Drokpa Journal

Dates Traveled: July 2008

Alesund

Now that I’ve gotten the bombshell out of the way in the previous entry, it’s time to go back in time and talk a bit about my quick trip in Norway.

Our boat docked in Kristiansund on the west coast of Norway on July 2, and I immediately caught a 4-hour bus to Alesund. Even from that first taste of the country I knew I was going to enjoy my two weeks of wandering - the weather was beautiful and there were many mountains, lakes, and fjords to see. There were also numerous quaint villages with red wooden houses perched on bright green hillsides. Idyllic.

Once I dropped my bags I set off into town for a look around. I’d say that I had to hurry before nightfall, but of course in the summer months in Norway it never really gets dark. I found myself relying on that a lot, and enjoyed the feeling of never being pressed for time. Of course it can also work to your disadvantage, as you never think it’s time for bed.

Alesund burned to the ground in 1904 and has been rebuilt in the Art Nouveau tradition, so it was a beautiful little town to wander aimlessly. Some of the buildings along the waterfront were especially picturesque. I also climbed up the local lookout for the view down to the town and surrounding islands.

The following morning I boarded a bus for a day-trip to the fjords northeast of Alesund. The bus first made the climb up to the pass along the Troll’s Path road - a steep road full of hair-pin bends. The rugged outcrops along the way were very scenic, and often sported cascading waterfalls.  Down the other side we proceeded to the small town of Geiranger, which sits serenely at the head of the Geirangerfjord. There were a few large cruise ships docked at the time so the town was full of tourists, but it was a nice place to sit and have lunch while admiring the view.

We next boarded a boat for the trip along the Geirangerfjord - my first fjord trip. It was a beautiful trip along a rugged fjord in perfect weather. We passed several waterfalls - the most famous of which is known as the Seven Sisters for the seven separate falls. It was easy to appreciate why that area became a Unesco World Heritage Site - it was beautiful.

Bergen

The following day I left Alesund on a bus bound for Bergen, arriving there in the early evening in time to see the World Heritage waterfront in the light of dusk. The following day I simply wandered aimlessly around Bergen - especially enjoying the narrow streets on the hillside overlooking the city center. I passed through Bergen on a few occasions and always enjoyed my time there. It has a great atmosphere and is an easy place to lose track of time - wiling away the hours in an outdoor cafe watching the world go by. Less ideal was the cost of that idleness - a single mug of beer set me back US$15!

Stavanger

The following morning I hopped a boat and made my way to Stavanger, arriving there in the evening. As per my norm I found a place to stay, dumped my bags, and then walked around to see what was on offer. I eventually found my way to Gamle (Old) Stavanger, an area of cobblestone paths through well-preserved 18th century homes. Dinner was the most expensive Indian meal I’ve ever had. It followed closely on the heels of the most expensive Chinese meal I’ve ever had, and preceded the most expensive pizza I’ve ever had. If you haven’t gotten the hint, Norway is expensive!

Around 7 the following morning I was standing at the pier waiting for my ship (ferry) to come in. On the other end I hopped a bus to a trailhead, and then set out on the 1-hour hike to Preikestolen, or Pulpit Rock - my reason for heading down to Stavanger in the first place. Preikestolen is a flat stone platform approximately 25 meters square, with a vertical drop of about 600 meters to the Lysefjord below. When I arrived I had the place to myself, so walked to the edge, dropped to my stomach, and peered over the edge. Standing up could be a bit unnerving at times, as the gusty wind was strong enough to knock me off balance, but it was great fun. Before the masses arrived I decided to see it from a different perspective,  and so climbed upwards. I ended up with some nice views back down to Pulpit Rock, along the fjord, and over the outcrops of the area.

I dropped back down to Preikestolen to once again hang off the edge - this time I wanted photographic proof, and there were enough people around to oblige. Unfortunately, none of them seemed capable of taking a decent photo! I snapped a few of myself, but never did get the overall shot I wanted - me with my head and arms over the edge of the abyss. Looks like I’ll have to go back…

As the rains began in earnest I back-tracked the hike, bus, and ferry to Stavanger. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to check out the Oil Museum. The North Sea is rich in oil deposits, and I’d heard good things about the museum - even from those not in the business, so was hoping to find time to visit. However, I couldn’t justify an extra day in Stavanger simply for that, and so I caught the next boat back to Bergen.

Something else I didn’t have time to see was Kjeragbolten. Also along the Lysefjord, but a longer round-trip hike to visit, it’s a large boulder wedged between two cliffs. The photos look stunning - a person standing on the chockstone with nothing but air underneath down to the fjord far below. I actually contemplated sticking around an extra day for that hike, but I’m glad I didn’t. I’d talked to someone at Pulpit Rock who was planning on heading to Kjeragbolten the following day. When I crossed paths with her a few days later I learned that heavy rains kept her from going, so I’d have lost a day for nothing, and I didn’t really have time to lose on such a quick trip. Next time.

