A Scandinavian Tour - Summer 2025 (page 2 of 2)

Day 13: The Sognefjell Road – August 1st Hotel: Vesterland Feriepark Hytter – A cozy little cabin in a large holiday complex. We didn’t take advantage of much, but it looks really nice.

The weather’s overcast, and it’s drizzling. We’re debating whether to try the hike to the Nigardsbreen glacier. On top of my left knee hurting badly, my right ankle (the humidity?) is acting up. Not feeling great. Still, with experience on my side, I decide—with a somewhat skeptical look from my wife—to go for it. “It’s always good to stick to the plan,” I say. We arrive at the glacier hike parking lot. One of the first ones there. Lots of people are getting geared up to actually walk on the glacier. I hadn’t planned for that, and today wouldn’t have been the smartest day to try it. I chat with a guide who doesn’t look typically Norwegian. Turns out, he explains, there are six Nepali guides working the season here and the rest of the time in the Himalayas. Another pretty cool encounter. So, what about us now? I’d planned to hike to the foot of the glacier. A slight detour (not a new injury, don’t worry!)—there’s an option to take a boat that cuts 1 km off the hike (2 km round trip) by skipping a section I’d read could be slippery when it rains. So, we take the lazy (or sensible) route and decide to go for it. 2 km less for my old legs—sounds good. Just so you know, this boat service, though handy, doesn’t start until 10 AM! Three ice floes (according to the police) float on the lake, or three icebergs (according to the unions), but we’re not in any danger of reenacting the Titanic.

29 - Boat approach

Finally, the climb begins. Leaning on my two trekking poles, I’m struggling quite a bit. It’s one of the first times my wife has had to wait for me!



30 - Slowly getting closer...

We climb and climb, and eventually, we reach the foot of the glacier. I put my down jacket back on once we stop. It’s stunning. We can see the Nepali groups on the glacier, equipped with crampons, ice axes, and all the gear. I don’t get the impression they’re going very far (just my impression, I’ll clarify), but all the groups are roughly in the same spot, so it’s pretty crowded! Now, time to head back down! It’s quite painful. With every step, a sharp pain shoots through my knee, but slowly, I make it. And when I spot the boat, it’s a real relief. Again, we run into “pseudo-hikers” with completely unsuitable shoes. You have to wonder!! Anyway! When we get back to the car, it starts raining! Perfect timing! We head toward Lom, cutting across the Sognefjell Road with planned stops at the viewpoints of Nedre Oscarshaug / Oscarshaug / Mefjellet / Sognefjellshytta / Vegaskjelet / and Liasanden. The road looks amazing—a small mountain road that feels like a hiking trail, but in a car. The problem? The weather. It’s not great! We stop at every viewpoint, but visibility is low, and we can’t see far. At one point, we catch a glimpse of a glacier, but it’s fleeting.



31 - A slightly clearer view...

At the last viewpoint, it’s a bit clearer—normal, since it’s lower. We meet some campervan travelers from Montpellier who just came from the Trollstigen (Trolls’ Path), where they saw nothing, and are heading to the Sognefjell, where they won’t see much either! It’s life! The descent to Lom is pretty, the weather clears up, and there’s even some sun. We stop at a church and its surrounding cemetery. Oh, a Muslim grave! That’s unusual around a church! I’ll have to dig into that (not the grave, you goof!).



32 - The church whose name I can’t remember (maybe Voldemort...)

We arrive at the Lom Stavkirke. Another beautiful building.



33 - Lom Stavkirke

We continue to our cabin at a campsite. We do some shopping and have dinner in the chalet.

