We have had three days of perfect hiking weather. We could have done with a few degrees cooler for Kjeragbolten but Preikestolen and Trolltunga were perfect. Things have been a bit foggy in the mornings but it’s burned off fairly quickly and we’ve had blue skies with fluffy white clouds and the sun shining down on us. We couldn’t have asked for better weather.
Today, it’s raining. We woke up to the sound of rain, we packed up to the sound of rain, and we got the car loaded during a short break in the rain. If it had been like this yesterday, we couldn’t have even thought about hiking Trolltunga, it would have been far too slippery on the rocks.
We took a roundabout way to get to Bergen, stopping at Eidfjord, Ulvik, and Utne along the way. Eidfjord was lovely, a very picturesque little village where we indulged in a hot beverage and then wandered along the water for a little bit (the rain was quite light.) From there, we went to Ulvik, another little town, where I was able to pick up some apple cider from the famous Norwegian orchards. Then, it was on to Utne, which wasn’t much of a town but was on a really lovely lake that we crossed in the ferry, though we stayed in the car because of the rain.
Until we got to Utne, the roads were much wider than what we had been driving on since not long after leaving Oslo. I think EDP enjoyed the easier driving, especially after our days of hiking. After Utne, we were back on winding, narrow road but were also driving through orchard country, which were beautiful up against the backdrops of the lakes & mountains. The rain stayed with us all day, keeping us inside the car on the ferries and from stopping to enjoy the scenery.
After a couple of hours, we were in Bergen and heaving towards Fantoft, one of the stave churches. It’s a fair distance from the main tourist area of Bergen where we’re staying so we took advantage of still having the car and drove there on our way into the city. It was raining while we were there so we didn’t stay long, just long enough to take a peak at the inside and then take a quick tour around the outside. Fantoft isn’t actually original - it had been built around 1150 but it was burned down in the early 90s (arson, sadly.) They were able to restore the altar crucifix but most of the rest of the church was lost and had to be rebuilt.
Then, it was on to Bryggen, the old historic quarter of Bergen, where we’re staying for the next few days. After getting checked in to the hotel & returning the car, we had dinner out on a patio, something you wouldn’t expect given how much it rained today but Bergen patios tend to be covered and come with blankets and heaters so we were warm & dry, even outside in the chilly evening. Bergen is known to be a rainy city, averaging something like 240 days of rain a year, so we plan to keep our umbrellas and rain jackets handy as we explore the next few days.
