The shuttle bus from the airport to Stavanger is running slightly late. It’s a mild hiccup at 01.00 after a late Friday night flight from Gatwick. Norway redeems itself as the bus driver takes a detour just so he can politely drop me off outside my hotel!

I wake a few hours later and Tonny, a mate from Copenhagen, meets me for breakfast. There’s no time to waste so we jump straight into the rental car and work our way east towards Lysefjorden. It’s a hilly, green landscape with water everywhere and actually reminds me of Wales. However, we approach a ferry crossing and suddenly the mountains grow and the fjords are everything I hoped for.

We reach the parking area at the base of Preikestolen and already the views are impressive as dark rocks rise vertically from the valley floor around us. The weather is completely random. It literally changes every few minutes, from torrential rain to blue skies, and everything in between. I’ve never seen so many rainbows and with the dark clouds, it creates some stunning scenery.

The trek to Preikestolen is not particularly long, but it’s reasonably steep in places. Furthermore, with the constantly changing weather, it’s very wet and many of the rocky paths are flooded with small streams. It’s the best of both worlds; the landscape is vibrant and green, yet since it’s near the end of summer, it’s not packed with tourists.

The higher we climb, the better the views of the fjords, especially along the ‘cliff route’ near the peak. However, nothing could have prepared me for the Preikestolen: It’s an absolutely perfect example of nature at its best. The views into and along the fjord are impressive enough, but the sheer vertical drop from where I’m standing is incredible. It’s like a giant has taken an axe to the cliff edges and sliced away huge, clean chunks off the mountain. Better still, is the weather. One minute the sun is shining brightly and the rocks appear to illuminate, causing a breathtaking view high above the water below. A few minutes later and it’s absolutely chucking it down, with clouds smothering the entire area. It’s such a strange feeling as my photos make it look like I’ve visited several times, in completely different seasons.

Of course, with such a surreal cliff edge, spirits are high amongst the (few) tourists that area there. Near the edge, a couple play tennis, a lady does yoga, and everyone else lowers themselves so they’re dangling over the nerve-racking drop. I obviously do a project jump, and that sets off another tourist from Australia, who hands me her camera and says ‘I want one like that!’

We stay for ages and take a ridiculous number of photos of this natural wonder. I really can’t begin to describe the feeling of sticking my head over the edge and staring down into the 604m abyss!

It’s a slightly different and equally impressive walk down the ‘hill route’ and as the weather continues to play games, it’s actually laughable how many rainbows I see.

Back at the car, we’re approached by the two tennis players who are tourists from Oslo and have missed the last bus to Stavanger. We give them a ride and as they slug back a bottle of Bacardi, they are grateful for the lift back to the city.

After a quick shower, we go to a highly recommended Indian restaurant and stuff ourselves silly. Whilst I’d love to go out Norwegian style, it has been a long day and tomorrow is an early start.

Day 3 (29 August 2010)
Stavanger, Bergen

A 06.15 alarm sets me off towards the airport and as I check in (using my fingerprint!) I wave goodbye to Stavanger, a region I’ll most certainly visit again.

Six years ago I visited Bergen very briefly at night, and I remember it being very picturesque. It’s great to be back and explore it properly, as I certainly didn’t do it justice in 2004. The hostel is as expensive as a good hotel, but its position is outstanding. It offers incredible views over Bergen, only beaten by the view from the top of the Ulrikken, which overlooks the small city at 642m high. I’m glad we take the funicular up, since it’s a steep walk down and I’m still carrying all my gear that I wouldn’t leave in the hostel lobby.

It’s a beautiful area, with hundreds of walking routes and one can see why it’s popular with trekkers. Once again the weather is changing randomly: It’s a mix of clouds and sun, then the heavy rain falls just long enough for us to visit Hakon’s Hall, which is by the World Heritage area of Bergen. Once the sun is out again, I explore the narrow alleys which are filled with colourful shops and it’s understandable why nearly every postcard shows this area of Bergen.

For a few hours we stroll around the hilly, northern part of the town, where there are fewer tourists and I get a sense for real Bergen life. It’s calm and relaxing, with unique little shops selling all kinds of homemade foods and drinks. The Lille Lungegårdsvannet is a small lake in the centre of Bergen, and unlike six years ago, there are a number of arty exhibits on show. One in particular is fantastic: It’s a huge cube which looks like it’s a lump of liquid metal, reacting to a powerful magnet. I can only assume that the artist was a fan of the T-1000!

Tomorrow is the start of the real road trip, so we have dinner by the port, catch the sunset from the hillside and return to the hostel for a relatively early night.

Day 4 (30 August 2010)
Bergen, Hardangerfjord, Stalheim, Flåm

The real road trip starts today, leaving Bergen early and driving south east along the Hardangerfjord. The weather is holding up, which really makes a difference with the luscious green valleys contrasting with the blue skies and red buildings. Waterfalls, that are in pretty much every single landscape, shine brilliantly amongst the colours, and it’s a good sign for the several hundred kilometres of road we’re about to travel along the west coast of Norway.

