Helsinki, Finland to St Petersburg, Russia

Today is the day I have been waiting for. It was the compromise to get Roberta to do a Contiki. Our trip into Russia.

A 7.30 am departure, with one stop before the border. Between this service station and the border, we were told enough information to send us running or leave us paranoid.

It took over an hour and a half to get through the border. It was a very intimidating event, with border patrol dressed in military uniforms checking passports to the finest details, getting on the bus and going through everything, only for us to be checked again after almost leaving the border area.

The first stop in Russia was at Vyborg, where we changed our Finnish Marks and had some lunch.

From here we drove into St. Petersburgh. This is a very interesting city. When you drive in, the horizon is dominated by thousands of blocks of units all the same height – some in bad condition, others left unfinished and left standing without a hint of completion. But there seems to be a just as many people driving around in Mercedes Benz.

We arrived at our hotel “Sovetskaya” expecting the worst, but our rooms were quite nice, and the dirty water we had been warned about wasn’t half as bad as I had imagined.

View From Our Room, St. Petersburg, Russia

Dinner was in the hotel’s restaurant and wasn’t much to speak of. Afterwards we went for an hour’s canal ride through St Petersburgh. This was great! Buildings here similar to that of London, yet there is not a high rise in sight. I can’t wait for our next couple of days.

Canal Cruise, St. Petersburg, Russia

Canal Cruise, St. Petersburg, Russia

Canal Cruise, St. Petersburg, Russia

Naomi, Julian, Carmen, Jamie, Sarah, Helen, Richo & Cameron, Canal Cruise, St. Petersburg, Russia

After looking at some black-market hockey shirts, we had a couple of drinks in Naomi’s room before heading to bed.

Jyvaskyla, Finland to Helsinki, Finland

A 10 am take off to Helsinki this morning.

After one stop, we arrived at two pm. Roberta, Brad and I then spent most of the day looking for a bank to accept our ANZ cards, but to no avail (only to find out later a problem with ANZ’s system back in Australia).

We did however manage to see Helsinki’s Cathedral and Senate Square. Also did a bit of shopping for supplies to take into Russia.

Cathedral, Helsinki, Finland

On our way to the motel (somehow our camp site had been double booked) we stopped at the Rock Church, which is a church built into the ground and surrounded by rocks. A bizarre design, but it made for a beautiful church, as the roof was made of glass and, therefore, lit the church with natural light.

The motel was 20 minutes out of town and was luxurious compared to all previous accommodations. Here we met our new tour manager, Gavin, and bus driver, Mammal, before our group and some new people (who were only doing the Russian leg) went to Planet Hollywood for dinner. This was a good night out for us, as we said goodbye to 16 people who weren’t coming to Russia and greet the new people.

Contiki Scandinavia Crew, Planet Hollywood, Cathedral, Helsinki, Finland

We came home on the late bus and danced all the way home.

The night finished off in Kerry and Greg’s room for a couple of drinks.

Roveniemi, Finland to Jyvaskyla, Finland

I don’t like cooking duty in the morning – far to early (six am start) for a vacation.

Today was another bleak day weather-wise, which will hopefully improve as we move further south. Our first stop today was at Santa’s Workshop in Rovenemmi, where we walked through endless souvenir stores and saw Santa. Working even in the off season!

Back on the bus and back to sleep until Tervola, where we made an unexpected stop due to a problem with the bus’s windscreen wipers. It was decided we would have lunch here and that a new bus would be called while we waited for ours to be repaired.

Two and a half hours later we were back on the road in a new bus. We continued to Jyvaskyla, which was another four hours away, to arrive to our picturesque camp site on the lake.

Campground, Jyvaskyla, Finland

A game of volleyball was followed by a midnight dinner and then a visit by Santa (Carcass) for our gift swapping. I got two shot glasses from the Arctic Circle Centre (from Mark & Heather), while Roberta received a small Viking hat. John got my jigsaw puzzle of Scandinavia.

The night finished at three am with Jamie and Dan coming over for a drink in our room shared with Dave & Melissa.

Hammerfest, Norway to Roveniemi, Finland

Our first stop, after leaving Hammerfest this morning, was Vackson, our last port of call in Norway.

A quick stop on the other side of the Finnish border for some people to claim duty on their purchases before driving on to Narmi for lunch. We had another hamper lunch, which have saved us a fortune during the trip. I managed a sleep before arriving at Sondankyla, where we were treated to some cold wet weather.

