I last posted about my adventures in Germany. I was back in Oslo for a week. The week was far from mundane however, involving a Spaetzle (German floury pasta dish) night, international vodka tasting evening- 5 different vodkas from around the world, and a scavenger hunt which saw us asking the good citizens of Oslo if they were named Bjarne, hanging out of trees like monkeys, trying on bathers in H&M, busking to earn 20 Kroner, singing the Norwegian national anthem in pubs, squishing 3 people in their underwear into a phone box and acting out scenes in front of the Norwegian Theatre Museum.
Friday April 3 saw us heading into town to pick up the car Zoe and I had hired for our easter trip- Southern Norway from A to Z. We had to pick it up by four, take it home, then race back into the city by public transport for the Scav Hunt by 4:15.
Things were looking good at 2:50 when we'd gotten the car and were ready to drive the 20 min or so drive home. Zoe settled in behind the wheel (I was too young to drive, and a manual was cheaper, so Zoe was the designated driver), I had my map of Oslo out and we set off.
Things weren't looking so good at 3pm when, having found the road we wanted to take closed, we found ourselves on a freeway in the wrong direction. Having sorted out our slight navigational issues we laughed the whole way home as we decided to base our route home on the tram that goes near us. We took this a bit too literally though when we found ourselves driving through a tram stop. We're still not sure if that was actually allowed.... Other challenges included trying to determine how close to the edge if the road we were and scrutinizing pedestrian crossings for lurkers as every driver stops politely for pedestrians at any crossing in Norway. Luckily, we made it in plenty of time and set off to enjoy a night of scav hunting.
After the scav hunt we headed back home and decided that as we had a car in Oslo we really should use it. We found a lookout on the map and decided to drive there, optimistically ignoring the foggy weather. Besides, we figured, it would be good driving practice. We set off ok, following the bus route, until we got a bit lost. We made it up the hill, saw nothing of the view (Couldn't even see 2 cars in front), and decided to head back. Confused, we found ourselves in a tunnel. Fearing it would be a long night driving back to Oslo from wherever we were, we suddenly emerged on the freeway less than a km from home! We still don't know how it happened.
The next day dawned even foggier and colder, after a week of beautiful weather in which people had told us it would be 15 degrees and sunny in the destinations we were headed. Nevertheless, we excitedly packed up the car and set off at 9:30- exactly on time. Though we were going south-west of Oslo, which lies at the top of a fjord, we had decided to go south-east and cross the fjord on a ferry from Moss to Horten (see map on top-click on it for a larger view). Perfect idea when you can actually see the view of the fjord, but somewhat disappointing on a day when you can barely see the cup of tea we stoically sipped on the outside deck. Coming off the ferry was a bit stressful we were the first car in the column, the steering wheel had locked and the car wouldn't start. Luckily, just as the ferryman started to push we managed to get it going.
We spent a very relaxed first day (compared to the days to come) travelling a distance that probably shouldn't have taken us more than about 3 hours. In the meantime though, we went to Verdens Ende (world's end) which is a point at the end of a peninsula (near Tonsberg on the map above); the ICA supermarket in Sandefjord (having already been to 2 different supermarkets in Moss) where we ate lunch on the free samples- fruits, buns, cooked mushroom dishes, cold meats, alcohol free beer; Jarlsberg, which we visited with dreams of free samples only to discover it was a racecourse; Stavern, a pretty seaside town with houses painted in 'Stavern Yellow' and lots of bridges marked as having panoramic views on my map from which we could barely even see the bridge supports.
We'd decided to try our hand at camping round Norway, as the Countryside Act permits camping on land that is not fenced off, used for agriculture or close to houses. We naively believed that there would be no snow any more in Southern Norway and that all the areas of green on the map meant it would be easy to find a camp site. At 6:30pm we were starting to get a bit worried about finding a place. There were more houses than we thought, nowhere to park a car off the road and there was snow everywhere! Luckily at 7pm we had found the perfect spot and we grilled our hamburgers and marshmallows on the disposable BBQ in the remaining hour of light, before setting up our tent in our own personal forest on a soft bed of snow, warm in our tent with a doona and sleeping bag. We had one brief moment of concern (not about our safety, but about whether we had inadvertently camped too close to a house) when we heard a car stop in the long driveway near our forest, but the car drove on again and no one seemed upset.
