Norway Touring Center NTC2602

What a fantastic start! Our first day on the road took us straight to some of the best-known highlights of the Møre og Romsdal region, once again proving why Norway is considered a true paradise for motorcyclists. After a short coffee break in the charming coastal town of Åndalsnes, we made our way to Trollveggen, Europe's tallest vertical rock face. Rising almost 1,100 metres straight into the sky, this massive granite wall has attracted climbers from around the world for decades. For us, it was the perfect place to stop for a memorable photo before reaching the highlight of the day. The ride up Trollstigen is undoubtedly one of Norway's most spectacular roads. Eleven tight hairpin bends wind their way up the mountainside, passing waterfalls and dramatic rock formations. The mighty Stigfossen waterfall provides a breathtaking backdrop along the way. At the top, we took time to enjoy the modern viewing platforms and admired the remarkable road engineering, completed back in the 1930s. And of course, one tradition simply couldn't be skipped: Bob had his ice cream. Our journey then continued to Gudbrandsjuvet, a dramatic gorge carved into the rock over thousands of years by the Valldøla River. The power of the rushing water is every bit as impressive as the elegant architecture of the viewing platforms. But there's another reason we always enjoy stopping here: what might just be the best cinnamon buns in the entire region. After a delicious lunch, our route led us through the picturesque valley of Valldal, famous throughout Norway for its incredibly sweet strawberries. Thanks to the mild climate and long summer days, they develop an exceptionally rich flavour. Naturally, we had to find out for ourselves. After all, trust is good—but tasting is better. Our final cultural stop was the historic Stordal gamle kyrkje, better known as the Rose Church. The beautifully painted floral decorations make this small wooden church a remarkable cultural treasure. One particularly interesting detail offers a glimpse into the past: during church services, men and women once sat on opposite sides of the church. Above the women's side, a painted face on the ceiling is said to represent God watching over the women while they were "without the protection" of their husbands. Before calling it a day, we made one last stop at Aksla, Ålesund's famous viewpoint. From here, we enjoyed a beautiful panorama of the town, its surrounding islands and the fjord beyond. Our first riding day—filled with spectacular scenery, fascinating stories and a few delicious treats along the way—couldn't have been a better start to the tour. Where will Lasse and Joy take us tomorrow? Stay tuned!

Today we woke up again in our beautiful Hotel in Ålesund, some of us earlier then the others as a smal group decided to meet for a short morning hike before breakfast. The rich buffet is a very good start in this cloudy morning. We met in the garage at the bikes were we just got ready and started our todays ride in direction to a ferry. The dayli briefing we postponed until the ferry ride to save some time. We got on the ferry and had some time after the briefing to get a coffee and enjoy the views. We arrived in Molde, got of the boat and made our way to Bud, a small village where history is in the air. When Nazi germany invaded Norway they built lots of fortress and bunkers. We spend some time here before we continued on some twisty and narrow roads to the Atlantic road. To get over these series of bridges was definitely a highlight of that day. On the other side we stopped to get some lunch. The bridges where waiting for us, so we rode them again after and took some nice pictures of the scenery around before we took some twisty roads back to Molde. Here we got on the ferry again which brought us back to Vestnes. Another beautiful ride and a couple of curves brought us back to our Hotel where we had a delicious dinner before everyone got tired but happy to bed.