Hardangerfjord

Norway is well-accustomed to tourists with limited time wanting to see the various fjords, so I took advantage of the opportunity and did a trip the following day to Hardangerfjord - the second longest fjord in Norway. It was a self-guided train-bus-ferry-bus-boat-bus round-trip day from Bergen. The boat along the scenic Hardangerfjord was nice, with many small farms and orchards perched on the gentle slopes of the fjord.

Sognefjord Area

The next morning I finally said goodbye to Bergen and caught a boat bound for the Sognefjord - the longest (204 kms.) and deepest (1308 m.) fjord in Norway. We stopped in various villages along the way to drop off and pick up passengers, and I finally followed the departing passengers in Balestrand. From there I changed immediately to another ferry headed up the Fjaerlandfjord to the village of Fjaerland.

Fjaerland is a small farming village of 300 people known for numerous second-hand book shops, and for being an area where glaciers of the Jostedalsbreen icecap are accessible. I walked to a book shop doubling as the tourist information center to see if there were any villagers who rented rooms in their home for the night. Loaded with maps of the hikes in the area, and a potential place to sleep, I set out to find my bed for the night. A friendly local woman met me at the door of her home, showed me the room, the toilet, gave me a few ‘rules’, and I was settled. I quickly dumped my gear and set out on a hike, eventually ending up in a beautiful bowl at the head of the valley, which I had all to myself.

I arrived back in ‘town’, showered, and set out to find some dinner, only to discover that everything (that would be the one official restaurant) in town closed at 6 PM. It was 6:30. Doh! No dinner for me that night. During that same little walk around the shops I also discovered that nothing was going to open until 10 the following morning - now those are my kind of hours (unless of course I’m trying to get a meal - then I’m not impressed).

After a lazy start the following morning, out of necessity, I headed to the ‘cafe’. It turns out they do one thing - hot dogs. Uhhh - hot dogs for breakfast it is, then. I next proceeded to the grocery store to stock up on snacks for the day, since I knew I’d be back in town after 6 PM and had learned my lesson the previous day. Next on the list - I needed some transportation for the day, so rented a bicycle.

Well stocked and eager to get going, I hopped the bike and pedaled around the head of the fjord, across a swaying bridge spanning a river, and through some farm lands to the start of the hike I was interested in tackling. From there it was an uphill hike through forests and across a boulder field to the lateral moraine of one of the areas glaciers. It was a great place to sit, eat some snacks, and marvel at the flowing glacier and jumbled snout of twisted and broken ice. While I was there a few pieces calved - the rifle-shot sound of the ice breaking away, followed closely by the rumble of the pieces tumbling down the side of the mountain. I always like witnessing that with glaciers. In all I had a great time that day - hiking and biking in beautiful country under stunning blue skies…a perfect day.

The following day ended up being a bit of a wing-it-and-see-how-it-goes adventure, and like most of those that I seem to undertake, it ended perfectly. I’d only had a loose plan for visiting the Sognefjord area, and had already strayed from that ‘plan’ by spending two nights in Fjaerland. Upon leaving Fjaerland that day I planned on hiking the 2 kms to the bus stop (unfortunately with all my gear), catching a bus to Sogndal, getting from there to the oldest stave church (another Unesco World Heritage Site) at Urnes, and then probably staying at Kaupanger. Or not.

In Sogndal I inquired as to how I could get to Urnes for the church, and quickly realized that the bus/ferry connections weren’t advantageous for me - I’d either be really rushed for time, or I’d have to spend 3-4 hours in Urnes. I was politely informed that I’d be bored out of my mind if I chose the latter. Ok - maybe I’ll try to go see the stave church on the opposite side of the fjord instead - not World Heritage listed, but the best preserved of Norway’s 28 remaining stave churches, with most of the construction dating from the end of the 12th century. I hopped a bus and headed that direction, and happened to pass through Kaupanger along the way, which was the village where I was hoping to spend the evening. I wasn’t inspired. Hmmmm - time to start looking for a new home for the night. Still on my way to the church I passed through the small town of Laerdal and liked the look and feel of the place, so vowed to return there for the night.

Once I finally arrived at Borgund stave church I stashed my large backpack at the main shop and crossed the road to the church. As mentioned, the church is the best-preserved of Norway’s existing stave churches. There are runic inscriptions, as well as a medieval baptismal altar inside. It was impressive.

