We drove around the Lysefjorden fjord up a very scenic road to a restaurant from which the hike to Kjerag began.  We started the hike and soon realized why the pulpit was more popular.

The trail is marked hard meaning that it leads straight up a sharp rock surface with a chain rope strung along it for support.  I wasn’t having too much trouble since for some reason my Adidas running shoes did not slip while Hendrik’s new shoes were not serving him well at all and he was constantly slipping.  Not to mention that he is petrified of cliffs and this was kind of like a cliff.  If you lost your balance you could have a very bumpy and even deadly ride all the way to the parking lot. We didn’t even make it up the first steep bit since there was a steeper longer bit behind this one and Hendrik did not feel safe we decided it wasn’t worth risking.  Even this little “round trip” took us an hour.  I would love to tackle this hike again and def recommend good non-slip shoes.

Windy road on Lysefjorden

With that settled, we decided to drive to Evje and take the scenic upper route since it was supposed to be prettier.  When we reached the intersection in the road to go left or right we were stopped by a police officer who told us that we could not go left to the upper road because there were 5,000 sheep crossing the road blocking it and that this ordeal would take about an hour.  So we went right instead and passed by the relatively long queue of cars waiting for the sheep.

In Evje we had found a place where we could finally go rafting.  When we arrived we drove straight to the rafting center since they also had accommodation there.  They were all full so we went to a nearby campsite and stayed in a cabin trying to keep out of the rain.

Miraculously, the sun was shining for the third day in the row.  We were headed towards the most famous fjord in Norway, the Geiranger Fjord, and in a short while we were hair pinning it down to the fjord and town of Geiranger.

Geiranger

It was packed with grey haired tourists who had gotten off two huge cruise ships which were parked in the fjord and completing the postcard photos of the fjord.  The older generation tourists milled around town and meandered up the roads obstructing it like the cattle we had come across many times.  We did two reasonably short hikes around Geiranger for the views and then took the hour long ferry to Hellesylt.  We passed by waterfalls which were bountiful and small farms which were scares on the fjord’s sharp faces.  At least the sun was still shining so the views were remarkable.

Once we docked we drove to Briksdalsbreen from where hiked to the tongue of Europe’s biggest glacier.  The stream and lake below were exceptionally blue-green from the glacier that it appeared to be a water color painting instead of real.  Around the glacier lake, the landscape was desert-like, all brownish yellow with just the white ice lapping into it.  On the peaks which surrounded us, we could see bits of the glacier peeping down.

We had planned on going to Kaupanger for the night but since we were running late, we decided to camp somewhere on the way. We wanted to try our hand at wild camping again but the roads around the fjords were just too hilly and every road away from the main road led to a farm house.  So following small roads led us nowhere and we realized that finding a convenient, and legal wild camping site was not so easy.

Bøyum Camping in Fjærland

Giving up, we chose the nearest campsite on our GPS and went there.  Bøyum in Fjærland camping was very peaceful, adorable, and surrounded by high peaks with bits of glacier seeping out of them.  They had clean facilities and internet so the 18 EUR it cost to pitch a tent seemed worth it.  It was a very empty campsite, and we only came across two other guests, this was probably because it was already autumn and in hindsight we should have spent extra money and got a cabin since it was freezing at night and our tent failed to keep the heat inside and we were kept awake by our own shivering.

At least our way overpriced hotel had the most amazing breakfast spread that the price almost seemed fair, for a second at least since a buffet like this I imagine to cost 70 Euros a person in Norway.  The whole room was full of food on multiple counters and you could have anything from herring to 4 different types of eggs to fruit and pancakes.  It was by far the best meal we had in Norway, and Hendrik wanted to stay another day so he could try more things at the breakfast buffet, but our bank account couldn’t handle it.

After checkout, we drove down the Atlantic Road over many beautiful bridges crossing over the island landscape.  Bridges overtook tunnels with ease and got a massive head start so I began to worry for my tunnel team.

Bridges of the Atlantic Road

We were headed south towards Geiranger and started to drive through the fjord region.  The Troll Road or Trollstigen was part of this area and we twisted and turned up through the hairpin turns.

The Hairpin road

We had excellent weather all the way up the mountain allowing for exquisite views of the bends.  From a distance they looked rather horrifying but when we were on them they were less hair raising.  On the top, we stopped to go to the lookout area and as we walked towards the main one, which was actually closed because the walkway was being repaired but all the tourists just made the barricades into an obstacle course, it began to rain.

Troll Road

Even though our pictures than had rain droplets in them, it was still better than not seeing the winding road at all, because just as we were heading back to our car on the broken path, a thick cloud rolled into the valley and around the lookout area obstructing the view.  Even when we continued to drive the whole road was completely covered in a marshmallow white.  We considered ourselves very lucky as we crossed tourists going the other way just making their way to the lookout point when there was nothing to see but a dense film of white.

Further along and 2 ferries later it was getting dark so we were on a lookout for a place to stay.  We saw signs advertising cabins with a fjord view and skeptically followed it to a location where we saw three red cabins on the side of the mountain.  We were given the best cabin unit in Hothaug Gard, a place known only for its cabins, since as we were told ours’ was ensuite with a toilet AND a shower.  It wasn’t even a ¼ of what we paid last night, but also didn’t include any food, so since we were in the middle of nowhere we had Ramen and got cozy with a fire.  After the not delicious but on the other hand cheap meal, we went for a walk to check out this fjord view which was advertised.