The plus: the hike to the glacier (yeah, I’m a bit of a masochist!) The minus: the weather

Day 14: Strynefjell Road and the Geirangerfjord – August 2nd Hotel: Hytter at Furuly Camping – Unpleasant welcome, cabin was fine with everything we needed, even mosquitoes! The weather’s great, so we might take advantage of another beautiful route, this time with clear views. Off to the old Strynefjell road, which starts with gravel, reminding us of Southern Africa, a place we love so much. Hardly anyone around—95% of the cars we saw were French. It’s stunning! The lakes, glaciers, the color of the water, the snow—everything’s there, packed into just a few kilometers. Once again, it feels like we’re hiking.

34 - It’s all here!

We stop often to soak in the calm and serenity of the landscape. No hikes planned today—gotta rest the beast and my knee. We take a break at Videfossen waterfall. A trail leads from the parking lot to the falls in just a few minutes. There’s a viewpoint that puts you almost right above it. Super photogenic!



35 - Videfossen’s bubbling pool

The road continues with a beautiful hairpin descent. I’d planned a detour to Lodalen Fjord and a hike on the meditation trail, but we’ve gotta be reasonable (really!) for my knee. Oh well, we’ll take a detour instead and head to the Dalsnibba viewpoint. It’s a one-way toll road. The weather was nice down below, so we came, we conquered, but we saw nothing. No luck—we were above the clouds. A bit pricey for a sea of clouds! It was a close call. So we head back down toward Hellesylt! To get to Geiranger, instead of taking the direct route, I booked a ferry-cruise once again to sail through the famous Geirangerfjord. A little wait in the sun at Hellesylt, and we start our navigation through this gorgeous fjord. It’s our third time, but it’s still an amazing experience. While Norway has incredible landscapes, many of the mountains, lakes, and cabins remind us of parts of the Alps or even the Colorado mountains. But the fjords? They’re one of a kind! Of course, we saw “the famous waterfall that flows into the water.” We also noticed that many waterfalls in Norway disappear under rockslides when they reach the end of their path, only to reappear a little farther on. Rarely do they “go all the way,” if you catch my drift (if not, just reread it).

36 - A full waterfall in the Geirangerfjord

Luckily, when we arrived in Geiranger, there were no cruise ships! I’d seen photos and read comments about them, and since I think I’ve become cruise-ship-phobic, it would’ve bothered me. Our hotel wasn’t far, so we settled in and then went out for a typical Norwegian meal (hamburger, pizza... I don’t remember which). But we were by the fjord, and that was nice.

The +: Even more than before—the old Strynefjell road. Maybe one of the best memories. The -: The Dalsnibba viewpoint (weather).

Day 15: The Trollstigen Road – August 3 Hotel: Havila Hotel: A building that slightly disfigures Geiranger. Decent amenities, great breakfast, quite a few groups.

The weather isn’t great this morning, so we hit the road with a bit of pessimism. First, we head up to the Flydalsjuvet viewpoint, where we get a pretty nice view of Geirangerfjord.



37 - A bit of mist, though

Now, we’re off to Eidsdal, stopping at the Ornevegen viewpoint. But we’re in the clouds—everything’s fogged in! I’m worried the Trollstigen Road will be a bust with no views. We arrive in Eidsdal at a leisurely pace, take the ferry to cross the fjord, and head toward the trolls... Just so you know, this famous road only reopened on July 14 after being closed for months for construction. Not many people on the road, and at one point, we break through the clouds and enjoy a few kilometers of sunshine all the way to Alnesvatnet. The joy’s short-lived, though, because as we descend a bit, we reach the big viewpoint where everyone stops—and the north side is completely fogged in. We can park on the huge lot without any issues. There are a few buses, though. We decide to head to the viewpoints mentioned in so many travel journals, if only to get a little walk in...

I have to say, the last viewpoint, overlooking the valley where the famous Trollstigen Road winds, is pretty cool architecturally. As we arrive, I point out to my wife that we can make out a hairpin turn way over there to the left. -Oh yeah, but we can see a second one! -You’re right, we can see more!



38: The Trollstigen Road clears up!

