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Joachim Deleker
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Motorcycle trip – Norway in summer
Motorcycle trip – Norway in summer
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Norway in summer, time of light, time for a scenic tour through the most beautiful part of the country, the fjord country, time for a travelogue.
Joachim Deleker
09/28/2017
Norway, why do we keep going back to Norway? Because there are these grandiose landscapes. Because it doesn’t get 35 degrees. Because it is seldom crowded, but often very lonely. Because there are these deeply relaxed people. And yes, because it sometimes rains. Like today, of all times, when we roll out of the belly of the red and white ferry onto the mouse-gray pavement in the port of Bergen. Reluctantly, but still full of anticipation for the fjordland, hoping that the rain won’t last long. If things go well, an hour, if things go stupid, a few days, if things get really tough, sometimes 14 days. We have seen everything on our meanwhile 15 trips to Norway, from four weeks of sun to two weeks of rain. It’s not amusing, but rainy days in the Fiordland still have something special, a melancholy mood that goes perfectly with the classical music of Edvard Grieg.
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Bergen only sees us briefly, no fancy going to town in this weather. Close your visor, pull up your collar, past the disoriented column of mobile homes and let’s get out of the city and into the world of the fjords. The Hardangerfjord, gentle and picturesque at the beginning, strawberry fields and apple trees on the shore, cozy wooden houses, peaceful and quiet. But inland, the first mountains are already cracking the 1000 meter mark, the banks are becoming steeper and more rugged, the first glacier tongues shine high up under the rain clouds, waterfalls sprayed on vertical rocks to the valley. Like the 182 meter high Vøringsfoss or the wide curtain of water of the Låtefoss, which rushes into the street and would make us wet if we weren’t already.
Suddenly the sun is blinding, although it is raining, conjures up a rainbow very close in front of us. Accelerate, catch up with the rainbow, which it won’t put up with and keep the distance constant until it disappears, the rain is over and the road is barely 500 meters further dry. Fiordland weather. Reichsstrabe 7 crosses the wide Eidfjord on a new suspension bridge, the longest in Norway, with over 200 meter high pylons, which disappear on the steep north bank directly in the Vallavik tunnel, garnished with a blue illuminated roundabout. Street construction the Norwegian way. Building bridges and digging tunnels, they can do that just as well as the Swiss.
And not just since yesterday, as one of the most spectacular trails in Northern Europe proves, the 170-year-old Stalheimskleiva. A hair-raising mountain road, 13 very tight hairpin bends with a 20 percent incline, only to be driven downhill for several years. That’s a good thing, because real dramas took place here in the summer. 24-ton coach uphill, nine-meter motorhome downhill, meeting point in one of the hairpin bends. Nothing works anymore. The camper driver would have to reset, but cannot. Clutches smoke, tempers overheat. A Gordian knot that can hardly be undone, an exciting drama for the audience. It is unimaginable that by 1980 all the traffic over this route would have tormented itself before a new tunnel swallowed the E16.
We don’t have to wait long for the next spectacle, Fjord Norway is so richly blessed with it, has more to offer over 100 kilometers than other countries over 10,000. Unjust distribution? Why, surely. Take the Næroyfjord, barely ten minutes away from Stalheimskleiva, one of the most beautiful fjords in the world, 17 kilometers long, narrowed by mountains 1700 meters high. And yet the traveler hardly sees the fjord because the E16 disappears into two tunnels for 18 kilometers. Tunnels undermine reality, simply block out the world outside. Fortunately, there is a small ferry that takes us on a cruise through the Næroyfjord to Flåm. What can I say, this fjord takes our breath away.
From Aurlandsfjord to Lærdalsfjord, again we have two options, tunnel or mountain road, modern, fast and unemotional or curvy, slow and promising. No question about what we choose, of course the old pass road over the Aurlandsfjell. In the meantime, the Snøveien is paved and easy to drive, but the fascination of the subarctic landscape at an altitude of 1,300 meters has remained. It will be gray, barren and stony, at the very top the snow cover is still almost closed, the lakes are half frozen. Beginning of July. Heavy, dark clouds are in a hurry to move over the fell almost at head height. They still hold tight. A landscape without colors, cold and cold, and yet so exciting and strange.
Hardly ten kilometers further we roll back into the fjord idyll, warm and green, the ancient wooden houses of Lærdalsøyri are reflected in the small harbor basin, the ice cream seller now has mango kiwi on offer. Until the rain comes. So take the tunnel for the way back? Okay, but don’t tell anyone. The Lærdals tunnel is not just any tunnel, it is the longest road tunnel in the world. The tube measures almost 25 kilometers, loosened up by three vault-like rest areas with a funky, almost extraterrestrial atmosphere. Blue light with yellow or red spots illuminates the cave, it is completely quiet, then loud again when trucks or buses make a noise through the tube.
The next highlight is never far away in the Fiordland. How about the highest pass road in Northern Europe through the home of the giants, the Jotunheimen? 1446 meters high and an absolute hit in terms of landscape. Glaciers, lakes with drifting ice floes, tundra, mountains up to 2470 meters high, an unbelievable vastness, an environment like out of this world.