Luckily the next day was beautiful and sunny and we managed a rapid turnaround as we packed up and set off again, stopping in Helle for a stunning breakfast on a rock overlooking a frozen fjord. We had to increase our pace in order to see everything we wanted to see in 5 and a half days. So, whilst it was a day full of scenery, most of it was seen from short rest stops rather than long detours like the day before. We still had plenty of time for sightseeing though as we stopped in Risør, a pretty town famous for its white houses and little islands; an outdoor museum which showcased houses and farmyard buildings from around Norway, and the pretty city of Kristiansand with its fortress, church and colourful streets.
After Kristiansand we decided to stop at what my guidebook described as Norway's most pristine beach, with eggshell-white sand. As I guided us to where I thought Sjøsanden was, we looked out the window at an area bustling with forklifts, piles of industrial materials and lots of large machines. A second glance at the map and we were on our way to the real Sjøsanden, which is not quite as impressive as the guidebook says. Though I can proudly say I have frozen my toes in the North Sea now!
Our second evening was spent less than a kilometre from the Southernmost point of mainland Norway (there are some uninhabited islands that are further south). We stopped in for a look at Lindesnes lighthouse, marking the southernmost point, and explored the manmade tunnels and caves which have some military significance from the second world war, though it is hard to find out what.
Our camping site that night was a great spot where we could pull the car off the road and camp in the nearby bushes. Its location felt a bit eerie, and I felt a bit isolated that night. To compound this, as we were setting up the tent in the bushes we heard a car stop on the road. I saw a person get out and head over to our car. When I yelled out 'hello' he replied (partly to me, and partly to his mates) 'oh, it's only camping' and got back into the car and drove off. He had seen the car partly unloaded and thought we had broken down or there was something wrong and was just stopping to check we were ok! We came back to the car to find everything exactly in place and we had an uneventful night. Well, almost uneventful- I fell into the bog on the way to bed.
The next morning dawned a bit foggy. The fog was pretty in a way though, as you could see below and above it, creating some nice scenes of mountains and fjords. We took a windy road back to the main freeway, only just wide enough for one car, let alone one coming in the opposite direction! Our route took us past sleepy towns, with colourful houses reflected onto the completely flat fjord water with foggy mountains in the background. We were not following any tourist route, this was just one of many roads we could have turned down in this part of the country.
Luckily the fog cleared a bit and the views from the bridges were stunning as we could see the whole way down the fjords, with their still black water and rolling edges. We travelled through a series of tunnels and the view each time we emerged was amazing. We had a few brief stops- Egersund, where we drank our cup of tea whilst overlooking the town to see the water, town and snowy mountains in the background and at an ancient burial ground which consisted of various stone rings.
After Egersund the scenery started to change- the scenery from the road looked like Ireland or the UK, with green pastures and rocky walls to keep live stock in, the fjords were more steep, longer and more dramatic and the islands were more barren and rocky. This continued until about 2:30pm when we arrived in Stavanger, the Oil capital of Norway.
We spent a pleasant hour or so in Stavanger, eating the first icecream of the season in the sun, strolling round the relaxed and pretty streets and visiting the tourist info centre. As we had arrived earlier than we expected in Stavanger, we decided to drive along a tourist route we had been recommended, camp near the end of that and head back to Stavanger the following day after our hike to Pulpit Rock.
Route 13 was very pretty although perhaps needs some work before being called a tourist route. As part of it involved a ferry, there were lots of cars in both directions on this narrow road, which we could barely fit on ourselves. I enjoyed the view, but I don't think Zoe saw much of it!
