Friday August 4th, 2017
We leave home early, at 4.00 am, as our flight is at 6.35. We leave the car at one of the car parks near the airport and we reach it with a shuttle. The flight (Ryanair) is on time, we fly to Copenhagen, where later we will take the flight to Stavanger, in Norway. At the airport in Copenhagen we meet our friend Daniele. We spend some time with him in front of a slice of cake and talk a bit. Then we pass the security checks and take the flight to Norway (this time with Norwegian).
We land in Stavanger, take the car we hired (a Polo). As we leave the airport we are surprised by a sudden rain (the first rain of a long series). Before going to town, we decide to go to Sola to see a church, Ruinkirke. While we are here, the sun is shining, so we decide to eat our sandwiches. Later we reach our hotel (Clarion). It has underground parking, but it costs too much. We park along the road (always paying), but later we move the car to a free parking near the cemetery. The room is large enough even if two beds are placed almost in front of the main door. In this hotel we took a quadruple room.
We start visiting the city. It’s sunny. We are close to the center, quickly we reach the main square where there is the harbor and the cathedral. We enter the cathedral (fee). Inside it’s quite simple, the pulpit is richly decorated. We walk around the church to take a picture of the 2 bell-towers (as you see often on the postcards), but on this side the church is under restoration, we can see the 2 bell-towers, but in the center there are scaffoldings. We walk along the two sides of the harbor, then climb up the hill that is there to see the old part (Gamle Stavanger) where there are many wooden houses, all white. The little streets and the houses are very characteristic.
Then we return to the harbor area, there is a party or something, where you can visit some boats there. We decide to continue without entering and we find stalls that offer free herrings cooked in various ways. Along the pier there are also some games for children (eg wooden boats to build and then floating in a tub) and some boats engines. Then we go to the opposite side of the harbor and climb up to the Valberg tower (it is already closed), so we just look at the panorama from the bottom of the tower. We go back to the square, we move to the nearby pond.
We take the car and go to the Sverd i Fjell, a monument made of three giant swords by the sea on a rock. Going back to the hotel we stop at the Jernaldergarden, the reconstruction of an old farm. The museum is closed, but you can enter the enclosure and see the constructions from outside. There are many sheeps. From the top of the hill you can see the panorama of the city. We go out for dinner (only me and one of my friends), walk in the harbor area and eat a sandwich. We see many sailors and soldiers walking, maybe there for the party we saw in the afternoon.
After dinner, we wait for my colleague (we would have to see in the afternoon, but his daughter had a bad time at the playground and he brought her to the hospital). We spend a bit of time with him in a crowded area (which we did not see) and drink something together. It was the first time I saw him, we always talked only by phone or mail. It was nice to meet him. We go back to the hotel and go to sleep.
Saturday August 5th, 2017
After breakfast, we go to the ferry and head to Preikestolen (the rock block on the fjord that is always in pictures of Norway). We are a bit unsure whether to go or not, the weather is cloudy, there are still many people hiking (it should take about 4h going and coming back). We start walking, sometimes we have to stop because the trail is not very wide and there are so many people.
As we climb, it start raining. We decide to continue anyway. 2 of my friends are slightly ahead (I and my other friend stopped to put the raincoat). Halfway they decide to go back, but I do not see them coming back. My other friend is a little behind. When I get to the top (about 1h40) I call my friends, I was expecting they were already there, but he tells me they went back. I wait for my other friend and he reaches me after about 10 minutes.
Preikestolen is wrapped in clouds, it rains strong enough and there is wind. We take some pictures even if we do not see anything. So we start to go back. The hiking has not been very tiring, there are a few stone steps, but the path is quite sweet. During the descent several parts of the trail are flooded, we are forced to enter the water with the feet, up to the ankle. Upon arriving to the car we find our friends dry and hot. I and my friend change our clothes and dry us. We eat some food in the car. Then we go to Seljestad where we booked a cottage. We stop near a waterfall where you can see the remains of a kind of mill. When we get to the cottage, we dry our wet clothes and go out for dinner.