The Steinsdalsfossen is a popular tourist stop, not only for the size of the waterfall, but also because it’s possible to walk right up to it, and even behind it. After a quick coffee, we follow the fjord northeast, stopping occasionally for photos. The blue skies start to disappear behind clouds, but the area is so pure and natural that it doesn’t take anything away from the scenery.

Further north, we take a detour off the main road toward Stalheim. It’s another famous stop in the region, but since we’re in the first week of September, it’s devoid of other tourists, so the winding road is free to explore at our own pace. This valley is also home to a road that regularly appears in top ten lists of the world’s best drives: The Stalheimskleiva. It’s a ridiculously steep road that turns every 50 metres, swooping down the fjord like an enormous snake.

Before too long, we approach Flåm, one of the most famous fjord ‘resorts’, although it’s barely a small village and there’s not a soul in sight. I get a bit of a surprise at the hostel, when the owner explains that it’s a shared bathroom and we have to pay extra for the bed linen. Worst still, when I ask about the showers, she tells me that they are coin operated, giving you just five minutes of hot water! I’m almost afraid to ask how much it’s going to cost me to take a dump!

Day 5 (31 August 2010)
Flåm, Myrdal

Flåm is a huge tourist destination and yet it was practically a ghost town for dinner last night. However, this morning the gigantic ship arrives and hundreds of tourists flock this village. There are cameras waving everywhere and the few tourist shops suddenly start counting the kroners.

The train from Flåm to Myrdal (climbing 864m in altitude, over just 20km into the mountains) is supposed to be one of the best journeys in the world. It certainly is spectacular, but with the worst weather of the trip so far, it loses some of the colour and vibrance of the postcard pictures down in Flåm.

That said, the Kjosfossen is a beautiful waterfall and the train stops for a prolonged look. Better still, Norwegian folk music starts blaring and a couple of traditionally dressed women suddenly appear from the rocks around the waterfall and dance mysteriously and provokingly! It’s incredibly cheesy but a lot of fun!

However, the main reason for this train journey is so I can watch the pensioners take the train back down, and I can hop onto a rented bike and take the fun route! Tonny and I are given quite possibly the crappiest bikes on earth and we laugh as we bobble down the rocky steep path down the mountain. We make a detour to reach the Reinungavatnet and Seltufvatnet lakes, and out of luck we find the top of the waterfall which we saw from the train.

The train is approaching, and we notice the two dancing women run from a hut, take off their huge winter jackets and take their positions. It completely changes the ‘mystery’ of the dancing women! We can’t help joining in with the dancing, so if any tourists looked high up above the beautifully-dressed dancing women, they’d see two hikers dancing away and laughing hysterically to themselves!

The bumpy ride down the fjord could take only an hour or two, but there are so many great sports with beautiful views of the waterfalls, the fjords, the tiny remote homes and the absolutely stunning river with its emerald green water, so the journey takes much longer with all the stops. We leave our bikes and climb rocks a few times, to explore the stunning scenery and to find more photo opportunities.

We reach Flåm and once again it’s completely dead. It means another quiet bugget dinner (in a gorgeous setting) followed by a visit to the only pub, which is actually a brewery and pretty much the entire bar is made of natural materials. The bar itself, seats, table and building structure is all made of finely carved wood. The beer taps are even made of bones! The delicious ‘India Pale Ale’ sets me up for a well deserved long sleep.

Day 6 (1 September 2010)
Flåm, Aurland, Lærdal, Borgund, Kaupanger, Sognal, Jostedal, Gjerde

It’s another long day of driving, but the weather totally clears up which means plenty of stops and loads of photos. It starts with Stegastein, a man-made platform that overlooks Aurland. It’s a truly wonderful view, even from the public toilet which has its own window across the fjord!

Further north on the highland route is Lærdal, an incredibly cute little village which has lods of little colourful homes. I’ll remember it as a ghost town as there was practically not a person in sign, which is really odd as most photos of this village make it look like you can’t see the road through the tourists.

The highland road is impressive and really reminds me of Scotland. It’s a strange landscape as the Norwegian summer is over, which means there are pratically no tourists, but the wonderful weather means it’s like the middle of July and there’s a hardly any snow that we expected this high into the mountains.

Again, we avoid the main road (and the ridiculously boring 25km tunnel) and take the ‘historic’ road along the edges of the mountain. It’s quiet, beautiful, and a much more enjoyable way to experience rural Norway. We deliberately travel a few extra kilometres east, so we can visit the Borgund Church. It’s one of just 28 Norwegian churches that remain in the world and apparently the only one that stands as it did 800 years ago. It’s amazing. A real feat of carpentry and architecture, as the whole church is carved out of beautifully coloured wood.

Back west, we take the Fodness ferry crossing, visiting another (less impressive) church in Kaupanger, and then work our way around Sognalsfjorden, which is yet another stunning fjord, especially now that the sun is really shining strong, creating unbelievable blues and greens in every direction I look.

