Aurlandsfjord and Nærøyfjord

Fjord Cruise

Our fjord cruise doesn’t start too early so we have time to have a relaxing breakfast at our hotel. It is always nice to not have to rush in the morning.

We board the cruise from Flam to Gudvangen and find comfortable seats as our base downstairs where we have a panoramic view. There are a few floors of decks outside that are standing room only so we alternate going inside and out to admire different things during our cruise. Some of us already saw some of this journey the evening before during our RIB boat tour but it is nice to have more of a panoramic view from the large ferry – which is electrical thus reducing the emissions.

We arrive at the even smaller town of Gudvangen. I cannot believe it is even smaller than the town Flam but it is. The major attraction here besides boating is the working Viking village you can visit. We drop off our bags at the Viking village to go get lunch at one of maybe two restaurants in the town. I end up ordering a very large dish of meatballs.

We walk back to the Viking village and wait for the 2:00 PM tour. My friend tries ax throwing as we wait.

The tour guide takes us around the village which acts as a living village. People come from all the world to live and work here, in fact the girl from the entrance is from Minnesota. We learn about metal working, textiles, weapons, and boat making among other things. It is a very educational day in a charming Viking town. I even try archery. I am not great at it but perhaps in time I could be better.

We try one of the local beers and go to catch the bus that is the next leg of our journey. The bus will take us to the train that will take us to Bergen. We have one stop along the way to admire the views.

Finally we are on our train to Bergen. We are getting in later than I’d like. We find a restaurant still serving meals later. It is our splurge meal. I decide to take a chance and order the reindeer steak. I am pleased with my choice. It is similar to beef and not gamey at all. I also order a rhubarb trifle for desert. This is probably one of the best meals I’ve had in Norway so far, and I am paying a good amount for it.

My friend talks me into staying out for one drink even though it is close to midnight (way past my bedtime). It is difficult here because even at midnight, the darkest it will be, it isn’t even fully dark. I would be tricked into thinking it was earlier than it is if my body wasn’t so tired.

Tomorrow we explore Bergen a bit.

Olso and train to Flam

I have an early morning flight this morning from Alesund to Oslo to meet up with some friends for a fjord adventure. I book a flight too early – I am disappointed with myself because now I have to take a $60 cab ride to the airport because my flight time is too early for me to take the airport bus. I find myself not getting enough sleep last night and it is imperative I rest up so I have energy to hang out with my friends. Not much downtime is expected in this upcoming week.

I arrive in Oslo contemplating waiting two hours or so to meet up with my friend “A” at the airport who will be coming in on her international flight. I decide to wait and find a cafe open at arrivals. I order breakfast and take advantage of WiFi to get some planning done.

Eventually A arrives and we take the airport train into central Oslo. It takes a couple minutes longer than it should to find our hotel that is very close to the train station. It seems that google doesn’t give us the best directions in this area.

Our room is ready early so we are able to check in. We drop our bags and head out to lunch. We eat at a cool street food area called barcode. “A” enjoys a vegan burger while I try a mix of street tacos. After lunch we walk around by the water. One might consider this mild weather back home where I live but here they are experiencing a heatwave and everyone is out sunning along the piers near the water. It is Sunday and everyone seems to be enjoying the day. We admire the modern architecture and nicer cafes in the area. We still have some time to kill before our other friend arrives so we visit the Munch Museum.

The Munch Museum (Munchmuseet), named for the famous Norwegian artist Edvard Munch, has exhibits that displays his famous artworks as well as interactive exhibits about his life. I am impressed with this smaller museum. We enjoy our time here. Apparently the museum has multiple Scream paintings and they rotate them in and out from time to time.

We head back to the hotel to briefly rest until our other friend D arrives. She has an even harder time finding the hotel so we go on a rescue mission to find her. She unloads her bags and we meet up with one of her friends T; T lives locally and met D many years ago while she was on an exchange program in the USA. We walk down the popular Karl Johans Gate and have a nice Italian dinner at an outdoor cafe. We watch seagulls bang their big beaks on the plates of the non-bussed table next to us while others shoo the birds away. We have a good conservation getting to know the new friend. Being all jet lagged (me not really but I woke up too early this morning) we head back to our hotel. We are meeting up early in the morning to go on our two day tour of the fjords.

