The Crusaders in the Geiranger Fjord

Actually, I wanted to get up early and ride down to Geiranger and back up with my racing bike, which is supposed to be a very nice route with views of the fjord; that was the plan. However, when I woke up, raindrops were hopping on Louise's roof and I tend to avoid hairpin downhill turns on wet roads.

From above, it was already visible that a cruise ship had entered the fjord. Then we went down to watch the spectacle. The boats were bustling back and forth, bringing the passengers ashore. Another boat came along, which was allowed to dock at the very front of the fjord and the passengers could disembark via a bridge. From one minute to the next, the small village was full of shopping-, eating- and photo-hungry cruise tourists. Many of the tourists were numbered (self-adhesive stickers on their tops) and you could regularly hear the guides with number plates calling out their numbers. Groups gathered everywhere, buses arrived and chauffeured participants with the same number to the sightseeing points around Geiranger. In addition to strolling tourists, double-decker "Hop On Hop Off" buses also struggled up and down the roads of the surrounding mountains.

For us, it all quickly became too much and we fled, well, we struggled through the completely crowded streets for the first kilometers as well. After a few kilometers, the worst was thankfully over and I was allowed to continue with the bike. What a relief, just riding up the mountain alone on the bike.

The goal was first the Djupevatn, located at 1030 m above sea level. There was more and more snow at the roadside and it became noticeably colder. The lake up there was mostly frozen, with some open spots shimmering bright blue in the snow, wonderfully beautiful to look at.

Fortunately, Louise was also there, and I quickly hopped in to warm up. Actually, the plan was to go further up to Dalsnibba, 5 km and 450 meters of altitude. The wind was blowing and the clouds were hanging on the mountain peaks. When the first raindrops appeared on the windshield, I loaded the racing bike and decided not to take the free ride up. Motorized vehicles have to pay a fee for the road, as a bicycle I would have been allowed to ride it for free.

The journey continued downhill again, past lakes and lonely landscapes. A place in nature sounded promising according to the app. After Della Louise skillfully drove over the Huggelweg to the riverbank, we are now right by it and it is just incredibly beautiful; the Röschti tasted even better than usual!