The viking experience CVE2401

Oslo is an unusual capital city, nestled in the forests. With its harbour and coastline, surrounded by ancient and super modern buildings. The Holmenkollen dominates the city from above, with its unmistakable ski jumping trampoline. We are lucky enough to stay in a typical hotel above the city, ideal for a rest before starting our adventure in Viking-land.

Here we go! We quickly leave Oslo behind and begin to enjoy the beautiful Norwegian roads with little traffic. We get familiar with the bikes, the day is perfect, sunny, dry and crisp air, we couldn't ask for better for our first day of riding After lunch we visit the 'Heddal Stavkirke', the largest of all the preserved wooden churches. We continue south to Vrangfoss and admire the "eighth wonder of the world" The Telemark Canal and its system of wooden locks, perfectly preserved and functioning. We finish in beauty with a winding, perfectly paved road that takes us to our destination hotel in the lakeside village of Vrådal and its hotel dedicated to us motorcyclists.

Heading west, 200 miles of roads in magnificent scenery await us. We begin to get serious. A succession of twists and turns along the fjords and up the mountains will lead us to the North Sea, but not before we take the famous "Lysefjord Road," from 800 meters above sea level, 27 hairpin bends will take us to sea level, for an experience similar to a rollercoster on two wheels! Breathtaking views and upon arrival we will stay in a modern hotel with spa and pool overlooking the beautiful Sola beach. Happy birthday to David, today is his birthday, he deserves to celebrate it with a good flute of Prosecco and our best wishes.

Today the weather is cloudy and little bit wet, it's the first rest day of the tour, everybody is free to do whatever they want. Gerd, Daffyd, Arndt & Petra go with Alberto Riding along the North Sea south west coast, chasing the sun. A short coffee break in the small coastal town of Egersund, and back in the saddle through the lush Norwegian countryside to the "Terland Klopp," a perfectly preserved stone bridge dating back to 1867. At 4 p.m. back at Sola beach to enjoy the amenities ot the front beach hotel. Ingmar and Ralph decide on a nice hike by climbing the world-famous Preikestolen (the Pulpit) towering 604 meters above the Lysefjord, The boys are certainly not afraid of dizziness... David and Wanda ,ade their own route, orhers enjoy relaxing in Hotel.

Today is the longest leg of the tour, We leave Sola and quickly pass through the city of Stavanger thanks to modern highways and submarine tunnels (some reach 223 metres below sea level). Here we are on the first ferry of our tour, from Mortavika to Arsvågen. after disembarkation the curves along the fjords begin, a photo on the old Akrafjord road and then the majestic Låtefoss Waterfall, the highest in Norway: 165 metres. continuiamo nella the Valley of Waterfalls and we had lunch break in Odda, a tiny little city in a quiet sunday. After lunch it's time to go visiting another beauty of this country, not made by nature, but made by humans being: The Hardanger Bridge is among the longest suspension bridges in the world. A curious feature of this bridge is that it is located between two tunnels, one of which has a very cool 'disco style' roundabout. We cross the bridge, one last souvenir photo of Hardangen fjorden and head towards Bergen, which welcomes us with its beauty in the light of the setting sun.

We stay two night in Bergen because it worth it, The city nicknamed 'The Heart of the Fjords' has seven hills like Rome, which are easy to reach by cable car or funicular railway and offer the visitor a unique panorama. Bryggen, 'the Hanseatic harbour', a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is now a lively quarter of shops and restaurants, with world-famous colourful wooden building facades. Don't miss the fish market just a stone's throw away. We are lucky and although Bergen has an average of 200 days of rain a year, the sky is blue and the air is pleasantly warm, so Gerd, Wolfagang, David, Ingmar, Bob and Daffyd, accompanied by Ralph, don't miss the opportunity for a motorbike ride around the city to visit the Fjell Fortress, now a WWII museum. An evening stroll to take photos that will remain with us, tomorrow we are back on our beloved bikes.

we leave Norway's second largest city, Bergen, heading north-east along the main road E16 to the first highlight of today, the Tvindefossen waterfalls. We continue our route to the Stalheimskleiva, one of the steepest roads in northern Europe, built in 1842-1846. The road has 13 hairpin bends, with the Stalheim Hotel located at the top. From here there is a beautiful view of the road and the Nærøydalen valley, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is now lunchtime and today is an idelae day for a nice picnic in the open air, surrounded by nature.Guests enjoyed their picnic and are ready for the Aurlandsvegen, this scenic route will give you many powerful impressions, and the contrasts are compelling between the fiord and the high mountain where there is snow on the ground most of the year. After a short ferry crossing of Sognefjord we arrive to Fjærland, a famous and proud village nestled in the heart of the breathtaking Sognefjord. At Fjærland Fjordstove Hotell Restaurant, the hostess tells us the story of this corner of paradise, where glaciers, history and enchanting experiences come together to create an unforgettable journey.

The day begins a little gloomy. Just outside Fjaerland, a small diversions takes us to the foot of the Bøyabreen glacier, which is an arm of the mighty Jostedalsbreen glacier. The Bøyabreen glacier is steep and prone to ice erosion and has its highest point above 1,700 metres above sea level and its lowest point at about 600 metres. We cross the mountains to head north and encounter a dense fog bank, but we are not discouraged and as we descend towards Innvikfjorden the sun lights up the road. we arrive at the Lovatnet Lake, What makes Lovatnet so beautiful is the green color that comes from the melt water from the glaciers that lies on the mountain peaks around. After some nice pictures we head to the Jostedalsbreen National Park visitor centre, where we take a little lunch break. Given the spectacular day, we decide to pass through Scenic Route Gamle Strynefjellsvegen, stretches for 27 kilometres and is part of Norwegian cultural heritage. Old handmade stone walls and long rows of guard stones are the characteristics of this mountain pass, which dates back more than a century. In a crescendo of motorcycling idyll, we also visit the Geiranger Skywalk viewpoint, located on the Dalsnibba mountain 1,500 metres above sea level. It is a 5 km toll road and many sharp bends, but worth every penny! From here you can enjoy spectacular unobstructed views of the fjord, mountains, Blåbreen glacier and Geiranger. And now... Well now we have to get down to Geiranger, the fun continues between the bends leading us to tonight's hotel, where Ralph is there with a bucket of cold beers waiting for us.

We were lucky, the sun never left us these days, the weather was on our side. Like all good things there is an end, and today is the last stage. A transfer by ferry to admire the beauty of the Geirangerfjord, but first Wolfgang and Gerd had the time and speed to visit the scenery road' overlooking Geiranger. The road was an attraction from the very first day, and was called Eagle Road because at its highest point it passed through terrain that had traditionally been the domain of a large number of eagles. The name also reflects the wildness. We take a second ferry and head quickly to Alesund, where we can relax a little before the farewell dinner. The images of this wild and beautiful land, will accompany us on our journey home, some will stay here for a while longer like Bob, and some will take advantage of a few hours in town to even try running without wheels, like Arndt and Petra who enjoy a powerboat discovering the beauty of the North Sea. We guides can only thank each member of the group for a good time together and for their excellent driving skills. Til vi møtes igjen