Norway, A Two Week Journey: Hardanger to Geiranger [HD]

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• published: 22 Jul 2014
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This leg of the journey involved a relatively long -- but very pleasant and interesting -- drive from Hardanger Fjord to Geiranger Fjord, two of the most scenic and popular fjords in Norway. The 5+ hour journey covers a variety of locations and landscapes, from the idyllic coasts of Hardanger, a region known both for Norway's national instrument, the Hardanger fiddle, as well as its sprawling fruit orchards -- cherries were in season in early July, and in the morning we picked them straight from the trees of the Hardanger Vandrerhjem hostel where we stayed. Along the way are some nice stops and sights to see, including the very popular Tvindefossen falls, which are interesting more for the rock formation than for the water itself; the slabs forms sort of a natural geometric, geological staircase of stone cubes that the water meanders down. The drive itself is interesting. At the north end of Hardanger, the path winds through long, elaborate tunnels (even including roundabouts within the tunnels!), popping out onto a hanging bridge spanning the fjord. The route eventually winds up into high terrain of the largest mountains in Norway, reaching desolate but beautiful wastelands of snow juxtaposed with expanses of dark rock. Eventually, the scenery becomes very stark indeed, with towering and ominous black mountains and large expanses of snow, before winding down a zig-zagging switchback road, the famous "Trollstigen" route, which ends in a land that time forgot, the scenic Geiranger Fjord. You can read more about our 2 week journey and itinerary at: https://sites.google.com/site/norwaytour2014/ Music is "Anitra's Dance", of Edvard Grieg's Peer Gynt suite; performed by the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra