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Norway 2007: The Fjords - north of Sognefjord |
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Wednesday 20th June: Fortun - Djuvik (101 km) |
Sognefjord and sunshine go together.
One day on our previous trip we were cycling along Sognefjord near Leikanger when I had the eerie sensation that I was in my Grandfather's house, a place that I had not seen for over forty years.
He lived in New Zealand, in a white wooden house surrounded by apple trees.
Out the back there were bicycles and boats.
He cycled everywhere. Once a year he would cycle 125 km to a festival in another town, then two days later he would cycle back.
Not bad for a man in his seventies! One year, coming back, he died in a collision, hit by a car on a rainy night.
"What a silly old man" they said, "he should have stayed at home".
Here in front of me, on the opposite side of the world, were white houses surrounded by apple trees covered in blossom.
Behind the houses, the sun sparkled on the blue Sognefjord.
My Grandfather never travelled to Norway, but if he had I am sure he would have felt very much at home here in Sognefjord.
Lustrafjorden, a branch of Sognefjorden. The open ocean is about 200 km away
Boat, Lustrafjorden
Looking up Sognefjorden from Leikanger
Sognefjorden: A ferry leaves Hella for Dragsvik
Karen's diary:
We got to bed at midnight so we didn't get up till 7.45am after a very deep sleep. I was in no hurry at all and we left the campground quite late. My body was aching and I looked forward to an easy day. After a few kilometres we reached the village of Skjolden (we'd stayed there in 2005) and then we were on Lustrafjord, a side-arm of the mighty Sognefjord. It is extremely pretty, with lovely reflections in the water and some big waterfalls. The road is often very narrow. After passing through the village of Gaupne the road goes inland and over a pass (a bit bigger than I'd remembered) and then there's a good descent to Sogndal, a busy town. Shopping and lunch were followed by an easy 35km ride along the north shore of Sognefjord to Hella, a ferry terminal. The further west you go, the better the views. From Hella you can see snowy mountains all in a row.
We caught the ferry south to Vangsnes and then we were in unfamiliar territory again. It was only a short distance to Djuvik, which is a campground rather than a village. The cabins are cheap and good and boast a terrific view of the fjord. It has been a very warm day, so the big east-facing window has let in lots of heat. We are walking around in our coolest clothing, waiting for the sun to set behind the mountains. It's my birthday today, but we have no cake - ice-creams on the ferry landing were today's special treat.