We arrived in Ålesund late in the day. After talking the rental car company out of their ‘upgrade’ to a minivan, we headed into town, grabbed some takeaway fish and chips and went to bed.
The next morning we headed out to explore the town.
The crowds built up as the cruise ships started arriving and we had a lot of driving to do so we packed up and headed off. Our first stop was the Trollstigen road, two hours east. I’d known about the road since seeing it on an episode of Top Gear and knew it was one of the best roads in the world. From the map it looked pretty impressive.
In person it was even more amazing.
After spending some time at the visitor centre we continued driving. Pretty soon we came to our first of many ferry crossings.
After 20 minutes on the ferry we were off and heading to Geiranger for our next ferry trip along Geirangerfjord, one of the most spectacular fjords in Norway.
The fjord was incredible.
After an hour and a half we made it to the next port and continued on our way, stopping to admire the (late) sunset.
We arrived in Nordfjordeid, found a surprisingly decent Chinese restaurant (a welcome change after six weeks of pizza and pasta) and checked into our cabin for the night.
The next morning we got everyone up early and headed to Ålfoten, our starting point for our 4-day camping and kayaking adventure. We met Johan, our guide, collected the cold-weather gear we’d sent ahead from Italy and got to work packing the kayaks.
Pretty soon we were ready to head out.
After a couple of hours we made it to our campsite - an abandoned farm on the shores of Nordfjord. We set up the tents and the kids tried to catch dinner.
After about an hour we heard Polly shouting that she’d caught something. Hayley (who doesn’t eat seafood) was keen to learn how to gut and prepare the fish.
Audrey helped with the seasoning.
We had a great dinner, and after the sun set (at about 10 pm) we all headed off to bed.
The next morning I woke up first.
I decided I needed to prove my fishing skills. Half an hour later I did.
After breakfast, we packed the kayaks and headed back up the fjord.
The wind had picked up so we weren’t making much progress. We decided to take a break at a little cove and go explore the area.
We hiked to the top of the hill and found a grove with wild berries.
We had lunch (not just berries) and continued into the wind. Although we had originally planned to paddle all the way to the next campsite, it was pretty clear we weren’t going to make it, so we decided to return to where we’d left the car, and make the second half of the trip by road. After three pretty intense hours (especially for Hayley who was in a kayak by herself) we made it.
We got to the campsite and got the tents up just as the rain started. It didn’t stop the kids trying to catch dinner.
And giving themselves blueberry facials.
Finally the rain stopped enough to go explore the area.
And send the drone up to take some photos.
But pretty soon the storm clouds started rolling in.
Polly wasn’t exactly loving the outdoors experience, although she did love Johan’s bivi bag.
We spent the next day fishing, canoeing and trying to stay as dry as possible. After a wet and windy night we finally woke up to sunshine!
Audrey decided she wanted fresh blueberry tea for breakfast so we headed off to find some.
We got back to camp just in time to catch a rainbow.
And then it was time to pack up and head off.
The last stop on our adventure trip was a deer farm.
After the farm we said goodbye to Johan and headed south. Pretty soon we came across an amazing school playground.
We had a break at the playground then continued on our way to Flatheim, where we were staying at a guesthouse for the night.
After an amazing local breakfast at the guesthouse we hit the road for the last leg of our drive to Bergen.
And our last Norwegian ferry.
We arrived in Bergen in the afternoon, check into our apartment and headed to the markets to get some dinner.
The next morning I went for an early run to get my bearings.
And check out the major sights in the rain.
By the time everyone was awake the rain had eased so we headed back to the markets to get some food.
And experience some of the local facial hair.
We walked around Bryggen, a UNESCO-listed series of buildings near the waterfront. A cruise ship had just arrived so it was packed. I decided to come back with my camera early the next morning.
After taking photos at Bryggen I went back to the apartment. Mandi and Hayley were keen to rent bikes and explore.
I was amazed at how 90% of the buildings in Bergen were painted in one of five colours. I kept taking photos of walls as we explored the town.
That afternoon we decided to go take advantage of the rare sunshine and go swimming.
Apparently what the locals do is warm up in the sauna, then jump in the fjord, which was a brisk 14 degrees Celcius. I decided “when in Bergen…” and jumped in.
The next morning we packed up and headed to the airport to fly to Paris, puzzled by the sign at the entrance.
