Day 20 Sogndal to Geiranger

Wow, what a day today.  We left our quaint little Nordic hut about 8am and set off for Geiranger.  We’d had breakfast muesli at our cabin before we left but not coffee, so we stopped in a little place called Skei for a coffee and pastry to top-up.  While we were there a tour bus arrived, and unloaded into the café and gift shop, and toilets of course.  We seem to have hit the tourist trail now, we’ve mostly avoided them, until Bergen at least. 

We carried on, more fjords, more glaciers, more mountains, more chocolate box scenery.  

We hit a couple of traffic jams, once a herd of goats on the road that had to be shooed off so traffic could get past, and a couple more times by sheep on the side of the road, bells clanking. They seem fearless, not bothered by traffic at all.

 

Traffic jam caused by a herd of goats

finally shooed off the road

this time it was sheep.

The drive for the last hour or so before Geiranger was stunning, over a mountain plateau, with lakes, glaciers and snow.  

We had planned to go to the Dalsnibba Sky walk, a large grated platform that hangs off the edge of the mountain and had fantastic views of Geiranger fjord below.  It’s a toll road, so we paid our 150 krona (about $30) and up we went.   Another switch back road, but much wider than the route to the Stegastein bridge.  We wound upwards for about 15 minutes I guess, following camper vans, buses and nervous drivers.  Rewarded by a stunning view from the top.  There were patches of snow, and the view of Geiranger below was amazing.  Well worth the toll.

We spent about an hour up there, snapping photos in every direction, standing on the platform with the drop below us, watching the snail trail of vehicles on the road below.  Once again the weather has been very kind, a little cloud about but clear views in every direction.

We continued on our way, down the switch backs to the main road, and then into Geiranger.  This is tourist central, and there was a huge cruise ship anchored in the fjord, and thousands of tourists swarming through the souvenir shops and catching buses up to Dalsnibba.  It’s really hot, 26 degrees and it feels way hotter than that.  Somehow it never occurred to me that it would be this warm in Norway.  Silly me!

We mooched around a bit, had cake and coffee at one of the cafes as a late lunch (it was about 3pm) and then sussed out what time the grocery store is open til and what time the local cafes are trading til.  Then we headed back up the hill the way we had come to check in to our digs for the night.  Another cabin, pretty basic with bunk beds and a communal toilet/shower up the track a bit by a large waterfall.  It has a stunning view of the fjord.  

the view from the window

There’s no reception and vaguely remembered something about a key box, so I checked my emails but that advised I would be given full details closer to the time.  I checked but hadn’t received any further emails, so we called the number on the booking and some helpful chap answered and told me which cabin was ours and the code for the key lock to get in.  Sorted. The only window faces the view and the afternoon sun, so it was stinking hot, and we’ve had the door and window open since we got here to let the breeze through.  We plan to head back into the village later for dinner.  There is a hotplate in our room and some basic cooking equipment, but hey, we are on holiday.