saying goodbye to our young ones in Gävle, we continued to Höga Kusten (High Coast). We passed the famous Höga Kusten bridge, which is kind of a port to this beautiful area when you drive from the south.

To avoid traffic and enjoy the drive fully, we selected smaller roads. After many days of beautiful weather, it is now and then rainy, but the drive is still very scenic.

Höga kusten ends at Umeå, and here we took a left turn and started driving E12 or Blå Vägen (Blue Road) as it is called. The road follows the river Ume älv, and is really beautiful. The fishing in the area is suppose to be very good, so we tried our luck a couple of times without any luck. We are a little bit more lucky when it comes to picking blueberries.

More or less every night we spent next to a river in the wilderness.

We had a overnight stop in Tärnaby - the village that produced top skiers like Ingemar Stenmark, Anja Persson and Stig Strand. From Tärnaby we headed towards the border to Norway. Our first destination in Norway is Svartisen - a glacier north of Mo i Rana. We used the road signs and ended up in a camping just next to a lake with a fantastic view to the glacier. There was a small ferry that offered transportation to the other side of the lake, but we decided to let our GPS (Gertrud) find the roads to Svartisen glacier. Our GPS didn´t make it, and Svartisen is still an illusion for us.

We stopped at the Arctic Circle monument for a short brake, before we continued towards Bodö and the ferry to Lofoten.
 











Some more pictures: NordicTripPart2

2011-07-30 -- 08-04: Nordic trip part 1, Stockholm.

We have since a couple of months planned a trip in northern Sweden, northern Norway and Finland from north to south. Our plan is not very fixed, and we might change route when we go along

For that purpose we rented a RV (mobile home) for six weeks. The RV is a well maintained Fiat Swift 10+ years old with plenty of space for us two. It actually has the ability to sleep 6. Most of the first week we are very happy to have Anne´s newly wed daughter Mikaela and her husband Johan on board, so the extra space comes in handy.

We all looked forward to see Stockholm, and we were blessed with fantastic weather all the time. Our base was a camping on the island Långholmen, just 20 minutes walk from the beautiful Old Town of Stockholm. As soon as we arrived we put on the walking shoes and headed for the Old Town to meet our friend Joakim and have a couple of beers, and maybe something good to eat. Joakim know Norway rather well, and had a lot of good advice. We decided to include Lofoten in our route.

The second day in Stockholm was planned  for a full day on  Djurgården. Gröna Lund was the main attraction, but we also managed to visit Aquaria and spend time in the Old Town and the Royal castle before we walked back to Långholmen.

Barbeque on the beach of Långholmen - can it be better?

The next day we walked the beautiful Norr Mälarestrand to get to city. We visited Hötorget with its vegetable stands, passed Sergels torg and spend some time at the Pride festival in Kungsträdgården. The main attraction for the afternoon was a steam boat trip to Waxholm, with stops along the way. We had the fortune to meet a couple that new a lot about the area, and pointed out all the interesting places we passed, making the trip even more enjoyable. We had a wonderful meal on the boat going back to Stockholm.

Johan had decided to do ONE thing while he was in Stockholm, and that was to eat the most spicy hot dog in the world. As Johan is a very intelligent man, we had some difficulties to understand how he could choose to do something sooooo stupid. We decided to keep him company and support him anyway. The picture speaks for itself - please note that it was mandatory to use plastic gloves!

"The after picture".











Some more pictures from Stockholm: NordicTripPart1

2011-06-06--18: Caribbean sailing

What a trip we have had so far, and something even better to come!

We are so grateful that Kaj and Leila invited us for 10+ days sailing in the Caribbean sea.


It was a fantastic adventure together with great people on a fantastic boat.

Below we have tried to put together some pictures and text to show a bit what we experienced.


St Martin

We arrived to St Martin in the afternoon, and as soon as we had all of our bags we called Kaj and Leila. The timing was perfect - they just approached St Martin in order to make it to the bridge opening. We jumped into a taxi and headed for Simpson Bay Marina. After a while there was a traffic jam, and the driver told us that we had to stop for the bridge opening. We took the opportunity to welcome Amelit to St Martin.

Kaj had visited St Martin before, so the next day he acted tour guide and showed us the beautiful island. 
















