After a busy four days in Bergen, we started our Norway road trip. Our 5-day driving tour ended in the sleepy working town of Kristiansund, historically spelled Christianssund and earlier named Fosna. Why Kristiansund instead of the more mainstream Kristiansand? Because it’s where my paternal grandfather emigrated from back in 1904, and I wanted to see the place. HUGE thanks to Mr GeoK for indulging my wish. 🙂

Day 1 – Bergen to Solvorn

Distance ~ 225 km, time ~ 5 hrs 15 minutes including 2 hours 20 minutes by ferry, plus stops

After another mediocre hotel breakfast, we towed our roller bags to the nearest stop. We aimed to catch Bus #4 to a light industrial park in Åsane.

We arrived at Hertz about 10 minutes before the scheduled opening. Mr GeoK made a half-hearted attempt at using the self-service kiosk, but bailed when it generated an error message. I admit to getting a little edgy when no one was around at opening time. But two minutes later, a polite young person rolled up to help us out. He was called in after a colleague phoned in sick.

A short while later we rolled off the small lot, Mr GeoK behind the wheel of a low-mileage, bright red Suzuki Vitara hybrid. Ninety minutes later, we stopped for the first time, at Tvindefossen, a pretty waterfall at a private campground.

It was busy! And Mr GeoK was disappointed he couldn’t try his new drone for the first time in Norway. So we only stayed long enough to take a couple of photos before continuing to Gudvangen.

Nærøyfjord

Several weeks before we flew to Norway, I’d made a reservation on the 12:30 ferry from Gudvangen to Kaupanger. This is a scenic two-hour journey on the UNESCO Heritage Site Nærøyfjord (Narrow Fjord). My trip planning surfaced a really nice bakery at the ferry terminal, so we headed in to buy some pastries to round out our small packed lunch.

Once aboard, we headed up to the open top deck to enjoy the sunshine, fresh air and scenery. The locals sailing with us were very friendly, offering to share sunscreen if needed.

Solvorn

Solvorn, our destination for the day, required another 30 minutes of driving on narrow, twisting roads. This turned out to be a preview for the rest of our road trip! It’s a pretty little village, with a permanent population of about 250 people.

We checked into the oldest hotel in Norway and lugged our bags up the stairs to our quaint room.

Then, given the late afternoon hour, we immediately headed down to the ferry terminal to catch a ferry across Lustrafjorden to Urnes, site of a UNESCO World Heritage stave church.

From the Ornes ferry terminal, it’s about a 20 minute walk up to the church.

Urnes Stave Church

Dating back to 1130, the Urnes stave church is among the oldest in Norway. It was added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 1979. Admission to the church includes a 20-minute guided tour. We joined maybe 10 other people to learn all about the exterior, interior, historical and present day significance of the church.

We started outside, where deep shadows and harsh sunlight provided photographic challenges. Our guide enthusiastically described the significance of the North portal. It’s decorated with carved whorls of writhing snakes and vines, representing the interconnectedness of all living things, animal and vegetable.

The patina of the exterior imbued its age. The southern exposure urgently needs refinishing. Our guide explained that the traditional finish is protective layers of tar, distilled from pine sap. There’s only one crew in all of Norway that does this kind of work. It takes them more than five years to get around to all of the stave churches. Urnes is past due for re-sealing.

Inside the church, the group size made photography challenging. But our guide was patient, so we came away with some good detail shots.

This church has not been in ordinary use since 1881. Today, it’s only used for special occasions in the parish, such as baptisms and weddings.

Poetry Trail

Not being a fan of the heat, Mr GeoK opted to stay a while longer at the churchyard, taking more exterior shots while I headed off in search of the nearby Poetry Trail.

I enjoyed the walk along a narrow mowed path through wildflower meadows and deciduous woodlands, reading several poems (some in Englsih – a surprise) along the way. But I had to turn back before the end, because if we missed six pm ferry back to Solvorn, we be stranded for the night!

The last ferry of the day loaded 4 motorcycles, 8 bicycles, and 7 vehicles. One vehicle was turned away and would have had a long drive to get around the fjord back to Solvorn.

