More than just the Nutshell
Hi everyone, I apologize for what feels, at least to me, like these posts are rushed. I only find myself with so much time to post, and usually only have access to pricier machines when that comes up. I'm working off a mcahine that doesn't offer a USB connection, so, no pictures yet. I will try to add these when I find friendlier machines.
I think my last post got as far as my leaving Stryn. I write now, three days after that, from Stockholm, which is burning under a sweltering sun. Funny to think how hot these Northern Summers are! I left Stryn's hostel after a nice little included breakfast of Cereal, meats, cheese, pate, and breads and crackers. My personal favorite inclusion in breakfast is the Caviar tube, which you punch open and it squeezes out a concentrated caviar paste, which sounds gross but actually tastes like lox. Since that's plentiful here too, I don't miss the taste of lox, but still enjoy the caviar.
I reach the bus station. The downhill from the Hostel is far less grueling then the ascent. The sky is still fairly grey and I worry about what the weather will be like when I reach Geirangerfjord. Sognefjord, which I visited on the Norway in a Nutshell tour, was nice, but I am far more interested in the Geirangerfjord which is said to be much grander and is a UNESCO world heritage site. To get there, I have to take an hour long bus from Stryn to Hellesylt. I think I made a mistake in not taking the bus all the way to Hellesylt the day before, as Stryn was essentially useless to me (Couldn't ski or swim there). I catch my bus (It is just me and the driver all the way), and he takes me through more mountains until we reach Hellesylt, a lovely little Village under a waterfall (There are Waterfalls everywhere here, this one particularly picturesque). It's an hour to board the boat, so I write postcards, do some Kakuro (An excellent time killer), and eventually board the boat where I get a space up in the front.
The fjord is spectacular, with high walls that can barely be seen to the top through the mist (Which actually clears right after we start, affording spectacular views), and the mountainsides are dotted by ancient, abandoned farms (These cliffside ridges are apparently the most arable in Norway, though families had to tether the childen to keep them safe!) We drift through blue water as our pre-recorded guide points out all the farms and waterfalls (I am jaded by waterfalls by now, but the Geiranger still manages to impress). The Ferry lets us off at Geiranger, a touristy town at the other end of the fjord with some luxury hotels and restaurants. I help myself to a plate of locally made sausages, served with potatoes, turnips and beets, quite tasty, and I wash it down with some Norway Beer.
Then, finally, I am on the bus to my evening destination, Åndalsnes, the Northern gateway to the fjords. The bus starts up and we are on the move up Eagle's Highway, another one of these winding edge of your seat switchback climbs where the bus makes 180 degree turns on a cliffside. I think we reach 1500 meters above sea level before we turn into the mountains and away from the cliffside. The bus driver indulges us in the local photo op, a photo stop at the top of Eagle's Highway overlooking the fjord. We are on our way again, passing through more mountains. We cross yet another fjord on ferry, stop to photo a waterfall, and head for the final sight of our journey, the Trollstigen highway. I am not entirely sure what it is until we pull up to a massive tourist stop (Troll themed junk everywhere, and cafeteria with bad hot dogs) I can see that the road drops off into the gorge directly ahead of us, with the sign noting a 10% grade. With 20 minutes before the bus leaves, I make a run for the observation deck that overlooks the gorge. At a full clip, it takes me about 7 minutes to get there, I take some pretty pictures and am back on the bus in time. The drop into the Trollstigen is nerve-wracking but our driver does this several times a week so I trust the guy. The highway is practically one lane, and at some points we pass double decker coach buses going in the opposite direction. In the middle of this descent we stop at another massive waterfall, where we have more photos (I get two cute young German girls to take my picture with my camera (pay attention, they will come up again later), we chat briefly and are back on the bus.
The rest of the drive is uneventful, and I check into the hotel, a nice little (read very little) room above a modern looking restaurant (And it includes frokost - that's breakfast). Thanks to the Tourist information, I find out about the hike I am planning to do tomorrow (Lonely Planet says it's a 715m vertical climb, can be done in 2 hours!)
I also find out about a beach, only 10 minutes away on foot! I want to swim in the fjords, so I start my walk towards this mythical beach. I get lost first in a heavily industrial area, but then I stumble into a suburb of Åndalsnes and find the beach deserted but for a German couple and a few kids. The German goes in and it seems to be fine. I follow, it's cold but refreshing (Shells everywhere and various plants make the experience not so desirable, but it's great being out there in the middle of the mountains, swimming in cold water that was part of an ice floe maybe only a few hours ago?
After cleaning myself off back at the hotel, I have the "biffsnakker" a meat and veggies stir-fry dinner at a restaurant on the edge of the lake, call home to friends and family (My card will be useless after tomorrow), and head up to the Åndalsnes Grand Hotel's pub to watch the World cup match. Sad to see Germany lose, especially like they did with the 2 goals at the end of second overtime. Still, they gave it a good run. The people at the pub are energetic, but the ones I talk to are fairly closed up and don't chat. I head back to sleep, plans to challenge the summit the next day.
