Our two weeks in Norway were split between two centres: Geiranger the first week and Balestrand
for week two.
We spent the first night in Bergen, and the following day we drove
to Geiranger.
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Bergen
is very quaint…
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Bergen
is also very steep!
Looking down on to Geiranger from the
famous viewpoint.
Geiranger, and its fjord, is a UNESCO World Heritage
Site.
Looking
down on part of Geirangerfjord: the fjord itself
winds in an exaggerated ‘S’ from the village of Geiranger
to the larger Sunnylvsfjord.
A view of Geirangerfjord from a walk on
the northern side of the fjord.
A climbers hut in a spectacular location!
The
road into Geiranger from the south winds in
innumerable switchbacks from the viewpoint.
At any one time there can be up to four big ocean-liners anchored
at Geiranger, with as many as 8000 people wanting to
be taken by 50-seater coaches (of which there are a great many dozen) up the
switchbacks to the viewpoint. We were very lucky to choose the four days before
and the two days after Mid-Summers-Day. Although we had these ships for our
first and last days in Gangereir, the 3-days prior to
the 21st June were blissfully free of the ships and their
accompanying hordes.
Our sentiment exactly: it cannot be pleasurable for anyone,
ship-tourists or otherwise, to be part of this ridicules chaos!
For a location worthy of UNESCO status, it is a great shame that
the Norwegian authorities allow this particular piece of heaven to become a
hell on earth by under-regulation!
On one day we took the sightseeing boat along the fjord…
The
fjord has numerous waterfalls…
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Waterfalls and Mysterious faces
After 6-days at Geiranger
we headed off inland on our way to Balestrand.
Away
from the sea the weather was much more reliable…
You see art in the most unlikely places…
A short ferry crossing brings you to Balerstrand…
The view from our balcony…
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This
is known as The English Church of St Olav. Built in 1897 in the “Dragon” style,
is part of the Diocese of Gibraltar.
There are some more ancient sites: Viking burial mounds…
This is a statue of King Bele, the
mythical ruler after whom Balestrand is named.
And some more amazing walking…
Sognefjord: the worlds
second longest fjord, cuts inland for 120-miles…
Lots and lots of views…
On a rainy day we took the ferry to Fjaerland…
Fjaerlandsfjord…
After so much rain, it was predicted that the next day was to be
sunny and warm…
And it lived up to the forecast: the only tee-shirt and shorts day
that we had in Norway!
It was a lovely day, but it was not to last….
The following day, our last day, it rained again….
Norway
is a beautiful country, when the weather is on your side!