Posts In The “Norway” Category
With the short daylight hours of the Norwegian winter, we were underway in the dark for much of the time, particularly when making trips in longer waterways such as 110-nm Sognefjord, Norway’s longest fjord. This is more difficult than during the day, but can also be more enjoyable with beautiful night views. From Skjolden at…
At the extreme head of 110-nm Sognefjord, the longest and deepest fjord in Norway, stands the dramatic metal sculpture Jonsok in the town of Skjolden. Created by Wisconsin artist Kati Casida, the sculpture symbolizes the bond between Norwegians and their family members who emigrated to America. We continued our detailed exploration of Sognefjord, and the…
Laerdalsfjorden is a short branch of Sognefjord just east of Flam. It was the inspiration for Kjempeviseslatten, the most famous work of Harald Saeverud, one of the most significant Norwegian composers of the mid-1900s. Laerdal also is the terminus and namesake of the Laerdalstunnelen, the longest road tunnel in the world at 15.23 miles (24.51…
We first stopped in Flam, near the head of Sognefjord, in the spring of 2018 with snow still on the ground in the surrounding mountains. We returned in late fall of 2020 to snow on the peaks, but this time it was the first snows of the winter. On both visits, we took a ride…
From Finnafjorden we continued our detailed exploration of Sognefjord and travelled a short 15 miles miles to Balestrand. We anchored there for three nights, exploring the area by tender and hiking up through snow to the day cabin at the top of 3188-ft (972m) Raudmelen. Below are highlights from October 26th through 28th, 2020. Click…
Spectacular Finnafjorden (“the hidden fjord”) is a branch of Sognefjord, Norway’s longest and deepest fjord. While Finnafjorden is one of the shortest arms of Sognefjord, what it lacks in length it makes up for in amazing scenery. Particularly impressive is nearly landlocked Finnabotn, where 4,000-ft (1,200 m) mountains encircle the bay, giving the feel of…
The complex waters around Bergen are a diverse combination of coastal islands, high-current waterways and mountain fjords with equally diverse attractions. Northeast of Bergen, the country’s largest inland island, Osteroy, has several excellent hiking trails. Extending about 30nm along Norway’s exposed North Sea coast directly west of Bergen lies the island group municipality of Oygarden,…
The Gulating, in Gulafjorden, was the site of Norway’s annual parliamentary assembly from 900-1300AD, believed to have been established by Viking king Harald Fairhair. After 1300, the assembly was held in Bergen, where the Gulating Court of Appeal still sits today. In 2005, a memorial erected on the site to commemorate the 1,000 years of…
From the island of Fedje, we continued north to Skjerjehamn, also a popular summer tourist and boating destination. The coastal town is known for its many sculptures, including The Blue Garden, an outdoor sculpture trail and exhibit about aquaculture. After a 20-mile, 3.5-hour run, we anchored at the nearby island of Bjoroyna and ran the…
The island of Fedje is a popular summer boating and tourist destination, with a large sheltered harbour and excellent trails ashore. Of particular interest to us was a chance to walk a section of the North Sea Trail, an EU-funded, international collaboration to create a network of hiking trails along the North Sea. Participating countries…
As with most of the planet, 2020 was for us a year of plan changes, adjusted expectations and unpredictability. In several ways our lives have changed notably, but much remains the same. Along with many fellow world cruisers, we experienced the unique challenges of being a visiting boater during a global pandemic. But overall we…
God Jul (Merry Christmas) from Kristiansund, Norway. We hope you all have a safe and happy holiday season and that 2021 brings a return to normalcy. James, Jennifer and Spitfire God Jul message above Kristiansund, Norway God Jul (Merry Christmas) from Kristiansund, Norway. We hope you all have a safe and happy holiday season…
The island group municipality of Oygarden lies direction west of Bergen and extends about 30nm along Norway’s exposed North Sea coast. The eastern shores offer protected coastal cruising, while the western sides see the full force of North Sea storms. The wave strength is such that the island of Toftoyna was chosen as the site…
Kjerrgardsosen is a large, sheltered basin north of Bergen, with a nice hike nearby and excellent territory to explore in the tender. We arrived there after a 15nm run from Bergen on a beautiful, clear October day and spent three nights at anchor. We toured the area by tender, enjoyed a hike on the well-maintained…
As an EU citizen and accompanying family member, we can stay in the Schengen immigration area for an unlimited time period. But if we stay longer than 90 days in Norway (and most other Schengen countries), we must register as residents. We’ve decided not to do that, and instead exited the country briefly to Sweden….
In the fall of 2020, we made our third major plan change of the year. We’d been enjoying our Norwegian cruising so much that, rather than return to Scotland in October, we decided instead to winter in Norway. From the anchorage opposite the oil rigs in Steinsvagen, we made a two-day run south to Bergen,…
While hiking Saeterfjellet above Kjekallevagen, we could see a group of large oil rigs moored about twenty nautical miles away at the island of Sandoyna. They looked super-interesting, and we decided that visiting them would be our next adventure. We found an excellent anchorage opposite Sandoyna at Steinsvagen, within clear sight of the rigs. The…
We didn’t intend to stop for long in Austfjorden as we continued our detailed tour of the Norwegian coast. But on a tender tour of the area, we explored Kjekallevagen along the eastern shore. The high-sloped basin, ribboned with waterfalls, looked so dramatic and beautiful that we just had to stop there and hike to…