Fjord Norway

The first milestone is the NOK. This ideal of a mobile home port is within sight of the Rendsburger Hochbrücke. A cycling and hiking trail along the canal invites you to take a trip to Rendsburg, where you can linger at the canal café. With the landscaped terraces and summer temperatures, you can spend hours marveling at the Dickpötte as they pass through.

During our last night before the ferry crossing from Hirtshals to Kristiansand, we stand free at Lønstrup Klint, where Mårup Kirke once stood. From here you can see far beyond the cliffs to the open sea and the shifting dune Rubjerg Knude with the associated lighthouse. The sea is calm and the rain clouds are moving on, it will be a good last night in Denmark.

After a very good night in Denmark we reach our check in for our ferry to Kristiansand today. Good signage leads along the E39 to the Color Line terminal. Now we are waiting a good 1.5 hours before departure in row 23 for the arrival of the SuperSpeed 1. The weather is fantastic and the sea is calm, it will be a smooth trip across the Skagerrak.

After our ferry crossing, we follow the E39 for 2 hours towards Stavanger and arrive at Flekkefjord in the early evening. Here, in the middle of the fjord landscape, we decide to move into our quarters for one night. In the evening we walk along the fjord and enjoy the sunset. Tomorrow we continue along the coastal landscape of Jæren to Stavanger.

The lighthouse was built in 1912 to guide shipping along the Jæren coast. It has not been in operation since 1990 and has been converted into a museum and café. We spend our lunch break here and are surrounded by grazing cows while looking out over the sea.

There are several preserved lighthouses along the Jæren coast, this one dates from 1873 and houses an exhibition on the lighthouse keepers during the Second World War. During our visit the buildings are mostly deserted, after a short walk we continue to Stavanger.

The Orrestranda with a length of 5 km is one of the most beautiful beaches in Norway. During our detour we watch two kitesurfers in the rough sea, the wind is also picking up out here.

Our first destination in Norway is Stavanger. After the natural scenery of the Flekkefjord follows Norway's fourth largest city with the seaport, where the M/S Astor is just leaving us. We stay here for two nights and visit the Norsk Oil Museum at the harbor tomorrow.

Gamle Stavanger, the old town, has received several awards, as the more than 170 colorful wooden houses from the 18th century were restored as part of an architectural program and thus characterize the appearance of the old town to this day. Norway's Oil Museum is also located here at the port.

The exhibition at the Stavanger Petroleum Museum focuses on offshore production in the North Sea. The exterior architecture in particular is reminiscent of an oil drilling platform or an offshore structure.

We stop after Sandsfjord Bridge on the west side of Sandsfjord to have a snack at this rest area. On the way to the fjord we see an aquaculture farm from a hill.

The stave church in Røldal has existed since 1250 and is said to house a crucifix in the interior that is said to have healing powers. The 50 NOK entrance fee per person seems too much to us, so we walk around and enjoy the midsummer weather.

The twin waterfalls drain snowmelt from Folgefonna, one of Norway's largest mainland glaciers. The long-distance road leads directly past the imposing natural spectacle.

We set up our overnight quarters at the Sørfjord in Odda. We look at the Folgefonna glacier across from the fjord while sunbathing. In the evening there are calzones from the Omnia, which attracts our neighbors. Sunset easily passes 11pm, keeping us awake and warm.

The former hydroelectric power station in Tyssedal now houses an exhibition on the early years of industrialization in Norway. The spot is ideal for taking photos in the morning and is also suitable as a parking space for an overnight stay.

Today's lunch break is on a peninsula in the Hardangerfjord. The wooded shore draws our gaze to the steep rocky outcrops above us.

Journey behind the falls in Norwegian. Its special feature is a path between the rock face and the water, on which you can walk almost dry behind Steinsdalsfossen. The weather is different for us and we get wet anyway.

We have arrived at the Eidfjord and spend the night at the pier opposite the M/S AIDASol, which is still moored. Hardanger, Norway's orchard, was our destination today and it was as changeable as the weather.

Norway's most important waterfall is in Eidfjord and in the middle of the Hardangervidda. We walk at the Fossatromma car park on the edge of the ridge overlooking the famous Fossli Hotel. Then we drive up to the vantage point at the hotel and marvel at the sight of the water masses falling steeply into the gorge.

Stopover on the way over Hardangerviddavegn, past snowfields, into Aurlandsfjellet. It's bitterly cold outside. Geilo seems dead, the ski tourists have already flown out at the end of the season.

At the end of Måbødalen we continue towards Haugastøl and cross Europe's largest plateau with the Hardangervidda. We stay overnight at the Strandavatnet reservoir in Hallingskarvet National Park.

After a spectacular descent over tunneled mountain passes, we have arrived at the Aurlandsfjord. The weather is a piñata, just like the sometimes bizarre landscape. The mountains are surrounded by fast-moving clouds, resulting in a different motif depending on the time.

