July 1

You can only sit on the porch of your idyllic cabin and stare at amazing fjord scenery for so long. Time to get out and experience the surrounding villages!

But getting anywhere in Norway’s fjord country is a circuitous experience; no direct routes here! We first had to drive around our little arm of the fjord to Dragsvik and then catch a car ferry across the fjord to Vangsnes via Hella. You just learn to go slow and enjoy the journey because you won’t get anywhere fast. And the scenery is postcard perfect everywhere you go here so the time goes quickly.

In Vik I wanted us to experience a couple medieval churches: the wooden Hopperstad stavkirkke (stave church) from 1130 AD and the stone Hove church (1170 AD). [I will combine all our stave church experiences into one post so won’t get into detail on Hopperstad here].

From the website of the National Trust of Norway (who has owned the church since 2019:

Hove is one of the oldest stone churches in Norway. The church was erected on land owned by the large farm Hove. It is small, but its exquisite forms show that it was built for a wealthy owner. [After the “modern” Vik Lutheran Church was built in 1877, the stone Hove] church was at risk of being torn down. Architect Peter Andreas Blix (1831–1901) bought it with his own money in 1880 and started extensive restoration work. This church is a monument to the man who saved it.

When architect Blix was in charge of the restoration of Håkon’s Hall in Bergen, he was offered soapstone from Hove church, which was to be (demolished). Blix bought the church to prevent it being torn down, and he restored it according to his own plans and funded the work himself. The church interior is characterized by Blix’s choices, and the decor and furnishings reflect how he imagined the church may have looked in the Middle Ages. The church walls are covered in colorful decoration, and the nave has a dado painted in imitation ashlar. The chancel is lavishly decorated. The altar area is framed by a painted ashlar pattern, and the ceiling of the dome above the altar is painted in a vivid blue like the sky with sun and moon. The medieval stone altar is preserved, and the altar stone contains a reliquary covered by a slab of marble. Blix owned the church at the time of his death in 1901 and is buried beneath the church floor.

It is naïve of me to think the interior would have survived from the Middle Ages, but knowing the interior was recreated from the mind of an 1800s architect takes a bit of the awe away. But the stone shell itself is original and that is what is really impressive to someone like me, from America, where a building from the early 1800s is considered ancient.

You walk from church to church along a pleasant path bordering a creek and skirting some farms. Friendly cows and cats enjoy some petting from the passerbys.

An hour and a half drive up and over a mountain and back down to sea level brought us to Gudvangen at the tip of the world famous Nærøyfjord, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It’s actually hard to drive the last 10km to town since your are trying to take in the magnificent scenery in this steep-sided and very narrow valley. Many people enjoy the boat leg of the Norway in a Nutshell tour down this fjord.

We were also here to visit “Viking Valley,” a pseudo Viking village populated by reenactors. It is a bit cheesy, but overall a fun experience. It is NOT a historic site. I wish we would have taken the guided tour from one of the costumed interpreters. We eavesdropped on one guide and his tale of the incredible importance of a sword to a Viking, and the difficulty in making one. The day-to-day existence of a Viking family is what is portrayed here.

The gift shop has really high quality merch and is worth a visit…no “rubber swords” here.

It was now late afternoon, but since it is basically light until 11pm we decided to push on to the tiny and remote town of Undredal. It is famous for its locally produced goat cheese (gjetost) but we just wanted dinner.

Winding your way down to the fjord through town you can stop at the adorable white and red Undredal Stave Church, the smallest in Norway (more about this in a future post).

We ate down by the harbor and enjoyed the view of the old fishing boat shacks along the fjord. An ultramodern passenger ferry appeared at the docks but only a couple people got off. Next to the kafe was a sauna; two younger guys made the dash from the sauna and plunged into the chilly fjord water. I couldn’t tell if they were exhilarated or about to have a heart attack!

NEXT—Norway #5 LILLEHAMMER—OLD NORWAY, OLYMPIC NORWAY

June 30-July 2

If you want to take the world-famous train from Oslo to Bergen you should book your seats as early as possible. Tickets open up on vy.no (the official Norwegian rail site) about 3 to 4 months before departing. I stayed up until midnight on the day the ticketing opened and was probably the second person to book seats in Car 1 preferred seating (bigger seats, free coffee…probably not worth the extra cost).

The railroad is the highest mainline in northern Europe crossing the Hardangervidda plateau at 1,237 metres (4,058 ft) above sea level. Leaving Oslo the weather was a pleasant sunny 65 degrees, but at Finse, the highest point in the bare mountains, there was still a ton of snow, a cold rain was falling, and it looked absolutely miserable. We were a little shocked when the lovey-dovey young American couple next to us got off here; she seemed to be 8-months pregnant and dressed more for a day of mall-shopping than stepping off into this desolate spot on a miserable day. There is no town here, only a few lodges that cater to hardcore hikers and skiers.

Planet Hoth

 This otherworldly location was, in fact, used as a filming location for an otherworldly planet. The Empire Strikes Back filmed in this area atop the Hardangerjøkulen glacier near this stop at Finse.

Norway in a Nutshell

The reason this train ride is so hard to get tickets for, is that it is a crucial part of the “Norway in a Nutshell” loop. Tourists can do this extremely popular train-ferry-bus tour in a day, or make it an overnight. Several companies offer tickets, which are really just packages of tickets that you can book yourself for cheaper. Starting in Oslo the loop takes the train to Myrdal (2/3 of the way to Bergen?), then a different train to Flåm. Folks then get on a modern ferry to go up the Aurlandsfjord and return via the world’s narrowest fjord, the spectacular Naeroyfjord to Gudvangen where they transfer to a bus, and then back to Oslo (or continue west to Bergen). Norway in a Nutshell!

