«Trip to Scandinavia»

All in all, yesterday we traveled over 600 km. In the evening we crossed the Norwegian border and in a couple of hours arrived in the city of Trondheim where we stayed overnight at a student hostel. It was drizzling all day.

This morning we went to see the 11th-century Nidaros Cathedral, erected over the tomb of King Olaf II, patron saint of Norway. The cathedral is considered one of the finest ecclesiastical edifices in Scandinavia and is the site of Norwegian coronations. The city was founded in AD 997 and served as the capital of Norway until 1380.

At 11 o'clock we left Trondheim. It kept drizzling. First we took the country's main E 6 highway and then turned to west towards the cost. Soon magnificent vistas opened up and we saw the first fjord. I couldn't tear my eyes from such spectacular scenery. What beauty! It's incredible what nature can create in thousands of years! And this was only the beginning!

We crossed our first fjord on a ferry from Kvenna to Rykkjem in the afternoon. The road wound around the mountains and valleys, always following fjords' contours.

We had our lunch on a bank of one of the fjords where a group of French tourists in their caravans stayed. Some of them were fishing; I was able to talk to them.

The second ferry, from Linge to Eisdal, we took late last night. Although the distance between Esidal and Geiranger was relatively short, it took us a few hours to get there because of the tough mountainous roads.

We arrived in Geiranger after midnight. That was a hard day for drivers: long ascents and descents seemed to never end. The descent to our camping site in Geiranger was especially difficult. When we finally got there we pitched on the ground by a mountain stream. We slept in tents (which I haven't done for many years now, and so I thought that it would be unpleasant but was happily surprised that everything was good). Probably, modern tents are of very good quality.

I woke up this morning and after I got out of the tent I saw scenery of incredible beauty. I have never seen something similar. The campsite is located in a very narrow strip of the fjord surrounded by steep mountains; some of the tops were covered with snow and a thin haze veiled them.

Waterfalls were seen everywhere on the opposite slopes. But what really surprised me, probably because I didn't expect to see it, was a large passenger ship anchored in the fjord. In a few moments, I saw another majestic, snow-white, liner that was gliding on the fjord's calm surface. Soon I was able to discern its name: Europa. I beheld this unusual blending of nature and modern technology - unusual because everything was so close.

As many of our group did, I walked to the village Geiranger, a lively tourist center with hotels, cabins, and camping grounds. There were a lot of cars and buses with tourists everywhere. From there I climbed up a steep mountain slope. Following the path that wound through the bushes, I stopped occasionally to catch my breath and drink the invigorating water from small brooks. Soon the path led me to a terrace from where I could observe the village and the fjord. Breathtaking view! Numerous small water streams were cascading at high speed down the mountains' slopes. Several ships were anchored close to the village. In a few moments I met Alexander and his colleague; it was drizzling, and they had decided not to climb further up to explore the big waterfall which crashed down from the mountain's cliff. We decided to go back to the campsite following a narrow road that led to the village. At the campsite I took a shower. I enjoyed taking this long walk into nature.

We are in the central part of Norway where the country's highest mountains, largest glaciers, and most spectacular fjords are located. Unsurprisingly, this region is the top destination for almost all travelers to Norway. I believe Geiranger is the high point, at least for me, of our trip.

We left Geirnager early in the morning. Following a steep winding road we climbed to the height of more than a thousand meters. We stopped on a mountain pass on the lakeshore. Large patches of snow could be seen everywhere. The vegetation was very poor and terrain was totally rocky.

Several people ran to the patches of snow to take pictures. After about half an hour we set off again and passed through several tunnels, the longest one being 25 km.

Later we made a stop in a valley to see the rich Jostedalsbreen museum of glaciers. We watched a video and saw an exhibition, everything about glaciers and fjords. I heard some people speaking Spanish and talked to them; they were Spaniards that were traveling on the same cruiser I saw in Geiranger fjord. Then we made a few stops to see the light blue ice of glaciers.

Today we crossed two more fjords on ferries: from Mannheller to Fodnes y from Kvanndal to Kinsarvik, a campsite where we settled down in comfortable cabins.

It's almost three o'clock in the afternoon. After two hours of climbing along a rushing current I'm sitting at a distance of about fifty meters from one of Folgefonna Glacier valley. From the camp in Kinsarvik, located on the bank of Hardanger fjord, we first came to Odda and from there we walked a few kilometers on foot. The ascent along the rushing stream was tough because of the rocky terrain.

The glacier's light blue ice was quite impressive! A torrent of melted snow gives birth to an inexhaustible water stream that rushes down the mountain slope. The day is sunny, but at this altitude (1200 m above sea level) it's quite cool because of the cold wind blowing from the glacier. The vista down to the fjord, where glacial water is rushing, is spectacular. This is the first time in my life that I'm in the mountains sitting near by a glacier! On the way here we followed a road that went along a fiord and saw a lot of cherry and apple orchards on the fiord's slopes. The temperate climate of this area is favorable for growing fruit trees.