Alesund – view of this beautiful town from Mount Aksla.Reflection of the Art Nouveau buildings of Alesund. The town was rebuilt following a devastating fire in 1904.We enjoyed a walk along the waterfront/inland canal in Alesund.We saw this crest several times showing the strong connection this town has to the North Atlantic or Norwegian Sea.We traveled the time machine and toured the The Art Nouveau and KOBE museums.Detail of the well preserved building with slate tile roofs. The town reconstruction employed a lot of different trades throughout Norway.This is a bold claim! For our lunch: the cod was thick, succulent, fresh, with a light fried battered just right – it is a contender. Definitely the best in the world we had today!All wine/alcohol must be purchased at this government run entity: Vinmonopolet (located in many towns)Wine O’Clock around the world: Spain, Italy, France, Australia! Wynn’s was rated the best buy in Norway under 200kr (under $20) so worth a try.Many of the islands are connected to Alesund by tunnels under the sea and through the mountains. Our destination was the island of Godoy to see the Alnes Lighthouse.Speaking of tunnels: A future project is in the works for Norway: Stad Ship Tunnel. It will accommodate 4 ships/ferry an hour for a safe passage through Stadhavet Sea.Catch a wave: Hang Ten on the North Atlantic!
As Norse legend tells it, the first rays of sunlight can turn the mythical trolls into stone (if they don’t hide in time!) so we will explore where trolls have been in the mountains.Our first stop was at the Gudbrandsjuvet Gorge.The Valldøla River has cut large potholes and intricate formations into the rock.Another interesting viewing area with fun art/architecture to experience the Gudbrandsjuvet Gorge.Sign outside the Gudbrandsjuvet: the cinnamon buns were awesome! Still warm from the oven they fortified us for the troll search.From the Trollstigen plateau, rising above the Isterdalen Valley are the three peaks: Bishop, King, Queen (Bispen, Kongen, Dronninga). which led us to debate if the bishop or queen had the most power…We passed over the glacial moraines with some snow still left in the upper valleys (where the trolls live?). We arrived at the Trollstigen Visitor Center.The Trollstigen cafe is undergoing repairs from an avalanche this winter but we could still appreciate the design and the location.We followed the water cascading to the first Viewpoint.We detoured from the paved path to follow these Sherpa stairs 1km for a private view point.What a stairmaster!Great view of the valley!And we were able to see the next cantilevered Trollstigen Viewpoint.And a take my picture balcony with The Bishop and The Queen.The Trolls Ladder (mostly one-lane) was completed in 1936 after 8 years – an engineering marvel. Imagine working in this valley carved out by the glacier, roaring rivers and multiple waterfalls!A better view of the waterfall through the vertigo inducing glass railing.An offer to take our picture resulted in this fun shot pointing to the future!Our GPS pretty much shows the same curves we have just photographed on this one-lane road. We are here in the morning so have missed dodging the tour buses.Ready or Not. We will probably regenerate many kilometers on the battery of our EV.At the end of the valley is another Troll spot: Trollveggen Visitor Center. We recharged the car while we ate a picnic lunch in this beautiful setting (cafe closed for the season).Europe’s highest vertical mountain wall has several climbing routes.We could browse for a book in this converted telephone booth lending library.Ramsdalen Valley: the route following the River Rauma has been named Europe’s most beautiful railway line. Filmed around here is the latest Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning – Part One
Our first ferry crossings are west of Molde to explore the islands – the Dryna Ferry.And we crossed some more beautiful bridges like this Skjeltene Bridge.More marshmallow farms on an inland lake on our drive south to Sjøholt.And our first glimpses of the majestic fjords: the Storfjorden.Our apartment for the next 5 nights is the top floor with a beautiful deck that has a view of the fjord and our own gazebo. Sjøholt CampingThe beach area is a short walk away to enjoy the fjord.We climbed up the rock and were surprised to find a diving board. Summer fun! That is Sjøholt village across the fjord.Sunset on the Storfjorden from Sjøholt.Nearby Romsdalsfjorden is just as green and lush.We had a gorgeous day to explore Andalsnes on the Romsdalsfjorden.There is even a happy and proud Norwegian troll in Andalsnes.Luckily we are not driving this single person EV! But would be better than an electric bike in the winter!Maybe you could charge it here!We recharged ourselves with ice cream in a waffle cone on the public square with others enjoying the summer sunshine and warm temps.And sunbathed along the Romsdalsfjorden before heading back to our own fjord.
What is this? A robot Mowing the lawn? No noise! No sweat – lawn is mowed while you do something else – like prep the BBQ.This Robot Mower is making such perfect straight lines up the hill.This Robot Mower has his own garage… Very sporty looking!Captcha: I am not a RobotFish Farm in the fjord around Avory Island- this a permanent operation.Another Fish Farm in this beautiful fjord.This ship appears to be stocking fish going down that slide in the center into an enclosed circle.An interesting flower or jelly fish in the kelp beds along the Atlantic Ocean Road.The deer we have seen seem smaller.Kvernes Stave Church, circa 1633, is the only one in Norway built after the Middle Ages and Reformation – the nave end is built in stave technique.This says the supporting posts are called staves and are in each corner. Larger churches also have supporting posts in the wall line as shown by the circles in the plan.The shutters to protect the windows from the sea slide up and down with a chain.The thick wood boards on the siding are overlapped.Simple cottage on the coast.