We wanted to spend a few days in the Sognefjord, purported to be Norway’s most beautiful, so we got off in Myrdal and took an older train that drops 2,800 feet precipitously down a mountain valley and through 20 tunnels to Flåm. We then took a different ferry than the “Nutshellers” over to the remote town of Balestrand.

Shout out to Rick Steves!

Okay, I must admit that I am a big Rick Steves nerd. He had recommended Balestrand, and I listened! Rick Steves is a travel guru, author, YouTuber, podcaster, publisher from Seattle. He is a Norwegian-American (like myself) and for many years I watched his Travels with Rick Steves show on PBS, I continue to buy his European guidebooks (the most detailed out there), and ingest many of his YouTube videos. We also bought each of the boys one of “his” travel carry-on backpacks for the trip. Oh, and now I listen to his weekly podcast. Yeah…a real Rick Steves nerd. I really love his “travel as a political act” philosophy, and share his basic belief that the vast majority of people on this planet are good, caring folks.

Rick (I feel like we should be on a first name basis) recommended staying away from the chaos of the Norway in a Nutshell tours and soaking in the scene and scenery in a more remote, quieter town in the Sognefjord. We chose Balestrand.

Inge’s Cabins

I had rented a small cabin from Sognefjordcabins.com for three nights as I thought we could use a bit of a break from our go-go-go schedule up to this point. Plus, from my trip Excel spreadsheet I could see these cabins had a laundry facility, and this was one of Bridget’s requirements for every 5 days or so.

If you do end up staying in Balestrand, and don’t want to shell out the big bucks for the Kviknes Hotel and its fancy buffets, then I can whole heartedly recommend Sognefjord Cabins. Ours was only yards from the fjord edge and had most of the amenities of home; two bedrooms, covered porch, and a TV with Netflix access—Have you ever seen Trollhunter? If not, go see it now!).

Owner Inge is a charming guy with deep roots in the area (check out the crazy cool video he took of Killer Whales/Orcas going right under his little fishing boat just down the fjord. It is on the website sognefjordcabins.com). He made us feel very welcome and showed us around the property (free use of canoes, paddleboards; small fee for fishing boat, sauna use). But once again, the only bedding were winter-weight down comforters. These Norwegians must be cold sleepers.

Balestrand is a sleepy town of 824 folks on an arm of the Sognefjord. It is kept sleepy by the fact that no cruise ships can dock here, and only a single narrow road that winds around the sparsely populated north side of the fjord reaches this spot. Did I mention that the road is narrow with a capital D? Some spots two cars can not squeeze by each other.

Walking around town doesn’t take too long…it is quite small. One of the architectural highlights is the dragestil-style (see “Oslo” post) St. Olaf’s Church. Built in 1897 and somewhat modeled after ancient stavkirkkes, it is open to the public. Services are still held here. Oh, and don’t forget to pet the fluffy gray neighborhood cat with the bad eye.

I ran into a couple from Minneapolis, and of course we knew someone in common! She formerly taught with Larry Weber in Duluth, my neighbor and one of my authors. Small world!

Dining options are fairly limited if you don’t want to shell out $80 per person for the Kiviknes Hotel buffet (we didn’t). We chose the Golden Fork instead; great food, loooong wait to get our meal.

Kaiser Wilhelm’s “Vacay” spot

Kaiser Wilhelm II found this spot much to his liking; in fact, he summered here from 1899 until the outbreak of WWII.  Built for him, “The Kaiser’s Stairs” are still down on the waterfront (see photo of Birk on the stairs). He was so enamored with the legend of King Bele, a Viking King who was said to be buried in one of the five Viking burial mounds west of town (see photos), that he commissioned a large bronze sculpture of Bele to be placed atop one of the mounds (see photos).  

NEXT: Norway #4 VIK, GUDVANGEN & UNDREDAL—Say that three times fast!

Hard to believe that its been five years since our honeymoon in Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Finland…but it has. When I look at my photos, I realize that I’m itching to get back there…and not just a mosquito-bite-itch but a full-blown lay-in-poison-ivy-scratch-til-it-bleeds type itch. That’s how much I liked the place.

To celebrate our fifth wedding anniversary I’m going to relive some photographic highlights of our honeymoon to Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Finland over the next few weeks (How many new brides would let their husband bring a tripod, camera gear and binoculars on a honeymoon…and use them! …Thanks Bridget!)

Iceland, July 2006: It never got above 63 degrees…and drizzle was our constant companion, except when it rained. But Iceland is such a fascinating place that we really didn’t care. We spied the cascade from the Ring Road (the two-lane “highway” with no shoulder and dozens of single-lane bridges that serves as the main artery for the country (more like the restricted artery of a 500 pound chain smoker!). A short gravel spur brought us to this waterfall.

This is Seljalandsfoss (“seal’s land waterfall”), created by a glacier-fed river that flings itself off a nearly 200 foot high cliff. The spot is basically a wayside rest with a tiny dirt parking lot, one outhouse and a couple picnic tables. In America this place would be a national park! Its real claim to fame is that you can walk behind the thundering cascade…and not get too wet. We nearly missed this spectacle because it didn’t even make the cut for our Discovery Channel Insight Guide book…That’s how many spectacles there are in Iceland!

This is one of the few waterfalls that you can safely walk behind. Note the two figures behind the curtain of water. This also gives scale to the top image…Seljalandsfoss is a BIG thundering waterfall!

We both made the hike behind the cascade and felt its tremendous power fully. We would definitely recommend adding this falls to any Iceland itinerary.

I suppose this type of rainbow should really be called a mistbow. I post it here upside-down because it looks more interesting that way.