In just fifteen minutes, the view cleared up. Sure, it wasn’t sunny, but we could still see all the hairpin turns and the valley. Fifteen minutes later, it was fogged in again! Huge stroke of luck. Even without the sun, the troll vibe came through. We really took some risks on this trip—after facing off with Vikings, now we’ve driven through troll territory! !!!! Pretty happy, we head out without lingering too long and start descending the famous hairpin turns. Nothing too special driving-wise, honestly. Though I think bus drivers must have a harder time.

Once at the bottom, we’re ahead of schedule again. Yeah, when the weather isn’t great for hikes or even just sightseeing, “we make up time.” We decide to head to Åndalsnes and grab a bite by the Romsdal Fjord. A quick stroll, a picnic, and then the rain sends us back on the road. Arriving in Dombås relatively early lets us do some shopping, fill up on gas, and tidy up the suitcases and car. We’ll be spending two nights in a youth hostel (who’s laughing back there?) Aperitif, a walk, dinner where I had an elk burger, and bedtime.

The plus: The lucky break at the troll viewpoint The minus: The weather, which has been a bit like I feared from the start.

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Day 16: In search of musk oxen – August 4 The day breaks (well, actually, it’s been a while, buddy—I’ll remind you that the days are long here), it’s drizzling, and it’s overcast. I wanted to do the hike that might—with a bit of luck—let us see musk oxen. The folks from Montpellier (who? Keep up! See Day 13) did it, and after some time with good binoculars, they spotted two very far away. Since I’m up for it and I’ve got good binoculars, we decide once again to stick to the plan. So far, it hasn’t let us down, especially at the start. A 30 km drive north, and we park near the Kongsvold Hotel parking lot. Two trail options present themselves: either take the path right in front of us or start from the Kongsvold station. We go for the simpler one, right in front. It’s not raining, but the weather is really uncertain. The climb goes well, though I’m a bit nervous about the descent, especially in certain spots. Then we reach a plateau where the vegetation is totally different—lots of lichen. And there we are, binoculars glued to our eyes, searching. Then we walk, then we search. We meet an American who slept on the plateau and tells us he saw two in the distance last night in that direction. For him, given the wind (yeah, it’s blowing), they’re on the other side of the mountain, so there’s little chance we’ll see them in the next few hours. We walk some more, search some more, then walk, then search again. After a while, I’m not even sure if we were walking or searching, but a debrief seems necessary. What do we do? Do we walk, search, or go with the third option—head back down? The third idea wins out, but this time we’ll descend via the station trail. Big mistake! A trail from hell in a stream bed with big round rocks. A real nightmare of a descent. At the bottom, we meet a guide with a group of at least 20 people from an agency trying to spot musk oxen. We tell him about the trail, and he confirms it’s a nightmare—better to take it on the way up. We get back to the car, a bit beat up, and right then, it starts pouring. In the end, the third idea wasn’t so bad!! So, what now? We’ve got two nights in the area, the plan being to spend the day hiking in search of—well, *masked* oxen this time, I guess. We’re heading to Rondane National Park, and since there seem to be some clear patches over there, we’ll do what was planned for tomorrow. Even if it means extra kilometers, we’ll have more time in Lillehammer (yeah, we’re starting to head back down). Of course, given the weather, we’re skipping the hike to the Snohetta viewpoint. So we take Route 29. Oh, a church—it’s been a while! A quick turn of the wheel, and we arrive at a church with a unique architecture. Lucky break—it’s open! It’s the Eysteinkyrkja church (try saying *that* name!). Really original. We meet a Spaniard who’s treating his feet, helped by a volunteer from the church with a first-aid kit! What’s wrong with his feet? Well, this guy walked from Burgos—a sort of reverse Camino de Santiago—and wants to reach the North Cape!!! No wonder his feet hurt... We chat for a bit and then hit the road again. It’s these kinds of encounters I love when traveling. We keep going and head toward the Folldal mines. Honestly, there’s not much to see. The view is nice when it’s clear, but that’s about it. We continue to Strømbu, where we have a picnic by a river. It’s true—every day, we’ve been able to eat in nice spots with all the amenities nearby. All our stops are justified either by something to see or a viewpoint with original architecture. Further on, we try to decipher the *Skyldner* artwork, but we’re not very good at it. Plus, it’s a mosaic that you’d need to see from above, but there’s no viewpoint here. Since it starts raining again, we retreat to the car and see what’s up ahead. And sure enough, we’re there—at the Sohlbergplassen platform, the viewpoint of Lake Atnsjøen, and it’s not raining anymore.

