Club President Walter Köhler of the VW Beetle Club Última Edición e.V. organises unusual Beetle trips with a lot of heart and soul in addition to the annual meetings. Jörg Brehmer, a member of the board, put a lot of effort into creating the roadbook and worked out many points of interest. The roadbook was an important guide for our Norway adventure trip.

Driving Norway for three weeks in a Beetle means "experiencing" one thing after another. The main destination is the Lofoten Islands, while in 2016 the south of Norway was travelled.

7 Beetles (the oldest built in 1950, a pretzel Beetle - the youngest built in 2003 from the last special series Última Edición) covered the almost 4000 km driven in Norway (without individual arrival and departure to Kiel) without any breakdown! From 15 June to 6 July 2019, the Beetles delighted not only the 12 travellers, but also many onlookers with thumbs up and Norwegian VW fans.

The club president has maintained friendly VW relations with Norway for years. For example, Norwegian Beetle fans have attended the Club's Whitsun meetings on several occasions and Kjell Hatlen is his "key" to Norway. In the Norwegian VW Club magazine, Kjell reports several times about the K-UE meetings and about the unique "Snapi" from the special Última Edición e.V. series.

In Oslo, Kjell warmly welcomes the participants and gives them some last interesting tips on the way to Oppdal. The first Norwegian VW fans are already waiting for us in Dombas. Nicolai and his parents accompany us on the way to Oppdal in a green 1300 Beetle. A moose shows itself at the edge of the forest - pure Norway!

Before we set off for Trondheim with the Beetles, there is a small VW museum in Ler directly on the E6. We are warmly welcomed by Kristin Eggen Vårvik and her husband, park our Beetles on the adjacent lawn and they lead us into their private grounds, where the hospitality is already underpinned by coffee and homemade cake among Beetle enthusiasts. What do we discover there: three Beetles from the 50s and 60s - all TOP specimens. Her father, Kjell Jenssen, was a Beetle fan and assembled this collection. What is particularly inspiring are the many countless details from the 50s and 60s, a special kind of contemporary history, such as radios, records, magazines, etc., which he has collected with great love. For example, the pram on the bonnet, the skis on the rear and many pictures, magazines - we feel transported to that time!

Trondheim is on the agenda the next day and in the evening it gets very interesting: In Stiklestad, our arrival has been known for some time and we are amazed at how many VW fans arrive with their classic cars. A warm welcome with small gifts like the original 2004 UE calendar and the original UE brochure are welcome attentions, which are returned to us with their club T-shirts. The joint round trip in the evening gets a bit damp; it rains in. Our destination is a historic workshop; we are told about the beginnings; an old Opel Olympia stands there and on several floors everything has been collected that contributed to the mobilisation from the 1950s onwards. And that's not all: the next morning we are welcomed again at a petrol station, the local press is there and the petrol talks don't want to stop, although our programme is quite limited in time. Mosjøen is the next destination; first we drive along beautiful country roads before we take the European Road 6. The Beetles and we are in Norway - what a joy among the participants, as our attention is quite high. The door stickers on the right and left alone are "eye-catchers", and seven of them at that! In Mosjøen there is a classic car meeting of all makes and many can't miss the Beetles - were there ever 7 Bobla (that's how the Beetle is called in Norway) parked next to each other to see and marvel at. Mosjøen has an impressive old town with its old wooden houses and lo and behold, we discover a junk shop with a tin box containing a T1. Another small attraction is the old petrol station; we have to go there the next morning and "shoot" pictures before we continue the eventful drive to Fauske. On the way we make a detour to Grønligrotte, a karst cave with a waterfall. Norway has something like that too!

We then cross the Arctic Circle on Saltfjellet - the Norwegian flag welcomes the 7 beetles.

The routes are longer on these days, 250 to 300 km, and from Bognes we take the first ferry to Lødingen and reach Vesterålen. Near Harstad, a hotel consisting of several wooden houses awaits us directly on the water. Quaint, the restaurant built on stilts in the water - that's how we imagine pure Norway - and the beetles are all parked next to each other. We're so happy - the landlady is very fond of the beetles and doesn't even want to let us leave the next morning! This is unique - the beetles, the wooden houses by the water and the delicious food - thank the beetles, because without them we wouldn't be here!

Stokmarknes on Vesterålen is our evening destination. The 1007 m long Tjeldsund Bridge is not to be missed by the beetles! A wonderful panoramic view. Our club president always has something special on the programme: Nyksund has a quirky history. After the place was abandoned by the ever 24 fishermen, two Germans had the courage to breathe life back into the small town. And indeed, we managed to find the family in a café. When we reported that we were there with 7 VW Beetles, everything was made possible to drive the officially closed road with the Beetles up to the gallery. And the initiator of Nyksund can and was speechless...

The road to Nyksund is a gravel road, a very lonely area, but no problem for the Beetles and an experience for us even in the dull weather, the place is the northernmost point on our journey!

Stokmarknes is home to the Hurtigruten Museum. The beetles arrive there via an imposing bridge and are exclusively lined up one behind the other. The history of the Hurtigruten is impressive; the landscape is picturesque, but the weather doesn't quite cooperate.

We reach Svolvær on the Lofoten Islands with another ferry ride - the largest harbour town. We spend the night in Rorbuer cabins, built on wooden stilts - quaint and you can feel where we have been dreaming of for a long time - pure Norway thanks to the beetles!

An indescribable restaurant, built in 1820, sets an impressive mood for the delicious dinner, built directly on the shore on wooden stilts. What knowledge the ancestors must have had about their wood to be able to build. We get to know Lofoten and what must not be missed is the stockfish. Lined up on wooden racks, the stockfish dries and of course we are served it in the evening. In the meantime, it is already 23 July and the Norwegians are celebrating Midsummer. In Svolvær, too, a big fire is lit, young and old celebrate with dancing and singing - we are impressed.

