In an out-of-place English pub with gin on tap and a stale cigarette smell clinging to everything, we sat down to look back at the epic adventure we had just completed. Twelve days and over 3,500 miles through four countries, narrated over walkie-talkies clipped to the seatbelts of our own individually rented European hatchbacks. Along the way, we saw jaw-dropping landscapes and unfamiliar wildlife, met some amazing people eager to share their culture and inspiration, and even ended up being detained during a thorough vehicle search that did nothing but ruin a birthday surprise. This trip, built on a flimsy framework rather than a solid plan, played out as many of my trips tend to, with hilarious calamity and tent pole moments that will plague the jokes of my inner circle for quite some time. This was a grand tour of two cousins separated by six months in age celebrating our entrance into a third decade on earth using our carefully selected kit to enhance our own Scandinavian Top Gear Special.
It all started roughly one year ago when I was asked if I would have a party to ring in 30, to which I replied, “oh, no, I am going to do a two-week tour of Scandinavia!” Right there, right off the cuff without any real prior thought, the seed was planted. As time ticked by and the date got closer and closer, the details started to come into view. I wanted to fly into Denmark, grab a vehicle, and drive up through Norway to the Arctic Circle, across Sweden and into Finland through Northern Lapland, and then down through Sweden along the coast until arriving back in Copenhagen.
My cousin Andrew then came into the fold. Having grown up watching the motoring show Top Gear just hoping for the opportunity to one day do our own special in a foreign land, it was the perfect opportunity for us to reach for our dreams. We settled on renting two vehicles, ones we could not access in the United States, and we would bring along enough camera gear and two-way radios to do it right. Then, for me, it was time to settle on a watch. I immediately knew that this would have to be a special pick. An epic trip for a milestone birthday, this was not the time to just throw on the trusty Seiko. In a random turn of chance, the Straum Jan Mayen came across my desk settling the issue. Here was a well-specced, eye-catching watch from an underrated brand started by a pair of guys located in Oslo, Norway, and inspired by the very landscape we would be traversing. So, just like the cars, we took along a pair of Jan Mayen models. I donned the Moss Green dial on its integrated bracelet while Andrew took to the Glacier White dial, swapping the bracelet for a white (at least that’s what I told him it was) Nato strap thanks to the new strap adapter available from Straum.
Upon touch down in Copenhagen, we set our watches ahead to the correct time and shoved our way into the shuttle towards the rental center where our car companions sat waiting. Now, for those of you who have had the pleasure of renting a vehicle, you know that you never actually get what you asked for. Instead of the manual BMW and Ford Focus we planned on, we ended up sitting behind the wheel of two automatics— an Audi A3 Sportback Diesel for me and a Skoda Kamiq for him. Not really the hot hatches we were looking for, but nonetheless, fuel-efficient, spacious cars that we otherwise would not be able to drive.
Loading our gear into the back, we took off for the city to get a feel for our cars, take in our first look at Denmark, and score our first European dinner. After a jet-lagged early night, we drove off the next morning on our first leg to Oslo where we would be staying on the offshore island of Langøyene in a cabin run by the Norwegian Trekking Association (DNT). After an initial blunder of driving to the wrong island, we eventually hit a grocery store for a sampling of local canned cocktails, made fast friends with a traveling vagabond known as a “pensioner,” found our ferry to the correct island, and walked our way to our accommodations. As we tied one on to the dimming sky, Andrew realized that his strap was not just white, but a fully-lumed, ribbed Nato strap.
We had a few open “down days” during the trip for us to explore and recover a bit from driving, and our first one in Oslo revolved around a special lunch. After two espressos, Andrew and I were picked up by Lasse (Straum Co-Founder), we collected Øystein (Straum Co-Founder) and then headed up into the mountains overlooking Oslo. There, we enjoyed drinks and pizza crafted with reindeer, lingonberry, and spicy moose while chatting about the inspiration behind the company and its watches. While many companies claim to have dials influenced by nature, these two embarked on an epic journey sailing to the volcanic island of Jan Mayen and hiked through remote rock and ice to find colors and textures authentic to the land. The opportunity to hear about this grand adventure leading into the design process created a deeper personal connection to the brand and its watches. Even Andrew, a self-proclaimed non-watch guy, was impressed.