Even this time, 2 of them do not come. At Seljestad there is nothing, we go back to Roldal (about 10 minutes), where we find only one open place that is closing. The kitchen is already closed but they give us the chance to serve us at the buffet, there is a bit of everything, vegetables, soup, meat, fish. It’s pretty good and cheap. There would be a wooden church in the surroundings, but we decide to go home.
Sunday August 6th, 2017
After breakfast at home, we head to Eidfjord. It is cloudy and sometimes it rains. On the way there is the Latefossen waterfall, a waterfall that divides into 2 parts, while on the opposite side there is another waterfall, Espelandsfossen. After some pictures, we continue and stop at Ullensvang, see the church on the fjord and stop again, shortly after, in Kisarvik. Here we also see the church (it is about to start the mass, many girls and boys are in traditional costumes), then we reach Eidfjord where there is a cruise ship anchored.
There is not much to see in the town. We go up to the mountain to see the Voringsfossen waterfall. We see it from three different scenic spots, the last of which is near the Fossli hotel where we have lunch. In the afternoon we stop to see the Steindalsfossen waterfall , a waterfall where you can go behind, even here it rains. After a few pictures, we look at the souvenir shop, there are some really nice sweaters, but unfortunately I have no room in the luggage.
In the evening we arrive in Bergen. The hotel is not beautiful though the rooms are large enough (with ikea furniture). We go out for dinner, we would go to the theater restaurant, but it’s full. We go to Egon, a chain, where we eat a plate of meat. After dinner 2 of my friends return to the hotel, while I and my other friend go (under the rain) to take pictures to the city, especially in Bryggen (the old quarter) and in the harbor area.
Monday, August 7th, 2017
Immediately after breakfast, we take the car and climb up the hill to avoid the funicular. We do 2-3 attempts because some roads are restricted or prohibited. At the end we park and from there we continue on foot. In about half an hour we arrive at Floyen, where is the arrival of the funicular with a panoramic terrace over Bergen. There is the sun (a rarity for Bergen). After the inevitable pictures, we resume the car and park near the station (here the 24-hour car park costs less than the other car parkings in the city).
We go back to the center and go to eat (we split). After lunch we meet ourselves in the hotel and we leave immediately. We cross the fish market, stopping at a few stalls, and we reach the Bryggen, which we visit, walking a bit in the narrow streets and climbing up the top of some buildings. The sky is cloudy. At the end of the area, we continue to the fortress, consisting of two main parts. We only see it outside (crossing the courtyards).
Short break in the hotel. I and one of my friends go out almost immediately and see the Johanneskirken church near our hotel. The church has nothing special but the roof is completely in wood. We reach the other 2 friends at the hotel and we go to see the Cathedral. It is under restoration, covered with scaffolding and cannot be entered. We go back to the center and stop at the Korskirken church. It’s raining so we take advantage of it for a short break.
We walk again a bit in the harbor and Bryggen area, then we continue to see the city on the opposite side of the harbor from the Bryggen till a church. Then we go back. At the fish market we buy salami (I buy elk salami). We eat again at Egon (this time pizza buffet), then we take some pictures to the illuminated city (almost all at Bryggen). Oscar and Maddalena come back to the hotel a bit before me and Valerio.
Tuesday, August 8th, 2017
We head to Gudvangen. First stop at Evanger, which according to the guide should be quite nice. We see nothing in particular so we leave shortly thereafter. We pass by a few fjords and lakes and we arrive at the Tvindefossen waterfall. From the parking lot you reach it with a short walk.
Then we go to Gudvangen. The town is very small, there is not much to see. From here the fjord Naeroyfjord begins, Norway’s narrowest fjord. There is a large ferry going to Flam. On the shore there are also many canoeing people waiting to go for a ride in the fjord. We take a detour to go to Undredal, to see the wooden church (one of the 29 stavkirke left). The church is rather small. The ceiling is painted. Before we leave, we stop in a picnic area near the parking lot for the lunch.