Amazing Supper

For supper, I’d booked a reservation at a farm-to-table pop-up restaurant in the Kvitabui Matnaust og Galleri, just a short walk from the ferry terminal. The food was delicious, the local apple juice refreshing, and the waterside seating and scenery absolutely top-notch.

Day 2 – Solvorn to Hjellevegen

Distance ~ 225 km, time ~ 3 hrs 45 minutes, plus stops

Along Lustrafjorden

Well-fueled by an excellent breakfast, we hauled our bags back down the steep wooden staircase and departed Solvorn. To start, our route headed generally northeast along the western shore of Lustrafjorden.

Our first stop was unplanned: pretty little Nes Kirkje (Nes Church), a long wooden church dating from 1836. Constructed according to a standard design by Hans Ditlev Franciscus Linstow, it replaced a 14th-century stave church. Nes Kirkje sits across from Feigefossen, one of Norway’s tallest unregulated waterfalls at 218 meters – a nice composition (except for the power lines).

Our next stop was Lusterbui (planned). This strip mall bakery-café earns 4.7/5.0 stars on Google Reviews and was recommended in an online guide to the most scenic driving route between Solvorn and Hjelledalen. Our hotel for the coming night offered only breakfast service, with nearby restaurants few and far between. So we bought ham and cheese pizza buns as a “just in case” supper.

Skjolden

We opted for a short photostop at the terminus of Lustrafjorden instead of our planned hike to Sengjaberget Viewpoint. We saw no point to hiking in the rain with most of the drive still ahead of us!

The small park in Skjolden featured a beach volleyball court, benches and what looked to me like an apple sculpture. I must have formed that impression because of the delicious locally-produced apple juice I’d enjoyed with the previous night’s supper. How wrong I was!! 🙂

Jonsok, made of aluminum and steel, symbolizes the bond between Norwegians and their family members who emigrated to America. An overlay of circles represents these connections. The flames (what I thought was the apple stem and leaves) represent energy and search for the new. Sculptor Kati Casida, from Wisconsin, was on hand when the sculpture was installed in 2011.

Sognefjellet

There’s a website dedicated to Norwegian Scenic Routes. These are 18 roads running through landscapes with unique natural qualities, alternatives to the main roads, with the drive itself being an enjoyable experience. We opted for a few of these during our road trip, the first being Sognefjellet.

The Sognefjellet Scenic Route runs 108 km, connecting towns along the Lustrafjord arm of Sognefjorden to Fossbergom, a National Park Village in the municipality of Lom. This road is the highest mountain pass in northern Europe. It rises from sea level to 1434 meters at its high point. We made impromptu stops and pulled off at four of the six official points of interest along the way.

Eidsvatnet Lake

Just outside Skjolden, we spotted a beautiful waterfall ahead. We stopped in a small pullout, thinking to photograph the waterfall. But then I got distracted by a hand-lettered information sign. It was faded, with sections of the English translation completely worn away. Fortunately, a more recent sign was erected nearby, so I read enough to know to look across the lake for a hut.

I confess complete ignorance of Ludwig Wittgenstein until this stop. I have since learned that he’s considered one of the greatest philosophers of the 20th century and that his posthumously published Investigations ranks as the most important book of 20th-century philosophy. A long and winding road lead him to a teaching career at Cambridge. In 1913 he left academic life to concentrate on his philosophical work. His travels ended up in Norway at Skjolden, where he designed a small wooden house which was erected on a remote bluff overlooking Eidsvatnet Lake. He lived there off and on until the 1930s, and wrote substantial parts of his works there.

The hut was dismantled in 1958, several years after Wittgenstein’s death. Beginning in 2014, the local Wittgenstein Foundation led a project to reconstruct and re-erect the building in its original location. Since reopening in 2019, the house has grown steadily in popularity, drawing an increasing number of visitors each year.

Wittgenstein Monument

Who can resist the urge to pull off and investigate when you spot a giant wooden hand? Not us!

We found no sign to explain the sculpture – not even a plaque with the title and artists’ names. And we completely missed the fact there was a button that, if pressed, would cause the hand-mouth to speak and whistle! Still, it was whimsical and sparked curiousity. I knew I would learn more about it at some point, which I have.

