Bergen is known as the “gateway to the fjords,” and although a cute town to visit, the magnificent fjords were calling us. So, after thoroughly exploring the Sognefjord and a quick pitstop in Bergen, our adventures continued with a roadtrip around the Hardangerfjord and an epic hike for stunning views over the Lysefjord.
ROAD TRIP
Like Iceland, we loved the freedom of the open road in Norway. We could explore waterfalls and roadside stands at our leisure. The first waterfall along our route was one that you could actually walk behind. Two walk-behind waterfalls in two months! I’m a lucky girl.
Upon arrival in Norway, we had decided that we would have a dry 17 days. After our party night on the overnight cruise and then endless drinking of Vana Tallinn in Estonia, we needed a couple weeks of detox (See here if you missed out on these stories – Cruise & Estonia). In addition, alcohol is heavily taxed so extremely expensive in Norway. I totally thought this goal would be easy to achieve, especially given that Norway doesn’t have wineries or any locally made alcoholic beverages that I would be interested in. Or so I thought. Then, we discovered that the area around Hardangerfjord is well-known for their apple orchards and that they even have a cider trail with tastings at 3 local cideries.
These are quite different from the apple orchards that I grew up with in Nebraska. They looked more like vineyards with tiny trees growing along terraces near the edge of the fjords. The apples, apple juice, and cider from this region are crisp with a unique tangy flavor due to perfect growing conditions created by the microclimate of this fjord region. Of course, I had to break my own rule and try some of the local cider, so the hunt ensued. I was disappointed that our road trip route didn’t go past the cideries on the special cider trail, but I was hopeful that I would find a lone cidery serving tourists on our path. We passed a bunch of cute roadside stands selling cherries, apples, apple juice, and homemade cookies on the honor system.
The apple juice was phenomenal and tasted so appley. Is that a word? Most apple juice seems so fake, but this totally tasted like liquid apple sauce. We bought a beautiful wine bottle of apple juice but were disappointed that we couldn’t find any cider.
At one point in our route, we had to use a car ferry to cross the fjord. We pulled up to the dock to realize that we had over an hour to wait for the next ferry. Dang. We were hoping to find a great picnic spot along our route on the other side. Now, we were forced to eat our picnic at the pier. Fortunately, in Norway, the views are pretty amazing even when sitting around waiting for a ferry. I even took advantage of the time to explore the small town along the pier in hopes of finding a local cider. Success!! A small convenience store actually carried two different local ciders for us to sample. Our picnic came together quite nicely.
The cider actually paired perfectly with the fenalår that we brought along. Fenalår is a salted, dried, and cured leg of lamb that is extremely popular in Norway.
Fjords may be the focus in Norway, but the waterfalls here are the icing on the cake.
Our favorite was Låtefoss with its double cascade tumbling down through a six arch stone bridge.
The drive from Bergen to Stavanger along the Hardangerfjord national tourist route may have been long but the natural beauty and tasty treats made the early morning wake-up call and late arrival totally worth it.
PULPIT ROCK HIKE
Finally, we made it to the grand finale of our trip to Norway. We had two days in Stavenger for one main purpose: the famous Preikostolen (Pulpit Rock) hike. Pulpit Rock is one of the iconic images of Norway. The steep cliff rises 604 meters above the Lysefjord and has a natural flat top. I had butterflies in my stomach at the thought of being able to peek over the edge of this rock to marvel at the blue waters far below. Our first day in town was filled with rain and thunderstorms all day. Our best chance was on the second day with clouds and a chance of rain. We were hopeful. The 4hr round-trip hike is so popular that thousands of hikers show up each day during peak season. We awoke early that morning in hopes of getting to the trailhead before the crowds. Our hotel wasn’t even serving breakfast yet, so we fueled up on some ProPudding.
We devoured this delicious, healthy protein pudding that became a staple in our diet during our two months in Scandinavia. Our usual choice of a low-sugar, high protein Greek yogurt was hard to find, but we thoroughly enjoyed this replacement for a few months. Anyways, so eager to avoid a mass of tourists, we took an early 6am ferry and paid for a taxi to the trailhead. Most people wait for the cheaper bus service that starts a couple hours later and is included in tour packages. The taxi fare was the best money we ever spent. The trail was quiet and peaceful, and we only saw a handful of people that were able to get there earlier from staying in a nearby campsite or lodge. The whole way up was filled with breathtaking views. There is nothing like the feeling of the cool mountain wind blowing on your face as your heart beats fast from climbing up the slick, rock stairs and scrambling over boulders.
As we got closer to the top, my heart raced even faster with excitement. This is going to be so cool! A couple hikers told us that we were almost there. We rounded a corner to get our first glimpse of the iconic Pulpit Rock.
My heart sank. Nooo!!!! How did a cloud manage to sit right on top of Pulpit Rock? The rest of our views had been perfectly clear except for the lack of a sunny, bright blue sky. You could sense the disappointment in all the other weary travelers, but everybody was trying to make the best of it and still posing for pictures.
We really are standing on the edge of a giant, sheer cliff 604m above the fjord. The Lysefjord is behind that giant cloud, I promise. We really aren’t just standing on a rock a couple feet above the ground…but I guess you will just have to take my word for it. I scrambled up a few boulders to try to get a view that could show a bit of perspective of the sheer cliff that we were standing on. You can barely see Jimmy with his arms up.
Our spirits lifted a little when the clouds lightened up a bit, so we could actually see a hazy outline of the water below. Quick!! Pose for a couple more shots to prove that we were really here.
Now, do you believe us? I was even able to finally follow through on my original plan of crawling up to the edge on my hands and knees to catch a peek of the water far below. I’m not brave enough to sit on the edge and dangle my feet over like some people. For a brief moment, we could faintly see the bottom.
We were hoping that the clouds would leave completely, but a few minutes later, the cloud coverage grew thicker than ever. Before leaving Pulpit Rock, I had one more mission…to take the most iconic Norwegian picture that I could think of. So, here I am at the edge of Pulpit Rock above a gorgeous fjord, that you can’t see, enjoying a traditional Norwegian lefse.
I am of Norwegian and German descent, and my great-great grandfather was actually born near Stavenger/Pulpit Rock. For as long as I can remember, my family has been eating lefse at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Lefse is a soft flatbread (almost like a tortilla) that is made out of potatoes. One of the traditional ways of eating lefse is rolled up with butter and sugar.
We were a bit disappointed when we did not find lefse in bakeries or served at restaurants in Norway. Luckily, we found a TON of pre-packaged varieties in the supermarkets and convenience stores. Not only did we find the thin variety rolled up with butter and sugar, but we also discovered a thicker version of lefse that is more like a coffee cake and often filled with a cinnamon and cream filling.
Bertha is like the Little Debbie of Norwegian lefse cakes. All the different versions were quite addictive, and we made sure to eat lefse almost every day in Norway…including our Pulpit Rock picnic.
As we left Pulpit Rock, we still couldn’t believe that just a few meters away around the corner was still a perfectly clear view.
Norway giveth and Norway taketh away. Luckily, on this other side, Mother Nature gave us a going away present. We followed a few other hikers off the trail, over a few boulders, and through a muddy creek to a rocky outcropping overlooking the Lysefjord, just far enough away from Pulpit Rock that the cloud coverage wasn’t as thick
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Although the majority of our time in Norway was windy, rainy, and cloudy, the magnificent fjord region is still one of the most naturally beautiful places we have seen. Even without blue skies and bright sunshine, the fjords and waterfalls of Norway are still showstoppers.
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