The final stretch is north along Jostadel, another winding road along the side of a fjord. With the sun low in the sky, the colours are truly remarkable; I’m seeing Norway in all its glory. Jostedal Hotel is another family-run place, practically deserted in the mountains, with gorgeous views all around. It’s unbelievably relaxing, and the fresh, cold air reminds me of Patagonia and yet again I feel like I’m a million miles from home.

Day 7 (2 September 2010)
Jostedalsbreen

Today was another highlight of the trip, with a day trekking on the Nigards Glacier. It’s a day where I really need good weather and I’m in luck: The sky is blue as far as the eye can see and the sun is strong enough to catch a tan. It’s incredible, considering that I’m further north than the Shetland Islands.

A short drive north and we reach the glacier. It’s very big and we can only see the tip of it creeping over the mountains. With crampons and ice axes, we join a group that includes a Spanish couple and bunch of reserved Singhalese.

As we ascend the glacier, the pace is very slow since we’re all tied together with ropes, in case of anyone slipping into crevasses or water holes. Apparently the crevasses on this part of the glacier aren’t too dangerous, at around 30m deep. However, the water holes can be deadly: You’d get sucked down and spat out at the bottom, or worse, you fall into a hole that gets narrower near the bottom and you’d drown, freeze, and turn up several years later for the next group of tourists to spot!

We trek up the glacier for a couple of hours, but disappointingly there is no actual ice climbing. Apparently the view from the top of the mountain is exceptional, as you’d see the full scale of the glacier, flowing from the horizon in the distance. However, it takes several hours to reach the peak so we settle for another photogenic spot, with a great view of the moon disappearing behind the glacier.

The route down is more challenging and more interesting, but unfortunately despite this trek being called the ‘Blue Ice Walk’, we don’t get a chance to venture into any of the massive blue caves. It’s another disappointment, but at least I get a chance to take some photos from the outside.

Back at the hotel, it’s unbelievably relaxing to sit on the sun deck, with shorts and t-shirt, the sun on my face and a cold beer in hand!

Day 8 (3 September 2010)
Gjerde, Hornindalsvatn Lake, Hellesyt, Geiranger

Another day of driving but this time there’s a time limit. We absolutely must reach Hellesyt for 15.00 otherwise there’s a long wait until the next ferry through the Geirangerfjord. Even though it’s only 50km as the crow flies, we have to circumnavigate the enormous Jostedal Glacier, so it’s actually around 250km.

That said, the pace is relaxed and there’s time for a number of stops en route. As with all roads in this region, the views are spectacular. Once again there isn’t a cloud in the sky, so the blue fjords and ridiculously green fields absolutely glow. Words can’t describe how beautiful this area is and one could easily spend more time exploring in more detail, including the deepest lake in Europe (Hornindalsvatn) whose depth is an incredible 514m. Even with this wonderful weather, it looks absolutely freezing!

Hellesyt is a picturesque village, which marks the beginning of one of the most famous ferry journeys in the world. We arrive with half an hour to spare, and then board the small ferry that will take us 20km down the Geirangerfjord. It’s absolutely breathtaking. The fjord cliffs are truly enormous, and even though there’s not too much water from the waterfalls, the whole route is still another example of nature leaving me gobsmacked.

Standing on the deck of the ferry, I turn into the stereotypical tourist in Norway, with my camera in hand and snapping away at the beauty passing before me. Whilst it’s absolutely incredible, I can’t imagine spending more time sitting on a ferry and experiencing a trip this way. It takes away the magic of ‘deserving’ the view and also means that you have to quickly shoot photos before you lose the moment.

Geiranger is really beautiful. The Norwegians have done well to control the number of buildings, and despite the huge ship that stays overnight in the port (with its fumes polluting the clean, mountain air), it feels like a lost village, hidden away from the world. It helps that it’s so quiet; I can’t imagine how different this place would be in the middle of summer.

The hotel is the best yet and we take advantage of Tonny’s status as a travel agent to get the room with the best view. It’s quite simply the best hotel room view I think I’ll ever see in my life! Further up into the mountain, is the famous Flydalsjuvet, where every daredevil gets their photo taken. The sun isn’t in the right place, so we decide to return tomorrow.

After a fish dinner, we try driving into the mountains for a better view of the sunset. We reach a really harsh landscape, with glaciers, dark rocks and much less greenery than down in the fjord, which we briefly explore before returning to the hotel to end the day.

Day 9 (4 September 2010)
Geiranger, Hellesyt, Ålesund

I was supposed to stay in Geiranger for two nights, but the non-existent travel options tomorrow mean that I have to do a last minute change of plan and travel to Ålesund today. However, it turns out to be one of the best days.

It starts with a hearty breakfast and an early morning trek to Geitelva, which gives a fantastic view of the Seven Sisters waterfalls. However, it’s still a little early in the day so although the view is exceptional, the sunlight isn’t ideal for photography. It’s a real shame as this area clearly has so much more to offer and I’ve only scraped the surface.