The next morning

The plan is to meet in the train station about 45 minutes before our train is to leave. We all have assigned seats but 2 of the group booked later and have individual seats elsewhere. We want to try to move all together. When we get on the train we realize this just isn’t possible because the train is very full. The first train is about 4 1/2 hours. We spend the time talking, visiting the cafeteria car and looking at some of the views. Our next train is supposed the be the best scenic train but there is still plenty to see out our windows.

The next train we have from Myrdal to Flam is the old style train where there are no assigned seats. We rush onto the train to try to get seats together. Jury is still out whether there is a good side or bad side to sit. We feel like there is a good view and you’ll feel like you are missing stuff no matter what side you sit on. The only bad thing is the train gets a little stuffy and you are not able to leave the windows open due to the train being really loud, especially in the tunnels. The breaks have to work hard on this steep train.

We do cool down at our stop at a large waterfall. We feel the water and the mist on us while we take photos. All of sudden music plays and a woman comes out to do a siren dance. It is a show of Huldra, a siren who lures men into the mountains. It is quite unexpected and entertaining.

Huldra

We eventually get to the town of Flam and check into our charming hotel. We grab a quick meal because we are all heading out to excursions this afternoon. We eat at the local brewery in town.

Two of us ride an RIB boat around the fjord. Our enthusiastic guide stops the boat frequently to point out sights along the way. It was expecting a rough ride but it ends up being calming. I am toasty and cozy in my suit that is provided to protect again cold and possible capsizing. I find the boat at times almost putting me to sleep.

At the end we stop at Undredal a town famous in real life for its brown goat cheese and in the fantasy world it is said to inspire the movie Frozen. The goats free roam along the mountains and come in at set times to get milked. A couple different common cheeses are made but one local cheese stands out because it is cooked and caramelized to make a distinct brown cheese. Many say it tastes nutty to them. I think it does taste nutty a little but still seems like a cheese to me. The only difference is the texture is vastly different from any other cheese you’ve had. We got to try these local cheeses as well as one sausage.

We head back from our cruise and our entire group meets up again. We decide another meal is in order. It seems like the places that still serve food at this time is extremely limited so we end up back at our trusty brewery. I share a hummus platter with my friend. It is very good.

Tomorrow we have our cruise. More on that later.

Solvorn to Ålesund

Fortunately I am at another hotel that has breakfast included and I don’t have to leave so early to miss it. I am heading to Ålesund (west coast of Norway) to return the rental car today and I am relieved because I am tired of driving. First I want to visit a stave church at the nearby village of Ornes (Urnes Stave church). The church doesn’t open until 10:30 AM and there is a ferry ride to get there. The ferry leaves from the small town of Solvorn. While waiting for the 10 AM ferry I walk around town along the water. Also during this time I have a chance to evaluate the ferry situation and realize that it is loads of trouble to take your car on this kind of ferry since you have to back it in. The walk once you get off the ferry is only 15-20 minutes to the church (says the nearby sign). The best idea seems to be to leave the car at the port and walk onto the ferry instead; most of the people here decide to do the same. Backing in the car seems too complicated and a perfect scenario to go wrong.

The ferry ride is relatively short but pretty. Once we get to the other side it is apparent that the walk to the church is entirely uphill. I guess I need a cardiovascular workout anyway since most of my day will be spent driving.

Once at the top they are about to open the Urnes Stave church (a UNESCO protected church) in a few minutes for a tour. It is one of the oldest preserved stave churches in Norway with a piece of the building going back to 1100’s. Many of such churches were destroyed or fell apart due to neglect for various reasons over time. The name stave represents the columns used to construct this style of church. Due to many additions over the years additional supporting beams had to be added because basically people building the additions had no construction or engineering experience. The church is a nice mix of old medieval styles. You can see the distinct animal scenes on the outside. There used to be over a thousand of such churches around the country but now only 28 remain. Norway takes good care to protect the churches that are left.