The mouth-hand sculpture is called The Wittgenstein Monument, erected in 2018 to honour Wittgenstein. It was crafted at the Hjerleid Craft Centre in Dovre, Norway, using six tons of 200-year-old pines. I found this YouTube video of drone shots of the sculpture being transported from Dovre to its home near a campground just outside Skjolden.

It turns out the sculpture was part of a much larger, multi-year art project called Wittgenstein on Vacation.

The parking lot for the sculpture offered an even better view of Åsafossen, which has a free fall of 180 meters.

Drone Practice and Wildflower Photography Along the Sognefjellet

Mr GeoK bought a DJI Mini 4 Pro with this Norway road trip in mind. He researched the licensing and insurance requirements, drone-friendly areas and practiced in a nearby soccer field before we left Canada. Not too far into the drive, with amazing mountain scenery all around, he found a safe spot to pull off the road and try out his drone “for real.” Once he’s put together a video, I’ll share a link here.

Meanwhile, here are a couple of shots of the rookie drone pilot at work. 🙂

I kept busy with landscape and wildflower photography while he did his thing.

Nedre Oscarshaug

This is the first official point of interest when driving south to north / west to east. It’s described as having one of the best vantage points along the route. A glass telescope with the names of the peaks gives an overview of the surrounding Hurrungane massif. Another family was really enjoying the glass telescope. So while the landscape photography was good, it was a bit challenging to get the shots we wanted of the installation by architect Carl-Viggo Hølmebakk.

Shortly after departing Nedre Oscarhaug, we pulled over to check out just how much snow still lined the road.

Oscarshaug

The name of this rest area comes from an 1860 journey that King Oscar II made over the mountain at the site where a cairn was built in memory of his trip. From the parking area there is a path up to the cairn at the top of Oscarshaug. And yes the view towards the the Hurrungane mountains, with the iconic Mount Store Skagastølstind is amazing.

But I think the winner at this stop is the remote mountain washroom facility, by Jensen & Skodvin Arkitektkontor.

Elevation Signs

I couldn’t figure out the logic to where they were placed, but there were elevation signs at many points along the scenic route. We pulled off to photograph one.

Mefjellet

Mefjellet rest area, at the Storevasskrysset crossroads in the centre of the mountain plateau, was the busiest spot along this scenic route.

Not only was there a large parking area, there was a group of sizeable cairns across the street. Plus – most favoured by photographers – a stone sculpture by Knut Wold in the midst of the high-altitude scenery.

Nufshaug Scenic ViewPoint

We stopped at this pullout because of the waterfalls coming down right beside and then under the road. A couple of motorcycles stopped here, too, which got me thinking how much fun it must be to ride this kind of scenic route on a motorbike. We saw only one human-powered bicycle on the drive.

Viewpoint at Jotunheimen Fjellstue

We stopped here because the hotel constructed a raised platform to take in the view across the valley. Honestly, it wasn’t really worth a stop, although a dilapitated building just down the valley caught my attention. This turned out to be our last stop before reaching the town of Fossbergom (aka Lom).

Fossbergom, Lom National Park Village

With fewer than a thousand residents, Fossbergom is described as “the most typical mountain municipality in Norway.” This National Park Village has developed on both sides of the Bøvra river, which takes on the form of a white and wild waterfall, Prestfossen, as it flows under the traditionally-built Ulstad wooden bridge. Also running under the bridge and above the falls is the Prestfosstraversen (zipline), established in 2009. We saw several individuals ride the zipline. In many ways, Fossbergom reminded us of Banff, with a small village footprint and small permanent population all overrun with tourists – including us!

Fossbergom, aka Lom, is known for its Lom Stave Church and for its location amid Northern Europe’s highest mountains. Cultural attractions include the Norwegian Mountain Center and the Fossheim Stone Center. There’s also a bakery/sandwich shop, several outdoor cafés, restaurants, shops and museums.

We started our exploration of Lom with a stop at Bakeriet i Lom, where we shared a tasty sandwich. Then we were off to the Norwegian Mountain Center, which is both a visitor center for the national parks Jotunheimen, Reinheimen and Breheimen AND a museum containing Norway’s largest exhibition of glacial archaeological finds.

Lom Bygdamuseun

Next, we stretched our legs with a walk through Lom Bygdamuseun. This is an outdoor museum with buildings from the 17th thru 19th centuries, including Storstabburet (a large storehouse) from 1613, which is possibly the biggest in Norway. The site holds 23 buildings, which together paint a picture of the architecture and building methods on traditional large farms and of the farmers’ way of life.