We complete the 10km hike and return to Flydalsjuvet, to get the daredevil photo I wanted yesterday. Since the weather is still out of this world, the view is perfect and completely sums up the beauty of this fjord. I take my postcard photos, saying my goodbyes to Tonny (he’s travelling for another three days further north into Norway) and return to the ferry back to Hellesyt.

From there, I catch a cheap bus (by Norwegian standards) to Ålesund, which is possibly the most scenic bus journey I’ve ever done! I was worried that the change of plans would wreck the day, but it really is a joyful journey, across the mountains and fjords. There’s a moment of panic at one point, when a group of French students get back onto the bus after the Magerholm-Ørsneset ferry crossing and realise they are one person short. The bus driver isn’t impressed and refuses to wait any longer, so they all get off to find their missing friend and the bus leaves them stranded!

Ålesund is small but geographically very interesting. It’s very hilly and the surrounding islands make it really unique. I climb up the steep hill to Aksla and arrive an hour before sunset. My plan was to see the sunset and then have dinner, but it’s absolutely gorgeous and the colours in the sky resemble an African sunset. I end up staying for three hours just watching the town turn from day to night. It’s a perfect way to end the final night of my trip.

Day 10 (5 September 2010)
Ålesund

It’s a placid final day, with a gentle walk around Ålesund. I spot the French group, so they must have found their friend and a way of getting here after all!

I was hoping to do a bit of shopping in the morning, but absolutely everything is shut on Sundays, including most coffee bars. I wander around taking a few photos, but there really isn’t too much to do, so I return to Aksla and climb to the top for one final view of the town, before my flight home via Oslo.

For those interested, we were armed with 70 litre backpacks, a Scanrail train pass, Russian visas and healthy livers. We came back with most of these.

23rd October 2004 – K�benhavn

There are lots of things that appear to be strange about Denmark. Maybe it�s the fact that after 2 � hours sleep, Rob and I had to get ourselves to Stansted for our 07.15 flight. Maybe I�m tired. Maybe it�s the copious amount of caffeine I�ve had. Or maybe Denmark is really strange.

What�s with the ridiculously large prams? They seem to take up half the pavement. In fact, the children here seem to be quite spoilt. When riding with their parents, the huge �dog house� is actually for children. It feels like I�m constantly surrounded by German �sidecar� motorbikes.

Mind you, it�s my fault for walking in the cycle lane. And it�s my fault when I cross the road on red. Which is another strange thing about the Danish. They seem to have an incomprehensible fear of crossing roads. Even at 2am, with no traffic in sight, in either direction, the pedestrians will wait for the green light. But then, maybe it�s Rob and I who are strange; we�re the ones who already have had about three near-misses on the road!

The Danish seem to be both polite and rude. Absolutely everyone is willing to give us directions or recommend somewhere to visit. No one though, thanks you for holding a door or moving out of their way.

Anyway, we found the �Sleep In Heaven� hostel quite easily. It is basic but comfortable and people are very friendly. We�re sharing a dorm with about 85 other Europackers!

The city is quite exciting. There is always something to see and despite the constant grey skies and 10 minute rain sessions, it�s easy to walk about and see lots of things. For a Saturday, it doesn�t appear to be busy at all.

We�re both tired so after a few hours strolling, we think the best wake-up call would be a night out! A change of shoes and we�re back in the centre for a very luxurious meal (horrible red wine though) and this followed by some beer (mistake #1). Followed by more beer (mistake #2). Then our gravest mistake; �all you can drink� before 11pm for free. A couple of �locals�, who claimed they personally knew every band whose song was played, advised us to drink fast for free, then make out you�re leaving. It�s at that point that the barmaid rushes over with another jug of beer to tempt us to stay. And stay we did. Things go a bit blurry after that, but there was chatting with other locals, shots of �flashing� spirits and then what seemed like a two-hour walk home.

Getting to bed without making much noise is far trickier than it sounds. Rob managed quite easily, although �collapsing� is probably a better description.

Rob has suggested we keep track of the units we drink. I fear this is mistake #4; at the end of day one, we�ve tallied up 46 units between us. Thank goodness this is a train trip�

24th October 2004 – K�benhavn

My head hurts, I�ve forgotten my towel and the only piece of clothing I can use as a towel stinks like an athlete�s sock.

Rob finds a courtyard and throws up what appears to be about a glassful of orange juice.

Things can only get better? Well, fortunately they do, apart from being tired, the headache is gone (thanks to the remarkable Danish pastry).

We decide that apart from general walking around, there are three things we want to do: Climb the Rundet�rn for a skyline city view, visit the freetown of Christiania (an area of 1000 residents with its own political structure and commercial life. I.e. they all openly take drugs and walk around naked) and of course visit the Carlsberg factory.

The latter was the one we missed. However, the walk up the tower was unique and being offered drugs and seeing the �no photo� signs was interesting enough.

Back to the hostel for a clean and change before beating Rob at a few more games of chess and we were then ready to take on the city again!

