We'd decided to break-up the journey into two halves. The first day would see us take the Sognefjellsvegen, a road winding its way through a beautifully harsh landscape that would continue to amaze us with every crest and turn. Apparently, it is the highest mountain pass in Northern Europe! On the second, we would drive from our quaint little hotel near Lom, along the remainder of the Sognefjellsvegen, all the way to Geiranger, some 3 or 4 hours drive away.
As you can see from our photos (
Our Norway Flickr page), the landscape and the weather changed constantly. The drive up to the Elveseter hotel was quite a short one, although entirely spectacular, and thoroughly enjoyable from a driving perspetive (If only we had the Datto!). I don't think there was a single piece of straight road for the entire time, and whenever we thought we'd seen the end of the gorgeous scenery, another bend would unwind to reveal another captivating vista. We arrived at the hotel mid-afternoon, and decided to take the short hike up to the summit of the hill behind the Elveseter. Turned out to be rather hard work actually! Having said that, the views across the plateau to the surrounding mountains and ice caps were probably worth it, and salved our conscious before the hearty Norwegian dinner that we tucked into one we got back!
The thing I enjoyed most about the walk was the really interesting contrast to the vast, rugged landscapes we had previously driven through. Delicate mushrooms and toad stolls dotted the track, along with wild strawberries and rasberries that Fiona gobbled up with glee. The only sounds came from the bells, and occasional bleats, from the local goats.
We left the rushing river outside our room and continued the next morning. It was another 2 - 3 hours in the car, so we settled in. The beautiful landscapes continued unabated, and twisting roads and passes kept driving more than interesting. On the approach to Geiranger we found the Dalsnibbavegan, which had been recommended to us by our friends on the glacier walk. The Dalsnibbavegan is essentially a single lane dirt road up a mountain......without barriers. Needless to say when the fog rolled in half-way up and we couldn't see the end of the bonnet, we took it fairly cautiously. We finally reached the top, and when the clouds parted, we were greeted not only by freezing cold gales, but an expansive view of the mountain valley right down Geirangerfjord itself.
Arrving in Geiranger, we hit the supermarkets, and found the little camping ground on the outskirts of town. Settling nicely onto the deck of our bungalow, we enjoyed a barbecue chook and beer while we watched the enormous cruise ships drifting off to their next destination.
The following day was spent primarily on the water, cruising up the fjord in our little 10HP outboard dinghy that we hired from the campsite. The cliffs surrounded us on all sides, the water was inky black and we were by ourselves, free to meandre at our own pace, and linger before the many waterfalls that tumbled down from above. We had a beautiful clear day, although as we returned to Geiranger around five hours later, the breeze had picked up, and the resulting choppy water led to Fee (our able captain at the time) getting a drenching. I was sympathetic of course - as much as I could be doubled over.
We dried off and had another nice Norwegian meal at a quiet little restaurant in town (the crowds disappear with the cruise ships). Afterwards, we sat on the jetty, admiring the local jellyfish, and the crystalline waters of the fjord. We were happy.
Our final day in Norway was pretty much entirely spent in the car save for a brief sojourn to the briksdalbreen glacier, which you can see below.