After a visit to the church I swiftly walk down the hill because the ferry is to return in 20 minutes and I dont want to wait another hour for the next one. Fortunately I make it. The drive ahead is long and there are more delays. I eventually make it to the airport around 6:00 PM. The rental counter is already closed for the day so I drop the keys in the drop area and head out to the bus to take me to Alesund city.

Alesund is an old fishing town that is know for its Art Noveau architecture. I admire the architecture and get an early dinner. Yes it is pizza again. I try to get Mexican tonight but the Mexican restaurant is full with no seats available. I don’t have the patience to wait.

Many of these pics are taken after 9 pm. Lots of light here.

I fully expect to get a good night’s sleep and let my body wake up whenever it wants but the universe has another plan. It seems like someone has set some dumb alarm clock on the TV and it turns on loudly at 6 am. When I wake up I am rarely able to go back to sleep. I enjoy the full breakfast downstairs and then take my time to head out to enjoy town. I could have planned hiking up a hill or taking a cruise to an island to look at some birds but I do none of that; instead I leisurely walk around a normally quiet city that is alive today with people running a marathon and daily cruise ship visitors. I spend some time watching a charming band playing music as they ride a boat in the canal.

I catch lunch at a tapas place because the fish and chips line is taking too long.

I stop in some shops and then pick up some snacks for my travels tomorrow.

I spend the rest of the afternoon trip plannning because I am behind and I meet with my friends tomorrow. I doubt I’ll get any “work” done once I join my friends so I have to take my planning time whenever I can get it. Eventually I’ll get to the point where the rest of my travels are planned and I just enjoy. I am sure it will come soon enough.

Plethora of Trolls from last couple days

I am happy to meet up with friends tomorrow but sad to leave this region so soon. I cut my time here short to save money since it is expensive to travel around Norway compared to other countries I am visiting. If I were to plan this trip again I would double the time here, take the drives slower and maybe do some hikes along the way. Another place to add back to the list.

Norway: Beautiful Views and Long drives

After breakfast I head out early to my longest day of driving. I first have to take a ferry and then I am on my way to Trollstigen, a scenic driving road in Norway.

Some last pictures of the fjord at Ørnevegen (scenic spot) before I head on the ferry.

Lots of ferries involved in a Norway road trip

The road is already starting to get scenic before I even get to the real curvy part. We are obviously on some sort of peak. It is white and beautiful. I enjoy the scenery and take a few pictures before I move on to the Trollstigen viewpoint.

Not too far away is an observation area of the famous pass. I admire all the curves and try to get up the courage to start my journey. The land in the distance is so green and vast. It is very beautiful to see.

I start the ride down. Interestingly enough Cheap Trick’s Surrender plays while I am driving down Trollistigan. I am surrendering to the road one can say. Luckily I am in a smaller car and I am patient with the buses who need to stop frequently and take turns navigating through narrow spots. These drivers are skilled to do this all the time. I stop at the bottom and stand in line to take a photo with the troll sign that marks the journey – unfortunately I arrive at the parking lot just after a tour bus arrives so I have to wait forever patiently for my turn.

Now I am on my way to Lom and then Sognefjellet, a historic pass road. I make a pit stop to take some roadside troll pictures. I love these trolls!

Then I get my first gas station hotdog and find a real diet Coke. Apparently gas station hot dogs are a popular route for road trippers because you don’t really see many restaurants or fast food options available in this part of Norway. My hotdog isn’t impressive but keeps the hunger away for now. Also this is the first real Diet Coke I’ve seen in months (or coke light the equivalent). It seems like parts of Europe I’ve visited lately only carry regular coke or Coke Zero and I dislike Splenda and Stevia equally. When I want something other than coffee or water I’ve been splurging on regular cokes and I really don’t like consuming that much sugar on the regular.

I am starting to regret that stop for the hotdog because between that and a 30 minute road closure I miss the Lom Stave church visit by 5 minutes. I am too late to enter but smell the wood and smokey smell from the outside. It would have been cool to see the inside but this is over two hours from my hotel tonight so it won’t be feasible tomorrow.