From there we continue on to Rovaniemi – a 12-hour bus trip in total. Our roomies for tonight are Jo and Cameron.

I was on cooking duty tonight, then Roberta on wash up.

Afterwards we went into reception, which had a bar and watched Norway vs Morocco in the World Cup, while playing pool.

Hammerfest, Norway

The 10 am start this morning allowed for a nice warm sleep in.

After breakfast some took the option to go deep sea fishing. Roberta and I chose a relaxing day in bed, catching up with much needed washing. We opted to not even go into town to have a look around – mostly due to the cold and lousy weather. But at least we’ll be clean. 57 fish were caught on the trip, so it’s not hard to guess what’s for dinner this evening.

Hammerfest, Norway

After dinner Mark, Heather, Roberta and I were joined by Dave and Melissa for a couple of drinks and a viewing of the 12.21 am sun.

12.21 am Sun, Hammerfest, Norway

Moen, Norway to Hammerfest, Norway

No time for sightseeing in Moen today, as we continue on to the northernmost point of the trip – Hammerfest.

We left our camp site early, and made our first stop in Olderdalen, where the weather seemed considerably colder.

Olderdalen, Norway

Between there and out next stop, Alta, we pulled over to the side of the road, in the middle of nowhere, to take photos of the beautiful fjords and snow-capped mountains.

Not much to tell you about Alta, except we ate some nice banana rolls. After lunch I got my first ever sleep on the bus. I’ve tried to stay awake as much as possible, knowing I’ll probably never see these countries again, but today was the limit or me. When I woke, I saw the most barren countryside I had seen so far on this trip. Snow and dirt covered bare trees on smallish hills. Why anyone would live here is way beyond me!

We arrived in Hammerfest at seven pm and our camp site was up on a hill south-west of the fishing village. It is here things got a little crazy. Considering it was summer, I was surprised when we got off the bus to 7^oC, but the wind chill on top of that made it amazingly bitter.

We all went down the hill to watch some of the group take the Polar Plunge. Down to their swimming costumes and into the freezing water of the Barents Sea. I wish I had of tried it, but I was neither brave, nor crazy enough to try.

Polar Plungers, Hammerfest, Norway

After dinner most of us crammed into Spencer, Flea, Carcass & Ben’s room for our Midnight Sun Party. Hammerfest has 71 days of continuous sunlight during the summer months, but tonight it was cloudy, raining and, at one stage, snowing, so we missed the phenomenon. Considering how cold it is here, I don’t think I’ll be back to try my luck again. Hopefully the weather will be more agreeable tomorrow. The party, however, raged on to the early hours of the morning.

Cabin Party, Hammerfest, Norway

Mo I Rana, Norway to Moen, Norway

Today was another long driving day. We left Mo I Rana at eight am, making a stop, yet again, at the Arctic Circle Centre, though this time in bright sunshine. This was merely a leg stretching stop, and of course a quick snow fight.

Arctic Circle Center, Norway

Our next stop was at the side of the road three hours later, where we had lunch and kicked the soccer ball around.

Back in the bus to continue to Narvick, before arriving at Moen at eight pm. Once again, we are sharing a cabin with Mark and Heather in our nicest accommodations so far.

Roberta & I, Narvik, Norway

Although it is cold today, it was the sunniest day we’ve had since we left Australia.

Mo I Rana, Norway

Today’s trip to Svartisen Glacier had to be cancelled due to the fact that the lake was still frozen from the winter, therefore the ferry we were to catch couldn’t get through.

We did, however, make it to the Arctic Circle Centre, which is directly on the longitude of the Arctic Circle (66o 33’). As we pulled into the carpark it started snowing. This is Great! Another first for me – falling snow. The actual center itself was a bit of a dud, but we had fun elsewhere. We did photos in swimwear in the snow, complete with snow fights.

Roberta & I, Arctic Circle Center, Norway

It's Beach Weather, Arctic Circle Center, Norway

From here we went to the Arctic Race Track (the largest racing track in Scandinavia). Here, we drove around the track in the bus, as well as raced each other in go-karts on the smaller inner-track. I think everyone had a blast – I know I did, even those who were spectators.

Me, Arctic Race Track, Norway

A great relaxing day, considering we have two long days of driving ahead of us.

Trondheim, Norway to Mo I Rana, Norway

Another long day in the bus ahead of us travelling from Trondheim to Mo I Rana.

