Norway - Day 3. The Fjords.

We left Bergen to begin our exploration of the fjordlands of Western Norway. We began heading up a major highway, but before too long, we found ourselves on a two-lane road driving through the Norwegian countryside. Our goal was to reach the town of Oppedal before 11:00 am so that we could reach the ferry to cross the Sognefjord. Road construction at one point threatened to derail our plans, but our very able bus driver, Eidar, got us there just in time to board the ferry. 

Crossing the Sognefjord

The trip across the Sognefjord, Norway’s largest, lasted about half an hour. It was our first exposure to the magnificence of the fjord landscape where steep mountains meet these deep inlets that were carved by glaciers. It is a landscape unlike any other, but one with which we would become very familiar over the next few days.

Once on the other side, we continued our journey to the town of Loen, where we would spend three nights at the wonderful Hotel Alexandra. 

Stopping for a photo

Along the way, we made several stops for photo ops. Everywhere you looked, there were breathtaking views. The countryside abounds in lakes, rivers, fjords ,farms and waterfalls. We would pass through rain showers, clouds, dappled sunlight and more rain. There was a constant play of light and shadow. I was transported back in time to those years of friendship with Sverre Gyberg and his family, who lived on our street when I was growing up. In those years my mind was filled with images of Norway that I acquired in their home. Everything I had heard about Norway as a young boy from the Gybergs seemed to come flooding back. Especially when we stopped at a gift shop for a pit stop and I saw the trolls that figured prominently in my childhood.

The view from my room in the Hotel Alexandra

We arrived at the Hotel Alexandra near the end of the afternoon. The hotel, which has been a tourist destination since the 19^th century sits at the end of a fjord. The current building is quite modern but retains much of the atmosphere of yesteryear. Despite the chilly weather, we had a dinner on the outside terrace. It was a long, but memorable day.

Proof that I was there