The beetles have a rest day; we take a look at the little town; a harbour with lots of sports and excursion boats. In the afternoon we take the ship MS Midnatsol from the Hurtigruten fleet on a trip through the Trollfjord - steeped in legend - a unique experience.

Henningsvær is one of the most beautiful places in Lofoten.

Before the Beetles leave for Nusfjord, our President has located the Aalan Farm, a cheese factory. We are offered a small guided tour, which we gladly accept and learn a little more about cheese making. The herb garden alone is worth seeing and 200 sheep, which roam widely in the mountains, are the farm's assets. Cheese of a special taste, not available elsewhere, has made the family farm famous; the boss couldn't resist having her picture taken with the bugs!

On the way to Nusfjord - a small fishing village that has been missed - the beetles stop in Borg in front of the Viking Museum. There is a replica of the longhouse of 83 metres from the Viking Age.

All the fishermen's huts in Nusfjord have been converted into rorbu cabins, spartan, old and we sense something of how hard the fishermen's lives must have been. The village is teeming with seagulls - even at night they don't miss their calls. Impressive landscapes pass through the beetles and inspire the participants, even if the weather doesn't really want it and the high rocks are often covered with clouds. The side roads are often quite narrow, many campers are on the road and you can say that almost every second oncoming car flashes, waves or hails the Beetle convoy. Yes, we are the kings of the roads; at every stop, people from far away countries come up to us, ask questions about the Beetles and take pictures and selfies of themselves with the Beetles.

The trips in Lofoten also seem to impress the beetles, how they like to stop for photographs. Whether with snow or on the sandy beaches, they are excellent motifs. Drivers and co-drivers are inspired by the landscapes - but the public attention belongs to our Beetles. Even the southernmost town of Å on the Lofoten Islands is not missed by the Beetles.

After a three-hour ferry ride from Moskenes, we reach Bodø and the Helgeland coast awaits with new experiences. With Saltstraumen we experience the strongest tidal current in the world.

In Bodø we visit the Aviation Museum - separated into civilian and military equipment. Even a VW Schwimmwagen and a Kübelwagen are on display there! The Beetles make a perfect picture in front of the Aviation Museum.

Our detour to Kjerringøy, which offers a good view of the surrounding countryside, brings some surprising Beetle goodness. There, President Gatting strikes up a conversation with two young people who are enthusiastic about the beetles and look very closely at the route on the doors, saying: "We saw a police beetle in a meadow not far from here". We have to find it! Suddenly there are eight beetles. The contact to Kjell is quickly established and he can tell us that this beetle = Pelle Politibil was a Norwegian fantasy figure from several feature films, TV series and books for children. Originally he was used by the Bodø police in the mid-80s, as a part of road safety work for children. Today it has been converted into an electric beetle and is on display as a symbol.

We cross Saltstraumen on the F17, which takes us to Brekstad. Along the Helgefjord coast, the beetles keep crawling onto ferries, sometimes up to three a day, which provide the connection of the F17. A highlight is the Svartisen glacier. To get closer to it, we take a boat. and leave the beetles on the shore - an impressive picture! After a hike we see the glacier from close up, but it too is getting smaller in size every year.

Another highlight is the excursion to Torghatten. This has a hole 166 m long, 41 m high and 18 m wide. Only on foot can you climb this very difficult climb, but the view is rewarding. Meanwhile, we marvel at the beetles in the car park; the journey continues to Brønnøysund with a detour to Somna; the geographical centre of Norway is located there.

After another ferry ride, we cross the 700-metre Helgeland suspension bridge - 40 metres above the water! Rørvik has a coastal museum with spectacular architecture. Next to it, old fishermen's huts and storehouses with countless seagulls. In front of it a wooden rack with stockfish and there can't be missing the beetles.

Near Namsos we discover a harbour with a pier. What a photo motif: a pier with a VW Beetle! The fishermen are amazed by the spectacle, there has never been anything like it here!

A small narrow road with hairpin bends leads the Beetles to the lookout mountain Klompen with an impressive view of the town of Namsos.

To experience more landscapes in Norway, the Beetles head for a tundra landscape south of Trondheim to Røros. There is Beetle contact again. A '63 and a '65 Beetle, both in red. Young lads drive them and are proud of their oldies. They want to look at all our Beetles in detail - they get UE brochures and a UE calendar as a friendly gesture. Who do you think made this contact? Kjell must have been working in the background again!

The town of Røros was built by copper mining and has never been destroyed by fire or war, so it has the oldest wooden houses of any town in Europe. Who is ambushing the beetles there? The local newspaper representative inquires about the creepy-crawlies and the visitors to Norway - asked many questions and reports on us the next day - somehow he is reminded of his youth, oh yes, didn't the parents have such a bobla?

Before we head for our next destination Trysil, the road takes us past the 67 km long Lake Femund, a lonely taiga landscape. Over a kilometre-long gravel road, the Beetles reach Elga, an idyllic village by the lake. As if guided by magic, our youngest Beetle drives onto a site where there are several buildings and also a small restaurant. We park the Beetles on the lawn and discover a covered Beetle in a covered shed! Not even a minute later, an elderly lady comes running up to us, beaming with the words: I smelled the beetles!!! Later, over coffee, she tells us that the covered Beetle is from 1965 - she can't part with it.

We reach Oslo again before taking the ship to Kiel. A picture with the Beetles and the Holmenkollen is a must.

Almost 4000 km only in Norway - the Beetles ran without complaints... Getting to know the country and the people, the Beetle is "tops" in that!