“When I put this watch on I really didn’t know a whole lot about it or the brand besides what I saw and the price,” Andrew said. “I didn’t really understand it that much until now. Now, I completely understand the asking price and love the watch. I never thought I’d be someone to wear a watch every day but I won’t be taking this watch off for anything.”
Wrapping up lunch with amazing views of Oslo behind us, Øystein and Lasse were kind enough to provide us with some recommendations for the rest of our trip and let us in on a teaser for their next upcoming project which everyone should be incredibly excited about.
Half a bottle of Akvavit and another night in the DNT cabin later, we found our cars and began our next leg up to Trondheim. Though not quite the coastal road you see in promotional photos of Norway, the E6 did provide some breathtaking views snaking through the mountainous heartland. With a quick stopover in Lillehammer to see the Olympic torch, we continued north until we hit our planned detour along the lakes of Vågåvatn and Otta to the city of Lom. There we stared in awe of the Lom stavkyrkje, a hand-built wooden stave church with its origins dating back to around 1157-1158. Intricate details decorated the church’s trim with dragon heads and crosses extending into the open sky on every corner. Set inside a bowl of sloping mountains with a rushing river nearby, it was fun to try and imagine the people who found and settled this land making the epic journey for a place to call their own. As hard as it was, we drove off, rejoining the E6 until we reached our stay for the night on the outer limits of Trondheim.
This day off proved to be the most necessary as Andrew fell ill and required some time for rest before the next leg. Our longest push north took us on ever-climbing roads and dropping temperatures as the lush green landscape made way for the windswept yellow land inside of the Arctic Circle. After making a quick stop at the Arctic Circle entrance and gift shop, we continued our drive through the dramatic landscape. Our first wildlife sighting was a great one as a small herd of reindeer emerged from the side of the road taking their time to cross before eventually disappearing over a ridge. Not typically seen in Ohio, we both excitedly squealed over the radio and scrambled to grab our cameras to snag a shot of the fuzzy-antlered animal before it flew away. They never did. Descending the mountain top, we reentered a thick pine forest only to pop out on a winding road following the rocky coast. Weaving around bodies of water, we found our way to the town of Fauske, our northernmost stop in the route. With a temperature drop of roughly 40 degrees Fahrenheit since the beginning of our trip, we added a few extra layers of clothing and hit the town and surrounding country roads to capture some photos of the gorgeous sunset and coastal mountain scenery.
Changing directions, we headed east crossing over into Sweden and continuing to traverse the Lapland landscape. Mountain lakes, moss-covered boulders, wide open roads, and occasional reindeer highlighted the day where frequent stops were a must for both backcountry bathroom breaks and aerial photography with my DJI Mini 3. With the advice from Lasse ringing in our ears, “Just stay in Norway. It’s way more beautiful and exciting here.”
We finally made our way over the Finland border only to be greeted by flashing red and blue lights. Let it be known, I stopped out of comradery as the border patrol car pulled over Andrew in the trailing car. However, it did not spare me any of the welcome treatment. For the next hour or so, we struggled to communicate with the Finnish-speaking officers as we tried to explain that we were traveling together, living our best Top Gear lives on a huge road trip in separate cars. It did not work. We were removed from our vehicles so they could be searched, had our identification taken for review, and were separated. Stuffed into the prisoner transport’s 2×2 cell with a folding wooden bench, I could just makeout Andrew being placed in the back of a squad car through my hole-punched window. We were aggressively driven off back towards the border with officers following in our cars. At the depo, we were removed and reunited, sat down on a bench, and questioned as officers and drug dogs tore through our cars and luggage. As I sat there answering questions, all I could think was that Lasse was right and that I really hoped they would realize that my GoPro was on in the car recording the entire interaction. It was then that a short, bald, angry officer came walking our way with a yellow package in hand demanding,
“What is this? What is this?!”