39 - The sky’s still pretty foggy!

Even if the mountain peaks are hidden, the road is really beautiful, winding through a birch forest. I’m still hoping to see a moose—especially since there are signs every 100 meters. Liars! There’s not a single moose in sight! We arrive at Fossehuset, the museum of the Atnbrufossen waterfall, run by volunteers. It’s closed! (Ugh...) But knowing how associations work, the volunteers do what they can. We try our best to spot anything interesting, but it’s all barricaded—no photos! A quick detour to the Sollia Church, tucked away in a corner. Another beautiful building, but closed!



40 - Sollia Church

We then take the road to Ringebu to see another stave church. Along the way, we cross a tundra plateau where—supposedly—you can see reindeer. Liars again! I love the landscape, despite the mist around the peaks. So, another church, but once again, despite all the tourist buses, it’s stunning.



41 - The last one of the day Then it’s back to Dombås, toward a road we’ll take in the other direction tomorrow. By the way, this road linking Oslo to Trondheim—Norway’s third-largest city—is really bad and exhausting for the driver. What’s it like around Lillehammer, which hosted the Olympics? We’ll see tomorrow. We arrive at our youth hostel, completely wiped out. Aperitif, a really nice Italian restaurant, and bedtime.

The +: Rondane National Park, despite the foggy moments The -: The weather (again) that didn’t let us stay as long as we wanted on the hike for the big beasts.

Day 17: Lillehammer – August 5 Hotel: Dombas Youth Hostel. We had a room with a private bathroom, 5 beds, and plenty of space—by far the best mattresses of our entire trip. The shared kitchen was really handy.

So, we set off for Lillehammer this morning, taking the same route as the day before for 75 km. It’s drizzling again. We arrived directly at Maihaugen at 10:15 AM, Norway’s largest open-air museum. Originally unplanned, we ended up staying until closing time at 5 PM! Since it wasn’t raining, we started with the "back in the day" section, featuring old farms from the region.

42 - A farm from the era!

Some of the farms are "inhabited" by young students in period costumes who give explanations about what we’re seeing. Super insightful! There are animals, a lake, churches, and more. Next, we explored a more recent section with homes from the 1910s to 1950s, showing how construction and interiors evolved—and what stayed the same. The childhood home of Queen Sonja was moved to this museum, so we could see where the future queen grew up. She was the first commoner in Europe to marry into a royal family, but her childhood home shows her family wasn’t exactly struggling. Then came a neighborhood (a street with houses) from the early 20th century. There’s a cute square near the shop where you can grab a bite. Of course, there are tables and benches—just like you’d expect in Norway! There’s even a room for picnics, and since it started raining, that’s where we had lunch. Between the raindrops, we visited the nearby Norwegian Postal Museum. The history of mail in Norway is fascinating.



43 - Mail carriers used to ride Harleys!

A lull in the rain, and we found ourselves in front of a mime show for kids—though most of the audience was actually our age! We quickly headed back to the main building because it was pouring again. I’d read there was an Olympic Museum there. Cool for me, since I’m a sports fan. It starts with the history of the Olympics in Greece, then Baron de Coubertin, and finally tons of documents and videos about the modern Olympics.



