September Visitors!

Fall already fell by the time Hal and Denise arrived on September 6. We donned our rainwear and set out to see Bergen and the fjord country.

 

We got a glimpse of the city in between rain squalls.

 

I am not sure if Edvard Grieg was this short but he stands ready to perform with his lucky rubber frog in his pocket near the concert hall on his old estate.

 

We found a different way down to Gudvangen. The road is a one-way series of switchbacks on a 19% grade. The newer road is a long winding tunnel.

 

The mist from one of the waterfalls covers the view of the valley below.

 

 

 Shanna, Hal, and Denise took the ferry around the mountains to Flåm. I drove through the two long tunnels (10 km and 5 km) to meet them at the end of their journey.

 

The ferry stopped in a couple places to drop the mail.

 

 

Shanna even coaxed a smile out of the guy who waited in the rain for the mailbag.

 



 

The villiages along this route are truely remote.

 

 

Once on land we all took off for a ride up Aurland Mountain Road, the old narrow road that cuts over the mountain instead of through it. The other driver got to back up to let me by.

 

This is Aurlandsfjord just above the town of Aurland. At the head of this fjord is the tourist town of Flåm.

 

 

Still Aurlandsfjord but looking the other way back to the mother fjord - Sognefjord.

 

 

Panorama of the two previous photos.

 

 

Your fear of heights will kick in on this overlook. It sticks out about 50 meters from the road straight toward the water. The glass partition gives you a little thrill as you stand out there as if in mid-air.

 

 

We drove five minutes more and found ourselves on top of the mountain on a moonscape. It was also snowing. We drove back to Bergen by way of the tunnels - including the "worlds longest tunnel" - 25 km long.

 

 

We took a sidetrip to Undredal to pick up some of their famous goat cheese but found the entire business community of the town closed. I did manage to take this photo. Good ad for dish TV.

 

 Just after 5 AM at Bergen airport on the 12th as we bid our tired visitors good-bye.

 

 

Then we were off to the store and into our kitchen. It was time to make Institute dinner

 

 

and dessert.