We had to leave a bit earlier this morning because a long day was waiting for us and we had to get on time to our first ferry of today. After the breakfast we met in the garage, postponed the dayli briefing again until the ferry and hit directly the road. The Fog was as thick that we got a little moisture even though it wasn’t raining. The dayli briefing during the ferry showed us the route of today. Looking forward to that we got of the boat and on the bikes again. It was still cloudy and foggy but we could imagine already the beautiful scenery which was hiding there next to the road. After a nice ride, a few switchbacks and thicker and thicker getting fog we arrived at our first picture stop where we took some funny pictures with the toad statue which reminds visitors to save one of the largest toad populations in Europe. We continued from here to get to our lunch stop in Nordfjordeid. Shortly before we arrived there the sun finally managed to fight the fog. During the the sandwiches got eaten some of the group decided to go on another loop to visit the Vestkapp. They left the rest of the group to find some narrow and twisty roads until they arrived at their destination. The fog was back but they had so much luck that again the sun did a great job and during the stay up there it became more and more clear. In the meantime the other group where making there way to one of the ferry to get back to the hotel. Also the Kapp visitors had to keep the time in mind and so they left, took another short curves loop and followed their accomplices to the ferry. It was already almost time for dinner when they arrived at the hotel, so they hurried a bit to go with all together to the restaurant where we chat about the day and enjoyed a wonderful dinner. Later some of us went to a pub to watch the football match before going to bed and gain some energy for the next day coming.

The morning in Ålesund started similar as the last ones, the fog lies thick over the whole city when we got up to start our morning procedures. We met for the breakfast, no surprises here; But also non needed. Afterwards we met in the garage at the bikes, quickly got ready and hit the road to catch again our first ferry of the day. Perfect timing again, just one minute to wait and we could go on the boat. Even after all these ferry rides of the last days its still not boring to be here. We gathered around the flipchart to see and here during the briefing what the day will hold for us. All was clear so we could go on a walk on the ferry but wait, suddenly the group started to sing… Happy birthday sounded over the whole deck as around 20 voices gave there best to celebrate this special day of one of our groupmember. Time to get on the bikes and leave the ferry. The long and perfect condition road with some twistys brought us to our first stop at Jostedalsbreen nationalparkcenter. We could decide weather to enjoy some coffee or get some information about Europe's largest glacier. It’s gonna be a long day and so we didn’t stay as long but quickly made our way to an old road which nowadays could be shortcuted by a tunnel. Since we are here for adventure: Guess what we did…. Sure, we took the old road and so instead of a dark tunnel ride we got a stunning scenic ride through the mountain. A bit of gravel road construction made this experience to an very special highlight in itself. We arrived in Djupvasshytta were we took the opportunity to ride up to Dalsnibba to enjoy the mindblowing view down to Geirangerfjord. There we also had some lunchsnack before we rode down to the Fjord to get on the ferry which brought us over the Geirangerfjord back to Hellesylt. The ferry ride paid off with amazing views to several waterfalls and beautiful nature. One last ferry for today we had to catch and so we hurry a bit to get there on time; Perfet timing again and we made it directly on the ferry. After a quick shower we met again for the dinner in the hotel restaurant. But the dessert seemed to be special today: A birthday cake for our fellow friend where served and we gratulated again for this special day. Time to go to sleep as we need to catch some energy for the next day.

Our final riding day began with the ferry crossing from Sulesund to Hareid. Around Ålesund, ferries are simply part of the road network, connecting the many islands and making every ride just a little more special. Today's destination was Runde, Norway's famous bird island. After a rather sporty hike, we reached the dramatic cliffs. A Norwegian would probably describe the climb as a relaxing walk. Either way, the view was spectacular. Despite the cold temperatures and strong wind, every step was absolutely worth it. Hundreds of Atlantic puffins zipped through the air right in front of us. These charming seabirds spend most of their lives out on the open ocean and only return to land during the breeding season. With their colourful beaks, rapid wingbeats and occasionally clumsy landings, they're impossible not to love. After a delicious lunch at the Nature Centre, our final motorcycle ride took us around the scenic island of Gurskøy before returning to Ålesund. Back at the hotel, it was time for a well-earned BootBeer—and, unfortunately, time to hand back our motorcycles. The perfect ending to an unforgettable week was dinner at Restaurant Polabjørn on the ninth floor. Overlooking Ålesund, we shared our favourite memories of the tour loud enough, so everyone could hear it: the sweet strawberries from Valldal, the old snow road, the breathtaking views from Dalsnibba, and the legendary Trollstigen. Everyone had their own personal highlight. There was one thing, however, that we all agreed on. What had started as a group of individual riders had become a real team in just five days. Thank you for sharing this unforgettable adventure with us. Lasse & Julia