We stop at Flam, but we do not like it much. The town is almost non-existent, it looks like an immense visitor center built around the train station. There is a cruise ship moored in the harbor. So we leave the village and drive up to Stegastein, a panoramic point just above Flam. Many people go there on foot. Parking is really small, but we are lucky and we can find a place. Here there is a blocked bus, which does not go anymore and blocks the passage a bit.
Stegastein’s balcony is sloping, but looks solid. We pass through Flam and we go to Laerdal. We stop to visit the town. There is no one around. First we see the church (it is closed), but from the windows we can see the interior. Then we go to the ancient part where there are numerous old wooden buildings. At Laerdal we take the longest tunnel in Europe (24km), the limit is 80km so it takes a bit crossing it. We reach Borgund where there is another stavkirke, which we visit inside. After the visit we go to the chalet we booked, Maristuen Fjellferie Borgund. It’s pretty big , but there is nothing near. We eat at home (tomato pasta) and after dinner we go to a nearby pond (continuing on the road). It’s cold.
Wednesday August 9th, 2017
After breakfast we go to Kaupanger by taking a ferry. In Kaupanger we visit the stavkirke, it is a little bigger than the previous one and there is a group of tourists. In Solvorn there is the queue to get on the ferry and the small parking lot near the pier is full, we find it a short distance away and leave the car. We take the ferry and walk up to Urnes stavkirke. We go quickly and pass over other people on foot because on the guide it is written that the guided tour begins shortly after the arrival of the ferry and we don’t want to wait for the next one.
Then we visit the church listening to the explanations of the guide (in English and French), then we stop at a picnic area for lunch. We continue to Grodas where we booked the hotel. We stop at 2 points to see the glacier. At Fjaerdal, following a little road we arrive at a small area where we leave the car. A few meters further there is the creek, but it is forbidden to continue as there is the danger of some ice pieces falling from the glacier upstairs (several meters up there, there is a steep rocky wall).
According to the various guides it was possible to reach the glacier, probably in the past years when the glacier also covered the rocky wall. We stop shortly after Boyabreen, there is a restaurant and a pond under the glacier. Even here the glacier does not come lower than it once was. It’s hot, but near the lake you feel the cold of the glacier. So we reach the First Hotel in Grodas: we get a beautiful room, with lake view and balcony. In the town there is not much so we choose to dine at the hotel (buffet dinner). After dinner we walk through the lakeshore and take some pictures.
Thursday August 10th, 2017
After breakfast we go to Hellesylt, where there is the ferry (which we booked in advance) that will take us to Geiranger, crossing the Geirangerfjord, one of the most beautiful in Norway. While we wait for the ferry we get some food and fuel. Near the ferry there is a waterfall. The ferry takes about 1 hour, there are a lot of people, the weather is not the best (cloudy, some rain drops and a sun beam). Along the fjord we see some farms and waterfalls (among the others, the most famous “The Seven Sisters” and “The Pretender”).
In Geiranger there is a bit of confusion, traffic, many people, there is a moored cruise ship. We go (by car) to Flydalsjuvet, a panoramic spot above the fjord. We have to wait a while because there is a bus stopped blocking the parking entrance. After the pictures we descend and go up the opposite side of Ornesvingen, another panoramic point from which we take some pictures to the fjord. While we go to Trollstigen, we take a ferry and stop buying strawberries along the way.
We stop at Gudbrandsjuvet, a gorge we did not find on our guides. There is the creek that passes through this narrow gorge and above it, some panoramic walkways were built. We continue and before we arrive at Trollstigen we stop for lunch. It is cold and there is wind.
At Trollstigen, we go on the scenic walkways from which you can see the bendy road that goes down the valley (and we will drive there shortly). While we are here, there are clouds that hide the whole panorama. Then we go to Alesund, at the First Atlantica hotel. The rooms are nice and big enough but dark. We go around the city, there’s wind and it’s raining. There are some houses in Jugendstyle. In the church there is a concert. We have dinner again at Egon.