Unfortunately, the city wasn;t ready to take on us! Sunday evening and most things were closed and the streets were practically empty. We found a cracking Italian restaurant before finding nearly the only open bar around. �The Dubliner� had live music, loads of football on tv screens and a great selection of beer (at 44kr a pint!) However, it was still too quiet, so having reached 10 units each, we called it a night.

25th October 2004 – K�benhavn, Malm�, G�teborg

A good night�s sleep and we�re off to Malm�. The train is fantastic and we cross the longest (7.8km) bridge in Europe to reach the third largest city in Sweden.

Despite being the third largest, we find it very small. Nonetheless, it�s absolutely beautiful and the further south you travel through the centre, the more historic the building become.

It�s also refreshing to see the locals behave to recklessly on the road. Swedish pedestrians seem to have a little more urgency to cross the road which I find most comforting.

Without a doubt, the best part of Malm� is the enormous and stunning Parkanalen. The mix of orange fallen leaves and winding paths around the canal is the nicest part of the holiday so far. Unfortunately our interest in seeing it all mean that we missed our train. However, the next 200km/h train arrived soon and we were on our way to G�teborg.

We�re now sitting on the train, travelling at a hurtling pace up the west coast of Sweden. The sun is setting and the sea looks chilly but all I can think of is how I can stop Rob from snoring! He�s woken himself up a few times but a few seconds later, it all starts again.

It�s now late afternoon and we�re in G�teborg. The hostel is very good and windy city is very nice. I�ve read that it�s a �little London�, but I can�t see the similarities myself.

We pretty much arrived at the hostel and then went straight out. After a few walks up and down the Kungsportsavenyen, we found a lovely restaurant once again. The meal was by far the best yet. Thai chicken, noodles and peppers. Yum.

The search for a bar seemed harder than originally assumed. I think being a Monday didn�t help, although finding the Diamond Dogs was brilliant. The beer was absurdly expensive but the random friendliness of people was a pleasant surprise with rather stunning blondes asking us to dance�

Next came the Chilean girl who wouldn�t stop talking. I mean EVER. She seemed to think that her goal in life was to practise English and that we were interested in listening.

It�s now nearly four am and I�ve just filmed Rob snoring. Finally, I may have proof that he�s a sleep hazard.

Oh, Rob has found out that crossing the road on red in Denmark is illegal and frowned upon in Sweden! At last! An explanation!

Oh (again), 13 units each tonight.

26th October 2004, G�teborg, Oslo

I�ve woken up with the worst sore throat in the world. I feel like I�ve smoked a hundred cigars, but I think it�s the snoring I do when I�ve been drinking!

The hostel is well equipped so after a great shower and into clean (hurrah!) clothes for our few hours in G�teborg. Unfortunately, I�ve still not got a towel, so my aim today is to buy one, along with some throat tablets and some gloves; it�s starting to feel a little chilly and our forthcoming four hour trip north could make it worse! A final aim for today is to find out what the footprint marks are, that seem to be everywhere in Scandinavia. The first we saw were on a bridge and standing in them gave you a great view. Since then, we�ve seen them in all kinds of random places which don�t seem to make any sense.

G�teborg was a lot nicer at night. Now the sun has risen, it certainly is no Malm�: It�s clearly a bigger, more industrial city. However, the shopping area is pleasant, as is the dock.

We head south east and find an area called Haga, which is more quiet with some coffee shops and what seems like a huge tower in the distance.

Of course, we head towards it and find that it�s one hell of a climb to get to the top. Glad that we�ve left our backpacks in the Central Station, we stagger up it. It�s worth the walk as we find Skansen Kronan, a lovely defence tower surrounded by canons that used to protect G�teborg and the west coast.

We then remember a battleship that we saw when looking for the hostel last night and given we�ve a few hours before we leave for Oslo, we decide to take a visit.

We�re both very happy that we did, as it�s an eye-opening tour of the largest floating ship museum in the world. Of the 12 ships to explore, the enormous destroyer and the claustrophobic Nordkaparen submarine are the highlights.

It�s now 17.40 and we�re once again travelling further north with the sun setting to our left. A woman near us is knitting something which resembles a tablecloth; it�s starting to sink in how diverse this holiday has already been, and we�re only a couple of hours away from our third country in four days!

Anyway, my throat still hurts (couldn�t find drugs, but a Galaxy and a Calipso definitely helped) but I�m very happy as next to me are my brand new purchases: A large towel and some gloves! Good thing, as already it�s starting to feel very cold and we�ve only just crossed the border!

Bloody hell it�s cold! We�re very happy to �see our breath� but it�s a real jump in temperature. Mind you, it�s a clear sky (the moon looks incredible above the Oslo Domkirke) and although it�s dark, we have a very positive first impression of Norway�s capital.

We arrive at the Anker Hostel which is very central, dump our stuff and after a quick shower (the best yet) we�re off to Karl Johansgata to check out the Tuesday night life. We find a Scottish bar and have a couple of Kilkennys, although at 69Kr each, we decide not to stay!