I go in the direction of my hotel tonight taking another historic route: Sognefjellsvegen – The National Tourist Route. Beautiful vistas, snow topped mountains. I see old grave sights and cross country skiers. So many lovely vistas I have seen in one day alone.

But alas I am exhausted and happy when I get to my hotel for the night in the town of Laegrid. It is still bright as can be but after such a long day I just want to rest after a lackluster pizza. Tomorrow I am going to attempt to visit another stave church nearby plus I have a another long day of driving.

Norway: Geirangerfjorden

The next couple days are essentially spent in the car. I have planned a couple stops in the middle of the fjords in central Norway and everything is a long drive to get there.

I fly from Stavanger to Oslo then I am suppposed to catch a flight to Alesund. There are two alesund flights at the same time but I don’t realize it and see the gate number for the first one that catches my eye; the gate is across the airport a couple terminals over from where I land. The flight in question starts boarding and I realize it must be the wrong flight because the flight number doesn’t match ; but really what alerts me is the star alliance announcement because I didn’t think I was on a star alliance flight. I am waiting at the wrong flight. I have to run back across the airport and I’m sure I’ve missed my flight. While I am running my metal water bottle crashes on the tile floor and it seems like the loudest thing I’ve ever heard. Luckily the previous flight is still exiting the plane. I feel like in most cases the gate would already be closed and I’d have to book another flight. Sure got my cardio in this morning. Way to elevate that heart rate.

I fly into Alesund. My flight is very empty so I move to the window seat in my row to get the great view.

The airport is small and it takes no time at all to get my bag and get out the door. I pick up my rental car which of course is another brand new vehicle I am going to worry about hurting. It is bigger than I like but hopefully it takes the mountain pass roads well. As far as driving I am finding Norwegian drivers (or tourists here) to be polite and conscientious drivers. Despite the tight roads it seems safe enough. I do see one camper van take out part of another camper van’s mirror in a tight spot.

There are lots of tunnels at the beginning of my drive and one ferry before I reach the ferry I have planned in advance, the Geirangerfjord ferry ride – a must do if you are in the region.

My ticket is for the 3:30 PM Geirangerford ferry in Hellyst which is a good thing because I arrive just as the 12:30 PM ferry is leaving. I want to make sure my ticket is accurate and I can leave my car to get lunch but the one younger man working the car line seems flustered and overwhelmed. It seems there is confusion over tickets and quite a few ended up missing their 12:30 PM ferry so he is bombarded with those people as well as those who have arrived for the next ferry without tickets yet. I patiently wait and finally get his attention to find out my ticket is accurate and where to place my car to wait. I head off to look for food. It seems like there is only one open restaurant in this town and seems to be pizza only. I visit the local supermarket instead and get some berries and ingredients for a do it yourself sandwich. Picnic tables along the water are perfect to watch boats and birds while I eat my lunch. I take a short walk around the town to visit the water fall and a historic bathing house. There is still more time to wait so I go back to my car to read and try to nap.

Eventually the ferry arrives and we drive onboard. This ride is over an hour so after you park below it is essential to go upstairs and get a view of the fjords. It is supposed to be one of the most scenic ferry rides and it is. Some sights are pointed out on the way and one of them is the seven sisters waterfall.

I drive off the ferry in Geiranger and there is a cute tourist town by the water. My only concern at this point is checking into my hotel though so I drive up the hill in that direction. There are many steep switchbacks to get to the hotel and with each one it is becoming more apparent that my plan of heading into town for dinner is not going to happen because I will not have the energy to walk back up tonight. You need to be in fantastic shape to even be a tourist in Norway it seems. Luckily the hotel has a restaurant. The menu is limited but I decide to treat myself to a steak. Before dinner I admire the views of the town from above.

I wish I had planned two nights in Geiranger so I could have had a day to relax in town. I am too tired tonight to make the trip down to town and I have too much driving to do tomorrow to add on a visit to town in the morning, Maybe I will return sometime in the future.