Friday August 11th, 2017
Day dedicated mainly to move to reach Trondheim (from which we will take the flight for Lofoten). We take a detour to go to the Atlantic Road, somewhat overvalued on all the guides. It is definitely panoramic with curved and sloping bridges, but it was not worth the loss of an hour for the detour. In the late afternoon we arrive in Trondheim, we eat at the hotel (there are waffles, tea and coffee free), and then go to the cathedral.
The visit time is over, but there is a religious function, some prayers (in German, Norwegian and English) with organ music. It’s pleasant. As we sit we admire the cathedral. At the end of the function, we take a tour, but we cannot take pictures. Then we see the cathedral outside, the nearby archbishop’s palace, the ancient quarter with all the piles on the river.
Then we go to dinner at the hotel (included in the room booking, and after dinner we go out for a tour of the city. In the main square there is a rally of American cars, there are really many of them.We watch a bit, then we go on to the cathedral and the old neighborhood to take pictures with the lights on. Before returning to the hotel, we move the car in front of the hotel to be more comfortable in the morning.
Saturday August 12th, 2017
From the hotel, after breakfast, we go straight to the airport to take the plane to Lofoten. After being landed and taking the car, we head to Kabelvag, stopping at a panoramic point. When we arrive at the village we do not find the cottage we had booked. We ask to a person and she tell us where the reception is (in the village, a bit distant, we did not realize it was indicated on the booking.) We settle down and we eat. After dinner we go to Henningsvaer, stopping at Rorvik Beach.
Sunday August 13th, 2017
In the morning the sun is shining, I take a few pictures around our house. Today we will reach the southern point of Lofoten, at A. We stop at Ramberg for the beach, very wide and long, there are clouds, but when it pops up a little sunshine, it changes color, it is very beautiful. The village of A is small, we leave the car in the main car parking and walk a little by foot. Then we go south to the southern point, where we should see the vortexes in the sea, but we see nothing, maybe we should climb the hill behind. There is a strong wind.
Then we stop in Reine, another small town, in a beautiful location, surrounded by mountains. We decide not to hike at the mountain from where people usually takes pictures. Reading the descriptions seems pretty hard, and time is not the best. Returning home, we stop at Skagsanden beach where there are numerous surfers. We also stop at Nusfjord, another small town, today open-air museum. You need to pay a ticket to enter. We visit some buildingss, but we do not have time to see them all, as it’s almost the closing time (we do not see the warehouse). In the evening we stay at Kabelvag.
Monday August 14th, 2017
Last day to see the Lofoten. We go to Gimsoya, where there is a beach, then go to the Viking Museum of Leknes. It costs €20, it seems a bit too much, it’s all rebuilt and there is a fake Viking ship that goes around the sea. It seems like a tourist thing. In the end we decide not to see it. We go to Haukland Beach, another one on the guides.
As soon as we step down from the car heavy rain hits us and soon we get completely wet. We pass the tunnel to see the next beach, but the road has a toll, we do not understand how to pay (there is an IBAN on a sign) so we go back to the previous beach and take some pictures. There is strong wind but it is no longer raining. We go home, we dry ourselves and then we go out again.
We see the Lofoten cathedral outside, then we go to Svolvaer, another small town. As we return home, we go to Storvagan (attacked at Kabelvag) where there is an aquarium. Time for visiting is over, but the gate is still open and we can see the pools (outdoors) with the otters and the seals. While we are there a boy arrives to close the gate, so we hurry to get out. After dinner we go to Skulpturlandskap Nordland, there should be various sculptures, we find only a mirror that deforms us. We play a bit, then we go home.
Tuesday August 15th, 2017 – Norway Day 12
We leave the house, we head towards the airport that is far away. We stop to take some pictures along the road. When we are almost at the airport we try to stop on a beach, but it seems we can not reach it, so we go to the nearby village of Evenskjer where we have lunch. Then we take the flight to Oslo, with a stop in Trondheim, then from Oslo we take one to Milan. We arrive home at midnight.
