Road-tripping in Scandinavia 2: What to eat and drink

One of the joys of international travel is that every day outings, like grocery shopping in the local supermarket, are entertaining simply because of the novelty factor. When my husband and I embarked on our 3 000km roundtrip from Stockholm to the Lofoten Islands and back, we decided self-catering would save us a heap of money, and it did. 

The ICA store in the Swedish ski-resort of Åre

We were advised that Sweden was cheaper than Norway (by about at least a third) so we stocked up on as many groceries as we could before we crossed the border. We kept it simple: muesli for breakfast; rolls with egg-and-tomato spread or cheese and crackers for lunch, and a simple cooked meal at night. 

An essential item was a flask filled with hot water so that we could stop and make ourselves a cup of coffee or hot chocolate at scenic spots while snacking on our packed lunch. The picnic blanket we'd optimistically brought was never used because it was just too cold even in mid-June, but we did enjoy a few beautiful views, like this waterfall called Laksforsen (or salmon falls) in northern Norway.

A feast for the eyes at Lakforsen

Eating out isn't something you really do in Norway, unless money is absolutely no object, but at Klostergården on the island of Trauta near Trondheim, there were no self-catering facilities and we had decided to treat ourselves. Here, we nursed a glass of delicious craft beer (one glass only at 80 NOK each), enjoyed a free serving of nettle and seagull soup before the main course of gammon and beef stew, respectively. Good hearty fare. Seagull eggs are apparently collected for only three weeks in the year, and once a bird has laid three eggs, she will start to sit on them and so she'll be left in peace. The egg tasted like, well, an egg, albeit a fresh one.

Loved this nettle soup

The only other memorable meal out was perforce in a town called Bodø where we had several hours to kill before we caught the three-hour ferry across to Moskenes on the Lofoten Islands. It had been a long and grumpy day, crossing the Arctic Circle and driving on the 'wrong' side of the road on narrow roads for hours on end. Every road-trip has one of those and this now goes down in family lore as my 'Arctic moment'. Our mood lifted, however, when we found this Lebanese takeaway with some plastic tables and chairs, where the owner was only too happy to cook up a storm. We fell on the freshly baked pita bread, homemade humus and this assortment of odds and ends, like hungry Arctic wolves. 

Lebanese feast in northern Norway

I was hoping to eat more fish in Norway, but aside from the ubiquitous salmon, it wasn't always that easy to find what I was hoping for (and perhaps we are a little spoilt coming from the southern tip of Africa). A hop and a skip from where we stayed in at Sakrisøy there was a little fish deli that stocked some interesting items but I'm afraid I just couldn't bring myself to sample the smoked whale meat. Apparently, this is minke whale that is sustainably hunted but I'm too old to eat things I don't want to and I imagine it's an acquired taste. I read somewhere that even though Norway continues to hunt whales, there is a decline in demand among the country's own population.

Yup, it's whale!

They also sold seagull eggs (at a price). No wonder these poor birds would mob us at every turn when we were out walking.

Another Lofoten speciality is the salted cod which hangs in the breeze on racks to dry. While we were there, the cod was still strung up and there was a distinctly fishy pong in the air. The cod come to spawn in the waters here early in the year, and most of it is destined for Italy and Portugal, where it is highly sought after.

Lofoten is famous for its salted cod

I have no photograph to illustrate this last foodie mention, but Trondheim had a fabulous farmer's market in its main square on the Saturday we were there. For dinner, I tucked into a 'craft' sausage on a home-made roll, which 'only' cost 80 NOK. But, hey, it was almost time to head home!

And, finally, a note for the thirsty...

Craft beer at Klostergården 

Alcohol, of course, is an entirely different story and, outside the odd spoil like the craft beer above, one is best advised to carry with you that duty-free bottle of whisky you picked up at the airport for your evening tipple. For the most part, it is expensive and only sold in state-controlled bottle stores. You can buy beer in supermarkets (low alcohol in Sweden and full-strength in Norway).

Road-tripping in Scandinavia 1: Where to stay

For two weeks in June 2015, my husband and I went road-tripping through Scandinavia from Stockholm in Sweden to the Lofoten Islands which lie about 200km north of the Arctic Circle. It was close to a 3 000km round trip (with a sea leg aboard the Hurtigruten). 