44 - The entrance to the Olympic Museum

Next, there’s a section on past Olympics, including Oslo and Lillehammer. Lots of equipment from Nordic sports and how they’ve evolved over the years. There are interactive exhibits—I even tried biathlon! Instead of cross-country skiing with a rifle, you do tipping (a balance exercise) and then shoot, then go back to tipping for a second round of shots. When your heart’s racing, it’s tough to hit the target! The last part focuses on Norwegian champions in all sports. A great place! It was still raining, so we wandered around the building when I spotted a sign for temporary exhibits. We checked it out and found ourselves in an Aladdin’s cave of Norwegian history. There were all kinds of random objects from the era—weapons, armor, clay pots, clothes, furniture, musical instruments, maps, books, kids' games, even a dentist’s office (from the era, of course!). We kept going and stumbled upon a dance museum. Naturally, it started with Norwegian folk dances, which, like many others, end in a circle—think Breton, Auvergnat, Limousin, Berry, Basque, Ardèche, Lorraine, Provençal, Jura, Alpine dances, and more. Oops, I might’ve just offended everyone, but honestly, I’ve got nothing against folk dancing! It continued with a look at dances from around the world, with videos and headphones to listen to the music. There was even a simulator to learn a Norwegian dance, which my wife didn’t hesitate to try. Personally, I was blown away by a short video of a tango danced in front of a philharmonic orchestra—absolutely stunning. The hip-hop section brought us back down to earth, and we exited via a wide ramp. Then I noticed an entrance that looked like you were stepping into a glacier. It was pretty discreet, and we only saw one other couple there. So, what was it? At first, you’re inside a glacier, then you’re faced with prehistoric humans (wax statues, just to clarify—I’m not *that* gullible), then Vikings, and so on, passing through different eras with houses. It was a museum covering the entire history of Norway, with sets and more videos (including a big section on World War II) up to modern times. Another great spot! For people who aren’t usually museum fans, and with this being an unplanned visit, we spent over 6 hours there. When we left, the rain had stopped! Not bad timing with the weather! We headed to the famous Olympic ski jump. It’s open to the public, with a big parking lot, and you can walk around at the base of the hill.



46 - At the bottom It’s impressive. On either side of the two jumps (yes, there are two—one for summer and one for winter), there are stairs. We looked at each other, really wanting to climb up. But for once, my common sense won out. If we went up, we’d have to come back down! So, my wife climbed the 900+ steps while I tried to find a road going up to save my knee. I did, and met her at the top. It’s even more impressive from up there. Back in France, I’ll try to find dates for ski jumping competitions to see it in action at least once. Surprisingly, my wife came back down with me in the car, and we drove to the hotel, which was actually really close to the ski jump. We had a drink, then walked down (about 20 minutes) to Lillehammer’s charming downtown and its pedestrian street, Storgata. Dinner, then a steep climb back to the hotel (once again, we took less time going up than down, which made me say that except for the "downs" from apéritifs, I prefer the ups).

The +: Love at first sight for Lillehammer in general and Maihaugen in particular The -: The weather wasn’t great, even if we managed it pretty well

Day 18: Leaving Norway – August 6 Hotel: Birkebeineren Hotel & Apartments – Great, quiet, excellent breakfast

We wake up relaxed, knowing we have a ferry at 5:30 PM in Larvik, so we decide to take it easy and see where the mood takes us. First stop at Mjostarnet, the tallest wooden tower in the world. It’s an office building with a hotel inside. Just a quick photo stop. We make a few Norwegians on their way to work in the tower smile.



47 - The famous wooden tower

The road continues—not great, which surprises me given all the work done for the 1992 Albertville Olympics and the fact that nothing’s been improved since Oslo or Lillehammer (1994 Olympics). Around Oslo, the highways are better, and the drive goes smoothly. We carry on to Tønsberg, where we find a lovely park for a picnic. It was described as a "pretty little port." Meh, not really! We arrive at the ferry terminal without rushing. A bit of a wait, then we board—it’s a massive ship, and the number of cars is impressive. Once underway, I head to reception to claim the VAT refund on our purchases (20% is better in my pocket). The crossing is a bit rough—the sea’s choppy. Everyone on board is walking around all wobbly; it’s kind of fun to watch! Disembarking in Hirtshals takes a while, and the first few kilometers are slow too. We arrive at our accommodation. Shower and bed.