I think my last post got as far as my leaving Stryn. I write now, three days after that, from Stockholm, which is burning under a sweltering sun. Funny to think how hot these Northern Summers are! I left Stryn's hostel after a nice little included breakfast of Cereal, meats, cheese, pate, and breads and crackers. My personal favorite inclusion in breakfast is the Caviar tube, which you punch open and it squeezes out a concentrated caviar paste, which sounds gross but actually tastes like lox. Since that's plentiful here too, I don't miss the taste of lox, but still enjoy the caviar.
I reach the bus station. The downhill from the Hostel is far less grueling then the ascent. The sky is still fairly grey and I worry about what the weather will be like when I reach Geirangerfjord. Sognefjord, which I visited on the Norway in a Nutshell tour, was nice, but I am far more interested in the Geirangerfjord which is said to be much grander and is a UNESCO world heritage site. To get there, I have to take an hour long bus from Stryn to Hellesylt. I think I made a mistake in not taking the bus all the way to Hellesylt the day before, as Stryn was essentially useless to me (Couldn't ski or swim there). I catch my bus (It is just me and the driver all the way), and he takes me through more mountains until we reach Hellesylt, a lovely little Village under a waterfall (There are Waterfalls everywhere here, this one particularly picturesque). It's an hour to board the boat, so I write postcards, do some Kakuro (An excellent time killer), and eventually board the boat where I get a space up in the front.
The fjord is spectacular, with high walls that can barely be seen to the top through the mist (Which actually clears right after we start, affording spectacular views), and the mountainsides are dotted by ancient, abandoned farms (These cliffside ridges are apparently the most arable in Norway, though families had to tether the childen to keep them safe!) We drift through blue water as our pre-recorded guide points out all the farms and waterfalls (I am jaded by waterfalls by now, but the Geiranger still manages to impress). The Ferry lets us off at Geiranger, a touristy town at the other end of the fjord with some luxury hotels and restaurants. I help myself to a plate of locally made sausages, served with potatoes, turnips and beets, quite tasty, and I wash it down with some Norway Beer.
Then, finally, I am on the bus to my evening destination, Åndalsnes, the Northern gateway to the fjords. The bus starts up and we are on the move up Eagle's Highway, another one of these winding edge of your seat switchback climbs where the bus makes 180 degree turns on a cliffside. I think we reach 1500 meters above sea level before we turn into the mountains and away from the cliffside. The bus driver indulges us in the local photo op, a photo stop at the top of Eagle's Highway overlooking the fjord. We are on our way again, passing through more mountains. We cross yet another fjord on ferry, stop to photo a waterfall, and head for the final sight of our journey, the Trollstigen highway. I am not entirely sure what it is until we pull up to a massive tourist stop (Troll themed junk everywhere, and cafeteria with bad hot dogs) I can see that the road drops off into the gorge directly ahead of us, with the sign noting a 10% grade. With 20 minutes before the bus leaves, I make a run for the observation deck that overlooks the gorge. At a full clip, it takes me about 7 minutes to get there, I take some pretty pictures and am back on the bus in time. The drop into the Trollstigen is nerve-wracking but our driver does this several times a week so I trust the guy. The highway is practically one lane, and at some points we pass double decker coach buses going in the opposite direction. In the middle of this descent we stop at another massive waterfall, where we have more photos (I get two cute young German girls to take my picture with my camera (pay attention, they will come up again later), we chat briefly and are back on the bus.
The rest of the drive is uneventful, and I check into the hotel, a nice little (read very little) room above a modern looking restaurant (And it includes frokost - that's breakfast). Thanks to the Tourist information, I find out about the hike I am planning to do tomorrow (Lonely Planet says it's a 715m vertical climb, can be done in 2 hours!)
I also find out about a beach, only 10 minutes away on foot! I want to swim in the fjords, so I start my walk towards this mythical beach. I get lost first in a heavily industrial area, but then I stumble into a suburb of Åndalsnes and find the beach deserted but for a German couple and a few kids. The German goes in and it seems to be fine. I follow, it's cold but refreshing (Shells everywhere and various plants make the experience not so desirable, but it's great being out there in the middle of the mountains, swimming in cold water that was part of an ice floe maybe only a few hours ago?
After cleaning myself off back at the hotel, I have the "biffsnakker" a meat and veggies stir-fry dinner at a restaurant on the edge of the lake, call home to friends and family (My card will be useless after tomorrow), and head up to the Åndalsnes Grand Hotel's pub to watch the World cup match. Sad to see Germany lose, especially like they did with the 2 goals at the end of second overtime. Still, they gave it a good run. The people at the pub are energetic, but the ones I talk to are fairly closed up and don't chat. I head back to sleep, plans to challenge the summit the next day.
posted by Steven at 11:50 AM
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