Captivated by the unadulterated and spectacular beauty of Aurlandsfjord
Dates visited: August 19, 2012 – August 21, 2012
Aurlandsvangen is around 200 miles northwest of Oslo. I rented a car for the next five days and was mesmerized by the scenic mountains, winding roads and picturesque fjords of western Norway. From Oslo, I took the route through Lærdalstunnelen (Lærdal Tunnel)—the world’s longest road tunnel (15.23 mi). This really long tunnel has three blue-colored caverns inside to help maintain a driver’s visual acuity. It was fun to pull over and hear the cars speed by in what looked like a futurist setting because of the blue color.
Since I did not want to do the rushed and crowded standard Norway in a nutshell® tour, having a car took me to beautiful and striking views of the fjords that were not accessible to public transport. Thus, we drove from Aurlandsvangen to Gudvangen and boarded the Gudvangen-Kaupanger-Lærdal ferry. This ferry goes through Nærøyfjord (UNESCO World Heritage Site) similar to the Norway in a nutshell® tour, but then breaks away just before entering Aurlandsfjord and enters Sognefjord—a magnificent world of narrow inlets shrouded in occasional mist and watched over by steep snow-covered mountains. Nærøyfjord is a branch of the large Sognefjord which is considered to be the third longest fjord in the world. But since the first and second longest fjords are often ice-covered, the Sognefjord is the longest open (ice-free) fjord in the world. The natural beauty is permanently etched in my mind.
Driving gave us the flexibility of setting our own schedule and appreciating the landscape. Whenever we felt like taking a break, we would just pull over, and start hiking! The air was crisp and pure up in the mountains, and the small glacier-fed lakes were cool and clear. Another attraction worth seeing was Stegastein Viewpoint that peers over 650 meters over Aurlandsvangen and offers dramatic views of Aurlandsfjord.
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- At Aurlandsvangen… …mountains of the Aurlandsfjord and the Aurlandselvi river in the background
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- Pretty houses in Aurlandsvangen
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- Cruising through Nærøyfjord on the Gudvangen-Kaupanger-Lærdal ferry
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- Sognefjord—the largest fjord in Norway and the third longest in the world
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- Lærdal Tunnel—longest road tunnel in the world (15.23 mi) connecting Lærdal and Aurland
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- Lærdal Tunnel… …since it’s veryyyy long, there are three such blue-colored caverns to prevent claustrophobia, monotony and distraction
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- Inside Lærdal Tunnel… …the psychedelic lighting helps combat driver claustrophobia, monotony and distraction… …and aids the occasional urge to take pictures!
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- Kaupanger Stave Church (a Norwegian Cultural Heritage Site)… …built in 1140 in Kaupanger
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- The sights you see when you have the flexibility of stopping the car when you feel like and just walking around… …we came across this inconspicuous exhibit built inside a hill. I am guessing it’s a monument about “littering is bad for the environment”.
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- Difficult to focus on the driving when the road takes you through such spectacular surroundings
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- He was excited to see snow and ice in August!
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- With the Spælsau (Old Norwegian Short Tail Landrace)… …considered to be the original breed of sheep in Norway
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- This “actually” is a rest room… …I went inside it just to see if anything else was out of wack… …thankfully, everything inside was normal!
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- We just had to pull over and marvel at the beauty of this place
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- Making his own cairn to add to the existing scores of them
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- Nærøyfjord… …this narrow 18-kilometre (11 mi) long fjord is only 500 metres (1,600 ft) wide in some parts.
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- At Stegastein Viewpoint… …offers magnificent views of Aurlandsfjord
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- Aurlandsvangen… …seen from Stegastein Viewpoint (650 meters above)
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- Stunning view of Aurlandsfjord from Stegastein Viewpoint
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- Waiting for the Fodnes-Mannheller car ferry
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- Fodnes-Mannheller ferry
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- Bridge across the Aurlandselvi river in Aurlandsvangen
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- “Should I or should I not?”
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- A charming village with its own personal waterfalls
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- Sognefjord (third longest fjord in the world)… …it was a perfect day to see nature perfecting its beauty
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- Waiting for the Hella-Dragsvik ferry… …why not pose if you aren’t doing anything constructive?
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- Hella-Dragsvik ferry pulling in
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- Building with a sod roof or turf roof… …a traditional Scandinavian green roof covered with sod on top of several layers of birch bark on gently sloping wooden roof boards. The weight helps compress the logs and make the walls more draught-proof. Also, sod insulates the house from the cold while the birch bark underneath ensures that the roof will be waterproof
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- He just loved the concept of cars being ferried across water… …on the Fodnes-Mannheller ferry
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- Running in the mountains… …the air was crisp and the beauty was unparalleled
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- Hiking around this lake was one of the best hikes I have ever done
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- On the Gudvangen-Kaupanger-Lærdal ferry… …never too late to enjoy a good fjord joke
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- What a place to fish!
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- Marvelous landscape on the drive back from Laerdal to Aurlandsvangen
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- Aurlandsvangen… …a procession of clouds making their way through the mountains of the Aurlandsfjord