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Published: June 16th 2014
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Flam to Maloy 12 and 13 June 2014
We left Flam at about 2.30pm after feeling exillerated from what we had seen on the Flam Railway. It was misty rain but not too bad.
Just 16 kms out of the city, we entered the 24.5 km Laerdals Tunnel. It was not a concrete-lined tunnel, just sheer rock. However there were 3 round 'cave-like' sections which were light with blue light. These were areas that were very good if someone had a breakdown. We also saw large rectangular areas cut in the side of the tunnel which allowed for a couple of big trucks to park if troubles arose.
There was another tunnel 6.5 kms long not long after coming out of the long tunnel. Soon after that we drove onto a car ferry which was pointing us towards Sogndalsfjora which was over the Ardalsfjorden. This cost 85 Kr (about $14 AUD).
We then headed west towards Hella, our second ferry for the day. About 3 kms before Hella we came across the Kvinnefosson, a waterfall with a 120m fall into the fjord. It was thundering down. We stopped to take photos.
Our next stop was Balestrand.
It is the scenery above all that makes Balestrand such a popular destination on Sognefjorden. This fjord is the longest in Norway, extending 206kms. It reaches a maximum depth of 1,308 m. Wide and fertile strips along the shore are set against a backdrop of mighty peaks and glaciers.
The view from Balholm in the centre of town takes in the entire fjord and it is this that attracts many tourists. The is the impressive Kviknes Hotel (built in 1877) where the views are amazing. We walked all around it.
We also saw the 'old town', which included the old hospital, a replica stave church (12th century) which had beautifully carved wood inside, the folk museum and an aquarium, and 2 Viking burial mounds dating from 800AD. We loved the town.
It was north from there, away from the banks of the Sognefjorden. The past 70kms or so were all spectacular. Towering mountains each side of the road, fjords and rivers, numerous waterfalls, little farm villages....and the camera clicking madly. Thoroughly enjoyable.
The next part of the journey was alongside a small, fast flowing river where the mountains were not so close, and the valley was
a little wider with more farming - cropping (rye grass we think) and grazing.
We were looking for a spot to stop for the night as it was heading towards 7.00pm. We found a cleared area off the road, next to another raging waterfall. It was beautiful. There was a light, misty rain which later cleared as we fell into bed.
After eggs on toast the next morning, we headed for just past Nordfjordeid, which was 40 kms south of Geiranger.
The first hour of our trip was driving through much higher mountains and therefore more snow. We had snow on the side of the road and even came to a lake which was still partly frozen over. It looked beautiful. The road was windy but the road surface was excellent. All along the rest of the road was many lakes, fast flowing rivers, several areas were flat with farming. The whole day was a beautiful drive. We stopped at Forde and Nordfjorden, both lovely towns. At Forde, we went to the council building and got more information on the area. We also found a little cafe where Tom had some homemade soup for lunch.
There
was one section of the road where we drove along the shore of Lake Hornindales which was 20 kms long and about 2-4 kms wide. The sun was shining so the water was beautifully blue.
At about 6.30pm we started to look for a site for the night. The one we chose, when we looked out of our window, we saw 4 waterfalls and snow-capped peaks. Magnificent. We both slept well.
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