Not knowing, I looked at Andrew as he replied,
“Well, that’s a surprise birthday card that I brought for him. Tomorrow is his birthday.” Andrew then turned to me. “Surprise!”
That was the first time the officer’s face broke away from the hardened stern look. Luckily, the search was satisfied with nothing to be found and we were sent on our way to our accommodation in Kemi, Finland.
We came to Finland for three things. One, to put another country on the list. Two, to drink other flavors and brands of long drink cocktails. Three, to experience a true sauna. Embraced as a way of life, the sauna is a way to cleanse the body and mind for continued health, typically followed by frigid cold waters and no small amount of beating. Being made of weaker stuff, I opted to forgo the latter two, but instead enjoyed a good prolonged sweat in our hostel’s public sauna. Having left my watch in the locker to not upset the lubricants inside, I retrieved my belongings only to realize that the time was now an hour behind due to our jumping ahead one time zone. Losing an hour in the day, we hit a nearby cafe for coffee and cold quiche, then went to a grocery store for a sampling of pre-made canned long drink cocktails. Famous for its ice castle (not really in operation at the end of summer), Kemi is a small quaint town acting as a stopover for some traveling by rail to and from Helsinki. With not much else to offer and the added bonus of it being Sunday when everything is closed, we decided to crack open a few cans and walk the long stretch of coast strewn with boats and wide open views of the surrounding water and scattered islands. The overcast sky made spotting the northern lights impossible, so we hunkered down for the night. We enjoyed a local savory pastry with two hidden hotdogs inside and planned our travels along the coast of Sweden the next day.
The next two days saw us following a slighter higher speed highway weaving in and out of forests, small lakes, and coastal shore sightlines. Another stay with a sauna to relax the body made the long back-to-back drive a bit easier and allowed for some extra energy when we finally made it to Stockholm, Sweden. We parked in the most convoluted underground parking lot we had ever seen and then hit the streets for some food and culture. With only a few hours to explore, we found a street that I can only describe as a mecca for high-end outdoor clothing and gear. We popped in and out like gophers and apologized for our appearance and smell. We stuck out like sore thumbs. Like walking through a luxury lookbook, everyone had their own elevated style with statement pieces and unique accessories. At this point, Andrew and I were dressed in all black with only our watches acting as a pop of color from our otherwise monotone looks. As we made the short drive out of the city to our last night’s stay in Sweden, we chatted a bit reflecting on the gorgeous city scenery and interesting details jutting out of every corner. We joked about how chic we were, letting our accessories be our statement pieces allowing us to blend in with the fashion-forward Swedes.
Our last drive. Dampened by the somber realization that the trip was coming to a close, we packed our bags into the hatchbacks and set off on our shortest drive over the bridge from Sweden back into Copenhagen, Denmark. Though not the most exciting drive, it provided us with an opportunity to reflect on our journey, our cars, and the kit we brought along. While we had mixed reviews of the cars (I enjoyed the Audi while Andrew described the Skoda as “just a car”) and would have made tweaks to our route, we had both made the perfect choice in watches. To be able to pack the memories into these two pieces born from the same landscapes we had traversed is something special. We relied on the watches to keep accurate time to remain on schedule and found ourselves peering into them at times when the drive turned monotonous. We flexed them in every photo, proud to have woven our own story into them.
Back in Copenhagen for our last two days, we both could not believe the distance we had covered. More than 3,500 miles in two weeks seemed to fly by as each turn in the road presented new excitement. We made fast friends, accomplished one of our childhood dreams, and got to ring in year 30 together in a fashion uniquely ours. On the depressing plane ride back to the States, we both exclaimed how excited we were to go back to Denmark and Norway as the two highlight locations. Andrew, now a converted watch fan, and I are eagerly awaiting the reveal of Straum’s next piece while quietly planning our next grand tour. Until then, we can look down at our wrists and pretend to be driving over the ridges of the Jan Mayen dial, plunging deeper into the Norwegian wilderness.
