Bergen, Sognefjord and a bit back and forth (29.03.-04.04.2021)

Plans, Journey, and Rainy Bergen

After returning from Hovden, the Easter holidays were approaching. Sara and I had the idea of ​​driving up the west coast by car and visiting Stavanger and Bergen. When the plans were finalized and we knew what we wanted to see, we realized that it was a lot for the short amount of time.

So we decided to postpone the southern part, including Stavanger, because these places can also be visited during a long weekend. So on Monday, we drove for about 8 hours to the northwest, through snowstorms and in bright sunshine.

On the way, we took breaks at beautiful parking lots and overall made good progress.

In the evening, we arrived at our accommodation in Bergen, an Airbnb. It turned out that our accommodation was a room in a student dormitory. The landlady had not made this clear in advance and had not informed us either. But the room was fine, we had our own bathroom and shared the kitchen with other students.

In the evening, we planned the next day and then went to our cozy 1.40m bed ;)

The next day, it rained continuously, and we were not very excited about exploring the city because of the weather. Nevertheless, we put on our rain gear and set off.

In one of the parks, there was a tree with Easter eggs painted by the kindergarten. That actually brought a little Easter atmosphere.

We visited St. John's Church, the university, the fairground with a corona testing center, the theater, and the fish market. Then we wanted to go to the tourist information center to get some tips on hiking and find out what else we could do near Bergen. Unfortunately, it was closed and not reachable by phone. We encountered this problem several times later.

So we continued along the harbor, to Korskirke and Domkirke, the latter of which is currently under restoration. The city tour took us to the UNESCO World Heritage site, Brygge.

These houses are really beautiful old wooden houses, and it's worth taking a look at the small alleys.

After also visiting the Hurtigruten ships at the pier, we went to Håkonshalle. However, it was not particularly impressive from the outside and unfortunately not open. Completely drenched and with a Norwegian sweater each in our backpacks, we returned to our accommodation.

Originally, we had planned to stay in Bergen for only two nights. But since we hadn't seen everything in Bergen yet and also wanted to do a longer hike, we decided to extend our stay by one night. The landlady had no problem with that.

Sun in Bergen

On Wednesday, the weather was merciful to us, and we set off in the morning to the Hanseatic Museum in sunny weather. The museum displays the history of the Brygge district. However, in my opinion, it was not explained in enough detail. Nevertheless, we were able to learn something about the German merchants who lived and worked in Brygge. Because the houses are built on garbage, gravel, construction debris, and sand, they sink and become crooked. The actual Hanseatic Museum, for example, is currently being raised with a very elaborate technique to renew the foundation.

So after enjoying the view in Brygge in nice weather, we continued to the open-air museum Gamle Bergen (Old Bergen). Unfortunately, it was closed, but we could walk through the streets and take a look through the windows.

On the way back, we hiked up the Stolzekleiven (a stone staircase on the mountain). This staircase has 722 steps made of stones, leading up a steep mountain. While we hiked up at our own pace, we were constantly overtaken by joggers, including many older people. That makes you feel not so fit anymore. When we reached the top, we had a very nice view over Bergen and the fjords. Since we didn't want to do a hike, we had to go down all the steps again.

Then we quickly went shopping and back to the accommodation. That day we walked 18 km, and we definitely felt it in the evening.

Hiking from mountain to mountain in Bergen

For Thursday, we chose a 13 km hike that leads from Mount Fløyen to Mount Ulriken. Since a bridge over the railway tracks was closed, we had to take a detour right at the beginning, which took some time. We hiked up the mountain and didn't take the funicular. When we reached the top, we were already sweaty and then started our 13-kilometer hike after a short break to eat.

At first, the trail led us along paved roads and wide paths, which were very busy. We hadn't considered that it was Maundy Thursday and therefore a public holiday in Norway.

But fortunately, as the paths branched off, it became a little quieter. The trail continued up and down through very beautiful landscapes, mostly crowned with a nice view.

Towards the end of the 13 kilometers, the hike seemed to drag on, as the surroundings hardly changed, and we could always see the destination. When we reached the gondola station on Mount Ulriken, we took a short break and then started the descent. Unfortunately, we could not take the gondola as it was being renovated.

The way down turned out to be more challenging than expected, as the path suddenly turned into a mountain bike trail and we had to go down there. Luckily, no mountain bikers came, who would have run us over. When we arrived down safely, it was still about a kilometer to the car. We hiked a total of 25 kilometers and were on the trail for almost 9 hours.