Lom’s stave church was the third such church we visited in Norway, although this time we didn’t go inside. It’s one of the largest and most beautiful stave churches in Norway. But we were getting tired of the “overrun with tourists” feeling and wanted to get back on the road.

First though, one final stop at the Bakeriet i Lom, where we bought another “emergency supper” pizza bun. And we also popped into the artisans’ market to buy a C$22 bottle of local apple juice (yes, Norway’s prices were high). It was already mid- to late-afternoon and we were pretty sure we’d be consuming our emergency supplies for our last meal of the day!

Lom to Hjellevegen

The last one hundred km of our Day 2 route included the first stretch of divided, double-laned highway we’d seen since our taxi ride from the airport to our hotel in Bergen. What a contrast to the mostly “not quite two lanes” Sognefjellet scenic route.

We stopped once, at Lookout Point (Søndre Lagervatnet), where we got out to stretch our legs a bit. Mr GeoK wandered down to the lakeshore, while I scouted for more wildflowers.

Long Tunnel

Somewhere along the way, we drove through a 25 km long tunnel!

Romantic Dinner 🙂

After checking into our hotel on the shore of Oppstrynsvatn, we gathered our supplies and headed out to an enclosed gazebo for a simple picnic – pizza buns, local apple juice, and pastries for dessert (not exactly the supper of champions ;)). Seated just a meters from the shoreline, surrounded by Nature, it was a nice way to wind down after a busy day.

Day 3 – Loen Via Ferrata

My wish to complete the Loen Via Ferrata was another major influence on the driving portion of our trip. We needed to stay nearby the night before. And since it’s pretty much a full-day activity, we stayed a second night at the same hotel. That was a nice break from changing bedrooms every night.

Anyhow, the Loen Via Ferrata: it’s a physically demanding, but spectacular climbing trail that takes you from sea level along the shoreline of Innvikfjorden to the top of Mt. Hoven at 1011 m. After gaining about 400 meters over a 2.2 km hike, the remaining 700 meters of elevation is gained over just 1.1 km, all while clipped onto a safety wire.

At 750 meters elevation, climbers cross Gjølmunne Bridge, the longest via ferrata bridge in Europe. Optional parts of the course include Gjølmunnestrengen (a 36-meter long 3-wire bridge) and Stigull (a 40-meter long ladder with 120 steps and a 45-degree slope). Mr. GeoK opted for both of these. I opted out!

There’s also a grande finale Zipline, which we both opted to do (additional fee).

We chose the basic route. There are alternate “extreme” routes covering part of the elevation gain, including Tors Hammar and Ragnorok (the toughest via Ferrata route in Norway).

After taking in the views at the top, we caught the Loen Skylift back down to sea level, where I turned in my rented climbing shoes and we headed back to our hotel to rest our feet (and, in Mr GeoK’s case, arms).

I plan to write a separate blog post covering our Loen Via Ferrata adventure in more detail, and will link to it here once complete.

Day 4 – Hjellevegen to Geiranger

Distance ~ 80 km, time ~ 1 hrs 55 minutes, plus stops

After another passable breakfast at the Hjelle Hotel, Mr GeoK headed outside with his drone to get some footage (with the hotel owners’ permission).

Then we loaded up the car and hit the road. Our aim = arrive in Geiranger with enough time for a bit of sightseeing in town before our pre-booked RIB cruise on Geirangerfjord, while taking the scenic route.

Gamle Strynefjellsveg

Rather than drive the most direct route, we backtracked a little so that we could travel Gamle Strynefjellsveg, another designated scenic route. Built by manual labour towards the end of the 19th century, the long rows of guardstones date back to the original construction. This scenic route between Eastern and Western Norway was listed as a protected road in 2009.

The day Mr GeoK drove us along Gamle Strynefjellsveg was quite cloudy, sometimes low, with mountains playing peek-a-boo through breaks in the cover.

We’d seen a couple of paintings of the guardstones in a catalogue of paintings by Peter Whyte, during a January 2025 visit to The Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies (founded by Peter Whyte and Catherine Robb Whyte). And while we were not able to find the exact spot captured in his painting, we saw plenty of guardstones.

