Back to civilization

After a beautiful but very bright and cold night in the high mountains, the destination of the journey today is Geiranger. The village itself has only 200 inhabitants and is located on the UNESCO World Heritage Site Geirangerfjord. Every year, hundreds of thousands of tourists are drawn to the small village at the end of the last branch of the Storfjord. But let's start from the beginning...

Since it's no longer possible to sleep due to the brightness from 4:30 am, I start the journey again at six o'clock. We are still driving on the Sognefjellsveien through the Jotunheimen Mountains. Passing more glaciers and a summer skiing area, the road finally descends into the valley and into the T-shirt zone at Lom.

From Lom, I follow the river Otta through the Ottadal valley until shortly before the mountains around Geiranger. The Ottadal valley is characterized by its incredible width and the large clear lakes that repeatedly invite you to take a break and take pictures.

The valley ends at the mountain Dalsnibba, at the northern foot of which Geiranger is already located. On the mountain itself, there is only a viewpoint, but access by car is allowed for a small fee...well...if you're already there.

The actual road to Geiranger leads west of Dalsnibba and, contrary to what is mentioned in most travel guides, apparently can be used free of charge. At least I didn't pay anywhere. Here I also meet the familiar tour buses again, which transport countless cruise ship travelers from the port to the mountain and back down every day. Consequently, during peak hours, the procession of vehicles seems endless. First up the 700-meter high mountain pass and then back down on the northern side called Trollstigen, an impressive collection of serpentines.

At the end of Trollstigen lies the destination Geiranger. As mentioned before, it is rather a small place but is practically overrun daily by thousands of cruise ship passengers (you can see two in the picture) and additionally by camping travelers like me. I stop a few kilometers before at a small campsite to at least avoid the hustle and bustle of the cruise liners. In the evening, however, I feel the urge to visit the village before going to bed and I get on my bike to roll the last kilometers into the valley. During the descent, it becomes clear to me that this will also not be very relaxing... I will have to cycle up the 200 meters in altitude later. The size of the collection of houses and the still present cruise ship passengers lead to the fact that about half an hour later, you can see me struggling up the serpentines to the campsite with my tongue hanging out.