Stegastein is a stunning viewing platform 650m high and 30m above the mountain ledge by the Aurlandsfjord. The viewpoint is also part of the Norwegian Tourist Route running from Aurland to Lærdal, commonly known as 'the Snow Road'. Here we "experience" a spectacular view of the Aurlandsfjord on our way to Aurlandsfjellet.

Incredibly beautiful hike at over 1,200m to one of Norway's most beautiful waterfalls, after we drove up from the Aurlandsfjord into the unreal snow and rock landscape of the Aurlandsfjellet.

Borgund Stave Church is the most important example of Norwegian stave churches and one of the oldest wooden buildings in Europe. She is our final destination for today. We are the last visitors in the evening and will spend the night opposite the church on a wild river.

Early morning walk on the Vindhellavegen, an old trade route which partly picks up the Kongevegen, near Borgund Stave Church. Apart from the grumpy bleating of a flock of sheep, nobody disturbs this mystical place.

Nigardsbreen is a glacial tongue of the Jostedalsbreen, Europe's largest mainland glacier, whose glacial snout and surrounding glacial cut landscape are very impressive. On our hike, we'll take the boat out to climb the smooth granite and capture a shot of the perennial blue or the "whisper of the age" glacial ice. We spend the night in Jostedal at the local campsite.

We have arrived at over 1,400m and drive through the ice and snowy landscape of Sognefjellet. Out here we stand alone in the middle of this unreal landscape, hike to vantage points from which we catch views of the surrounding peaks and cook something delicious for lunch at Omnia. We then continue on our route north and pass Sognefjellshytta, where we make another stop. The temperature is still 4 degrees and the sky is once again darkening at an alarming rate.

We spend the night at Heggjebottvatnet at a rest area, overlooking the tranquil lake and surrounding mountains, enjoying the tranquility away from the tourist crowds.

After spending the night at Heggjebottvatnet, we drove over steep mountain passes to the Dalsnibba viewpoint at over 1,400m in the morning to enjoy the view of the Geirangerfjord in bright sunshine.

We have moved into our quarters at the Geirangerfjord and are enjoying a short break from our road trip. The weather is getting better and better towards the weekend. We rent a boat from the campsite and drive to the Seven Sisters, a 300m high waterfall about 30 minutes away. In the evening we made reservations for dinner at the adjoining Grande Fjord Hotel. The cruise ships and ships of the Hurtigruten fleet pass us while sunbathing.

During a boat trip on the Geirangerfjord, we pass the seven waterfalls that fall side by side, the Seven Sisters , which lead the snowmelt from a height of around 250 m into the fjord. According to a legend that has been handed down, all seven sisters rejected the courtship of a suitor and remained unmarried. The waterfall opposite is called Freier . The view from our boat is breathtaking.

The famous mountain road with its 11 hairpin bends impresses with its breathtaking views and is one of the most visited tourist attractions in Norway. We rode the troll ladder twice today, namely down, because we also used the ride up to visit the viewing platform.

After our trip on the Trollstigen we reach Ålesund in the early afternoon. We climb the 418 steps of the Aksla and enjoy the 360 degree panorama of the island metropolis in bright sunshine. On our way through the Art Nouveau city, we come across the M/S Kong Harald, which is just about to leave for its Hurtigrute.

From Ålesund drive back and take the ferry to Molde. Today we have the last scenic route ahead of us and at the same time we reach our northernmost destination, the Atlantic Road. We cross the Storseisund Bridge several times, stopping every now and then to admire the spectacular architecture.

Today's pitch is on a wooded hill above the Tingvollfjord. Undisturbed by the parallel road and surrounded by tall trees, we are free tonight and will not travel further south until tomorrow.

We have started the return journey and are making a stop in Lillehammer, staying the night at the 1994 Olympic ski jump. A group of young people is just jumping in, we hold our breath each time. The view of the small town is phenomenal and we sit with the best weather overlooking the lake.

Final sprint on our Fjord Norway road trip. We are at Oslo Ferry Terminal, exit 4 in Operaen Tunneln.

The starting point of our city walk is the landmark Operaen Oslo, whose accessible roof allows a wide view over the new district of Bjørvika, where we eat a super delicious burger to end our walk over the main station, the city palace, the national theater and the shopping street Karl Johans gate. The unusual hustle and bustle catapults us back into civilization.

On the way to Kristiansand, where we take the ferry back to Denmark tomorrow, we pass Grimstad. We walk along the small marina and visit the places where Henrik Ibsen spent his younger years.

We have arranged a place to sleep for the night at a Viking castle near Hobro. Fyrkat is a round castle from the 10th century, attributed to King Bluetooth, and its architecture is unique in the world. The sunrise in the morning is terrific, we are standing in the middle of fields of fog and birdsong. That's van life. That's it.