An overnight trip to the Hardangerfjord

Kathy here:  Even though the rain continued in Bergen, we were happy to have the chance to view more of the scenery of Western Norway.  We had scheduled another excursion.  This time we just packed our backpacks and left our suitcases at the hotel in Bergen, since we were spending the night at a hotel in Ulvik in the heart of the fjord country.

We started on the train from Bergen to Voss, then caught a bus to Ulvik.  The driver avoided the short route through long tunnels, and took the winding road past waterfalls and cliffs to Ulvik.  It was pouring down rain, but the scenes as we got to Ulvik took our breath away.  The road was one way with turnouts most of the way and thankfully our driver was an expert.

Winding roads. 

Waterfalls along the way

Lots of farms and baled hay.

Our first view down at Ulvik and the Ulvikfjord

The hotel was a huge old resort called the Brakeness, located on a narrow arm of the much larger Hardangerfjord.  We stashed our stuff in the room at the very end of the resort and had a delicious lunch of local lamb sausage and potatoes.  We seemed to be the only ones in the hotel and for once were without the inevitable crowds of Asian tourists.  At least temporarily.  It was a great relief.

View from our balcony down the Ulrikfjord

Lunch lounge

There were several nice sitting areas like this in the hotel

Lunch view

I couldn't resist taking a picture with roses

Panorama of the view from the resort

After lunch, we put on our coats and enjoyed a couple of hours on the balcony, reading and soaking up the scenery.  It was cool, but the sun broke through in spells.  We could see new snow on the mountains in the distance and silvery waterfalls streamed down toward the valley and fjord below.   When the weather cleared a little, we took a walk down by the water and through a graveyard near an old church.  But the rain took over and it was a soggy stroll.  It was such a relaxing and lovely time, by ourselves in the old town.

View across the fjord

Church from a distance

The boat came and went depositing tourists

A walk by the water

And it started raining.

The church and graveyard

The house owners seem to stick to a similar color palette.  Dark red, gold, yellow, white and brown.  No blue.  Everything is very neat. 

Across the fjord at night.

By dinner time, we were again invaded by the tourons, but did manage to grab a few mussels and other seafood before the onslaught. We slept with the slider open to the quiet and fresh air of the fjord.

The next morning we had breakfast buffet and caught the boat to Eidfjord, a slightly bigger town with a cruise ship port.  We caught a bus there for a trip to the Norwegian Nature Center and the largest waterfall in Norway--Voringsfossen.  Voringsfossen is in the largest national park in Norway, the Hardangervidda.  As the bus drove through the rain to the waterfall and hotel, there was less and less vegetation as we gained altitude. 

At the dock

Our ship

The Brakanes Hotel......our balcony is at the end

Views from the boat

The nature center

With goats on the roof

The bus to the waterfall went through lots of tunnels

Hardangerland--Norways biggest national park

Waterfall explanation. 

Panorama of the waterfall viewing area

Watch your children......

The full length of the falls.

Mist from the falls

This hotel was first built in the 1800s and the wood was brought up in wagons.

layers of granite

Looking down at the river below

Map of the area.

When we got back to the boat, we had a long ride on the water back to Eidfjord and then caught another bus back to Bergen.  During our trip we made friends with a nice couple Dawn and Paul, from Bristol England, who had also done a lot of traveling.  We traded stories while enjoying the scenery and dodging in and out of the door to the deck to take pictures in the rain.  Having an agreement politically also made for some good discussions.

The longest suspension bridge in Europe is over the Hardangerfjord

Dawn and Paul

Finally, we got back to the bus station and took a taxi back to the hotel.  It was a wonderful adventure and lots easier than our previous excursion. No hauling suitcases over rough ground and cobblestones made for a much smoother and less strenuous trip. 

Next stop--Copenhagen.