Once again, we cooked our dinner near a place called Helle, and as we had arrived much earlier than usual even got to spend an hour reading in the boot of the car with our quilt over us as we surveyed the view. It felt like ours, as we were the only ones admiring it. Later, we moved on to our campsite for the night, in a gorgeous forest with a stream following near us. We even had a picnic table to eat our breakfast on the next morning!
And a good breakfast we had, as we prepared for the first of the day's activities: hiking to Pulpit Rock (Preikestolen). We decided to get an early start in order to fit in time to get back to Stavanger and so we made the carpark for Pulpit Rock by 8:30 and set off on the 2 hour hike by 8:43.
The hike was basically up a mountain, with occasional plateaus of bogs, which we traversed on board walks. Going up, though, meant scrambling up rocks and, higher up, trudging through snow. I hadn't expected there would be so much snow on the way and spent a lot of time sliding down! The final approach took us on a narrow path on the edge of the cliff. Let's just say this probably would not have been allowed in Australia due to public liability concerns! As we ascended, we enjoyed a view of mountains, waterfalls, a frozen bathing spot and brief glimpses down the fjord, tantalising us with what was to come.
Only an hour and a half after we set off we arrived at Priekestolen (pulpit rock), a rock jutting out with a straight drop 604m to the water below, resembling a pulpit. When we arrived we realised how glad we were for setting off early- we were the only people there. Every picture of the rock we'd seen showed it covered in tourists, so to have it to ourselves was amazing. And wow- the views down the fjord are absolutely stunning.
Several dozen photos later, having been warmed from the freezing winds by a cup of tea, we set off back down the mountain, sliding and slipping in the snow. The way down also took only 90 minutes, and led us past probably 30 people in all degrees of age and fitness ascending. Once again, we were glad to have gone early!
We were back down by 12:15 and set off on the road again, having paid 80 Kroner ($20!!!!!) for the privilege of parking in the outdoor car park. On our way to Tau for the ferry, we stopped briefly to look at some Bronze Age rock paintings practically on the side of the road, and were on the ferry to Stavanger by 1:15. Perfect timing, we thought, for an afternoon in Stavanger and then a few hours driving to get a bit closer to home for a big day driving the next day. And then we looked at the map.
"You know," I said, looking at the map, "Bergen's not that far from Stavanger...". And that was it. All of a sudden, our plans had completely changed: we decided to head to Bergen after our afternoon in Stavanger (a 160km drive involving 2 ferries) then head home on the national tourist route (that everyone talks about) the following day. This was something we had initially considered doing, but had ruled out in favour of taking it slowly and stopping when we felt like it. However, we had done Pulpit Rock half a day ahead of our rough schedule and thus decided we might as well drop by Bergen 'on our way home'.
But first: we'd seen the day before that there was an Oil museum in Stavanger, the home of the Norwegian Oil industry, the 2nd largest oil producers in the world. Being somewhat nerdy and keen to have an educational experience after all the scenery, we dropped in. Scandinavians do museums well and after 2 hours of 3D films about oil production, trying on escape equipment, sliding down the evacuation slides, investigating the source of oil and examing life on an oil rig, we suitably informed. One of the other interesting experiences we had was the evacuation training room, which you enter and have to evacuate from in the dark. Sirens wail, a man yells "you have to get out" in urgent Norwegian repeatedly, doors have to be opened and windows climbed through and you have to be out within 2 minutes. They opened it up for us after we asked to give it a try. A stranger went first and was out in 50 seconds. I was next: I got inside and was doing well until a tuft of air shot up in front of me (part of the simulation). Apparently the whole museum heard my scream and that was the only part of the experience that Zoe, waiting in the wings for her turn, heard. Nevertheless, I kept going and was out in 55s, followed by Zoe in 35!
We stopped by a boat on the harbour on our way out of the museum to pick up a whole fish for dinner, and we were on our way to Bergen by 4:30pm. The drive was uneventful, we went though two 6km undersea tunnel, on 2 ferries. The undersea tunnels descend for 3km and abruptly ascend again, and our little car struggled a bit on the way up. We decided to name her Thorla at this point, a strong powerful name which we hoped would encourage her.
