Alesund, Norway - Day 12
Alesund ... Sounds like O-le-sund. Heavy on the “O”.
We actually entered the port last night around 10pm and so we slept peacefully all cozied up to the dock. Heavy clouds loomed over the mountains this morning, but Neal, our tour guide, said it was “sea fog” and would burn off quickly. Our tour started at 8:30 and we were on the bus shortly after 8. Guy actually booked this tour through Trip Advisor because this particular excursion was sold out and we wanted to do it. It was much cheaper than booking it though Viking and our guide was amazing (he and the bus driver were both in their 70s and he has lived here for 40+ years). So needless to say we knew after about the first 5 minutes it was going to be a great day. And he was funny...Bonus! Today we covered a 200 mile circle looping around the fjords with our main attraction being the Troll Road (Trollstigen), however we saw multiple fjords, the strawberry fields (4 weeks early - BOO!) The Stigfossen waterfall, the Troll Wall (Trollvveggen).
Some facts Neal shared with us is the fjord by Alesund was 1700 meters high (5577 feet) and the water is 440 meters deep (1500 feet). Wow. Some of the worlds biggest areas of coral live all the way down there...clearly undisturbed. Alesund has some new technology where they are burning all their waste, including plastic bottles, at 3600 degrees Fahrenheit, which burns it clean into the air and also generated electricity which powered about 14% of the city. He said dried fish is a huge export for them, but he also said that 32,000,000 portions of fish are exported every day.
Today we experienced three seasons on our travels because of the different altitudes. (It was gorgeous BTW...full sun...again!) The one road that took us to the Troll Road is always closed in the winter. He also said that the red paint on the homes was not only the cheapest, but the longest lasting. During WWII. 500,000 Germans occupied the country. But long before that…from 1400-1800 the Danish controlled Norway. He said that the farms up on the cliffs were accessible by rope ladder. When the Dutch came to collect their taxes, they just pulled up the ladder. :)
The longest tunnel in Norway is 20 miles long and it even has restrooms half-way through. We did NOT go through that one today!! Whew. Norway, Sweden and Denmark make up Scandinavia, but those three plus Iceland and Finland made up Nordic Countries. He also said that the grass on the rooftops was not only for insulation, but also because of a lack of wood. The grass holds the birch bark down and makes it waterproof. He also talked about how fishing is free in the ocean and in the fjords, but lakes require a license from both the city and the owner of the property. He said his in-laws rent the rights to their lake to Holland America for $10,000 dollars a WEEK! We are just assuming that is during high tourist season...but still!!!
The strawberries fields were in a warm area he called a micro-climate and due to the unusually warm temps in that area. They also had various fruit farms as well. One of the towns close by the strawberry fields sat on a beautiful lake and was gorgeous. It had a place, I’m going to call it a “recuperation center” and if you had heart surgery or something major done, the government would pay for you to stay there until you were better! What? In that same town the cemetery was right across from the nursing home. He said “That way they don’t have to go so far”.
In some of the pictures you’ll see very dark patches of green trees, different than the other pine trees in the area. This is because in WWII the Germans cut down a lot of their trees to use for themselves and after the war the school children went out and planted new trees, but they were not trees native to Norway. Hence the color difference. Next he said that cows roam freely because the farmers have GPS chips in their ears and they can track them with their smart phones! Also in this area they were starting to see bears and wolves that are coming over from Russia.
Today we talked a lot about Trolls, but apparently they roam around at night and if the sun shines on them they turn to stone or he said “explode”. He said the stories of the trolls are taught to their children to keep them in line. Always threatening that the trolls will take them away.