After the powerful impressions des Jotunheimen a little relaxation can do no harm. In the idyllic valley of Lom, the 750-year-old stave church not only attracts us, the parking lot is jam-packed, the cafes as well, the sun is roasting at 20 degrees. Summer. West of Lom it gets lonely. The Rv 15 follows the crystal-clear Otta, which rushes through gorges and over cliffs, then takes long breaks in the wide valley. Fifth gear, 80 things, meditative driving with a good 3000 revolutions in the engine room of the single cylinder. Before the Rv 15 disappears into a long tunnel, we turn right onto the Rv 63, past the mirror-smooth Djupvatn, which glows in a strange, transparent dark blue. Probably the coolest road in Norway begins here, 1100 meters in altitude, a great ensemble of curves and incredible views of the Geirangerfjord. Impossible to paddle the curves and admire the views at the same time. Multiple trips are the solution to these dilemmas. And hopefully there aren’t too many annoying RVs blocking the road.
Geiranger, arguably the most famous of all fjords. Unesco World Heritage, of course. But on some days 7000 tourists from several cruise ships flood the idyll. Then the only thing that helps is to flee. We rent two sea kayaks, paddle out into the fjord and experience it in all its size and beauty as soon as the hustle and bustle of Geiranger is no longer visible and audible. 300 meter high waterfalls plunge into the fjord, 1600 meter high rock walls tower vertically, the dimensions are overwhelming but intoxicating. We are amazed for too long, we are back much too late at the landlord, who luckily sees it calmly. Norwegians.
Enough of the declaration of love to the fjordland, time for the other Norway. Gentle hills, crystal clear lakes, exciting gravel paths through endless forests, hardly any tourists. There’s no such thing in Fiordland, but plenty in the east of the country. So we swing up the famous Adlerweg, a wistful look back to Geiranger, waggle down the eleven hairpin bends of the Trollstigen again, visit the Rondane Mountains via the exciting toll road “Peer Gynt Setervei” and land two days later in Røros, just before the Swedish one Border. Røros is a historical gem, perhaps the most beautiful city in the country. The center of the old mining town still consists entirely of wooden houses in red, white, yellow or black, a journey back in time to the 19th century. And yet not a museum place, but very lively.
From here we go south, cruise through the sparse forests for a few days, hope for moose, but only get squirrels, lose ourselves in the dense network of forest trails, pass sleepy places, camp by lonely lakes and enjoy this other Norway, that Light years away from the spectacle of Fiordland. Time hardly plays a role here anymore, it seems to be moving more slowly. That rubs off on us motorcycle travelers too, because we’re even more comfortable on the road than before, sorting through the impressions of the trip and defending ourselves as long as we can from thinking about the ferry back home. Norway relaxed, two weeks of traveling feel like two months. A good sign, a really good one.
Info
Many Norway riders cannot resist one destination – the North Cape. The most spectacular regions of the long country are, however, much easier to reach: The fjordland not only inspires with its dramatic landscape, but also with its fantastic motorcycle routes.
Jo Deleker
Travel time: 14 days. Distance covered: 2000 kilometers.
Getting there: If you want to go straight into the fjords, you can take the new Fjord-Line ships from Hirtshals in northern Denmark to Bergen. Tickets for two people and two motorcycles are available from 144 euros (www.fjordline.de). The Color-Line shuttles from Kiel to Oslo overnight. Tickets for two people and two motorcycles: 529 euros (www.colorline.de). The Stena-Line runs daily from Kiel to Gothenburg. Here the comparable passage costs from 300 euros (www.stenaline.de). Other lines: www.aferry.de
Travel time: The best conditions can be expected between the end of May and the end of August. At the beginning of June almost all mountain roads are cleared of snow. In June and July it only gets dark for a few hours. Changeable weather is typical for the fjords. The daytime temperatures in July in the Fiordland: 15 to 25 degrees.
Stay: Norway has a dense network of campsites, often in beautiful locations. One night per tent and person costs around 15 euros. Typical for Norway are the “hytter”, small rustic wooden huts for two to six people, which are available on campsites as well as at private individuals. In rainy weather, a hytter is the ideal shelter. Costs between 40 and 80 euros, depending on size and equipment.
Money: The national currency is the Norwegian krone (NOK). For one euro there is currently 10 NOK. The easiest way to replenish money is via credit or debit card at ATMs that can be found all over the country. Norway is not as expensive as its reputation. Those who frequent hotels and restaurants will be broke quickly, but those who prefer huts or their own tent, cook for themselves and do without alcohol, live cheaper in Norway than on vacation in Italy.
Literature: Good travel guides for individual travelers? We recommend the following: Michael Muller Verlag for 26.80 euros; Travel know-how “Norway South” for 22.50 euros; Lonely Planet 23 euros; Stefan Loose 25 euros; Velbinger-Verlag “Norway South and Central” for 24.80 euros. The best maps on a scale of 1: 325000 are published by Cappelen-Verlag (licensed edition by Kummerly & Frey). For the Fiordland: Sheets 1 and 2. Cost 11.95 euros each. The 1: 250000 cards from Freytag are also good & Berndt for 10.90 euros. The South and Central maps are available for the Fiordland.
Internet (selection): www.visitnorway.de, www.norwegenservice.net, www.fjordnorway.com,www.camping.info/norwegen, www.canoeguide.net/norway
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