{"id":889,"date":"2018-08-10T19:49:02","date_gmt":"2018-08-10T19:49:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zoulouonroad.com\/?p=889"},"modified":"2018-08-29T19:57:32","modified_gmt":"2018-08-29T19:57:32","slug":"7th-week-a-hiking-week-in-southern-norway-and-its-breathtaking-landscapes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zoulouonroad.com\/index.php\/2018\/08\/10\/7th-week-a-hiking-week-in-southern-norway-and-its-breathtaking-landscapes\/","title":{"rendered":"7th week : A hiking week in Southern Norway and its breathtaking landscapes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Day 42: After our week on an organic farm, we pursue our trip towards the West of Norway. On Sunday, we visit Oslo, a city not to be missed. We decide to visit the city center by bike. \"\"<\/a>On our way, we pass through the garden of Royal Palace and stop by the huge city hall. We have a look inside to discover an oversized mural painting decorating the main hall and an organ. This building is quite special and is worth visiting. Unfortunately, dogs are not authorized inside so my masters visit it one by one so that I am not alone outside :).\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

We then visit the Akershus fortress. From the top, there is a beautiful view over the fjords where many ferries and cruise boats start their trip to the mountains. \"\"<\/a> Finally, we go to the Oslo Opera House, surely the most popular monument in Oslo. Many people, locals and tourists, come here to enjoy sunny weekends with a view on the sea and fjords. This Opera House is special for its unique architecture and the possibility to walk on the building to the top. \"\"<\/a> It’s really hot today so, with the authorization from my masters, I jump in the sea to get a refresh. And I have a lot of spectators here who seem to like my little show. Everyone laughs, and some even get out their phones. Maybe one day I’ll appear on Youtube ? \ud83d\ude42 Anyway, you can view my water show on Facebook<\/a>. Plouf! And our pictures from Oslo are here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Day 43: Today is a day on the road to drive to the West of Norway. On our way, we see first fjords ! \"\"<\/a>Such a beauty ! The roads along the fjords are not in such a nice shape though. Without any warning, they suddenly narrow down to one lane, often when there is another camping car in the opposite direction … so we take it slowly. Above all, we don’t want to damage our Campi. At the end of the day, we arrive to Preikestolen (“Preacher\u2019s Chair” in English), a steep cliff which rises 604 meters above the fjords \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

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Day 44: We wake up at 5 AM in order to arrive to the parking of Preikestolen at 7 AM. Everybody recommends us to start the hike early in the morning to avoid crowds at the top.\"\"<\/a> This hike is indeed one of the most famous in Norway and during summer holidays it gets really crowdy! The price of the parking (20 euros) reflects the popularity of this site… We start at 7H30 AM and we are already surrounded by other hikers. It takes around 2 hours to do this 4km hike with a 350 m ascent. And it is difficult from the beginning! The first part of the hike is quite steep and slippery. Then the path becomes flat and pass across lakes and heathers. Once at the top, the view is impressive ! \"\"<\/a> Thanks to its flat top hanging over the sea, it’s the best spot for pictures. Fortunately, there are not a lot of people this morning but on our way back, the crowd gets bigger…<\/p>\n

Next, we head towards the North to discover other sites. This first trip made us want to see much more !<\/p>\n

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Day 45: On our way to Bergen, we stop in Odda, known for its famous 22 km track to Trolltunga (“Troll tongue”). Apparently, this site is even more impressive than Preikestolen because of its cliff coming out horizontally from the mountain above the sea. But at the tourist center, we were told that camping cars are not allowed to the parking and that our only option is to take a shuttle bus from the center of Odda (it costs 50\u20ac for both of us, the same price as the parking itself by the way!!). With this shuttle, we wouldn’t be able to start the hike early in the morning like we wanted but we would be with loads of other people and would queue for about one hour at the top to take a picture ! It’s really not my thing…
\nEventually, we decided to go for another hike that is shorter and less known. It leads at the top of Buarbreen iceberg. And the view is amazing ! In total it’s just 6km with 600m of elevation gain. But we have fun, it’s an adventure : the path crosses a couple of small rivers, with or without a proper bridge. At some places we have to climb with the aid of the ropes. It’s a lot of exercise ! \"\"<\/a>I’ve slipped few times despite my paws that can do off-road ! Fortunately, my masters help me every time it’s difficult for me but they struggle as well :p. A strong river flow follows the path till the top where we can observe the iceberg. Such an amazing view on this eternal snow but it’s so windy !
\n\"\"<\/a>We stay on the parking during the night, always with this beautiful view on the iceberg. We are waken up by the Viking cows of the nearby farm !<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a>Day 46: We stay in the sourrindings of Odda to go for another hike, recommended by a local at the tourist center\"\". It leads to the top of Eidesnuten mountain (903 m) within 3 hours. The path is steep again … and I struggle a lit bit with the ants that are everywhere on our way. As soon as I stop, they climb on me and that gets me so angry ! But the effort is rewarded at the top by another awesome view. This time we can see the Odda city, the sea, a lake and an iceberg ! Moreover, this hike remains unknown for tourists so we enjoy a quiet time up there.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> It’s so hot though! As soon as we come back to the parking, we head to a nearby lake for a quick swim. The water is freezing…but it’s feels good to relax after such an effort!<\/p>\n