Ok enough about the facts...today was amazing and the photos will really have to tell the story. We made several what he called “Japanese stops”. He said, “You know jump out of the bus and CLICK CLICK with your camera and jump back in”. I suppose the Asians on the bus were not offended by his comment as he said it several times. But by the end of the day, when he said “Japanese stop” we knew we had 5 minutes. And honestly, that’s all you needed. There were so many beautiful stops. Our first major stop was a stream that rushed into like a gorge area and the water twisted around the curves of the rock at an incredible rate. There was a walkway above it so you could look down into it. You’ll see one of Guy posing for me. (He’s a good blog helper!).
We then drove up to the Trollstigen. This was at the top of a mountain and again we had snow dotting the landscape. The waters were clear and beautiful. When we got there he told us there were two overlooks to the waterfall, one close by and the other about a 20 minute walk (total). We figured the long walk just looked at the waterfall from a different angle so we didn’t take it. What he DID NOT tell us was that was the overlook to the TROLL ROAD! The main reason for the excursion!! Of course we could see the road once we started back out, but there was no way to get one single shot of the road. Bummed...but I googled it and snatched a photo of the entire road to show you, but just a copyright notice that I didn’t take it. :)
The Troll Road….once we started down it we were just in awe the area. My photos don’t do it justice at all and it was one of the most amazing places i’ve been. The waterfall, the bridge, those ROADS! Wow. You must look at today’s photos. The bus driver slowed down many times for photos and one Japanese stop. He warned us not to go near the swift moving stream coming from the waterfall as a tourist died their just last week after slipping in and getting swept away. Anyway, the mountain was just towering above us with several waterfalls. At every hairpin turn there was a small street sign attached to the stones. Someone on the bus asked why they were there and Neal said they were just the names of that particular turn. He said by the end of tourist season, the signs will all be gone, STOLEN by tourists! All that will remain are the screws that once held them on.
After that amazing adventure we stopped at a restaurant for lunch. As Neal called it the Booofay, which had several kinds of fish on it. Salmon, salmon, salmon or salmon. We laughed. But he was right. Salmon, potatoes, some veggies, salad and desserts. It met our needs and after a break we headed back out. P.S. there was a famous face of a three headed troll in the mountain behind the restaurant. It took some imagination, but we found what he was talking about.
Our next and final stop was at the Troll Wall. This immense shear wall of a mountain was just amazing to see. 3,000 feet straight up. It was the location of climbing and base jumping, but Norway no longer allows this due to the amount of deaths. Below the mountain was a monument with the names of those who died either climbing it or jumping off of it. Too many. I also took another photo of a poster they had showing the climbing routes and the comparison of it to the Eiffel Tower. It’s really hard...no, impossible to describe the grandeur of this place with words or photos. Just trust me when I say it and the Troll Road were just amazing places to visit.
This was the end of the tour as far as things to see, but the bus ride back was about 1.5 hours. Neal said we’d be going through a lot of tunnels and this would be a good time for the “mature people” to take a nap. Guy and I were then forced to stay awake as we were the youngest on the bus. ;) We did and the scenery was gorgeous. Time passed quickly as we made our way back to Alesund. He drove the big bus through the old part of town, showing us homes that had escaped the big fire back in 1904 that claimed 850 homes in just two short hours.
Back in the room by 4:30 we rested and showered and got ready for dinner. We were there before 7pm because they hold our table for us until then, table 101. It was available and we sat in our usual spot. Our favorite server was extra busy tonight so we didn’t get to talk much, but as usual he took very good care of us. He talked me out of the pad Thai so I ordered the shrimp, however he brought out the pad Thai for me to try anyway. I ate the goodies out of it and tried the noodles. Good, but the shrimp was better. I also had sweet potato soup and Guy had a fish cake, both very good. He also brought Guy an order of shrimp as well as his veal. It was too much food and we did our best. Three desserts later we headed back up to the room to do laundry and prepare for tomorrow.
What. An. Amazing. Day.
