Olden and the Roof of Norway (Sunday, July 3)

Lovely Lupine

Ah, our sleep patterns have finally adjusted. We woke this morning after a good night's sleep (perhaps enhanced by glasses of wine with dinner and a few nightcaps with our Belgian friends). We were sailing into the Nordfjord where we docked at Olden, a small community on the shore of yet another gorgeous body of water surrounded by mountains.

A quick breakfast consumed, we headed for an all-day tour billed as "The Roof of Norway." Despite intermittent rain and fog, it was a glorious opportunity to see and learn more about this country. Our coach took us along the fjord, then up into the interior and the mountains. We passed by lakes and farms, more houses roofed with turf in the old style, and more waterfalls than I could have imagined seeing in my lifetime, much less a single day. All along the way, we saw blue and pink lupine.

As we passed buildings on both sides of the roadway, our guide commented on the vicissitudes of life here. “That building,” she said at one point, “replaced the one that was knocked into the water by an avalanche.” To our right, farms rose up the hillsides toward the steep mountain peaks. To our left, a narrower strip of land allowed for some homes and businesses to sit on the fjord’s side. Based on her comments, the properties on both sides are subject to destruction by the whooshing down of snow and/or rock than can occur here.

As the coach climbs, there are very narrow mountain roads that cling to the sides of the steep rises with sheer drop-offs below. It is hard to imagine driving buses over these roads, but we, like the thousands of other tourists who come here, are, in fact, safely transported up and around, sharp curves are managed and we have the advantage of great views without what must surely be hair-raising stress for drivers unaccustomed to the hairpin turns. Just looking down the steep slopes out of the bus windows is like being on an amusement park thrill ride. Drivers of other vehicles pull aside in places. Despite the two-way traffic, there are spots where allowing for one vehicle at a time is just the smartest plan.

Rockslides Everywhere

The beauty of the landscape masks its capacity for cruel dangers. Our guide told us that she had once seen as many as 24 avalanche sites along the stretch of road between her home and Olden, a drive of about 90 minutes. She pointed out spots where avalanches had occurred and a spot where many conical mounds of rock have been placed to protect the roadway from avalanches. Scientists come here from all around the world to study these fearsome natural events, trying to find better ways to minimize the damage done as snow and rock pour down the mountainsides. Avalanches have the force of tornadoes and have crushed buildings and pushed them into the fjords and lakes, as we heard earlier.

Our morning tea stop was at a hotel up an even narrower and steeply twisting road. Did I mention that our vision was often obscured by a thick fog that drifted in and out of the gorges and across these roads minute-to-minute? Indeed, the sun peeked out as we stepped down from the bus, then we had our cups of tea and walked just outside the hotel to take pictures of the roaring waterfall nearby. Before I could walk back up a little rise from the water overlook, the fog rolled in, thicker than ever.

From Dalsnibba

Back on the bus, we climbed higher and higher into the mountains toward the highest peak, traversing tunnels along the way. One beautiful lake after another lay below the roadway. The last one had sheets of ice in one end and glaciers high above on a ridge. Our destination, Mount Dalsnibba, is the highest peak in the area and a very popular place for travelers. We left the main highway and wound up the steep and unpaved road to the top from which we could see and photograph the town of Geiranger far below on the Geirangerfjord. That is, we could see and take pictures for a few minutes before the entire mountain was wreathed in a thick cloud through which we drove down again.

The road then wound down through the valley past one beautiful vista after another. Here, too, the cloud drifted in and out, our view obscured, then revealed again. Some of the houses built for the workers who constructed the roads here many years ago have been preserved and sit alongside the road, tied down by thick steel cables. The cables are necessary because of the powerful side winds that blow through here, strong enough at times to blow over the houses if they are not secured. Waterfalls drop thousands of feet down the rocky cliffs. A river bursts over rocks as it tumbles down the valley toward the fjord. Everywhere around us is something to see, another picture that could be shot. If we stopped at every opportunity, we would be here for weeks.

Fjord Centre

Geiranger is a popular tourist spot and its waterway is called "the pearl of Norway's fjords." Many cruise ships stop here and ferries move thousands of people back and forth across the water. We had lunch at a pretty hotel that provides a generous buffet, introducing us to mashed swede, a tasty side dish for the pork, salmon and fish cakes, among many other options. Across the street (and a rushing mountain stream) is the Norwegian Fjord Centre with interesting exhibits about life here today and the history of the area.

A note about swede: It’s a Scandinavian dish in which rutabagas are mashed with potato, butter or stock, and sometimes carrots. It reminded me a bit of mashed sweet potatoes. One more thing learned here about the way in which Scandinavian words have made their way into English—rutabaga comes from a Swedish word (rotabagge) meaning, simply enough, root bag. Somehow, swede seems a more appetizing name.

Seven Sisters

We took the ferry across the fjord, enjoying views of the famous waterfalls cascading down the steep mountain walls at the side of the fjord. One waterfall, known as the "Seven Sisters," gets its name because there are actually seven streams of water falling in that spot. Another famous attraction is known as the "Bridal Veil" because it creates a lacy pattern as it drops down the rock face. Cameras were snapping pictures, tourists were posing and a good time was had by all as we took about an hour from Geiranger to Hellesylt.

Hellesylt

Hellesylt, a tiny village, is the childhood home of our guide. We stopped briefly to take pictures of the spectacular waterfall there, tumbling into the middle of the village and beneath a bridge into the fjord. She told us that her parents and others kept children from getting too close to these dangerous waters so close to home by telling the kids that a troll lived there. Trolls are mentioned and seen everywhere here, part of Norse mythology. One story says they were turned to mountains if touched by sunlight, thus there are so many mountains here, but no longer any trolls. There are, actually, plenty of trolls to purchase in even the smallest gift shops.

We turned back toward Olden and our ship, passing again through the little community of Loen. On the return trip, our guide told us a little of Loen's history. Situated on a lake beneath a mountain, the little town was devastated in 1905 when part of the mountain fell into the lake, creating a huge wave that destroyed the houses and killed 63 people. Thinking it could never happen again, the townspeople rebuilt, only to have another part of the mountain fall into the lake in 1934, again causing havoc. It has again been rebuilt, tempting fate.

Happy Travelers

When we reached Olden, we were surprised to find many of the crew members lined up in their uniforms on the pier to greet us. They handed us hot chocolate laced with Bailey's and had a small band playing music for our return. It was quite a sight and, after a long day, both the greeting and the libation were very welcome. As I am writing, we are now cruising back out of the fjord, heading for our next port, Bergen. We look forward to more of Norway's pleasures.

                                                                                   Most photos by Mike Lumpkin