2018 Driving In Norway – The Bald Heretic – Short, bald dude with a goofy beard

Norway – Day 1 – Oslo

We flew from Houston to Amsterdam and then on to Oslo to begin our driving tour of Norway. We did not realize that Oslo was celebrating Gay Pride today with one of the biggest parades I have ever seen. Over 35,000 marchers. And it went right past our hotel. This was fine for viewing the amazing parade. The fact that the celebrations continued until 3 am in the park across the street was less enjoyable. We found some dinner after the parade and tried our best to sleep. Tomorrow we pick up the rental car and drive to Geilo.

Norway – Day 2 – Oslo To Geilo

Today we picked up the car and headed to Geilo. Today was mostly about positioning ourselves to get to the west of Norway. Tomorrow we had to Bergen for a few days as we gear up for fjord country.

It was only about a 4 hour drive, but getting the car and stopping for a few photos and some supplies stretched this out to around 7 hours in total.

Careful when selecting a beverage. Not reading the label carefully lead to this. Not horrible, but the first sip was a surprise.

We took a small deteour to see the Kroderbanen Railroad Museum

We’re safely in Geilo (pronounced “yi-low”) now and plan to have a nice dinner and take it easy before getting up for the next part of the journey. And although there are warning signs, we think we’re pretty safe from moose attacks. Photo by Cynthia, my vigilant co-pilot

Norway – Day 3 – Geilo To Bergen

Today we drove from Geilo to Bergen across the beautiful Hardangervidda mountain plateau. We stopped to visit the Steinsdalsfossen waterfall as we got closer to Bergen. Highlight of the trip was crossing Hardanger Fjord via the newly built suspension bridge. The bridge is about 20 metres longer than the Golden Gate in San Francisco and it’s BEAUTIFUL! You can only access the bridge from a tunnel. And the tunnel has a roundabout in it. Basically, you enter the tunnel, go though the roundabout, exit directly onto the bridge. Once you cross you immediately enter another tunnel and go through another roundabout. I shot a video of the experience on the GoPro and it will be posted in a secondary update on this blog.

Temperatures at the lower levels continue to be warmer than expected, but in the mountains it is cooler and Bergen is not unpleasant. We had a fantastic dinner by the harbor at Lokalt&Lekkert. Tomorrow we explore the town.

Hardanger Fjord Suspension Bridge

Shot some GoPro video of the Hardanger Fjord Suspension Bridge. Accessible via two tunnels. Each of which contains a roundabout.

Best viewed in full screen and in high resolution. AMAZING! Soundtrack by Magna Ingress via the Free Music Archive with Creative Commons licensing.

Norway – Day 4 – Bergen

Today was just a day of hanging out in Bergen. The main thing we wanted to do was take the funicular up above the city for the magnificent views. Luckily we got there early because when we came down, the line to ride the funicular stretched around the block. One of the drawbacks of all those cruise ships in port. Tomorrow we drive to Sogndal and stop to ride the Flåmsbana train to Myrdal.

I even took some time to speak with some local barbers about ways to manage my facial hair.

Norway – Day 5 – Bergen to Sogndal

Today we drove from Bergen to Sogndal. Along the way we went to Flåm to take the Flåmsbansa train to Myrdal. Before getting to Flåm we took a detour to drive the Stalheimskleiva Road which features 13 hairpin turns and two waterfalls. After Flåm we avoided the tunnel and crossed the mountains via the Aurlandsfjellet where we encountered free roaming sheep and a view of the Aurland Fjord from the Stegastein Viewpoint. Last stop before arriving in Sogndal was the Borgund Stave Church
All in all, a great day. Tomorrow we drive toward Geiranger to see glaciers and take the Geiranger Ferry to our hotel.

Norway – Day 6 – Sogndal To Geiranger

Today we drove from Sogndal to Geiranger. Well, we drove from Sogndal to Hellesylt and then took the most scenic ferry ride in Norway to our final destination in Geiranger. The route was very scenic and tranquil, until we hit the goat traffic jam. Which was followed several miles later by a sheep traffic jam. No goats or sheep were harmed.

Tomorrow we drive to Ålesund

Norway – Day 7 – Geiranger to Alesund

Today we drive from Geiranger to Alesund. This took us up the Eagle Road and also to the infamous Trollstigen Road. Many twists and turn as we wound our way to Alesund. Great views of the Geiranger Fjord from the top of The Eagle Road

This is a GoPro video of our drive down Trollstigen

Alesund is a fantastic town and probably our favorite city in all of Norway. The city burned down in 1904 and it was rebuilt. The rebuilding adopted the Art Nouveau style of the time so the city is a throwback to that time.

Tomorrow we drive to Kristiandsun.

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