Predictably, we arrived in Bergen in the rain. We then set off to find the harbour. Geez, it was stressful trying to find our way through a myriad of one way streets, lanes that may or may not have been taxi and bus lanes and streets that were not marked one way but were too narrow for 2 cars. We eventually made it to the harbour for a brief stroll and then decided to go up the funicular railway for a view over Bergen. Our sightseeing completed, we were back on the road again. By this time it was 10:30 and we had decided that camping would not be a good idea in the rain. We were therefore hoping for a nice spot to pull over and sleep in the car. We'd seen some small roads on the map, but everywhere seemed too suburban. Getting desperate, at 11:00pm and exhausted we decided to just settle for a suburban area, eat a cheese sandwich for dinner and go to sleep.
Excited at the sunny sky and stiff after a less than comfortable night, we set off early the next day with the intention of stopping after an hour or so for breakfast. Things were going well until we actually got on the tourist route and realised the fog was thick and wasn't showing signs of lifting. Pulling into a layby on the road, we cooked our fish for breakfast, cleaned out the car, filled up with petrol, shopped and did all the tasks we needed to do for the day in the hope that the fog would clear. Dismay set in as we realised it was actually getting worse and if we didn't leave soon, we wouldn't get very far!
The road took us up through a mountain and as we descended, suddenly the sun appeared, the skies were a perfect blue and the fog was all but gone. And just as well: if you're ever in Norway, take the route 7 from Bergen. The fjords in this part of the country are deep and long, with snowy mountains, still black water and in the shimmering sun it looks so perfect. It's tranquil and quiet and the scenery is 360 degrees.
Our plan had been to take a ferry across the Hardanger fjord and Sørfjorden to Kinsarvik, but the ferry only ran 8 times a day and we missed it by just 5 min. Luckily, from the same spot we managed to catch a ferry to Utnes, on the other side of Sørfjorden and we drove about 2 hours down the fjord to Odda, then up the other side to Kinsarvik. It was weird arriving in Utnes and seeing Kinsarvik just across the narrow fjord, but knowing there was no way of reaching it soon. Luckily we did though, as Sørfjorden was probably one of the most scenic views of our (very scenic!) journey. We had a brief stop in Kinsarvik as we watched the next ferry arrive, having beaten it by about ten minutes!
And lucky we did stop in Kinsarvik as the next 2 hours was probably the hardest part of our trip. After the gentle, sunny scenery of the morning, it was a bit of a shock to suddenly emerge from a tunnel and be completely surrounded by snow. We had reached the mountains where it seems every Norwegian goes skiing and staying in their cabins over the easter break.
Things were a bit hairy for an hour or two (though it felt like far longer) as we drove along a road, which although recently plowed, had some fresh snow on it. On each side of the narrow road the snow was like a wall high above our heads and there was a fair bit of traffic in the other direction preventing us from steering around the icier parts. Zoe drove with great care and was fantastic despite being a bit scared and we made it safely over Hardangervidda and into Geilo for a well-earned coffee break.
The rest of the afternoon went quickly as we stopped briefly at old Stave church, found a campsite in a snowy forest and cooked dinner by the side of the road. We even found time for Zoe to give me a brief lesson in driving a manual on the other side of the road (don't worry, the it was a quiet country street and the only other car we saw was a tractor).
We slept well that night in the snow again and packed up the car for the final time as we set off back to Oslo, stopping briefly at the site of a 5km meteorite crater on the way. Once again, the scenery was different as we drove alongside a river that had large sheets of ice in it. For the first time in the trip, we overtook someone (no one seems to drive at the speed limit here, at least 10km above seems to be the norm) and arrived back in Oslo around lunchtime to unpack, have our first shower in 5 days and clean Thorla up for her return. As the office was closed we had to drop her at the carpark and then take the keys into a nearby hotel. By 3 o'clock we were back home and already missing each other after 6 days of 24 hr contact. But it was nice to spend the night in a real bed!
Another great trip, and I've now travelled the entire length of the Norwegian coastline. I hope to put photos up soon!
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