With plenty of small pullouts along this unpaved road that is mostly NOT within a National Park, Mr GeoK took advantage to fly his drone several times.

I pointed my camera at plenty of wildflowers, tarns, waterfalls and mountain scenery.

We stopped at the 19th C. stone bridge, now replaced by a sturdier modern bridge. A waterfall extended upstream, downstream and through the bridge at this location.

One stop was just down the road across from the Stryn Summer Ski hill, where the chairlift was running and we saw skiers on the slopes. The ski hill was a bonus. We’d stopped because of a pretty tarn, still partially surrounded by snow, that feeds Stryn-Wasserfall.

Grotli to Geiranger

At Grotli, we turned west on to a main road, which became increasingly clogged with vehicles and tourist buses as we neared Geiranger.

For example, this was the scene at a location called “Waterfall View” on Google Maps:

When we tried to stop at a viewpoint overlooking the fjord, it was so crowded that Mr GeoK had to keep circling the lot while I hopped out to take a single overview photo. Quite a contrast to the same location where Peter Whyte painted Geirangerfjord back in 1938!

The big cruise ship at the wharf (passenger capacity up to 6,334) should have been our second clue that Geiranger was going to be crowded!

Norsk Fjordsenter and Fossevandring Geiranger

We did manage to find (paid) parking at the Norsk Fjordsenter, where we enjoyed the public art on the grounds and grabbed a quick snack before making our way along the very crowded waterfall walk to sea level.

Out and About in Geiranger

Once in the townsite proper, we continued to do our best to find quieter spaces. It was a challenge. A 6,300 passenger cruise ship was at the dock all day, and between ship passengers and land visitors, the tiny village of ~ 250 people was absolutely overwhelmed. From my perspective, it was like mashing together Banff townsite, Johnston Canyon and Osoyoos!

We got very focused:

1) Find the chocolate shop, Geiranger Sjokolade Fjordnær, where we purchased a large box of assorted dark chocolates with various fruit-flavoured centres. We shared these later in our travels.

2) Try the fish cakes from Fiskekaka Geiranger.

3) If possible, move up the time for our RIB cruise on Geirangerfjord. Success on this front meant we departed at 3 pm and could leave the townsite an hour earlier than originally planned. Between changing our excursion time and actually heading to the shop to pull on a well-used drysuit, we threaded our way back up the waterfall walk and moved our rental car so that it was a very short walk from the RIB tour.

Despite the fact we just wanted to get away from the crowds, the appeal is undeniable. As a UNESCO World Heritage Site Geirangerfjord is among the most scenically outstanding fjord areas on the planet, thanks to the length and depth of the fjord, numerous waterfalls, free-running rivers, woodlands and forests, and remnants of old (mostly abandoned) transhumant farms.

RIB Cruise

We had a one hour RIB (rigid inflatable boat) cruise part way along Geirangerfjord. The company ran two RIBs per tour, I think partly for safety. All the paying passengers had to pull on well-worn dry suits and wear life jackets. It was scenic, but very commercialized, with a kind of “how many tourists a day can we take?” kind of vibe.

From the water, we saw our hotel for the night, with our road out of town the next morning zigzagging up the steep incline behind.

Driving Day 4 was a day of extreme highlights and lowlights. Highlights included:

• For me, seeing firsthand some of the scenery we saw in a catalogue of paintings by Peter Whyte from his spring 1938 travels in Norway
• For Mr GeoK, multiple drone flights
• For both of us, dark chocolate treats from Geiranger Sjokolade Fjordnær plus fish cakes from Fiskekaka Geiranger

The worst part of the day = the massive crowds in Gereingar. We couldn’t get out of there fast enough. 🙁

Day 5 – Geiranger to Kristiansund

Distance ~ 250 km, time ~ 4 hrs 30 minutes (including two ferry transits), plus stops

Our final driving day started with the best buffet breakfast of the trip to-date. Bonus? When we asked about assembling a packed lunch, hotel staff said go ahead, there’s no charge. 🙂

Things went downhill for a bit after that. The Ornevegen road up out of Geirangerfjord was crazy, with almost a dozen tight hairpin curves. At one point, Mr GeoK had to back up to allow an oncoming tour bus to pass. 🙁

Otherwise, the drive was quite straightforward, made literally more straight by all of the tunnels along the route. According to Wikipedia, there are more than 900 road tunnels in Norway, with a combined length of more than 750 km. However, a little digging reveals these statistics date back to at least 2019. The count and total length will be greater today. For example, on this particular day, we drove through a 5.7 km long tunnel 250 meters below sea level called Atlanterhavstunnelen and it’s not included in the Wikipedia statistics. Some of the longer tunnels have pullouts, emergency call boxes and even intersections!

