Cruising Norwegian Landscapes

 Sunday

22 September 

Day 84

12 to go

We had the alarm going off at 6.45am. Despite our bedroom being right on the cobbled street outside, it was pretty quiet over night and we slept ok. We were up and into it, knowing we needed to be out by 7.30am. We did it easily and were out in the cool on time. It was lovely on the street, it was so quiet and while there was cloud about it was clear. 

We walked some steep cobbled roads between beautiful wooden homes all the way to the wharf. The water was like glass, reflecting the buildings of Bryggen and the forested mountains behind. We followed the path to the tourist information centre and waited for our bus to arrive. We didn’t have long to wait. All the travellers piled into the bus, as usual there were stragglers and no shows.

We drove until 9.15am, where we stopped in Dale for a quick coffee and pee stop. The hour previous had seen us travel through many tunnels. Often we would enter experiencing fog and then exit in sun. There were plenty of things to see, unfortunately it was mostly from the left side windows. What I could see was forests and lakes and strings of low cloud. 

At 9.30am we were back in the bus and heading for a waterfall, however we did a quick stop in Voss at 10.15 to check out the view over the clouded lake. I had had a bit more of a view during this section of driving, with the landscape opening up on the right.

At 10.35am, we reached the Tvindefossen, twin waterfall. We had 20 minutes to explore the area and gaze on the water pouring over the rocks from the top. It was very impressive and a good chance to stretch out again. 

We were back on the bus at 10.55am and ready to continue to Gudvangen. We passed by Oppsheimvatnet, a beautiful lake, mirroring the landscape. Unfortunately we did not stop here, I would have liked to take photos, other than the fleeting ones through the window.

We arrived in Gudvangen by 11.35am. We had a short time to have a bite to eat and then a quick Look around. It was very foggy, so we couldn’t see much of the Naeroyfjord in front of us. We joined the ferry line at 11.50am, boarding with the hoards. 

We found a spot inside initially. but I soon relocated to the very front for a view. This was hampered by the fog that was just hanging around. We got glimpses, at times, of how magnificent the landscape was, but we really needed a clear day to appreciate it fully. 

Moving between inside and outside was the way spent the next two hours. Getting a cold blast and then warming the extremes inside.

The last 15 minutes of our ferry ride saw the fog finally begin to lift and the spectacular beauty of the sheer mountains was on display. Flam, our destination was bathed in wonderful sunlight and it was warming our bones.

We disembarked at 1.50pm and began a leisurely wander of the town. We walked through a small market area before reaching a Viking church that now houses a brewery. It was a very cosy space with a fire burning amongst communal seating.  We made ourselves at home. Paul rang home, things on the baby front are on the move, so we might hear news tomorrow. He was happy, as he ordered a stout, but it was only the dregs left, so he chose an IPA instead, they then gave him the dregs of the stout for free and later gave him a pint of it, when the new keg had been tapped. He wasn’t about to say no to free beer. 

At 2.35pm, we made our way to the meeting point. Thankfully everyone was accounted for and we were on our way to the stegastein lookout 30 minute drive away. In kilometres it probably wasn’t that far, but it was a single lane road with plenty of hairpin turns and on coming traffic. It was pretty hair raising, if you dared to peer over the road edge. 

At 3.10pm, Thomas parked the van and we had 20 minutes to check out the view from the platform. What a view it was. The fog filled the valley below, but we could clearly see the top of the mountains surrounding it. The sun was out and it was just magnificent. 

At 3.30pm, we returned to the van and the hairpins, making our way back to Flam, where some our passengers were getting off to catch a train back. We dropped them off at 4pm then made the 20 minute journey to Gudvangen, where we had caught the ferry from. A bit of a difference in time travel. 

We stayed at Gudvangen until 4.50pm and then we began the two hour return journey to Bergen. It was long and tight. The bus seats were not very wide, so we were jostling for space and in need of stretching out, but we just had to deal with it. The view was still very impressive. As we returned via the same route, we had the better view on the way home. It also helped that the fog had lifted. 

The sight of Bergen was a relief, we pulled in next to the tourist information centre at 7.20pm, glad for what we did, but buggered. We made our way to a little Vietnamese restaurant, Enjoy Saigon, just down from our apartment and grabbed a table, ordering up a couple of fresh dishes which we thoroughly enjoyed. It was the perfect ending to a great day.