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It took us most of the day to cross the North Sea with transfers at Oslo and waits for our flights. Kristin and Bjorn met us at the airport in Alesund, on the far west coast of Norway. We are at the same latitude as Anchorage and it all looks just a bit familiar...fjords, blue water, green forests. We will be spending two weeks here enjoying the hospitality of our friends and seeing some of the fjords and amazing countryside.
Established in the early 1800 and built on a peninsula and several islands in the fjords of Norway, Alesund has about 30,000 people and it all about fishing and oil.
Kristin and Bjorn live in Orsta, a bit less than a hour drive south...two underwater tunnels and a ferry ride. Orsta was established in 1835 and is a community of about 7,000 people. They have lived hear and hear all of their lives. For the next two weeks we will enjoy some beautiful, sunny days wandering the coastal roads visiting nearby villages and national parks.
We took a drive up into the mountains behind their home and visited the site of a family cabin. The day was beautiful and we enjoyed getting to know Bjorn. Later in the day I visited a local dentist for a check up and teeth cleaning. It had been three years and I thought it was time. All was well and the dentist, it turns out, was from Ecuador. Interesting.
This is called "keyhole mountain."
A closeup reveals why.
We did a full day of sightseeing with both Kristin and Bjorn. We drive through many valleys, each with high walls of granite mountains an a quickly moving stream at the bottom.
We eventually reached our first ferry crossing and after 15 minutes found our way to the other side. From there is it was a short drive to an historic hotel, The Hotel Union, and it remarkable rooms and decor. We toured the hotel before moving on to our next ferry, a one hour guided tour through a UNESCO protected fjord...full of water falls and spectacular mountains.
Grand valleys.
Lots of herder cabins...grass roofs. Some still used.
On the sightseeing ferry with Bjorn.
Lovely Korean tourist and I enjoyed a conversation.
Amazing waterfalls everywhere.
Village of Geiranger. Small and busy with the cruise ship in port.
And then this massive waterfall.
We ended our day in the village of Geiranger accompanied by a huge Costa cruise ship and a few thousand passengers. There we enjoyed an evening meal overlooking the water before taking the two plus hour drive back home over one of the highest mountain passes in the area. At the top is a year round skiing area and it was busy.
Incredible view from the top of the fjord looking down on the village.
Established in the early 1800 and built on a peninsula and several islands in the fjords of Norway, Alesund has about 30,000 people and it all about fishing and oil.
We did a full day of sightseeing with both Kristin and Bjorn. We drive through many valleys, each with high walls of granite mountains an a quickly moving stream at the bottom.
We eventually reached our first ferry crossing and after 15 minutes found our way to the other side. From there is it was a short drive to an historic hotel, The Hotel Union, and it remarkable rooms and decor. We toured the hotel before moving on to our next ferry, a one hour guided tour through a UNESCO protected fjord...full of water falls and spectacular mountains.
We ended our day in the village of Geiranger accompanied by a huge Costa cruise ship and a few thousand passengers. There we enjoyed an evening meal overlooking the water before taking the two plus hour drive back home over one of the highest mountain passes in the area. At the top is a year round skiing area and it was busy.
Incredible view from the top of the fjord looking down on the village.
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