Norway Fjord Route

Norway has long lived in my head in the form of photographs with huge mountains, waterfalls and roads that seemed to have been specially laid between the fjords for the sake of beauty. Everything looked so perfect in the pictures that I even suspected a bit of a catch: well, the country can't really be so beautiful, and even in everyday life, without five filters and a special photographer from a helicopter. In the end, I decided to check everything out myself and went on a road trip, where the main plan was to see the fjords, and the backup plan was at least not to get lost on the way. I decided to start the trip from Bergen. The city greeted me with colorful houses, narrow streets, mountains all around, and rain, which the locals seem to perceive about as calmly as we do with ordinary clouds. I came hoping for beautiful sunny photos, but Norway quickly explained to me the local rules: if the sun is out now, it's better to take pictures right away, because in ten minutes everything can change. Bergen Embankment After Bergen, I picked up the car and drove on, towards the fjords, for which the whole trip was conceived. The further away I got from the city, the fewer houses there were and the more mountains, water, tunnels and waterfalls appeared around, and sometimes all this appeared so unexpectedly that I wanted to stop the car literally after every turn. I realized very quickly that in Norway, even an ordinary road can steal half an hour of your time, simply because there's a view nearby that makes it impossible to just say, "Well, we'll see later."

One of the main points of my route was Sognefjord. I had seen it in photographs many times before the trip, but it turned out to be a completely different feeling in person, because no camera captures this scale. I hope that the emotions I have received will inspire me for more than one year. Sognefjord You stand next to the water, look at the huge rocks and suddenly realize how small you are against the background of all this construction, which nature obviously assembled without any haste. What's the buzz here? I even thought for a moment how much it would cost to move to Norway. How happy the locals are, they can go out into nature at any time. On the way, as I expected, I stopped several times at waterfalls, which in any other country could well become the main local attraction. In Norway, you get used to it quickly: you drive calmly, you notice the sound of water, which, by the way, does not annoy at all, you turn to the side of the road – and there is already a waterfall in front of you. At first, I took pictures of each one in a row, and then I realized that my phone would soon run out of memory altogether, so I had to choose, although it was almost physically painful to delete at least one picture. And I realized that on my next trip I should take a camera or buy a phone with as much memory as possible.

The next stop was Flom, and I especially remembered not so much the town itself as the road to it. Here I finally realized that in Norway, a route is not just a way to get from one place to another, but a separate part of the journey that constantly tries to attract attention to itself. Tunnels give way to streamers, water appears around the bend, then mountains, then a small wooden house that looks like it was specially erected in the most beautiful place in the country. Flom Harbor At some point, I stopped rushing and just started stopping where I really wanted to. I could get out of the car, make coffee, stand by the water for a while and drive on again, completely not worrying that I was behind schedule. Moreover, the less I tried to control everything, the more enjoyable the trip became, because sometimes the best moment of the trip is not a planned attraction, but an accidental stop that you did not intend to make at all. In Flom, I allowed myself to slow down a bit. After several hours on the road, it was especially pleasant to just take a walk, look at the water, sit somewhere with a coffee and feel that you were not running through the list of attractions. However, after a while I looked at my watch again and remembered that I still have the next point on the route, which means it's too early to relax completely.