St Barthelemy

After two nights in St Martin, we set sail for St Barthelemy (or Saint Barts as it is called). St Barts was a Swedish colony for almost 100 years (1784 to 1878). The capitol is still called Gustavia, and is named in honour of king Gustav III.

When we arrived to Gustavia the weather condition were not very good. It was windy and rainy and port authorities did not allow us to approach. As there was no suitable bouy and anchoring close to other boats was no option, we looked for somewhere else to anchor. Kaj found a perfect spot behind an island - no wind and no waves. After a couple of hours we were allowed into Gustavia port.

Walking around in Gustavia was kind of strange. Most of the street names were both in French and Swedish.

St Barts is a popular place for the rich and famous. If you need diamonds, gold, watches or jewellery you are in the right place.

Barbuda


After a full day wonderful day on the sea, we arrived to the small island of Barbuda late afternoon. We anchored in a beautiful bay.

Barbuda is an interesting island - all land is owned by the community. In this paradise there are no big hotels and you cant find Mc Donalds or Burger King. People are so friendly, polite and proud of their country.

When sailing between countries like we do, you need to register with the authorities when you arrive and when you leave. One of the "stations" is customs. The sign outside the custom office shows a bit what Barbuda is about.

Kaj had planned an adventure day for us, so early in the morning we were picked up by boat. We first went to a place with caves that had been used by native Arawak indians for living before Christopher Columbus changed the world.











 

The second stop was a Fregatt bird sanctuary which is suppose to be the biggest population in the world.

It was a fantastic experience to slowly move around in a boat close to all these amazing birds.

George, our guide, knew everything about these birds and his island.

After the trip to the sanctuary we found out that there was a carnival in town.

We got to see  a bit of the fun before we went back to Amelit after a fantastic day.

















Kaj put together a video from Barbuda and placed it on YouTube. You can find it here: Kaj´s Barbuda video

Antigua

We left Barbuda early in the morning, and set sails for Antigua and Nonsuch Bay. At the entrance to the bay we got a reminder to be careful.

We got the opportunity to do some snorkelling at the coral reefs protecting the bay.

The next morning we set sail for the short trip to English Harbour (also Antigua). This huge natural harbour was used by the English navy for long period. Even Lord Nelson was commander here.

We anchored up, and then took the dingy to land where we found that there was a fishing competition going on.
Here is a Wahoo on the scale - approximately 20 kg

The fishing guys had amazing boats and equipment, and it was clear that this was serious business - but also a lot of fun.

As usual Kaj had made plans for us, and the evening was suppose to be on a hill top overlooking English Harbour. Although there was a road up the hill, and taxis available, Kaj insisted that we walk.

It was a rather long walk, but it was all worth it when we looked at the view and got our first beer to the sound of live steel- band.

Dominica

We left Antigua early in the morning and aimed for Guadeloupe, where Kaj and Leila planned to dive Jacques Cousteau's Underwater Reserve. They had a really good dive, and as it still was early the captain decided that we continue to Dominica.

Shortly after we started sailing one of the fishing rods started screaming. Mats ran to the rod, and Kaj stopped the boat - this was a REAL fish! Not like the 4 kg barracuda we got before.

The only thing was that the shark was quicker than us!

When we arrived to Dominica we got help to get a bouy, and with the same guy we agreed to make a journey up Indian River the next day. The people we met in Dominica were very helpful and friendly.

It is a bit depressing to see all ship wrecks on the beaches. Hurricanes have put them there, and no-one seems to be interested to take them away. Owners and insurance companies do not seem to care too much for these poor people.

Our guide for Indian River picked us up as agreed at Amelit. Indian River got its name from the Carib indians that lived there.

The river headed straight into the jungle. Our guide was not allowed to use the engine, so it was very peaceful and very beautiful.

Martinique

Again we started early for a full day sailing to our final destination - Martinique. With rather windy conditions we made good speed and arrived to Martinique before the port staff went home for the day. In Martinique Kaj had planned some maintenance and improvements on Amelit.









We had a fantastic time with Kaj and Leila. A lot of activities all the time, wonderful sailing and friendship. But everything comes to an end, and this was it for us. Kaj and Leila followed us to the airport, and picked up Kaj´s youngest son at the same time. Our long journey home had started, and 32 hours later we arrived to our home in Sweden.

Some more pictures: Caribbean Sailing