Fishing cottages at Sakrisøy on Lofoten

As a keen camper, I initially thought it would be a good idea to pitch a tent, but mercifully was forewarned about the fickleness of the Scandinavian summer. We opted for self-catering accommodation as the next-best budget option, and found it to be remarkably cost-effective. Good choice, as for our whole trip, the outside temperature seldom went above 8 Deg C. We stayed in everything from a hostel to an Air BnB cottage. Here's a roundup of what we found...

1. Vandrarhem (or hostel), Mora, Sweden

Prinsgården in Mora

Our first stop was in a town called Mora in Sweden, famous for its carved wooden horses, where we opted to sleep in a vandrarhem (or hostel) called Prinsgården, because it was conveniently on our route and was reasonably priced (less than 500 Swedish Krone for the night). We had a basic en-suite room, could do our own cooking in a galley kitchen and eat upstairs in an equally tiny dining room. We went for an evening stroll down to the nearby lake (there's practically always a lake nearby in Sweden). Comfortable enough for a night but certainly not a destination in its own right. We saved money by taking bedding and doing our own cleaning.

2. Bed-and-breakfast, on the island of Trauta, Norway

The view from our room at Klostergården after the storm

On the second night of our road-trip we decided to treat ourselves to a night at a bed-and breakfast called Klostergården on the island of Trauta, about 30km north of Trondheim. It lies next to the ruins of an old abby and is home to a craft brewery and restaurant. The evening of our arrival, there was a wild gale blowing but it had abated by morning and we had a sparkling view of the fjord from our room. I could happily have spent more time here.

3. Cabin, Mo-i-Rana, Norway

Yttervik camping, Mo-i-Rana, Norway

To avoid too much driving, we spent two nights in a little cabin on a fjord at Yttervik campsite, 16km south of the town of Mo-i-Rana close to the Arctic circle. Here, we spent a bit extra for a fjord-side view to see the almost-midnight-sun circling around, and watch the locals out on a fishing trip with their dogs. The simple cabin had bunk beds in a separate room with a living area and a deck overlooking the fjord. We could have done our washing here in the on-site laundromat had we had the energy to do so. The only drawback was that the campsite was sandwiched between the road and the fjord so it wasn't really possible to go for a proper walk.

Fishing trip on fjord

4. Rorbruer (fishing huts), Sakrisøy, Reine, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Rorbruer on Sakrisøy

What's cooking?

I will write more about the dramatic Lofoten Islands, an archipelago in northern Norway, in due course, but for the purposes of this blog, just to say that these fishing huts, run by a lady called Dagmar, and located on a wharf at Sakrisøy outside the town of Reine, are very traditional and utterly charming. We had a loft bed with with the kitchen/living area down below. By now, we were experiencing 24 hours of daylight, which made the skylight directly over the bed a bit of an interesting feature. This gull popped by regularly to see what we were up to.

5. Air BnB cottage, Gimsøysand, Lofoten Islands, Norway

We found this cottage through AirBnB 

A real bargain and booked through AirBnB which is a service I will definitely make use of again when travelling abroad. This little cottage was comfortably appointed with a separate kitchen, bedroom, and loung/dining room with two sofas (one each) where we could happily read books and watch videos while waiting for a two-day storm to abate (that Scandinavian weather again!). An added bonus was the little wood-burning stove which kept us cosy. Sadly we didn't get to climb the tantalising mountain because of the weather. It would be great to return here to see the Northern Lights in the Artic winter.

6. Aboard the Hurtigruten (from Svolvaer to Trondheim), Norway

Polarys enters Svolvaer harbour on Lofoten Islands

More about this later, but a couple of nights aboard one of the Norwegian Hurtigruten mailships is practically essential. They ply their way up and down this extraordinary coastline, making multiple stops along the way so that passengers can get off and explore. It's not particularly cheap but if you treat it as a combination of transport and accommodation, you can almost persuade yourself you're getting a good deal.

7. Pilgrim's hostel, Trondheim, Norway

Nidaros Cathedral, Trondheim

Drain cover, Trondheim

It's easy to fall in love with Trondheim, for its beautiful architecture, glowing light and the impressive Nidaros Cathedral that lies at its heart, the largest gothic cathedral in Scandinavia. The cathedral is also the end point of a northern pilgrimage known as St Olav's Way (a bit like the more famous Camino in Spain). But you don't have to be a pilgrim to stay in the pilgrim's hostel that is conveniently located in a tranquil spot on the river, just behind the cathedral. It was a good pad for one last night in Scandinavia before flying all the way back to Cape Town in the southern hemisphere!