The tranquil fishing village of Bud is on the North Atlantic Sea – specifically on the notoriously dangerous Hystadvida unprotected section of the coast – but not today.We are enjoying 4 nights in this wonderful house on a harbor.From the hill above the house you can get a sense of it’s location – the main living space is on the middle floor – lowest level has a dining table to seat 10 and opens on to a deck.Waiting on a chair carved into the stump – what a view!There is a coastal museum on top of the hill with local history and great views! if you want to view the coast of Bud, they have a live Camera on their webpage.About 1.5 km north of Bud, Kjeksa is the first rest stop on the Atlantic Ocean Road, one of Norway’s tourist routes.Askevågen is another stop to enjoy the views and see some wave action on the Atlantic Ocean Road.We did not know they farmed Marshmallows!The Farstadsanden Beach has a nature hike to the lighthouse – beautiful day and the tide is just coming in.The cantilevered Storseisundet Bridge defies gravity. Graceful and feels like you are driving into the sky as you go up.Several viewpoints to enjoy the Storseisundet Bridge.And even an elevated hiking path around Eldhusøya island to appreciate nature as well as the Storseisundet Bridge.We stopped at the Geitøya area for a picnic lunch.It smells good and looks good at the Geitøya rest area on the Atlantic ocean Road. (purple heather and European mountain ash with red berry clusters against moss and sedums)We are seeing a lot of these and wondering what they are….Lots of picturesque spots in Bud! And MIX restaurant has good fish and chips – even tho the Norwegians go for the hamburgers!
We leave the troll of Dombas for a rambling drive to our next rental.Our first stop is Vang Burial Ground near Oppdal – the largest Iron Age burial site in Norway with more than 900 mounds – most from the Viking Age, from year 750. It is a pleasant wooded loop next to a babbling stream. Link for more viking Info.This interpretive sign was interesting – we had forgot about King Bluetooth of Denmark – imagine paying your taxes in falcons, or walrus tusks.The Amotan Gorge is unique as 6 rivers meet in this one part of the national park. Svøufallet, 1027 feet tall, is impressive!We hiked around Amotan and crossed one of the rapids on this bridge.At the top of Amotan area we enjoyed our lunch at this picnic table with a view of the valley.Vinnufossen, the 6th Tallest Waterfall in the World. 2,838 feet – wow. Hard to capture the majestic beautify.Nordmorsvegan Bridge with the rain obscuring our views as we are head to the end of the peninsula and the fishing village of Bud.
Our first stop heading northeast from Dombas is this interesting architectural – overlook of the Fokstumyra Nature Preserve.A beautiful morning looking over Fokstumyra Nature Preserve towards the northwest.Next stop was the Wild Reindeer Preserve Visitor Center, or Besokssenter villrein in Hjerkinn.Nearby is where you start the hike to look for wild musk ox in Dovrefjell-Sunndalsfjella NP.A wide mile long uphill trail with historical timeline winds through alpine tundra in Dovrefjell-Sunndalsfjella NP.This is the Snohetta Viewpoint!Inside Snohetta Viewpoint we could appreciate this destination. A ranger had a zoom scope hooked to a monitor screen and showed us the dots on the landscape that were musk ox far across the valley.Wow – what a view to enjoy! Snohetta was once considered the tallest peak and is pretty impressive even with the clouds at the summit. There was also some pelts, antlers, and other information inside the Snohetta Viewpoint.A bit further south we drove to Sohlbergplassen Viewpoint on the eastern tourist route along Rondane NP.This was designed to go around all the trees which also made it much more interesting. Sohlbergplassen ViewpointAnd what a view of Mt Rondvassbu across Lake Atnsjoen to Rondane NP.We walked across the river feeding the lake at Strombu Viewpointand we fed ourselves at these fun curved concrete picnic tables.We turned around at Atnbrua Historic Waterworks at the south end of the lake.Natural waterfalls that powered Atnbrua Historic Waterworks – still a good source of electricity.Our home for 3 nights right on the ski slope is the upper cabin at Hytter Dombas.The view from our porch looking northwest up the valley.
We drove north and then west into Jotunheimen NP to the Vegaskjelet Viewpoint. This is Galdhopggen, the highest peak in northern Europe at 2469 meters (8,100 feet).We enjoyed views up and down the Boverdalen valley and made a stop at the Eleveseter Hotel.Fun historic architecture (and interior finishings) with slate roofs at the Eleveseter Hotel.Inside the octagonal building is a dining room with a painted ceiling at Eleveseter HotelOf course we are in Troll country!There is also the Sagasoyla Column with the history of Norway carved in layers which is here because Åmund Elvesæter campaigned to have it finished.
We followed the river to Lom Bakery for some fresh baked goodies and a loaf of bread to go. The National Park visitor center is here as well as the stave church.Impressive Stave Church in Lom was worth a wander. “Stave” means vertical planks of wood in case you were wondering as we were.Detail shot of building techniques from 1158 when this Stave Church was constructed.
