Frustrating ending with a sad background: Preikestolen

Tuesday 21.7.2020: If you know us, you should know that we are not exactly the "outdoor-active-I'm-going-for-a-six-hour-hike" types 😉 It's no coincidence that we have a Smart car (comfortable as a convertible, with seat heating, etc.) and e-bikes in the garage, so that we can always explore everything nice and sutsche (North German for cozy) 😃 However, there is a tourist attraction here that you have to walk 4 km to and as a tourist in Norway you shouldn't miss it 🤔

Also typical for us, we didn't really prepare for it. We thought that if it's such a tourist magnet, it can't be that bad and we're still young + fit and for the first time in our lives we're wearing something like hiking shoes 😉 What awaited us, however, was really bad and if we had known it beforehand, we would certainly have spared ourselves!

You had to climb the entire way up over rocks / scree! And firstly, of course not on a wide, comfortable path designed for tourists, and secondly, we were not alone, but there were crowds of people coming from the front and from the back, pushing past us (no one had Corona on their mind), no matter how narrow (of course, there are no photos of that, as we were too annoyed =;o).

After about a third of the way (or was it even earlier) we had already had enough. In addition, the not-so-great weather at about 12°C and the risk of rain. After we were somehow driven on by the herd, we thought at the halfway point that if we turned back now, everything would have been in vain and so we just staggered on, sweating (from the exertion) and freezing (due to the climate) at the same time.

And now the surprising ending. With our strength at an end and with the horror of having to go back the same way, we are literally 350 meters in front of the goal facing a police cordon!!!!

Since the goal would only have been reachable via another hill (see photo), you couldn't even see it from a distance. Rumor has it that someone fell down the slope and the police officer cannot say when the path will be cleared again. After all the effort, we thought - like everyone else present - let's just wait and see. We did that for about an hour in windy temperatures of about 10°C, until a renewed announcement by the police officer that the recovery operation had not even started yet. So we embarked on the return journey without a "happy ending", without being able to personally see the natural highlight. Really frustrating, but of course one also has the tragedy in mind (and I would not have liked to be there an hour earlier to experience it live, heavens, that would have been awful!!!)! Unfortunately, it is still not possible to read on the internet what really happened. What we have learned so far is only hearsay from other German tourists, because the police officer spoke Norwegian, which we do not understand. At least on the way back, the sun came out towards the evening and the crowds of people were gone as it was already quite late, so we were able to take a few photos. Also, Triene had the "luxury" of being able to walk without a leash for once! Apart from that, we carried her in the difficult places, because after all she is the oldest of us all 😉

Oh yes, the whole fun also cost 250 NOK (so not quite €25).

By the way, we have now arrived on the southern west coast of Norway and are staying at a campsite near Tau. Tomorrow we will continue and for the first time we will have to take a ferry in order to follow the course of the road.

As always, we have summarized a few impressions for you (this time a few more 😉

As always, we appreciate your interest 👍 and send you all warm greetings 😃

Thomas, Janina and Triene

P.S.: Our detailed steps, with further information and even more pictures, can still be followed via polarsteps: https://www.polarsteps.com/TrieneaufReisen/3152827-ein-jahr-auszeit-mit-dem-wohnmobil-durch-die-usa