Norway is the most western of the three Scandinavian countries. It is known for the impressive coastline Fjords, u-shaped vales and countless waterfalls. The land has been carved and shaped by the glaciers for millennia. The steep cliffs bordering the fjords are the most impressive natural phenomenon I have ever seen in my life. The countless waterfalls, thick carpets of moss, many hiking trails and the extremes of eternal snow and the sunny vales, makes Norway an excellent country to visit from may to august.

We visited Norway in the summer of 2022. Our first out of country journey since the COVID-19 pandemic. The south of Europe was plagued by heat waves and forest fires. All that seemed to happen on some other planet. Norway was having none of the heat and drought. Instead moderate temperatures between 12 and 25 degrees Celsius and some little rain made our visit to this country a pleasant stay. 

The Route

We took the ferry from Eemshaven, The Netherlands to Kristiansand, Norway. Then we drove to Kvitfjell, close to Lillehammer, the city well known for winter sport championships. Then we went north to the Romsdalsfjorden (Gersted), visited Alesund and the Isle of Runde and the mountain top Nesaksla (708m) in Andales. Then we took the ferry from Kristiansund to Bergen. From Bergen we travelled to Kinsarvik at the Hardangerfjord. We visited Odda's famous glacier Buarbreen. Our final stop was at Rysstad. From there we travelled south again to Kristiansand to take the ferry back to the Eemshaven, The Netherlands.

Driving

Driving fast is a no go in Norway. The roads simply do not allow it. Only in the vales there is space to buid roads, usually next to the rivers and fjords. Sometimes there is limited space and you can only drive 40-50 km/h. On average you can drive 70-80 km/h. Which is simply a fact you have to accept. Your way through the country is slower than you may anticipate.

Also the distance is way longer than you might realize. The roads curve and snake through the land following the rivers and fjord which is not necessarily the shortest route. Tunneling the mountains is frequently done. The longest tunnels we drove through was 7 km long. To our surprise a roundabout in the middle of the mountain even gave the option to go 3 ways out of the mountain.

Bridges can span the fjords but most fjords are too wide (2 or 3 km is no exception). Ferry boats are frequently use to save you a long detour around a fjord. Believe me, waiting for a ferry for half an hour and a 10 min crossing was shorter than a detour around a fjord. That would take you probably 2 hours. Navigation tools did all the math for me and we just waited patiently for the ferry... almost like native Norwegians...

In short, a little patience for travelling is standard way of Norwegian road life. As a result our driving experience was excellent, as the Norse seem not to have an urge for speeding. Since there was simply no space to overtake a car everyone kept a safe distance. The population of Norway is 6 million, spread out over a big stretch of land. Meaning it was never busy on the road. We never saw traffic jams, we did not see traffic lights. Only in Bergen we saw traffic lights and only twice at a road reconstruction area.

Toll

I believe the building of the road and keeping them safe is a chore. Paying toll is therefore a usual thing.

Although we were quiet amazed by a toll way on a road that was simply made of gravel somewhere high up in the mountains. The 0.60 euro cents was even a more laughable point. But I understood. The gravel road brought us high up the mountain to villages that were really remote and very hard to reach. This road made life a lot easier for the people living there. And for us allowing us to easily reach that nice hiking trail.

'Eternal' summer days

Summer days in Norway last long (on average 18 hours/day) and the light never really fades from the sky during night due to atmospheric reflection. So there is plenty of time to hike for hours and even have time for a second outing.

Water

Thirst was not an option as you could drink from any flowing water stream that crossed your hiking path. The water seemed to seep from the rocks or flow from the top the mountains all the way down to the fjords and rivers.

The water from the tap was a clear as if it came straight from the mountains. Cold, fresh and free of salts or chlorine. It very quickly became my favorite drink.