I had quite a bit of time there as the police made ALL cyclists take their bikes off my train leaving town. Apparently some had argued with the conductor — so we ALL had to leave. And wait a couple of hours for the next train. 😀
Bamberg is quaint. It was crowded on a summer day.
For sure my highlight was the Old town hall (1386), built in the middle of the Regnitz river, accessible by two bridges.
Beautiful.
It’s sometimes called Klein-Venedig (“Little Venice”) … and there are some pretty canals.
The Curies announced the existence of an element they named “polonium“, and of a second element, which they named “radium“, from the Latin word for “ray”. In the course of their research, they also coined the word “radioactivity“.
The Brits famously broke the Enigma machine code at Bletchley Park. Gordon Welchman, who became head of Hut 6 working on that project, admitted they wouldn’t have been successful without consulting cipher-breakers Poles who had cracked Enigma in 1932.
It would take hundreds of hours to look at all 28,000 exhibited objects in the Deutsches Museum.
I downloaded the app and took a “highlights tour” with audio. Recommended for the first time visitor to the museum.
In 2018, Lonely Planet named Oslo one of the ten best cities in the world to visit, citing the Norwegian capital’s “innovative architecture and unmissable museums alongside cool bars, bistros and cafés“.
I learned about Gerd Vold Hurum, the secret 7th member of the Kon-Tiki expedition. She was key in organizing the expedition on shore. But never got famous. After all, Gerd was only a woman. 😕
Norwegians were the most successful of the Arctic and Antarctic explorers, I’d say, because they were smart enough to learn from native peoples. And understood the importance of dogs in crossing snow and ice.
Roald Amundsen’s team was the first to reach the South Pole on December 14th, 1911; five weeks later the polar party led by Robert Falcon Scott was second.
Amundson was a dedicated explorer. Life long. Arrogant and competitive.
Despite his hard man exterior, those who knew him well found a humorous, self-deprecating storyteller.
The word quisling has come to mean a citizen or politician of an occupied country who collaborates with an enemy occupying force – or more generally as a synonym for traitor.
I was surprised to learn his wife Maria lived in Oslo until her death in 1980. Never charged with any crime, despite the fact that she spent a lot of money supporting their opulent life style.
His team was woefully inexperienced and under-prepared. Heyerdahl himself couldn’t swim and was afraid of water.
He was hardly a candidate to join the ranks of the great Norwegian sailors. 😀
Yet he did.
The trip began on April 28, 1947. Heyerdahl and five companions sailed the raft for 101 days over 6,900 km (4,300 miles) across the Pacific Ocean before smashing into a reef at Raroia in the Tuamotus on August 7, 1947. The crew made successful landfall and all returned safely.
Without question, Thor was stubborn and brave. An adventure badass.
That’s a private campground that cost$ money. In 2023 I went instead to the free beach nearby called Haukland. Also good, but not as good.
As parking lots are rarely level, everyone carries these plastic wheel lifters for their vehicles.
Day 8 — July 8th, 2023
Low fog and misty rain. I decided to cycle to one of two hostels in Lofoten ➙ Lydersen Rorbuer.
Stayed 2 nights taking a break and getting some photos and video edited. Did laundry.
I had a great time in 2022. And enjoyed it just as much in 2023.
Here’s the view from the hostel. Low cloud, as you can see.
Nearby is a good store and cafe.
My most mellow day, so far.
Day 9 — July 9th, 2023
Weather was expected to improve today. Some headed up to the main hike from here ➙ Ryten.
As I’d done it in 2022, I headed instead to a lower hike called Ytresandheia – Røren. Excellent, though I’d not even heard about it. It’s the alternative to Ryten when the peak is socked in.
Ytresandheia – Røren
Later — having finished my video editing — I took an evening hike. This photo was shot at 9pm, for example. There is no night above the Arctic Circle in early July.
Day 10 — July 10th, 2023
Next morning I cleaned and organized my gear.
There’s an impressive looking peak called FLAKSTADTIND you see out the window of the hostel. Staff told me it’s actually quite easy and popular with locals.
With the good weather, it was fantastic.
Continuing on south, I stopped to fly the drone through one of the many fish drying racks. Typically cod is hung for about 16 weeks. Much is sold to Italy and Africa.
When I rolled through Reine, weather was perfect. I knew hundreds of people would have climbed 448m to the top of Reinebringen. It would be VERY crowded.
Having done the most popular photo op in Norway twice before, I gave it a miss this time.
But here’s the VIDEO as I can’t resist posting it again. 😀
Instead I cycled leisurely to the end of the line ➙ the quaint village of Å.
I’d hoped to hike and tent — but it’s not legal nor possible anywhere near Å. Lovely evening, however.
I had to backtrack to find a campsite. Even with this vista, I felt it was the least excellent so far in Norway.
Day 11 — July 11th, 2023
It seemed crazy to leave Lofoten with the weather so good — but I rolled on to the free ferry to Bodø.
Farewell Lofoten. One of the best hiking destinations in the world. Know that roads are actually quite crowded and narrow for bicycles. But most of the traffic is tourists, most sympathetic for cyclists.
Rick McCharles 