The Scattergun Approach: Fjording

Wednesday , 18 July

Hei hei from a cold, bright place!

Today we woke up to the hulking mountains around our campsite wrapped in a cotton-wool cloud blanket. After a life-restoringly hot breakfast, we hopped onto the bus for a day trip and "scenic drive" to the Geiranger Fjord, Trollveggen and miscellaneous pretty Norwegian scenery.

Pretty much the entire drive looked like this.

At around 10am, the mountains were still trying to shake off the last, clinging tendrils of cloud which made our ascent through Trollveggen absolutely magical. Trollveggen is this massive sheer mountain face that is apparently considered to be the paragon of rock climbing achievement. It also has a tiny, one-land winding road which makes you actively consider your mortality and start considering which religion you should convert to as the too-long bus tackled the hairpin turns with much difficulty and scraping of the sides of the vehicle on the rock face.

Me at the top of Trollveggen. Someone really has to tell the Norwegians to widen their roads.

We followed the "Eagle Pass" down into the town where we were to board the ferry. This road is apparently the only road to this town which is consistently open, which is baffling, as even in the peak of summer there were patches of snow dotting the shoulder.

Looking down on the fjord

The ferry ride on the fjord was really beautiful, and a short rain shower did a wonderful job of clearing the decks and allowing those of us with raincoats to get front-row seats. The fjord yet again highlighted the Norway's unofficial motto of "if a location is inconvenient and inaccessible, I'm going to build a house there" . There were no less than three farms on the almost-vertical faces of the fjord, one of which was only accessible by ladder (which was conveniently broken every time the tax collectors came to visit), one which is completed inundated every year when the winter snows melt and form rivers down to the base of the mountains and a third where children on the farm were kept on a tether to prevent them plunging 50-odd metres into the icy waters below.

Batshit Crazy House Location #1 - in around the middle of the photo, you can see a small red roof. That is the farm where they had to tether their kids to prevent them plunging to their doom

Batshit Crazy House Location #2 - if you follow the middle main ridge of trees, you'll see a white smudge. That is the house only accessible by ladder.

Batshit Crazy House Location #3 - this house gets completely inundated every year.

The fjord strikes me as an incredibly moody place. When were were there everything was hazy and muted following the rain. The water was an almost opaque bottle green and the trees on the rock face were a deep, matte green, however at the end of the fjord, near where it branches out to make its way to the Atlantic, there was a short burst of sun which transformed the water into shimmering blue-green jewel tones.

Someone get this fjord a mood ring.

For a short bit of the cruise we were joined by a pod of dolphins who were playing in the waves created by the boat. They were so fun to watch, I completely forgot to get a photo!

After a quick lunch stop at the town at the other end of the fjord, we drove back to Åndalsnes. For quite a while we were above the tree line where there was still quite a bit of snow coverage, so naturally we stopped for a snowball fight. We also saw some sheep/goats just chilling by the road.

Snow! In the middle of summer! Norway, you're doing it wrong.

Just some sheep.

Misc Norwegian Scenery

Coming back down Trollveggen was just as nerve wracking as going up. We stopped for a photo stop at a lookout which juts precariously over the drop. It also has sections where the floor was replaced with metal grids, giving a stomach-dropping view straight down. Thanks, Norway.

This is Trollveggen from the bottom. It is deceptively not-terrifying.

The next couple of days are mostly driving days to get us up into the Arctic Circle, so I'm not sure I'll have much exciting news to post.

Keep warm!

-Lucy

Generically beautiful waterfall

Pretty flowers!

I know know what it is, but the bees over here are effing obsessed with me, and seem to be launching a comprehensive surveillance operation. No matter where I am (indoors or out), there will always be at least one bee stalking me.