marvelous memories - Norway Touring Center NTC2501

Today we were briefed early by Joy on what lay ahead on our first ride day. Our small group set off with great anticipation of viewing the infamous Trollstigen Pass which unfortunately was still closed to traffic. After leaving Hotel 1904 in Ålesund, we traversed Road 650 which runs along the Norddalsfjorden. The first Coffee stop was at Gudbrandsjuvet, and we were amazed by the intense and scenic gorge on the Valldøla river that is veiwed from a cleverly constructed walkway. We then continued along Route 63, which took us to the top of Trollstigen Pass. What a sensational ride. If only their where no pushbikes, tourist coaches or obstinate sheep using this motorcyclist dream road! The viewing platform let us capture the full visual impact of this iconic location. We traversed the same route back to 1904, but stopped at Stordal to view the remarkable Rose Church from 1789. We were fortunate to hear the commentary of another tour guide that gave us the history and features of the relic. Todays ride totalled 240km in temperatures from 12° to 21° and only had to negotiate about 500 metres of rain. What a great start to our Norwegian Fjords adventure. - Keith

Perfect day, perfect weather, perfect roads plus bonus to my quest for the perfect gift to my son-in-law Mikey. My story starts out with the reason that I came to Norway in the first place. My son-in-law Mikey Monsen grandfather's name is Henry Sigfred Larsen who was born in 1900 in Dale, Norway. At the age of 12, he got on a boat from Bergen on Cunard Boat Lines to New York, USA. After several jobs and locations, he moved to Winnipeg, Canada. I convinced Mikey to come with me to Norway, do some research and roam Norway to seek his ancestors. On the Viking Tour last week, we visited several wonderful locations together and Dale, Norway was the highlight. Mikey has since returned to Canada with his quest for ancestors fulfilled. I stayed to join the Norway Center tour with 4 wonderful people and a most enthusiastic guide named Julia. The Day 2 ride on the Atlantic Ocean Road is known for twist roads, lots of bridges and lots of water! After leaving the ferry at Molde, we came up to the small town of Bud. This town hosts a WW2 museum with nazi bunkers, artillery and the Norwegian maritime displays of daily life of his people. We rode on the famous longest bridge named Storseisundet Bridge. Incredible feat of engineering. High and curvy! Wow! We had lunch at the Bjartmar's Favoritro restaurant where we were served delicious Fish Soup, Fish and Chips and *Whale Meat* (Captain Scott loved it) Fantastic food! On our return at Molde, Julia, our guide surprised us by bringing us to the top of Molde Panorama site. Again Wow! The view of the fjord with the ferries going across,the city of Molde with its original Scandic Seilet Hotel. We sat down with coffee and Larkis(licorice) ice cream (you have to try this) to admire the view. The bonus of the day! I asked Julia to help me on the quest to find the Norway floating pennant that Mikey and I have seen at many houses and farms. The long triangular shaped pennant in red, blue and white at the top of masts. I wanted to find one that had flown in Norway. So we thought of buying a new one and convinced a local to trade his floating one for a new pennant. While on our tour of the Bud museum ,we spotted 3 floating pennants on the site. We reached out to the museum attendant to see where we could buy such pennants. I told him about Mikey’s grandfather's story and asked him if he could inquire about the pennants. Guess what, he found some Norway pennants that had flown at the museum site. I was more than happy to fulfill my quest to find the perfect gift that Mikey will cherish. My donation to the museum was accepted and I was the owner of those Norway pennants. Again fantastic! Now all I need to find is the Lakris(licorice). That will be another day on the Norway Center Tour! Cheers. - Michel

Day 3 was a super busy day full of blue skies, sunshine, switchback climbs, a “little” compressed road and most amazing views. The climb to Dalsnibba, nearly 5000 feet, was met with amazing switchbacks and inspiring views. The journey off the beaten path on gravel was no less exciting, clammy hands, curled toes and dry mouth just about describe that segment! Kidding aside, the variety of terrain, views and getting to Geiranger and the waterfalls was a bonus. Did not want that day to end! But we capped it off with a gourmet dinner at Apotekergata No 5, inside the historic hotel Brosundet. Just another fabulous day made possible by our sensational guide Julia, thank you! - Marwan

New Zealand just got bumped to second place behind Norway for most beautiful, jaw dropping landscape! After three days of incredible vistas viewing ocean, fjords, and incredible mountains, Joy, our Edelweiss guide, warned us this would be just another day of the same thing until she took us on a detour to Vestkapp. We saw the same old narrow twisty roads, shear rock walls, crystal clear deep water, fairy tale farms with lush green rolling pastures, right out of a postcard, which led to a steep, narrow, windy single lane road all the way up to kiss the clouds on a plateau on the edge of the world! The best moto tour I’ve experienced thanks to Joy, our Edelweiss guide extraordinaire! - Scott

Today is our ride to Runde (Puffin Island) and starts off on a melatonic note for me as is it is our last Ride of the tour and the weather is overcast with light rain. Julia (aka Marry Puffin) again timed our ride ride to the ferry perfectly. Initially the roads were beautiful smooth sweeping turns then as we neared our destination they became narrower with many only beings single lane, including the Majestic Bridges we crossed. We relaxed at the tourist center and Museum while waiting for the skies to clear. After a bit we set off on foot to climb up to the nesting area at the top of the island. The hike is not terribly long, but was very steep and strenuous. It is well worth the effort though to see beautiful views and the puffin nesting area. The return ride was just as much fun despite some heavier than normal traffic in Alesund. After gassing and cleaning the bikes we relaxed , then went off to a delicious dinner of reindeer. I did not think I would enjoy it but was pleasantly surprised to find it savoury and not gamey tasting at all.. Several toasts were made and everyone agreed that despite our varied backgrounds our shared love of motorcycling helped us to Bond quickly and have a wonderful five days of riding together. The evening ended with a beautiful not-quite sunset at 10:30 p.m., farewells, and a final toast for safe travels to our next destinations. - Eric