We walked further up the road we had driven on and Hendrik saw a hill which he demanded on climbing.  It was getting dark but it was a marked trail so we set off.  The ground was like a sponge and wherever I stepped water came up through the soft ground into my shoe.  At one point it was a pool of mud instead of a path and Hendrik, like a gentleman, carried me across to dryer ground.  We couldn’t go much further because it was getting dark fast and the trail seemed to be going around the mountain rather than up which was the original intention of going up the trail.  Little did I know that Hendrik had other intentions in mind which made this walk especially memorable.  On the way down we had to cross the mud pool going downhill this time.  As if he was well trained in carrying me across less than ideal terrains, Hendrik swooped me up so my non-water proof shoes wouldn’t be ruined.  He could have used some more training because before I knew it I was lying flat on my back head pointing down with Hendrik on top of me, my bum and back seeping up the mud.  Not only had he dropped me in a pool of wet dirt, but he also used me as a shield for his own slipping and fully protected himself from landing face first in the mud.  It was only a bonus that I had put on fresh jeans that day since now they were caked in mud.  At least it made it a perfectly memorable walk.

I was startled awake at 6:45 AM by the roaring sound of an engine which had just been turned on. I looked out of the tiny peephole window in our room and to my dismay it was pouring. When we looked at the fjords surrounding us waterfalls had formed in every crevice. The cliffs were pin-striped from the waterfalls. Even though it was too uncomfortable to go out on deck that morning the sight was truly something else as the whole landscape had been painted with bubbling white water. The boat went very near one waterfall and our nature guide filled a container with water so we could drink it. Another benefit of the rain was that there were no sand flies in sight.

Doubtful Sound in Mist

By noon we were back on land out of the waterfall wonderland and were on our way to Milford Sounds just to take the postcard picture and see the Homer Tunnel. It continued to rain and the cliffs along the windy road to Milford was again painted with waterfalls. When we arrived in Milford it wasn’t raining anymore and we went for a walk. We noticed about five various tour companies competing for the busloads of tourists who came to Milford. Seeing this and the constant tour boat traffic on the fjord, we knew we had made the right decision by going on a cruise on the Doubtful Sound because we were the only cruise ship on the fjord. The famous Miter Peak was visible from shore so we took lots of pictures.

Miter Peak

As we drove away from Milford the sky cleared, the waterfalls stopped and all around us the sky opened revealing jagged snow covered peaks, so we had to stop and take lots of pictures along the way was well. Then we headed south to Invercargill so we could do the southern route tomorrow.

Finally Sun

We woke up early and drove to Manapouri from where our Real Journey’s cruise would leave. We were paranoid that our GPS was completely wrong and didn’t know exactly how long it would take us but after a 20 minute drive we arrived two hours early. We sat by the dock playing hearts and rubbing ourselves with insect repellent to fend off the sand flies. We were warned there would be a lot of sand flies in the Sound so we had purchased more. It was sunny when we first arrived at the dock but when it was finally time to leave it was raining.

Beata and I on the boat on the lake

The first part of the journey was crossing Lake Manapouri, where there were spectacular views already. There was a heavy mist lying low in the surrounding and it felt like a landscape from Jurassic Park. Then we had to take a bus to the fjord. (Doubtful Sound isn’t really a sound which is made by rivers but a fjord made by glaciers). I spent the twisty drive flicking sand flies and putting their carcasses into a napkin.

Lake Manapouri

Once on the overnight boat we were disappointed with the size our room which was tiny with 2 of the narrowest sets of bunk beds and a communal showers. At least the communal area which was also the dining room was really nice and all we’d have to do in our room was sleep. They also liked to feed us we got muffins as soon as we boarded, then soup, then dinner and desert and free coffee and tea all day.

Hendrik, Simon, Clementine, and Beata

The fjords were prettier than I thought they would be and were remarkable in the weather we were having. It was cloudy then sunny then rainy; I even saw a rainbow but was not fast enough to get a picture. Apparently the fjords get 6-8 meters of water and it rains 200 days out of a year so we were lucky to get the sun.

Sun!

We were able to see seals ad even got a glimpse of a penguin but they were very shy. Our activities were postponed because of the weather and just as we were supposed to do them again the rain cleared and the sun came out. We could choose between kayaking and going on a boat with a nature guide. I went on the boat which was interesting and I could take lots of nice pictures of the boat and the boys who went kayaking.

Hendrik Kayaking

After our dinner buffet we had a slide show presentation about the native animals of New Zealand. We learned that animals which were brought over were responsible for the extinction of many native animals and even people like the Maori were responsible for the extinction of the Moa. A huge problem in New Zealand are possums which are quick to kill kiwis since they are flightless and can’t escape. Possums are a pest and there are lots of them and carcasses along the road are a common sight, and therefore, they are nicknamed squashums. Possum hair is also very warm, and therefore, the hair is used to make sweaters, hats, ect. People get paid to collect possums and then they are put thorough “possum-pluckers.”

The boat

Then we played Clue until it was bed time. Unfortunately I was stuck with a top bunk, but I ended up sleeping more than I thought I would.