Travel Tuesday
I could have stayed at the top of the Troll Road all day, but we had a ferry to catch a couple hours down the road. Our next pit stop was the town of Geiranger, settled at one end of the Geirangerfjord, and we opted to save ourselves the last half hour of driving to kick back on a 2 hour ferry leaving from Valldal. It was time to jump into the fjords of Norway.
It was a rather sunny day, perfect weather for taking our time out on the waters of Geirangerfjord.
This adorable guide threw bits of bread to the seagulls stalking our ferryboat to give the children onboard a thrill.
What made this ferry ride different from the many others we took on this trip were the ferry guides who took it upon themselves to talk about the things we passed along our journey. They pointed out old farm settlements now left vacant up on the steep mountainsides around us, and told the stories of each of the waterfalls cascading into the fjord.
Above on the left, The Seven Sisters and on the right, appropriately, The Suitor.
Once we reached the town of Geiranger, we found it was Cruise Ship day! But despite the packed streets, the town still had amazing character.
Chocolate With a View was a small chocolate shop on the edge of the fjord harbor, but what caught my eye more than the display case inside were the decorations on the street, all painted the same bright, sky blue.
There were several souvenir shops from which to choose, but one art gallery/shop in particular had me wishing the exchange rate wasn't so outrageous. Above to the right is one striking wall sculpture that really had me. Even though her eyes are all dark, which is kind of creepy, there's something peaceful about her gaze. I so wanted to bring one of these home, but we also needed to eat for the rest of the trip, so she stayed put.
There was one main hike we wanted to do while in Geiranger, so we were up early the next morning to get started. It wasn't a long hike, but we wanted time to hang out at the waterfall this trail was named for.
The trail to the Storseterfossen was only 2 kilometers long, but we took our time as the trail took us on a scenic tour of the hills and up the mountainside.
Soon enough we could see the Storseterfossen ahead. What made this hike especially attractive to us was the fact that you could walk back behind the waterfall.
It was slick and steep, but we made it down in one piece to peek down over the edge where the water plummeted past.
After playing behind the waterfall we had a relaxed picnic lunch above the falls where we could sit and stare out at what surrounded us. It was gorgeous, though a little chilly. The hike down was nice and then it was time to explore the area a little by car.
Above the town is a stretch of road called Eagle Road, one part of a series of more crazy switchbacks that offers incredible views of the fjord. Though it was hazy, we drove up to check it out.
A look to the left, a look to the right.
At the end of the day, we were happy to kick off our shoes, open a bottle of wine and enjoy the view from our room. Not much beats enjoying a nice Nero d'Avolo from a couple of red Solo cups on your own little balcony overlooking this...
The next morning it was time to leave. Even now that this trip only exists in pictures and memories, our time in Geiranger was my favorite of our time in Norway. It was peaceful and beautiful and a gorgeous taste of Norway's fjordlands.
On our way out of town, we stopped one last time to take a departing photo and kiss Geiranger goodbye. It doesn't even look real to me, and I took this photo!
