19 Dec Newfoundland in Norway
It’s not hard to feel isolated in Norway–it’s almost 2,500 km long; Canada is almost 10,000 but Norway’s coastline is… ready for it? 21,925 kms! It curves up north and touches, yes touches, Russia. And what makes the coastline so unique are the spots of islands and fjords, which Bjornar tells me are ‘long and deep bays, sometimes 10s of thousands of kilometres long.’
“We’re in a fjord in Trondheim,” he tells me. I had no idea.
We decide to take a little trip to the west coast of Norway that involves two ferries and over five hours of driving through fjords and scary snowy mountains lost in the clouds.
A remote fishing village–once the largest village between Trondheim and Bergen in the middle ages–Bud is now a smattering of a few dozen houses and a fish plant on a ragged coastline.
When the light starts coming up, we walk onto the wharf near the fish plant.
At 9am, the fish drying rack looks like medieval torture equipment.
We stayed on the water in little fish cabins.
During the war, Bud was heavily fortified by the Germans–they assumed the Allies would strike; the hill that overlooks the town was set up for attack: a giant floodlight, eerie underground cubbyholes and a giant hole for a massive machine gun. This reminds me of the last time I was in Norway–I camped alone on the Lofoten Islands during a storm. The island was full of these little German bunkers. During the night the wind squished the two sides of the tent together making me feel like I was wrapped in cellophane. I was so close to packing it in and walking an hour into the closest town to find a hotel, but I’m glad I stuck it out. Felt like crap the next day from no sleep, but it’s like I survived some kind of Norwegian ritual.
Bjornar and I decided to go for a run and I stopped along the way to take some pics. Running in the cold is so invigorating– snaps you awake! I felt like a viking when I was done…well, a tiny, female viking. Watch out!
Then, the scenery just began. We drove out to the Atlantic Ocean Road; only 8kms, the road was called the Construction of the Century in 2005. I can’t imagine this place in a storm–during construction there were 12 hurricanes. Most tourists come during storms to catch a glimpse of the ocean spray hitting the road.
Linking seven bridges between the islands of Kristiansund and Molde, the road feels like it’s part of the ocean sitting on top of and over the many islands. Storseisundet Bridge
It’s wild nature meets wild man-made wonder. Standing on the hill looking down, as the wind whips my face, neither feel real.
Then, we walked around a platform that circled a hill for even more dramatic views of the bridge. I’m in awe, and always reminded of Newfoundland here. It feels oddly familiar and foreign at the same time. If that’s possible?
No Comments