Ålesund is a beautiful seaport town of 45,000 people on the west coast of Norway. It is located at the entrance to the Geirangerfjord one of Norway’s most famous fjords. It’s known for the art nouveau architectural style in which most of the town was rebuilt after a fire in 1904. Also popular with cruise ships, it seems to be crazy busy when they are in port. Two of the more popular tourist attractions are a fjord cruise and a road trip to The Atlantic Road. This is my last post of my Norway itinerary. Last post coming up - Denmark/Copenhagen.
Alesund - Town/Harbour
The Atlantic Road
is certainly one of Norway’s most famous scenic drives. A unique stretch of road which takes you right out to the ocean's edge, and is known to be one of the world's most beautiful drives. It connects Averøy with the mainland via a series of small islands and islets spanned by a total of eight bridges over 8274 meters. The road was opened in 1989.
The Atlantic Road
The Storseisundet Bridge
is the longest and most famous of the eight bridges. It is a cantilever bridge which is 260 metres (850 ft) long and took 6 years to complete. This a road trip well worth taking.
James Bond - 007
even decided to do a road trip on the Atlantic Road. You will find him being chased by villains in the 2012 film - No Time To Die.
Geirangerfjord
is one of Norway's most popular natural attractions. The fjord is 260 metres deep while the surrounding mountains are 1600-1700 metres high. It is the spectacular waterfalls that draw people to this iconic Norwegian fjord. So popular that you will often see one or two massive cruise ships moored in the harbour.
The road to Geiranger is not an easy drive, especially when it’s raining and foggy. This turned out to be the type of weather we encountered. Driving out of the clouds into multiple hairpins on the final stretch of road made for an interesting conclusion to the trip.
Geirangerfjord is all about the impressive waterfalls. Many of these waterfalls seemed to come right out out the clouds - spectacular.
This was my encounter with a Legendary Norwegian Troll. One that was probably caught outside its cave after the sun came out, and turned to stone. Shrouded in the mist and clouds - it was looking out across the Geirangerfjord, an eerie way to end my blog of Norway…