We�re stopped by a couple of lads trying to get us to go to a Hip Hop club and when he sees we speak English, he explains that he�s the Brighton DJ who is playing. We promise to go after we�ve wandered a little more.

Unfortunately, we wander to what I thought was a student night club, Thinking we�d hit the jackpot, we are slightly embarrassed to find that it�s an under-16 school night! With our half-grown beards, we quickly make excuses and head off!

We can�t find the Hip Hop club, but instead we try a local bar with a live rock act. They are very good but once again the 64Kr beers mean we don�t stay for long. We�ve a long couple of days ahead, so we decide to head back to the hostel at a very reasonable 1am and after a combined 16 units (half of which on the train during our first bout of poker).

27th October 2004 – Oslo

Another good night�s sleep and we�re into town after a cracking breakfast. It�s much busier during the day and the city feels alive. There�s a tourist �walk� which is recommended as it takes you by all the best central things to see.

It takes us a few hours to get around and we see the university, the Slottsparken (containing Det Kongelige Slott royal palace with the guards), down towards the port (stunning view of the sea) and up to the castle (Akershus Slott) which has a great view of the harbour.

By this time (after lunch too) it�s around 13.00 and it�s still bizarre to see the sun so low in the sky. Shadows have been long all day but it�s still incredibly sunny and we hope the clear sky will give us a decent sunset later on.

We head towards the central station as several stops on the under/overground train north-east brings us to Hoplmenkollen. This is Norway�s top spot for ski jumpers and we visit the museum as well as climbing the tower up to the top of the jump. The view is breathtaking and the glass windows that give you a bird�s eye view of the ground is nerve-wrecking! We also have a go on the ski jump simulator, although it wasn�t exactly brilliant. However, the trip to Holmen Kollen was definitely worth it, if anything just to turn to jelly when I took the stairs down from the ski jump (made of wood with enormous cracks the hand-rail then gave way from the wall!) and to see Rob�s hilarious nose bleed, as we were climbing several hundred metres on the way there (the blood was pouring from his nose like a tap � our Oslo map is now completely ruined�)

28th October 2004 – Oslo, Bergen

Dammit! Oh bloody hell it�s 08.50 which probably means we�ve missed our 08.10 train. I�m actually still drunk; last night started with me losing lots of hands of poker to Rob and then hitting town. We couldn�t find a decent place until we went into �Sir Winston�s�, where we met a Swedish guy who claimed he was a part-time bouncer, who knew everyone as he arranges what he calls �private parties�.

Well, we�ve nothing to lose so we go with him.

How incredibly lucky are we!? He takes us from pub to pub to club, each time skipping the queue and heading straight in/ We buy him a couple of drinks as a thank-you (a big thank-you; I believe the most expensive was 72Kr) and have a very good night.

The idea was to wake at 06.30 so we could be ready for the train to Bergen. Plan #2 is to get the 10.35 train instead.

Rob has just reminded me that I had a kebab last night. Remembering, I now only can think how amazing it was. This confirms my earlier belief that the taste of kebabs has a direct correlation with the amount you drunk (69 units).

We�re currently on the train to Bergen. It�s a seven and a half hour journey and six hours in, we�ve seen some breathtaking scenery. From Oslo�s relatively green surroundings, we�ve seen ice water falls, rocky mountains, thick snow and frozen rivers and lakes. It�s the perfect way for my body to recover from last night�s events!

This trip to Bergen was not originally planned so we�re actually adding nearly 1000km to our journey. It�s totally worth it and we haven�t even arrived yet.

Bergen is lovely and although it�s already dark and we can�t take the lift to the mountain, it�s clear that Bergen deserves its reputation as being scenic.

We haven�t too long before we head back to Oslo, so we find a great Tapas bar. Then be head to a bar and once again are shocked at the beer prices. The record is now 50Kr for half a pint!

Just as we�re ready to go to the station (I�m tired and not really up for another session) we find what appears to be a student bar. The cheapest beer prices in Norway (or even Scandinavia for that matter) so we stay for a couple. There�s a guy who looks just like Shevchenko, but it doesn�t warrant a photo�

We�ve 30 minutes before our night train leaves so we head back. Then came the moment that I was surprised I wasn�t actually surprised (!)

Rob can�t find his wallet and the train is nearly ready to leave. A first thought of cancelling cards and accepting the loss passes once Rob realises that his train ticket is in his wallet too.

He has to run back to the bar (just in case) and tells me he�ll see me in Oslo. Now, under the circumstances, I�m prepared to accept his comment as a moment-lapse in brain functionality, since we�re both without mobile phones and it doesn�t take Sherlock to figure out what would happen if I travelled 500km on my own. I tell him to run as fast as possible: He has got 15 minutes.

He�s back before I start to panic. Maybe he will start running (as he keeps promising) after all! He tells me it was on the floor in the bar and someone handed it in! Thank you Lady Luck, especially as Rob discovers his passport was with his wallet too. Rob is laughing about it but I think it�s probably because we both know how incredibly lucky he is.