It was then time to catch a couple of buses back to Laerdal, where I was hoping to crash for the night. I checked in at the tourist center and was pointed to a small pension directly behind. Unfortunately, when I checked with them they had no rooms available. They seemed to think I’d have a difficult time getting a place for the night as they’d already heard that all cabins at the campground were taken. As I didn’t have a tent with me they pointed me to a hotel up the road. I thanked them and left, but soon heard footsteps running after me. It was the guy from the pension. He was pretty sure I wouldn’t find a place, or if I did it would be too expensive, so he came to tell me that he and his girlfriend had a few rooms at their home. Sweet! They drove me to their home, quoted me the cheapest price I’d paid yet for a room in Norway, and all of a sudden I had a place to sleep. I spent the afternoon wandering around the well-preserved old part of Laerdal and then returned ‘home’. I actually ended up staying up until 2 AM talking to the couple. They’re Czech but had been living and working in Norway for a few years. It was the perfect end to a nice travel day - one where you’re never sure what is going to happen, what you’ll end up seeing, who you’ll meet, or where you’ll stay. Those are the days I like the most while traveling.

Waaaay too early the following morning I was up and out the door for the walk to the ferry terminal. I took the very scenic cruise through the narrow and World Heritage listed Naeroyfjord to the village of Gudvangen. As with all of the trips along the Norwegian fjords, I enjoyed standing on the open deck, the wind through my hair (or not!), admiring the scenery. From Gudvangen I hopped the next bus for the short trip to the village of Flam. After finding a place to stay in someone’s home I wandered a bit, though spent most of my time indoors escaping the torrential downpour.

The next morning I caught the first train out of the valley which climbed up to the train station at Myrdal, on the Bergen-Oslo rail line. I had to sit around for a few hours as my train was delayed, but it allowed me some time to do a short hike. Once my train did arrive it proceeded through some beautiful country of peaks and lakes on the way to Norway’s capital.

Oslo

Once settled in Oslo I headed up to Vigeland Park to check out the various granite and bronze statues by the artist Gustav Vigeland. The most impressive piece is a large monolith of naked bodies of various ages, towering above a ring of steps with other larger-than-life statues depicting various stages through life. All of his stuff was well done, and there was a lot of it, but my favorite pieces in the park were actually some of the gates. I don’t even know if they were done by him, but the metal outlines in the gates were well done and had some interesting detail.

The following day was my last in Norway and I headed over to the Bygdoy Peninsula to see what it had to offer. First up was the well-presented open-air folk museum. There were over 140 buildings, some dating back to the 17th century. There were farm houses, a stave church, schools, living quarters, kitchens with demonstrations of period cooking techniques, and an apartment building depicting typical life of only 10’s of years ago as opposed to the 100’s of years ago with most of the buildings in the ‘museum’. I enjoyed the stroll through history.

A short walk away had me at the viking ship museum where I saw …viking ships! They were actually brought onshore and used as tombs for nobility for their transport in the afterlife, and were buried in the early 9th century.

I then walked to the Kon-Tiki Museum. Most probably know of Thor Heyerdahl and his theories. He put those theories into practice by sailing a balsa raft, the Kon-Tiki, from South America to Polynesia, and followed that by sailing the papyrus reed Ra II from Morocco to Barbados. The Ra II was actually built by locals from the Lake Titicaca region of Bolivia, which Rhona and I had seen (and took a short trip in one of their boats) last summer. On display in the museum were the Kon-Tiki and Ra II, as well as information on some of his other expeditions. It was well presented and an interesting way to spend an afternoon.

Back across the water I popped into the Nobel Peace Center to learn a bit about all of the previous Nobel Peace Prize winners. Very inspirational.

And then I was done with my quick trip through Norway and on my way to Japan. I really enjoyed my time in Norway - it’s one of the best countries I’ve visited, and my kind of place. I loved the outdoor activities; the beautiful mountains, lakes, and fjords; the active lifestyle led by many Norwegians; and the friendly people. I’ll always remember it for the midnight sun, the outdoor-oriented culture, waterfalls, fjords, and ferries. It’s definitely expensive, so on my return I’ll be sure to travel with a tent. The Norwegians (I believe most of Scandinavia, actually) allow you to simply pitch your tent anywhere, as long as it isn’t too close to someone’s home. I love that laid-back attitude towards camping and spending time outdoors. Next time I’d like to take the Hurtigruten boat up the coast of Norway to Tromso, as well as seeing the Lofoten Islands. I’d also like to do a lot more hiking. I will be back.

I’m leaving Japan tomorrow and heading back to Norway and the North Sea for work. I’m hoping to post some photos from my Norwegian adventure in the next week or so, as well as writing the Japan update and posting those photos. Stay tuned…

Norway Photos

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