Day 47: In the morning we discover that we parked next to a path that comes across 4 waterfalls. \"\"<\/a> We decide to go at least to the first one as part of our morning walk but finally we end up at the top of the third one! The beauty of Norwegian landscapes simply makes us push our limits further and further. After less than 2 hours, we arrive at the top of Nykkjesoy waterfall, amazed by the surroundings. There is this huge flat spot in the middle of a mountain chain with a lake formed by the water coming from the highest waterfall. There is no better place to relax, enjoy the sunshine and the fresh air and listen to the sound of the waterfall. Heaven on Earth! Naturally, I have to try this crystal clear water \ud83d\ude42
\n\"\"<\/a>Afterwards, we drive towards Bergen but stop half way, on a nice spot with access to the beach. It’s still hot so we take a quick swim! In the evening, we wait for the lunar eclipse to come but it gets dark so late here, only around midnight. At that time we are already in bed…but it’s really cloudy so we wouldn’t see a thing anyway…<\/p>\n

Day 48: Today, we wake up early to go up to Ulriken mountain (643 m), the highest of the seven mountains that surround Bergen. We start the hike at 9 AM and choose the shortest way to the top. It’s also the steepest one and we struggle to climb the rocky stairs. At the top, there is a lot of people due to the arrival of the cable car. There is also a restaurant and a souvenir shop. It seems like a famous spot for city tourists. Nevertheless, the view is nice over Bergen surrounded by the mountains.\"\"<\/a>A couple of signs show that I have to be kept on a leash. Some people do not hesitate to remind us that there is a law for this in Norway in order to protect the nature. \"\"<\/a> So we decide to respect the local law and habits and I am kept on a leash, at least when people are around :p.<\/p>\n

After Ulriken, we visit the center of Bergen, passing by the fish market, the fortress and Bryggen district with its traditional wooden colored houses in front of the harbor.\"\"<\/a>To be honest, I did expect more. We heart several times of Bergen as a charming city but Norwegian landscapes surrounded by fjords that we have seen are much more impressive… it sets a very high standard \ud83d\ude09 Anyway, the day was busy again, it’s impossible to do nothing in Norway. But we start to feel a little bit tired …<\/p>\n

Day 49: It’s the end of the week full of long hikes and amazing landscapes. Now, it’s time to go further to the North. On our way we come across N\u00e6r\u00f8yfjord, the narrowest fjord in Norway, then we pass through Fl\u00e5m, a city crowded with tourists waiting to take a local train trip to the fjords. Then we take the longest tunnel in the world that measures 23 km. Thanks to Campi we can see all this beauty comfortably from our new home !\"\"<\/a>In the evening, we stay in the Jotunheimen national parc, surrounded by mountains and plan a trip for the next day \ud83d\ude42 On day off and we are ready to discover the Norwegian scenery again !<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Waouf!<\/p>\n

PS : All our photos from Norway are here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Day 42: After our week on an organic farm, we pursue our trip towards the West of Norway. On Sunday, we visit Oslo, a city not to be missed. We decide to visit the city center by bike. On our way, we pass through the garden of Royal Palace and stop by the huge city … Continue reading “7th week : A hiking week in Southern Norway and its breathtaking landscapes”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9Vyzk-el","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zoulouonroad.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/889"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/zoulouonroad.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/zoulouonroad.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zoulouonroad.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zoulouonroad.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=889"}],"version-history":[{"count":21,"href":"https:\/\/zoulouonroad.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/889\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":987,"href":"https:\/\/zoulouonroad.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/889\/revisions\/987"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zoulouonroad.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=889"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zoulouonroad.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=889"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zoulouonroad.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=889"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}