The night train is full but fortunately most of the younger kids get off after a couple of stops. The journey back goes pretty quickly and we both sleep quite well, despite not having beds. The train is due to arrive in Oslo by 06.26 and there�s a 06.30 train to Stockholm. We both admit we�re pushing our luck in hoping to catch it.

29th October 2004 – Oslo, Stockholm

We�ve missed the train. It�s 06.31 and we�ve now six hours to kill before the next train. We�re out of Norwegian money and even the toilets cost 10Kr.

After several hours of sleeping/reading/chess, we�re now in a coffee bar and finally starting to feel warm and looking forward to the day ahead. It has been the worst start to a day, but we know there would be a day like this. The trip should be fun and the idea of being in a third capital city is cheering me up. Nonetheless, I desperately need a shower or at the very least, that damn train to arrive so I can go to the toilet!

I�ve been to the toilet! We�re now 15 minutes away from Stockholm and I�ve had far too much coffee. Rob is going to toilet every fiver minutes because he�s had too much tea. My first visit lasted so long that I missed the ticket inspector come around, which is why he locked me in just in case I was hiding!

The journey has been ok, apart from the fact that I�ve proved myself to be the worst poker player ever. I�m going to have to improve considerably if I�m to win back all those pennies.

Stockholm is great. Once again, we arrive at a good hostel (which soon becomes fully booked) and we�re ready to go out. However, we do some laundry (hurrah!) and going out with 100% clean clothes is fantastic!

Even at night Stockholm seems great. We had three pizzas between us before going out and we�re wandering the streets for a good place. Again, as in Bergen, we�re extremely luck to find a student bar amongst hundreds of very posh looking places. At 24Kr a drunk, it�s also the cheapest of the holiday so far.

It doesn�t take long for someone to approach Cruise. She isn�t fantastic although she is friendly and chatty. Her chat up line is quite cheesy; she pretended her male friend was interested in chatting with him. Actually, that was hilarious from my point of view just to see Rob�s reaction. His embarrassed �I�m not that way inclined� kept me entertained!

Anyway, she disappeared and soon after another girl approached him. She was a little more obvious, a little more drunk, but was very pretty. All seemed to go well but then she too hopped off with no goodbye.

The Swedish girls� claims that they are shy are absolute rubbish, or is it a coincidence that in every Swedish night out we�ve been approach and in Norway/Denmark we were ignored!?

We drink up our 20 units each and head back. Oh � and no Swede seems to know what the footprints are � argh!!

30th October 2004 – Stockhom, Baltic Sea

Dammit! Again we�ve slept in! This time it�s no train we�ve missed but the check-out time. There�s a good possibility we�ll have to pay for another night. We quickly get ready (my 4 pints of water have done the trick � I feel tired but fine) and head out at 11.00. Fortunately there�s no fine and we dump our stuff in the station. We book the ferry journey and now have about four ours to explore the city.

Last night�s assumptions were correct. The city is fabulous; it�s my favourite place so far. In the few hours we have, we�ve seem the old town (Gamla Stan), the shopping district, men playing chess in the street, amazing streets that remind me of York and some very impressive architecture. Stockholm is truly gorgeous and we�re a little disappointed that we have to leave so soon. I promise that I definitely will come back, if anything to prove to the ice-skating man that falling over isn�t the only trick I do!

During our few hours here, we go to �Sally�s� which treats us to an amazing meal. Rob and I try elk, which tastes just like beef. We have treated ourselves when it comes to food (apart from the obvious pizza and kebab here and there) and we hope the food quality remains this good the further east we travel.

31st October 2004 – Baltic Sea, Helsinki

I�ve just had a dream that I�m back home after the holiday. I turn to get some water but there�s already a cup of water by my bed. I go to set my clock back an hour but I�ve already done it�

This is why our potentially vodka-fuelled last week could cause problems. I remember the duo playing covers of 50/60s music. As do I remember the attempt at calling home. I also remember going on the top deck and screaming into the wind.

As much as last night was fun, drinking 60% vodka with �Battery+� drunk (of which it recommends you drunk a maximum of three as it has so much caffeine in it), with Daim bars (finally after the adverts!) and Twix bars, is not a good idea; I just don�t remember as much as I should do. Although I do remember the now-missing Bo He who was in the bunk next to me. I�m not sure of �Asshole� (maybe Haso?) spoke to us, but he�s just walking up now. Rob looks in a daze. Maybe he can help me put together the jigsaw that was last night.

The cabins are good; four bunks (we could have had our own cabin, but at twice the cost it seemed silly) with ensuit. The beds all have sheets and towels so it�s actually our best accommodation(!), so it seems a shame I haven�t properly appreciated it after 32 units each (to work out the units is getting harder now�)

After a slow breakfast, we arrive in Helsinki. Once again first impressions are good. It clearly feels more �eastern�, as already we see buildings that have a distinct Russian influence. It�s very cold at just 2�C, although the biting wind makes it feel worse. We find the Makka Hostel very quickly. It�s very central, we have our own room and the service is fantastic. A very friendly lady who keeps coming out with random Italian phrase to please me!