Day 19: Denmark + Germany – August 7 Hotel: Vestbjerg Apartments: We didn’t see a soul! The guy who set this up converted an old farm building into small apartments. He sends instructions a few days before, and you just leave the key on the door. It’s in the middle of nowhere, but it worked for us.

It’s the trip back, so lots of driving—first through Denmark, where there’s nothing much to see (it’s all flat), but the roads are decent. Of course, as soon as we hit Germany, traffic jams—starting at the border! German politicians decided to reinstate border checks. It looks serious, yeah, very German, but in practice, they reduce the lanes to one, and the customs officers don’t even bat an eye as you pass. The drive continues with the usual traffic jams. We arrive around 6:30 PM in Bad Homburg von der Höhe. A 20-minute walk to the town center, which is cute. Classic German restaurant. Finally, we can enjoy an apéritif at the restaurant at a reasonable price. Walk back and bed.

Day 20: Heading Home – August 8 Hotel: Hardtwald – An old hotel, quiet—great breakfast. Nothing much to say except the usual German traffic jams. The trip back goes smoothly. It’s a heatwave! The recap is coming soon.

The verdict: For my first (and maybe last) trip up north, everyone around me was waiting to hear how I felt about it. I’ll admit I was really worried about the weather. Not so much the cold (I packed warm clothes!), but the rain. While the first part of the trip (aside from Copenhagen) was pretty mild in terms of rain (there was a heat record in Oslo during our stay), the second part was more unpredictable. We had to adapt to the weather, but in the end, we managed to do almost everything I’d planned.

As for Norway itself—it’s a country with stunning landscapes, but I’d split it into two parts. -The fjords, which are exceptional. That’s the only place where you can see landscapes like that, or at least so many of them. Sailing through three of them really let us soak in the vibe. -The mountain region, which is beautiful but reminded me a lot of Colorado, where I’ve been. Lakes, mountains, winding roads, colorful cabins, waterfalls (though in Norway, there are *way* more). The big difference is that in the U.S., you see a lot of wildlife, whereas here, aside from sheep, there was nothing! The cities have a certain charm, but the crowds of tourists from cruise ships kind of ruined the experience a bit. The people are super nice, polite, and helpful. The food wasn’t great (when you’re French, you’re picky!), and the prices definitely play a part in that. We didn’t try high-end restaurants, so it’s hard to give a real opinion. When I asked Norwegians what their everyday food was like, their answers weren’t exactly mouthwatering. Driving in Norway is easy but requires attention—you really have to watch your speed and keep an eye out for speed cameras everywhere. No issues for me, but it did take some focus. The practical side of stopping was great—there were often picnic tables, free toilets, and lots of little details that made it nice. Nothing was vandalized for no reason, and that’s really cool!

Finally, the two-day drive there and back didn’t bother us at all. I love driving. I have to say, our logistics were—dare I say—perfect! So for other countries, we’ll do it again.

In conclusion, a beautiful country, and I’m glad we got to see part of it. My wife was thrilled, which is what matters!

Thanks for sharing! Françoise

Hi Elobo. I really enjoyed reading the comments about your trip to Norway—it’s packed with super useful info! We’re in the middle of planning our trip for this summer: we’re renting a car from Oslo in mid-July for about 20 days. So far, I’ve used the Norwegian scenic routes website and the Michelin guide. I’m finding it a bit tricky to plan the stops while balancing driving times and making sure we’re comfortable with the visits. For accommodations, is it easy to book last-minute, or should we plan ahead a bit? I’d love to keep some flexibility in case of (unpredictable weather, a day’s itinerary being too ambitious, etc.). Thanks for your thoughts!