RV Roadtrip – Norway Part 1
After our night in the Tanum Shopping Centre we were ready to head to Norway. We would first need to stop at the border and declare the dog and pay duty on the wine we were bringing into the country. As Norway is not part of the EU there are restrictions on the amount of alcohol you can bring in duty free. There is a calculator online to help you figure out the restrictions and applicable duty. (As a side note they are part of the Schengen zone for those of you counting your allowable days.)
Entering Norway.
We had been stockpiling since Bulgaria in anticipation of this leg of our journey. During the big stock up in Poland we filled all the available nooks and crannies with boxes of wine and a couple bottles of booze. When we did the math it made more sense to pay the duty than buy the alcohol in one of Norway’s government run liquor stores. We had been buying drinkable bottles for 2-3€ each and in Norway that same bottle was going to set us back 10€. (Sort of like the U.A.E.!) Our duty ended up being 49€.
We pulled the rig into the ‘Something to Declare’ area and Shani went in to pay the duty at a kiosk and show the immigration lady Sebastian’s paperwork. Fortunately for her, the people who had pulled in just in front of us had a dog, so she could shadow the guy and figure out what to do. In the end, immigration didn’t seem to care all that much. But, they were stopping people in the ‘Nothing to Declare’ line it seemed. 
Our first camping destination was Fjordgløtt Camping. Fjordgløtt means ‘fjord view’ and is situated directly at the Norefjord, a large lake between Nore and Rødberg. The views in Norway are just stunning and kept getting better the more of the country we saw. 
We were moving across the country with our destination being Bergen. Along the way we had a few stops and honestly we could have made a thousand stops! It was so beautiful. There were waterfalls and lakes and wind swept mountain passes. Idyllic and peaceful and wonderful.
We spent a night at Dyranut Fjellstova, a hotel and restaurant that allows RV parking and use of the restroom for 10€. It’s pretty high up in elevation and there are some hikes and lakes to walk to. In Norway there is a concept of “Right to Roam” or Allemannsretten. This gives everyone in Norway the right to walk through, have a picnic on, or even camp on any piece of uncultivated land in the countryside without having to obtain the owner’s permission. The right to roam has existed in Norway for hundreds of years as a customary law. Of course, there are some common sense rules about this, you can read more about it here.
One thing to note if you are planning on driving in Norway. The roads can be incredibly narrow, a single lane sometimes with only bump outs to allow opposing traffic to pass each other. It was nerve wracking at times. And other times it was just amazing. Stunning views of fjords, new incredible sights after each bend in the road.
Also the tunnel system in Norway has to be the best in the world. The sheer volume is amazing. In one section you enter the tunnel, drive for a bit and then there is a round about! In the tunnel! and then you exit onto a bridge and go into another tunnel and it has a roundabout! Amazing.
Another crazy and cool thing about Norway. You’ll be driving along, and then you have to get on a car ferry, no other way to go. And then you’ll be driving along the bottom of the fjord and the lake is next to you and around a bend is a town and then there is a massive cruise ship sailing along in the fjord.
Our next stop was a camper stop near the village of Øystese. It was essentially wild camping along the lakefront but it had been leveled and every evening a young guy came around to collect the fees.
The village was super close and there was a public bathroom for us to use. I went in the market and can honestly say the prices we so high I couldn’t believe them! Sticker shock for sure. On the flip side, there was a small sporting goods store having a sale and Shani bought a nice fleece for 13€.
Our plan for visiting Bergen was two fold. We would arrive at a campsite near town and stay the night and take care of some RV chores like emptying the grey water and WC. Our best option was called Grimen Camping. The host was very nice and the camping was on a lake about 15km from Bergen.
The second night we would spend in an Aire in Bergen and we could walk in and see the sights. We had a few missteps in our adventure and ended up near the cruise ship port but then we got our bearings and made our way to the sea food market along the water and the classic waterfront area.
Climate controlled kennels at the shopping center near the Aire.
Bergen is surrounded by mountains and fjords, including Sognefjord, the country’s longest and deepest. The Old Town features colorful wooden houses on the old wharf, once a center of the Hanseatic League’s trading empire. Trading in Bergen may have started as early as the 1020s. According to tradition, the city was founded in 1070 by King Olav Kyrre and was named Bjørgvin, ‘the green meadow among the mountains’. (Thanks Wikipedia)
Our plan had been to find a spot with some shade and get a drink but as we searched, all the umbrellas were taken at the cafes and bars. It was roasting out and none of us was relishing baking in the sun. The prices were obscene as well but we would have sucked it up had we found a good spot. In the end we just wandered around taking in the sites and went back to the van for 5’o clock somewhere.
Stay tuned as we head north and east, visit some waterfalls and glaciers, navigate the tricky Trollstigen and meet up with our friends for a hike and some off grid hot tubbing.