Eisdal to Linge Ferry

Our first ferry ride was from Eisdal to Linge, a 15 minute ride operated by Fjord1 AS, departing about every 20 minutes. Unlike our ferry ride on Day 1, it’s not possible to make a reservation for this one. You simply show up and hope there’s room.

When we arrived, we were pretty sure we’d make it onto the next ferry, since we parked in Lane 2 of about 8 lanes. Waiting for the ferry to arrive, we got into a conversation with a tour bus driver. He makes his living driving tour buses in the summer and snowplows in the winter.

Stordal Church

We made one quick stop on the ~ one hour drive to the next ferry. We pulled over when we spotted pretty, white wooden church just off the main road. It turned out to be Stordal Church. Built and consecrated in 1869, it’s notable for being the only church in Norway with two towers.

Vestnes to Molde Ferry

Approaching the boarding area for the 35 minutes ferry from Vestnes to Modle, there were two lanes of parked vehicles. We naturally parked at the back of the shorter lane. Then, after watching traffic for a bit, I started to wonder if we were stopped in the right place. I asked a truck driver parked to our right and he said we were in the through traffic lane and wouldn’t make it onto the next ferry unless we turned around and went back to the end of the longer line. So we did! And phew – we made it on to the next sailing of the 20 minute route operated by Boreal Sjo AS.

Atlanterhavsvegen Scenic Drive

Disembarking the ferry in Molde, we drove north to the village of Hustad, where we began a slightly truncated version of the “the road across the sea,” which has been described as the world’s most beautiful drive. The bridges that arch between the islets and reefs along Hustadvika Bay is instantly recognizable to anyone who’s watched the James Bond film No Time to Die. We stopped at numerous points of interest along this listed scenic route.

The seven bridges on this route are also a feat of engineering. The decision to build a road connecting these islands was first made in 1935, but the plans were left in a drawer until 1961. Financing of the road project was long in coming. Construction finally began in 1983, and over the six-year construction period, the workers endured a total of twelve hurricanes. The road finally opened on July 7, 1989. In 2005, the Atlantic Road was voted Norway’s “Construction of the Century.”

Askevågen

The cantilevered viewing platform at Askevågen provides a 360-degree view of the ocean, the archipelago and the mountainous shore.

The name Askevågen (Ash Bay) stems from times when kelp was gathered, laid out to dry and then incinerated in stone kilns. The kelp ashes were an important ingredient in the production of soda, used in the making of glass. Kelp itself was an animal feedstock, and also used to improve the soil in fields.

Kelp harvesting became so extensive that some believed it to be detrimental to fishing. So in 1804, kelp burning became illegal. In the 1870s, kelp burning resumed, this time so the ashes could be used to extract iodine. The iodine content in kelp is highest at northern latitudes, so the kelp here was relatively more valuable than kelp from Southern Europe. In 1930, simpler and cheaper methods of producing iodine were discovered, and kelp burning came to its end.

Farstadanden

The parking lot attraction at Farstadanden is a uniquely triangle-shaped washroom facility. Architect: Rever & Drage.

Beyond the parking lot, Farstadanden is a nature reserve, with rich bird and plant life and the world’s northernmost sand-dune site of the southern variety.

While the beach is the start of a 2.5 km walk (one way) to Nordneset Lighthouse, we didn’t want to invest that much time at this stop. We took enough time to walk down to the beach and enjoy the waves rolling in while tiny songbirds flitted around.