We dump our stuff and head towards the main station. It�s beautiful both inside and out, and we�re pleased to find out train trip to St. Petersburg is only �24 each.

We�ve got a walk to do around the city, but decide on a long coffee break to relax a bit. It�s been hectic the last couple of days so a slow-paced day is just what we need.

When we start the walk, we head north and see some great architecture all around, from church-like towers to the impressive Parliament House. Further north we pass T��l�nlahti, a huge lake in which I could not resist a paddle!

The next half an hour, as my feet slowly return to body temperature, takes us to the west and we see the impressive Sibelius Park, containing a huge metallic structure in memory of the great Finnish composer. The organ�s pipes are supposed to represent the forest.

Further south, after Rob falls in a puddle of mud, we walk along the coast, which is very pretty and there are a few people running walking around the area (last night being Halloween, apparently was a great excuse for a massive Finnish night out, so we guess most people are still recovering).

We then see the old Nokia building (now the famous Cable Factory), the new Nokia building (enormous and very flash) and finally, Rob was pleased to see a PwC building!

We follow the southern coastline all the way around back to Kauppatori (we�ll go again tomorrow as the market is not there on a Sunday). We saw some men playing chess with enormous pieces in a park and then climbed a hill for a view of the harbour. Instead, we got a view of three girls who were creating some professional photos! Once was wearing very little, and stood amongst trees, whilst her friend tangled her hair in the branches. The third �directed� and took the photos. We look forward to seeing the photo in a magazine advert in the next couple of months!

We then head back to the hostel. Rob needs to clean his muddy trousers and we both need to warm up before we go out for food.

The meal is fajitas and the drink is a (poor) Chilean red wine. We�re stuffed, it�s Sunday and there aren�t too many people about. The Sports Bar is open late so we head there and watch the Italian football. Beer isn�t cheap, but at �4.50 it�s certainly cheaper than in the rest of Scandinavia. We talk to some people who advise us that there are three decent places, even on a Sunday. We choose the Helsinclub as it�s near and on the way to the hostel. It�s pretty empty and, as the barmaid says, doesn�t get busy until around 01.30. There are playstations, Casino games and a dance floor, but when they finally do get busy, we head off as it�s pretty late, after 23 units each.

1st November 2004 – Helsinki, Ca???-?e?e??y?r

I sleep fantastically and despite a large amount to drink last night it looks like the absurd amount of water I drunk before going to sleep has worked. Funnily enough, I still feel like I�ve my sea legs. I�m not sure if it�s the trip, the vodka or just I�m very tired from all the nights out.

Today is much clearer. The sky is so blue, it�s unbelievable. This is as much of a problem than anything else, as the sun is so low in the sky and really blinds you throughout the day. We see some lovely buildings, the interesting but disappointingly small market and spend a good hour chilling in a coffee shop.

There, Rob decides he wants the barmaid to write his postcard for him and after 30 minutes, we�re pleasantly surprised to see a colourful postcard with reindeer, pictures, and a detailed message. Rob will post it to his cousin and we�ll find out when we get home what the Suomi words mean!

We say our goodbyes and after a great salmon pasta at a nice hotel, we head for the train to Russia.

The train has already shocked us. It seems like something from the 19th Century and must weigh the same as the Viking ferry! The security is immense, but very friendly. We take our seats in the wooden interior and accept our free beer, bread and salami!

Throughout the journey, the train creaks and wobbles about, stopping at each stop for ages, in particular at the border where they need to change the carriages in order to fit the wider Russian tracks. We�re asked to show passports, visas and fill in even more documents on many occasions. At one point, some men who look like they�ve come out of some World War II movie search our cabin and take our passports. They are only returned about an hour later!

It�s dark when we arrive and we need to get to the central station which is called Moscow. We therefore assume we�re at the station named Finland. Our attempts to buy an underground ticket are thwarted by our lack of Russian and the ticket seller�s lack of English. We think we�ve bought two tickets, but at 8R each, it just cannot be right.

It takes us 10 minutes staring at tall the weird Cyrillic letters to figure out that we�re not at the Finland station!

A couple of stops later, we�re in the Moscow Station and after some dodgy map reading, we find ourselves at the International Youth Hostel.

My first impressions of Ca???-?e?e??y?r aren�t fantastic. It�s not easy to read a map in the Latin alphabet when everything around you is in the Cyrillic one! The area around the central station is pretty grim and the hostel exterior is no better. Fortunately, the people in the hostel are friendly and speak English. Our room is not in the best shape, but at least we�re not sharing with others and the shower is truly fantastic (reputedly the best in Russia!)

It�s already nearly midnight and Rob has spoken to Frederik (our Belgian neighbour) who wants to go out. Now I�ve promised I�ll stay in tonight and I�m well and truly exhausted, so I refuse. Rob doesn�t though and heads off out.

At four am, Rob returns after a solo 8 units.

DAYS 11-16 COMING SOON…