NORWEGIAN SCENIC ROUTES

This was our view as we stepped out onto our Hotel balcony this morning at 6am. 
It was going to be a long day & neither of us had slept well. Today was going to be our 'Norwegian Scenic Route' day, as we knocked off three of them!!
After a breakfast shared with a bijillion tour bus people (slight exaggeration), undrinkable coffee & NO English Tea bags (sacrilege... there wasn't a kettle in the room either... BUT it was still a lovely room with an outstanding view!!!!!), we took off in our little car... which we are growing very attached to... for a zigzagging climb uphill.

This route is called the Ornesvingen & has eleven hairpin bends, but at the top is a wonderful lookout & this is what we saw.

Catching a ferry was the next goal & we had more than one to catch today, all handled without problem & each a delight in itself.  There is nothing quite like the jaws at the front of the ferry opening wide enabling us to drive through onto dry land!!

The next stop was Gudbrandsjuvet Gorge.
To be honest, we have definitely seen more impressive gorge & water combinations. BUT what set this site apart, was the most wonderful walkway, taking us through trees, over rocks, over wild & cascading water & sloped in such a way that...

... we could catch a rainbow!  It was a magical place, thanks to clever design & engineering.

As we'd driven to the gorge, we had seen strawberry pickers out in the fields & when we saw some for sale.... they were so red, smelt so delicious & the saleswoman was so charming... how could we resist!  They proved to be the sweetest strawberries I think I have ever tasted. I'm sure God in Heaven orders his strawberries from here!

We knew when we'd reached the start of the 'Troll Road' or Trollstigen, another of THE roads we were experiencing today.

Again, we were totally blown away by the outstanding viewing platforms.  The skills in creating these spaces were mind blowing.

The view we had from one section of the viewing track, showed the Troll road that we were about to drive down. GULP!

 

We survived the troll road & more importantly, we survived the idiot campervan drivers coming in the opposite direction. Honestly.... it's probably a good thing they couldn't hear what I was saying about them from inside our zippy little car.  Needless to say, I was very impressed with Jeff's driving skills & quick reflexes!! Enough said!!

We decided to take a teensy little meander off course, because I have a map & on it I had seen the very alluring word; 'Stavkirke'! 
What a treasure we discovered at Rodven! One of the two Stavkirkes with exterior beams supporting the walls.

Inside it was a decorated delight. The woman on duty gave us an enjoyable & interesting tour & I think she enjoyed having someone to talk to, as much as we enjoyed listening!

And I finally got to try my hand at bell ringing!!

The next goal was the Atlantic Road scenic route.
We were both a little disappointed by this.  We'd seen photos that led us to believe that it was so much more than what it was.  It was beautiful & again, full of clever engineering, as one bridge took us over the Atlantic to another island & then another. However, it was a classic example of how expectation can lessen the value of reality!

We stopped on Eldhusoya Island because we thought it would be a great spot for a café.  We'd been on the road since 7.30am, without decent caffeine, only eating strawberries & it was now 3pm & we were getting a bit tired.  The café was hidden away behind this impressive wall that was created to mimic a school of herring! Sadly, 2 large tour buses and a mass of camper vans (ARGHHHHHHHH!) were also stopped there &consequently there was quite a queue for coffee.
Eventually we got some.
No, it wasn't in the least bit 'good' coffee, but it was caffeinated!  A walk in the fresh Atlantic air perked us up for the last leg of our day's travelling.

We are at a Hotel in Angvik, which is blissfully quiet (ie; not a tour bus in sight!).  We look out onto yet another stunning fjord... we are becoming so addicted to these stretches of water! We've had a soak in the hot pool, a wander through their museum & a heavenly meal with wine pairings for each course. (We are trying very hard not to work out the exchange rate!!!!). It has been such a lovely end to an amazing yet tiring day of driving.  Again we have been blessed with outstanding weather & we are both super impressed by the quality of Norway's roads.
Blog notes done... now time to sleep! Definitely a later start tomorrow I think!