Lovisenberg.

Today M and I woke early-ish, packed up our tent and were on the road by 12.00. Another bluebird day with the car recording a temperature of 23 degrees. We headed to the town of Risør first for a look around. It's one of Norway's oldest towns, centred around a large harbour. Steep cliffs surround the water on one side, the town to the back and the open sea to the east. The houses are beautiful and the whole place has a very loved, warm feeling to it. Makes me think of the velveteen rabbit! The cladding on the houses is thick with years of paint and nearly every garden has rose bushes creeping up the walls of the house. We stopped for kaffe og kaker (coffee and cake) at a little patisserie... The Norwegians do sweet pastries so well, and their coffee is much nicer than ours.

After a wander around the shops and a seat at the harbour watching the ancient wooden ferry motor in and out, we started our journey further north. 50 km on, we hit Kragerø, another picturesque town with a harbour cutting directly through the centre of the shops and restaurants. We had a tasty sandwich in a cafe overlooking a cobbled square, alive with splashes of vivid colour from hanging baskets of pansies, surrounding a copper fountain. It seemed most people there had arrived by boat, and had moored alongside the cafes they were in, to eat their lunch and listen to the live music drifting out over the water. What a life - M and I will live like that one day.

We found a campsite in nearby Lovisenberg and pitched our tent before walking to the sandy bay of the marina for a beer in the sun. M cooked us up an amazing spicy vegetable pasta for tea on the Trangia, and we headed out for a walk as the sun began to dip behind the hills. We didn't walk far, but at the end of the lane overlooking a freshwater lake, M noticed something swimming across the water. It was far away in the dusk light but I think it was an otter - such a treat to see one in the wild.

We headed back to the tent with our Kindles; I caught up on my holiday diary while M planned our route for tomorrow. This has been the best holiday: it feels like time has just stopped and we've seen so many beautiful places in the sun. Still 3½ days to enjoy :o)