Our first stop today was in Hell. This unfortunately named town was where we got out, took photos and made bad jokes, i.e., A cold day in Hell, Go to Hell…oh wait, I’m already here, Last train out of Hell, etc. Hell was a lot colder than I expected, but just as desolate.

Last Train From Hell, Norway

We also stopped at Steinkjer and another rest stop, for food breaks before arriving at our camp site at 7.30 pm.

Our cabin was a bit dodgy. It was cabin number two, next to a gully – there was no cabin number one. The heater wasn’t working so we improvised using the hotplate. The cabin shook every time you breathed and the door would open completely unless it was shut perfectly. In the end, it was warm, thankfully.

Because it doesn’t get dark here, you easily lose track of time. I went to bed at 1am after playing the drinking game Three-Man with everyone, yet it was like it was the middle of the day. Very weird to adjust too.

Andalsnes, Norway to Trondheim, Norway

Today we’re off to Trondheim – a small town about four hours north of Andalsnes.

We stopped at a small town (whose name escapes me) for a quick stretch. I tried to ring dad at work but he wasn’t there. Slacko! I did, finally, get my hands on a newspaper in English (The Times) which made for some good reading (It’s the little things you miss the most…. mmmm…. meat pie).

We arrived in Trondheim at 1.30 pm and were left to our own devices until five pm. Trondheim is a neat, small university town, and there is not much to see. Its main attraction was St. Olav’s Church, which was originally built in the 10th century, but is mainly, now, 12th century design. Trondheim celebrated its 1,000th birthday last year.

Nidelva River, Trondheim, Norway

St. Olav's Church, Trondheim, Norway

Dinner tonight was at an all you can eat pizza restaurant.

From there half the camp went bowling (myself included), while the rest went to an Irish pub.

Tonight’s accommodation was in student dorms that have been vacated for the summer, where Roberta and I had a room to ourselves and the showers were indoors – and free.

Andalsnes, Norway

This morning we headed off through Norway’s mountains to Geiranger. We went via Trollstigen, which is a winding road up through the mountains, with amazing views of the valleys and many waterfalls. So windy is the road, we have to hire a local bus driver for the day. This is also the area where the legend of the trolls began. Here, at one of the stops is where I touched snow for the first time, only to be bombarded by Carmen, but she got hers. Hopefully all the photos Roberta took justify how beautiful was that we saw.

Trollstigen, Norway

Trollstigen, Norway

Onwards, the bus took us to Geiranger, where we went on a two-hour cruise through the fjord, which is just as scenic as the three-hour bus ride there.

Roberta, Troll, Me at Geiranger, Norway

Geiranger, Norway

Roberta & I, Fjord Cruise, Geiranger, Norway

Before heading home, we took one last drive above Geiranger to look over both the town and fjord. It was also in Geiranger that I bought a present for our Christmas party – a jigsaw puzzle of Scandinavia. We came back the same way, and also stopped at Stigfass Falls, a huge waterfall that, once again, is nothing like home.

We arrived back at the camp at six pm and after dinner most of the crew joined in for a game of soccer before the rain set in.

Olso, Norway to Andalsnes, Norway

Day eight of the Contiki and once again it’s bloody cold!

This morning we drove to Lillehammer, home of the 1994 Winter Olympics. We stop for a stretch and some food. We headed on to where the bobsled events were held and most of us had a ride down the track. Team Shitscared – Sarah, Andrew, Roberta and I – were the fastest of the 11 teams, clocking the 1,800-meter track in just 1 minute 3.4 seconds – about 108 kilometers an hour. It was incredible! The force and speed were like nothing I’d tried before. Not something I’d want to do for a living, but a great experience to remember forever. Considering we were in a bobsled on wheels, on a concrete track (not iced over) and caged in, I can only come to the conclusion that those involved in the real thing i.e., bobsled and luge, are completely mad.

Bobsledding, Lillehammer, Norway

Bobsledding, Lillehammer, Norway

Bobsledding, Lillehammer, Norway

We made another quick stop at Mogdana before the next hour and a half to camp at Andalsnes. The view along the way was breathtaking and I saw my first ever snow. It was very little snow, but enough to get out of the bus and see it. The countryside – mountains, snow, rivers, trees – was absolutely stunning, and apparently it will only get better in the next few days.

The night ended off at the movies. Spencer hired The Full Monty for everyone and we watched it in the camp’s restaurant. Our roomies for tonight and tomorrow are Mark and Heather.

