The Gigafjord

We began our next leg of incredible Norway with a drive along route 55, through the Jotunheimen National Park. We saw blue lakes...

white lakes...

the Sognefjell mountains...

and powerful rivers cutting through the ice.

Descending from the road's high point of 1430m we arrived at the Geiranger Fjord. It is perhaps the most beautiful in the country, if not the world.

We hiked up the side an met some South Americans.

 The best way to see the fjord is by boat. The photos speak for themselves.

If you look to the right of this photo you'll see what was once a farm. There were several farms in Geirangerfjord as late as the 1960's. Some were in such precarious positions that the children were leashed whenever outdoors.

A Kayak and a Train

The next in a series of awesome fjords was the UNESCO listed Nærøyfjord which we explored in a sea kayak.

As you may have noticed, Josh quite likes fjords. This is not only because they are exquisite, but also because they awaken his alter ego. Is it a dead parrot? is it a plane? no it's Josh the Fjord Ninja!!!

The following day we took one of the world's most scenic railways, between Flåm and Myrdal. The line through the Flåm valley is the steepest standard gauge railway in Europe.

Fjord Deep, Mountain High

Leaving Lysefjord and heading north we tried our best not to stop every 3 minutes to take photos. We were mildly successful.

The first planned stop was the magnificent Langfossen. According to the World Waterfall Database this is the 9th most impressive waterfall in the world, and number 1 in Europe.

The waterfall was undoubtedly beautiful, but what surprised us more was the beginning of the Akrafjord just around the corner. For some reason it was very very turquoise.

The drive then took us along the stunning Hardangerfjord, starting at the picturesque town of Odda.

Crossing said Hardangerfjord (the 3rd largest in the world)

The Steindallsfossen (in white) and Yaz (in red).

The view from the other side.

At the centre of Norway's western fjord region is the ever-so-pretty city of Bergen.

While it is a small city, it feels more like a giant village.

The historic wharf known as Bryggen seen from the outside...

...and the inside.

The fish market

One thing we haven't mentioned yet is that Norway is by far the most expensive country we have been to. We've been eating home-cooked meals every day (from ingredients pre-purchased in Sweden) to survive. Finally we decided to splash out on a one-course meal.

Example: That local beer Josh is savouring was the cheapest draught available in the pub at 58 NOK (9.50 AUD, 6.20 GBP, 38 ILS or 7.70 EUR). Alas, 'twas his only Norwegian beer.

Summer Solstice

The drive from Oslo to our first fjord, Lysefjord was ridiculously beautiful. Little did we know at the time, but that's just what Norway looks like.

Towards the end of the drive along the Fv500 we were surprised to find that a lot of snow/ice still hadn't accepted that it was summer.

 We arrived late in the day to this view and the realisation that we bloody love fjords.

The same view at 10:45pm.

The next day we overcame the rather challenging hike to Kjerag. It was a bit steep.

Just relaxing in the sun on a typical Norwegian Midsummer's Day.

  

At the end of the hike is a magnificent view of the fjord

While for many the view is reward enough, some crazy people like to stand on the kjeragbolten, below which there is a 241m drop and then another tumble of 735m down to the water.

Those who are even more crazy than Josh prefer to jump off the cliff. Apparently you need proper training and equipment for that, so we didn't try it.

Why buy bottled water when you can just walk up a mountain and get it yourself?

Standing on top of the world.