We actually entered the port last night around 10pm and so we slept peacefully all cozied up to the dock. Heavy clouds loomed over the mountains this morning, but Neal, our tour guide, said it was “sea fog” and would burn off quickly. Our tour started at 8:30 and we were on the bus shortly after 8. Guy actually booked this tour through Trip Advisor because this particular excursion was sold out and we wanted to do it. It was much cheaper than booking it though Viking and our guide was amazing (he and the bus driver were both in their 70s and he has lived here for 40+ years). So needless to say we knew after about the first 5 minutes it was going to be a great day. And he was funny...Bonus! Today we covered a 200 mile circle looping around the fjords with our main attraction being the Troll Road (Trollstigen), however we saw multiple fjords, the strawberry fields (4 weeks early - BOO!) The Stigfossen waterfall, the Troll Wall (Trollvveggen).
Some facts Neal shared with us is the fjord by Alesund was 1700 meters high (5577 feet) and the water is 440 meters deep (1500 feet). Wow. Some of the worlds biggest areas of coral live all the way down there...clearly undisturbed. Alesund has some new technology where they are burning all their waste, including plastic bottles, at 3600 degrees Fahrenheit, which burns it clean into the air and also generated electricity which powered about 14% of the city. He said dried fish is a huge export for them, but he also said that 32,000,000 portions of fish are exported every day.
Today we experienced three seasons on our travels because of the different altitudes. (It was gorgeous BTW...full sun...again!) The one road that took us to the Troll Road is always closed in the winter. He also said that the red paint on the homes was not only the cheapest, but the longest lasting. During WWII. 500,000 Germans occupied the country. But long before that…from 1400-1800 the Danish controlled Norway. He said that the farms up on the cliffs were accessible by rope ladder. When the Dutch came to collect their taxes, they just pulled up the ladder. :)
The longest tunnel in Norway is 20 miles long and it even has restrooms half-way through. We did NOT go through that one today!! Whew. Norway, Sweden and Denmark make up Scandinavia, but those three plus Iceland and Finland made up Nordic Countries. He also said that the grass on the rooftops was not only for insulation, but also because of a lack of wood. The grass holds the birch bark down and makes it waterproof. He also talked about how fishing is free in the ocean and in the fjords, but lakes require a license from both the city and the owner of the property. He said his in-laws rent the rights to their lake to Holland America for $10,000 dollars a WEEK! We are just assuming that is during high tourist season...but still!!!
The strawberries fields were in a warm area he called a micro-climate and due to the unusually warm temps in that area. They also had various fruit farms as well. One of the towns close by the strawberry fields sat on a beautiful lake and was gorgeous. It had a place, I’m going to call it a “recuperation center” and if you had heart surgery or something major done, the government would pay for you to stay there until you were better! What? In that same town the cemetery was right across from the nursing home. He said “That way they don’t have to go so far”.
In some of the pictures you’ll see very dark patches of green trees, different than the other pine trees in the area. This is because in WWII the Germans cut down a lot of their trees to use for themselves and after the war the school children went out and planted new trees, but they were not trees native to Norway. Hence the color difference. Next he said that cows roam freely because the farmers have GPS chips in their ears and they can track them with their smart phones! Also in this area they were starting to see bears and wolves that are coming over from Russia.
Today we talked a lot about Trolls, but apparently they roam around at night and if the sun shines on them they turn to stone or he said “explode”. He said the stories of the trolls are taught to their children to keep them in line. Always threatening that the trolls will take them away.
Ok enough about the facts...today was amazing and the photos will really have to tell the story. We made several what he called “Japanese stops”. He said, “You know jump out of the bus and CLICK CLICK with your camera and jump back in”. I suppose the Asians on the bus were not offended by his comment as he said it several times. But by the end of the day, when he said “Japanese stop” we knew we had 5 minutes. And honestly, that’s all you needed. There were so many beautiful stops. Our first major stop was a stream that rushed into like a gorge area and the water twisted around the curves of the rock at an incredible rate. There was a walkway above it so you could look down into it. You’ll see one of Guy posing for me. (He’s a good blog helper!).
