Week 39 - South Norway

My week started with a long drive to Rjukan. Here I took the Krossobanen mountain train up to Hardangervidda. The Krossobanen is the oldest cable car in Northern Europe and was built in 1928 by a German company. Here I got an impression of the Hardangervidda in the best weather.

The municipality of Rjukan is located deep in the Gaustatoppen valley. In winter, no sunlight reaches the place, which is why mirrors were installed on the mountains in 2013 to reflect sunlight there.

The Gaustatoppen is 1881 meters high and from the top you have a view over 1/6 of Norway. Of course, I couldn't miss that, so I went up there on Tuesday. The path was very exhausting, but I was rewarded with a great 360-degree view.

So my trip to eastern Norway was completed and I drove west again. First, I went to Falkenuten. After a walk, you reached the summit at over 1000m. The view was really great!

On Thursday, I went to Kjerag. Here I found the most expensive parking lot ever: the hiking parking lot for Kjeragbolten. This costs 30 euros and overnight stays are not allowed. However, there is no other option here. The hike turned out to be my most hated hike in a long time. It went up 3 mountains and 2 valleys had to be crossed. The ascents were steep and went over bare rocks, so you had to constantly pull yourself up on the safety chains. Although the hike is right on the Lysefjord, you can hardly see the fjord. The goal was the Kjeragbolten, which is a rock ball hanging between two rock crevices. From here you can catch a glimpse of the fjord and the 1000m vertical cliff.

As the last hike in Norway, I chose Ramnstoknuten. It is not so well known and therefore a welcome change from the otherwise overcrowded hikes. The view over Frafjord is beautiful.

The weather is currently very warm with over 25 degrees, and personally, it is already too warm for me. That's why I took a rest day at the beach and today I am standing at a lake with a swimming area. On the way, I also stopped at houses under a cliff. The last days in Norway will therefore be a bit quieter, but that's also good for me.

At the lake, I met Rita and Jürgen and an Austrian family. We had great conversations and spent a wonderful evening together.