Oslo, Norway

If this is how they start summer in Norway, then I’d hate to see winter! It was about 4ºC this morning as we headed towards town for a day in Oslo. On the way in, we stopped at Holmenkollen. The sight of the 1952 Olympic Ski Jump arena. We climbed to the top and went through the museum for a look down onto Oslo and its fjords. Unfortunately, our day on Oslo was not as great a success as we wished. It was a public holiday, so a lot of sights weren’t open.

Hollmenkollen, Oslo, Norway

We did, however, manage to walk around Akerhus Fortress & Castle, where we went into Hjemmefrontmuseet (Norwegian Resistance Museum), which was a great little museum detailing Norway’s resistance to the Nazi movement in World War II.

From there we drove to the Kon Tiki Ra Museum, which was dedicated to Thor Teyerdahl, a Norwegian sailor/scientist who built three rafts (Kon Tiki, Ra I and Ra II) with papyrus wood in a traditional style in order to sail the South Pacific. His aim was to show that it was possible for early African and Middle Eastern explorers could sail to Polynesia, hence explaining similarities in the cultures. He also has eight men of different nationalities with him in order to prove that people of different cultures, religions and languages could work together in adverse conditions. None of the boats looked safe enough to float on Tuggerah Lakes, but each travelled over 7,000 kilometers with only the Ra I not completing its journey.

Kon Tiki Ra Museum, Oslo, Norway

Dinner was had had at Peppe’s Pizza, with Roberta, Jacki and I sharing a pizza which cost the equivalent of AU$45. It was been a very expensive week!

The day ended at Frognerparken, which is a park containing over 200 sculptures by artist Gustav Vigeland, who also designed the park. Each sculpture is meant to capture to spirit of life. The masterpiece is a 40-foot, stone carved, monument featuring numerous human bodies. No words can justly describe it – you have to see it to truly enjoy it.

Frognerparken, Oslo, Norway

The Monolith, Frognerparken, Oslo, Norway

The Fountain, Frognerparken, Oslo, Norway

Man Under Attack From Genii Spirits, Frognerparken, Oslo, Norway

Frognerparken, Oslo, Norway

Stockholm, Sweden to Oslo, Norway

Today saw us make the long journey to Oslo.

Nothing really interesting to talk about. We made two stops along the way, one at a supermarket/petrol station to buy food, and another by a lake for a picnic lunch. Due to my inability to sleep on the bus, I took the opportunity to lay in the glorious sun and have a nap.

We arrived at camp at seven pm, and had ribs and vegetables for dinner. After dinner was the Viking Olympics, where the tour was divided into four clans (Meataxe, Drowning Warriors, Wascaly Wabbits and – my team – The Scary Fairies). Each clan built a fortress and participated in numerous sporting (?) and non-sensical events. In the end the Scary Fairies were the winners thanks to the great team work of me, Julian, Dave, Melissa, Jamie, Daniel, Greg, Jerry, Andrew and Matt.

Me & Roberta, Oslo, Norway

Bus Driver Mark & Tour Leader Spencer, Oslo, Norway

The spirit of the Olympics carried on into the late hours for most. I, however, went to bed at dusk – 11.30 pm.

Stockholm, Sweden

An early rise again today for our day in Stockholm.

We started off by going to the Town Hall, where Nobel Prize presentations are held. Here, we were given a guided tour around for half an hour, and then climbed the Hall’s tower for a complete view of the city. It differs from Copenhagen in that there is old mixed in with new, and it is on a much larger scale.

Stockholm City Hall, Stockholm, Sweden

Stockholm City Hall, Stockholm, Sweden

Stockholm City Hall, Stockholm, Sweden

Stockholm, Sweden

Reichstag, Stockholm, Sweden

We had a group photo done in front of the Royal Palace before making our way around the city.

We saw a lot of Invasion 98 in the streets. This is a festival where kids perform in the streets to signify their role in Swedish culture.

The afternoon was spent at the Vasa Museum. The Vasa was a 17th century warship that sank early in her maiden voyage. The shipwreck was discovered and refloated after 333 years, and put back together in extremely good condition for public showing.

After that we went to Riddarholmen, which was a church that had a magnificent open iron spire. We couldn’t get in due to a medieval festival that was taking place, so we headed to Gamla Stan (the old town) where Roberta and I had dinner at Cattelin. I had the schnitzel and she the Swedish meatballs.