We then drove up to the Trollstigen. This was at the top of a mountain and again we had snow dotting the landscape. The waters were clear and beautiful. When we got there he told us there were two overlooks to the waterfall, one close by and the other about a 20 minute walk (total). We figured the long walk just looked at the waterfall from a different angle so we didn’t take it. What he DID NOT tell us was that was the overlook to the TROLL ROAD! The main reason for the excursion!! Of course we could see the road once we started back out, but there was no way to get one single shot of the road. Bummed...but I googled it and snatched a photo of the entire road to show you, but just a copyright notice that I didn’t take it. :)
The Troll Road….once we started down it we were just in awe the area. My photos don’t do it justice at all and it was one of the most amazing places i’ve been. The waterfall, the bridge, those ROADS! Wow. You must look at today’s photos. The bus driver slowed down many times for photos and one Japanese stop. He warned us not to go near the swift moving stream coming from the waterfall as a tourist died their just last week after slipping in and getting swept away. Anyway, the mountain was just towering above us with several waterfalls. At every hairpin turn there was a small street sign attached to the stones. Someone on the bus asked why they were there and Neal said they were just the names of that particular turn. He said by the end of tourist season, the signs will all be gone, STOLEN by tourists! All that will remain are the screws that once held them on.
After that amazing adventure we stopped at a restaurant for lunch. As Neal called it the Booofay, which had several kinds of fish on it. Salmon, salmon, salmon or salmon. We laughed. But he was right. Salmon, potatoes, some veggies, salad and desserts. It met our needs and after a break we headed back out. P.S. there was a famous face of a three headed troll in the mountain behind the restaurant. It took some imagination, but we found what he was talking about.
Our next and final stop was at the Troll Wall. This immense shear wall of a mountain was just amazing to see. 3,000 feet straight up. It was the location of climbing and base jumping, but Norway no longer allows this due to the amount of deaths. Below the mountain was a monument with the names of those who died either climbing it or jumping off of it. Too many. I also took another photo of a poster they had showing the climbing routes and the comparison of it to the Eiffel Tower. It’s really hard...no, impossible to describe the grandeur of this place with words or photos. Just trust me when I say it and the Troll Road were just amazing places to visit.
This was the end of the tour as far as things to see, but the bus ride back was about 1.5 hours. Neal said we’d be going through a lot of tunnels and this would be a good time for the “mature people” to take a nap. Guy and I were then forced to stay awake as we were the youngest on the bus. ;) We did and the scenery was gorgeous. Time passed quickly as we made our way back to Alesund. He drove the big bus through the old part of town, showing us homes that had escaped the big fire back in 1904 that claimed 850 homes in just two short hours.
Back in the room by 4:30 we rested and showered and got ready for dinner. We were there before 7pm because they hold our table for us until then, table 101. It was available and we sat in our usual spot. Our favorite server was extra busy tonight so we didn’t get to talk much, but as usual he took very good care of us. He talked me out of the pad Thai so I ordered the shrimp, however he brought out the pad Thai for me to try anyway. I ate the goodies out of it and tried the noodles. Good, but the shrimp was better. I also had sweet potato soup and Guy had a fish cake, both very good. He also brought Guy an order of shrimp as well as his veal. It was too much food and we did our best. Three desserts later we headed back up to the room to do laundry and prepare for tomorrow.
What. An. Amazing. Day.
Ermagerd, that ROAD. Makes me want to reach for the Dramamine here on my couch.... I feel like the Mystery of the Red Paint has a different solution in each town you go to... looking forward to the answer in the next town! :-) Those pics!! Your skies are bluer than ours are here--it's gonna rain for the next forty days and forty nights in so IL. :-( Also I dreamed about cliffs last night--blaming these pictures--I kept leaping off and trying new ways of landing to see which was best. Dreaming Amanda is, apparently, WAY more adventurous than waking Amanda.... :-) :-)
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