Then I went towards Lerdahl, and this part of the journey became one of those that I remember with special warmth. There were many mountain landscapes, small settlements and a completely calm road where you just wanted to drive and look around. Sometimes I turned down the music on purpose, because the noise of the wheels and the surrounding landscape created their own atmosphere. The Lerdahl Tunnel is considered to be the longest automobile tunnel in the world, with a 24.5-kilometer path through it. I was surprised when I found out that the psychological burden on drivers was taken into account during the internship. The tunnel consists of 4 sections separated by 3 large mountain caves. The Lerdahl Tunnel On the way to the fjords, I also appreciated this as an attraction. I noticed an interesting thing about myself: the further I drove, the less I wanted to constantly take pictures of everything. At the beginning of the trip, the phone literally did not have time to cool down, and then I began to just look with my eyes more often. This is probably one of the signs of a good trip, when it's no longer so important for you to prove to someone where you've been, because you realize that this moment will remain in your memory even without a photo. Geiranger Fjord – that's what I came for. The main point of my route was Geiranger Fjord. I had seen him dozens of times in photographs and thought that after all I had seen, it would be difficult to surprise me, but in person everything turned out to be even bigger. The narrow fjord, high green cliffs, waterfalls that fall directly from the slopes, and small ships on the water made it feel like I was somehow inside a very expensive tourist advertisement. Geiranger Fjord On one of the viewing platforms, I lost track of time altogether. The plan was simple: get out of the car, take a look, take a few photos and drive on, but each time it seemed like just one more minute and the light would become more beautiful. As a result, I stood there much longer than I intended, and then I found a whole series of almost identical photos on my phone, differing by about a couple of centimeters in the movement of the cloud, but I still couldn't delete them. The funny thing is that at some point I already started to think that now I've definitely seen everything. But then the clouds parted a little, another light fell on the fjord, and I took out my phone again. It seems that it was in Norway that I realized that the phrase "last photo and we're going" is probably the biggest lie of a traveler.

My journey was not without adventures either. One day, after a long drive, I arrived at my apartment, unloaded my things, took a break for a while, and only then realized that I had left one rather important thing in the car, and the parking lot was not nearby at all. At that moment, I really wanted to convince myself that I didn't need the thing at all, because it was so beautiful around me, I could see a river in a mountain valley. But still, I had to put on my jacket again and walk back. Such small things, of course, do not spoil the trip, and then even become a part of it. Now, when I think back to Norway, I remember not only the fjords and mountains, but also this evening, when I once again went to the car and thought, why can't you just pack your things once and never come back to them. Probably because then it would be too perfect a story, but we still have a real journey. The Atlantic Road is another side of Norway After the fjords, I wanted to see another side of Norway, so I included the Atlantic Road in the route. The scenery here is completely different: the sea, small islands, bridges and a road that literally runs through the middle of the water. When you drive along it in good weather, everything looks calm and even a little unreal, but I still kept looking at the sky and thinking how quickly everything can change here. Atlantic Road This section gave me a completely different feeling of the road. After the mountains and narrow fjords, the open sea seemed almost endless, and the wind immediately reminded you that you were far to the north and nature here was clearly not going to adapt to your plans. I got out of the car a few times just to stand by the water, and each time I came back with a little tousled hair and a very pleased expression on my face. Norwegian weather decided to participate The weather tried to test my character several times during the trip. In one day, I could see the sun, rain, fog, more sun, and more rain, and sometimes it all happened faster than I could put my phone back in my pocket. At some point, I just stopped building high expectations from the forecast and carried a jacket with me all the time, because the Norwegian sky clearly does not like it when a person plans his day too confidently. One day I left in the morning in fairly pleasant weather, so I decided that I could leave my raincoat in the car, and on the same day I saw how beautiful the rainbow was. After a while, I had to admit that the decision was controversial, because the weather changed quite quickly, and I was standing at the observation deck and trying to take pictures at the same time and not get wet. Since then, the rule has become simple: everything you need should be nearby, because in Norway, trusting only the morning sun is almost like trusting your own mood forecast. But it was thanks to this weather that some places looked especially atmospheric. When fog appeared over the fjord, the mountains became almost unreal, and after the rain the waterfalls seemed even more powerful. Therefore, I quickly came to the conclusion that bad weather in Norway is a rather arbitrary concept, especially if you came here specifically for the sake of nature.