Stave Church and Sleeping Place Difficulties

Totally exhausted, we drove to a stave church (Viking church) near Bergen. Unfortunately, it was already closed, and we could only admire it from the outside.

Then we continued our journey towards the northeast. Today we wanted to go to Flåm, a village on the branch of the Sognefjord. The Sognefjord is the deepest and longest fjord in Norway, and even the tributaries are impressive.

We arrived at 11 o'clock at night and didn't have any daylight to find a wild camping spot. Unfortunately, the beach where we wanted to stay overnight had a sign explicitly prohibiting camping, so we continued the search. We called a hostel, drove further along the road, and ended up at the campground in Flåm, where we paid 30€.

After setting up the tent and putting our sleeping mats and sleeping bags inside, we started cooking. Fortunately, it went relatively quickly, but it was 2 a.m. until we were in our sleeping bags.

Aurlandsfjord, Østerbø, Wild Camping

After getting some rest and packing everything up, we walked to the beach and explored the area. It would have been the perfect place to camp if it hadn't been for the sign.

We drove up a serpentine road for about 20 minutes and then arrived at Aurlandsvangen, at a viewpoint overlooking the fjord. Since the weather was really nice, the view up there was also really beautiful.

The view was really great, and we took many photos.

But since there was snow higher up, we decided against hiking there. Instead, we looked for a hike for the next day. We searched through all internet forums and websites and even the help from Germany (thanks, mom) didn't really help us because many trails are not passable at this time of year or not along the fjord, where we wanted to hike. Finally, we found a hike that was about an hour's drive away and went there. We drove through tunnels and serpentine roads, and then we reached the last tunnel. We drove out, and suddenly the world around us looked completely different. There were 40 centimeters of snow, and it was only 0°C.

Because the hike would not have been possible under these conditions, we decided to turn around.

Back, past Flåm, we drove to Undredal, a neighboring village of Flåm, located between high mountains. There, we looked for a place to sleep and found one more or less good option.

With a view of the fjord, we stood in a curve. But the road only led to a few houses, which were also far enough away. We felt a bit uneasy nonetheless. The night passed quietly, and only one car drove past the road the next morning. We rinsed the dishes in the ice-cold water of a stream the next morning.

On the way to our hike (not along the fjord), we stopped at a waterfall, although unfortunately, it was hardly visible. In Gudvangen on the fjord coast, we were able to observe two oystercatchers.

We then stopped at the Tvindefossen waterfall, without planning to do so. It was significantly more impressive than the first one, which had to be searched for.

At noon, we finally reached Vossevangen, a city where our hike starts. At the starting point, we took a short lunch break and then set off. We initially saw some ski poles next to a fence, which Sara took for the ascent. Because at the beginning, the trail leads 500 meters uphill. We went up under the gondola and over narrow paths. After reaching the top, we were quite surprised to find snow there again. After enjoying the view, we continued through the snow. We shortened the actual trail as it would have led even higher up.

On the way, we didn't see anyone, enjoyed the landscape, and observed various wood ant colonies with great interest.

On the way back, we hiked through a bog, and our feet got wet. Fortunately, it wasn't too cold, so we could enjoy the trail until the end.

Back at the car, we ate a little something and then considered where we could spend the night.

Since the beach with its associated park in Vossevangen was unfortunately not an option again due to a prohibition sign, we decided to continue driving towards Kristiansand.

On the way, we looked out for a possible place to sleep. But again, the search turned out to be more difficult than expected. Finally, at 8 p.m., we stopped at a rest area and decided to have dinner. Right by the Hardangerfjord and right next to the road. We wondered if we should set up our tent on a small gravel area or if we should drive another 6 hours home. As it was already getting dark and we would have arrived after 2 a.m., we decided to spend the night in the parking lot.

The night was not as quiet as the last one, but the place was quite nice. The next morning, it was raining, and we had breakfast in the tent. After everything was packed and rinsed in the creek, we drove back to Kristiansand. On the way, we stopped at the Låtefossen waterfall and arrived back in Kristiansand at 4 p.m.

The vacation was really nice, but I'm also glad to have a quiet week now because going directly from the ski trip to the next adventure was really a lot of impressions to process.

Please note that the blog is read from bottom to top, and last time I posted two entries on one day.

You will find out what happens next in Kristiansand and at the university in the next blog post.

I would be very happy to receive feedback and comments on the blog, and if there is a specific topic you would like me to write a separate post about, please let me know.

Until then, stay healthy,

Your Maike :D