There isn't a road we've been on in Norway that wouldn't be considered a scenic drive in any other country.
And of course, that's what we came here for. We didn't come to Norway for the local cuisine, or the culture, or the people. We came for the scenery and the hiking. And the scenery impresses us... every single day!
First stop Tuesday morning was the base of the Bøyabreen Glacier. The Bøyabreen is actually part of the huge Jostedalsbreen Glacier... the largest glacier in Europe.
To give you an idea of how large the Jostedalsbreen Glacier is, it holds enough fresh water to supply the needs of every Norwegian for the next 100 years. It is almost 400 meters thick. Researchers think that the glacier has totally disappeared twice before, once 3,000 years ago, and once 5,000 years ago. And more recently, it reached its peak in the 1750's, but they admit that meaningful historical data doesn't go back that far.
The fjord at 7:10am.
You can see part of the glacier creeping over the mountain.
We parked and walked closer.
Blue glacier ice.
Many glacier waterfalls.
Zoomed in.
The pond at the bottom is a little flooded.
I zoomed in on some of the ice formations.
Interesting stuff.
We came around a bend and were stopped by this.
The girl came over to speak with us and said they were doing some work inside the tunnel and it would be about a half hour wait. That's okay... we have our house with us! Quite happy to sit there and it was enough time to make us each a hot drink.
The guy behind us in his Porsche left his engine running the whole time. Sometimes you just have to shake your head.
Out the other side, and into another tunnel.
No sunshine, but not much rain either.
Just another waterfall in your backyard.
I think this was waterfall #23 from yesterday.
To be serious, we're not counting... there are simply too many!
Road obstacles.
You can free camp almost anywhere.
As is proven by these guys camped by the highway.
Not our choice of prime locations, but each to their own.
We came around another corner to see this huge cruise ship.
In the tiny port of Olden.
Yikes. A floating apartment building.
And there's another waiting in the open water.
They are using the tenders to go back and forth.
We did a big grocery shop in the town of Stryn and then headed up to the local ski hill to spend the night.
Max, parked for the night at GPS 61.922238, 6.689643
By 7:00pm, the sun came out!
Gorgeous day today for our mountain drive to Geiranger.
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When I die, I want to come back as a Norwegian. :) It really is one of the most stunning places we have ever visited! I am really enjoying following along on your travels. You've got it right, enjoy the views and the outdoor opportunities! Norway does not disappoint!
ReplyDeleteLol, the only problem with that is that you hardly see the sun at all for five months, which we think would be difficult to deal with and that you have love winter sports and the cold, although a lady we were talking to yesterday said that they see more rain than snow when you live down at sea level but the summer would be fantastic with all the hiking and biking possibilities
DeleteWe have to agree with you though, that Norway has to be one of the most stunning countries that we have seen scenery wise so far..
About the porsche that the guy left running. We were unfortunate enough to once own a porsche. That car spent more time in the shop than it did on the road, so I believe the guy behind you was afraid to shut it off for fear it wouldn't start again.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photos. I'm enjoying your journey. Thanks for taking me along.
Lol, thanks for the possible reason on why the Porsche might have had it's motor running the whole time we were waiting. Kevin did notice though that this was quite a new looking Porsche. Sounds like a good reason for us to not go out a buy a Porsche any time soon!
DeleteSo glad that you are enjoying our posts and pictures of our adventures here. :-)
Those cruise liners look so out of place, they dwarf the villages they visit and in my opinion look like a blot on the landscape....interesting about the glacier, so they believe it has melted twice before....and to think there weren't any motor vehicles or aircraft then....I wonder what could of caused that ;)
ReplyDeleteYes, they do look out of place, yet they make for some good photos as well, You will see what we mean by that in today's post. What we can't get over is how many people are on these cruise ships and how the volume of people swell in these little towns and villages. It is good for the economy but I would hate to be the residents there that have to put up with all the bus traffic and foot traffic almost every day!
DeleteWe also found that interesting about the glaciers but we knew before that there were at least two different ice ages throughout history, however it was interesting to here that this one disappeared and then was at it's ultimatum peak in the 1750's!