I got the most pleasant moments of the trip not only at the famous viewing platforms. Sometimes I just drove through a small village, noticed wooden houses, boats by the water, or sheep by the road, and realized that this was the frame I wanted to keep in my memory. At such moments, Norway felt not like a collection of attractions, but like a real country where people just live in the midst of all this incredible landscape. Several times I purposely turned off somewhere I hadn't planned to go at all. Sometimes it ended with a beautiful stop by the water, sometimes with another tunnel, which I entered with a slight anxiety, because I had no idea how long it would last. But it's these small adventures that I remember best later, because a trip without a couple of unexpected turns would be too much like a well-organized excursion. Where did I stay I chose the accommodation according to the principle "the main thing is to be comfortable after the road and to want to open the window in the morning." Therefore, the route included small guest houses, simple hotels and cozy places away from major cities. Sometimes the interior was completely ordinary, but in the morning I went outside and saw mountains or water, and after a long drive it worked better than any expensive design. Evanger Village I especially liked the small guest houses, where it was quiet and peaceful in the evening. After a whole day driving, it was nice to take off your shoes, put your phone on charge, make tea, and finally take your time. Sometimes I just sat by the window and reviewed the photos for the day, and almost always I found that half of the pictures were taken in exactly the same place. Eating on the road was also a separate part of the trip. Sometimes I managed to eat normally, and sometimes I limited myself to coffee and something simple, because another viewing platform seemed much more important than a full meal. True, by evening, the body began to remind us that beautiful mountains are wonderful, but the human body still needs food sometimes. How much time should I spend on such a route? The main advice I would give myself before the trip is not to try to cover the whole of Norway in a few days. On the map, it seems that everything is relatively close between the points, but in practice the road takes longer than expected, especially when you constantly want to stop. In addition, some sections are simply impossible to drive fast, because the roads themselves require attention and are not conducive to racing. I liked the format much more when, after several busy days, you could leave at least one day with almost no plan. Back then, I didn't feel like I had to get somewhere all the time. It was possible to calmly wake up, have breakfast, get in the car and just see where today's route would lead.

If I were to put the trip together into one route, I would now lay it out like this: Bergen → Sognefjord → Flom → Lerdahl → Geiranger Fjord → Atlantic Road → small coastal towns and villages. This route allows you to see different landscapes of Norway without turning the trip into an endless race between points on the map. I would only immediately put extra time on the road, because in Norway it is almost impossible to move exclusively according to plan. You will definitely see a place where you want to stay, meet a beautiful road, a small waterfall, or just want to drink coffee with a view of the fjord, which means that you will have to let go of your schedule a little. At the same time, I would not try to change my overnight location every day just to see another point. Sometimes it's better to spend two evenings in one place and explore the surroundings in peace than to pack a suitcase every day and spend your energy moving again. On such a journey, not only the list of things you've seen is important, but also how comfortable you feel along the way. A list of necessary items After this trip, I have a very specific list of things that I would no longer underestimate. A good waterproof jacket, comfortable shoes, a phone charger, a power bank, and something to eat in the car would seem to be the most common things, but when there are mountains around and the nearest cafe is unknown, you start to look at a simple candy bar with completely different eyes. I would definitely take a thermos. Stopping by a fjord, pouring yourself a hot coffee and just looking at the water for a few minutes turned out to be one of the most enjoyable little rituals of the trip. Sometimes, for some reason, such moments are more memorable than a long visit to a famous landmark. What did I take with me from this trip After Norway, I was left with the feeling that I had visited a country where nature calmly occupies the first place and does not try to prove anything to anyone. There's no need to come up with entertainment every minute, because sometimes it's enough just to drive, look out the window and wait for the scenery to appear around the next bend. And that's probably what I liked the most. Geiranger Fjord I was driving among the fjords, getting caught in the rain, getting confused on the roads, taking too many photos, reviewing the route several times, and still constantly rejoicing that I was here. Sometimes I got tired, sometimes I got wet, sometimes I realized that the next point was still far away, but I never had the feeling that it was all in vain. Norway has left me with the feeling of an unfinished journey: I seem to have seen a lot, but I still want to take the car again one day, load up my things and drive on, along those roads that I didn't have enough time for this time. And that's probably why I liked this route so much – it didn't set a beautiful point in the journey, but left the feeling that there are still a lot of roads, fjords, small villages and turns ahead, beyond which there will definitely be something new.