Column Transatlantica

Our final stop before reaching the bridge section of the scenic route was at the Hågå parking lot. From there, we headed out along a coastal path, trying to find pieces of a white columnar shape that lay on the coastal rock, in ponds and between small heath-covered hills. The marble sculpture was created by artist Jan Freuchen, and is called Columna Transatlantica, or the Transatlantic Column. The sculpture gives associations to toppled Greek columns, perhaps the Midgard serpent (a sea serpent Norse mythology) and even the oil installation Ormen Lange off the coast. Artist: Jan Freuchen came up with the idea for this installation in part from playing with a whipped cream spray can.

This walk turned out to be rather longer (and muddier) than expected, but I enjoyed the challenge of trying to come up with some strong compositions including sections of the stone “whipped cream.” 😉

Storseisundet Bridge

This particular bridge is the one James Bond fans will recognize. In addition to the distintinctive curving and elevated arches, specially built fishing walkways are installed on either side of the the bridge.

This is where Mr GeoK pulled out his drone again, and ended up chatting with other drone enthusiasts. One drone pilot had returned four days in a row trying to find a window with gentle enough winds that he could launch his drone. Mr GeoK got very lucky with timing!

Meanwhile, I explored the fishing walkways and did my best to get somewhat creative shots of this distinctive bridge.

Eldhusøya Island

Our final point of interest along the Atlanterhavsvegen Scenic Drive was at Eldhusøya Island. There’s a well-constructed, accessible loop path.

This was the only stop of the day where I had a preconceived composition. We had to wait a LONG time for a people-free moment to get the shot.

Late Lunch / Early Supper

Given our long driving day, we were definitely ready for a late lunch / early supper by the time we reached Bjartmars Favorittkro (rated 4.5/5.0 on Google Reviews at the time of our visit). We both enjoyed fish and chips before getting back on the road.

Sveggvika Hiking Area

As we neared Kristiansund, we figured we had a bit of time to spare given our 7 pm deadline to drop our rental car at the airport. So when we saw a nice parking / hiking area NOT in a National Park, we pulled off. Again, Mr GeoK set his drone to fly, while I walked a short trail to the shoreline and back.

Arrival in Kristiansund

We figured the logical thing to do was check into our hotel, move our luggage into our room and then drive out to the airport to drop off our car. Then we had options: catch a taxi, Uber or transit bus back to our hotel.

It was an easy return process at the airport and we didn’t have to wait very long for a bus.

Unless we wanted to change buses, the nearest stop to our hotel was about a 20 minute walk. After 5 days of mostly sitting and driving, we opted for the walk. The route included Sørsundbrua, an elevated bridge over one arm of the multibranched inner harbour of Kristiansund.

Back at the hotel, we settled into our home base for the next couple of days. Our room was equipped with a large desk, great for photo processing and setting up a charging station. And we had a small sitting area. The shower enclosure here was kind of strange, and the exterior was under renovation so construction workers were outside our room on scaffolding by about 7 o’clock each morning. While we initially considered the location somewhat inconvenient, we almost immediately came to enjoy the free little ferry we had to catch to get just about anywhere in the town.

Wrap Up

Our total driving distance over the five days was about 875 km. We gassed up twice, including just before dropping off the rental car. Due to the ridiculousness of the one-way drop off fee, the all-in cost for our rental vehicle turned out to be $3.93/km (rental charge, one-way charge, gas and parking). That’s on the VERY high side. Unfortunately, we’d already booked all our hotels and planned the balance of our time in Norway before we learned about the exhorbitant one-way fee, so we were better off paying it vs. cancelling hotel reservations, re-booking and re-working our itinerary. Lesson learned…

Post Script – earlier this year, Mr GeoK took advantage of a great deal on the DJI Mini 4 Pro drone. Opportunities to use it near home are limited. Drones are not permitted in Canada’s National Parks. Nor are they allowed in Alberta’s Provincial Parks. Strangely, he can practice in some of Calgary’s green spaces, although he generally waits until there’s really no one else around.

Prior to our Norway trip, he obtained a basic Canadian drone operator’s license plus the equivalent for Norway. And he labelled his drone with that information, as required. His opportunities to fly the drone were also restricted in Norway. No flying in National Parks, most cities or near airports / heliports / military bases. Even so, he found “in the clear” locations about a half dozen times on this 5-day road trip. He also flew the drone in Grip, Trondheim and the Kistefos Museum (with written permission).

Processing the drone footage is still on his “to do” list. I will link to videos here, once they are available.