Oppdal - Loen (stave churches, Geirangerfjord)

Just past Oppdal lies the Dovrefjell nature reserve, through which we drive through without seeing anything spectaculair, but the view is nice. We want to take a walk through the park but from this road there are no opportunities to do so. So we drive on and take a narrow and steep byway, sometimes unpaved, to Vågåmo where we see our first stave church.

Stave churches (stavkirker) are build in a special architecture called the stave technique. The stave construction method uses vertical posts (staves) that rest on a foundation as the main support structure, rather than a horizontal laying of planks or beams upon a foundation. These staves supports the roof. Around the staves the wooden church is then constructed. There are only 32 stave churches left of the almost 1300 which once stood in Norway; most of them burned down or were pulled down. The stave church of Vågåmo was first mentioned in writing in 1130.

A little east of Vågåmo we take a private toll road to Blåhø, a summit with a height of 1618 meters which we can reach by car. Gradually the environment becomes barer and the ravines deeper. Thirty km. an hour is the maximum we can drive.

We are almost between the clouds when we reach the top. A high tower is standing out against the sky, but we have no idea what its purpose is. We were told later that there is also a tomb on this summit, but we didn't see that. The landscape is barren, stony and desolate, but the views are superb. Going down we meet our neighbours again.

The next interesting place is Lom where another famous stave church stands, although only 700 people live in this village. The church dates back to 1150, but was renovated several times in the following centuries.

We continue our way through the Otta-valley where we see waterfalls and rapids everywhere around us. It's time for a lunch break and a bit of climbing.

Here and there we see trees with bare trunks, but not as often as in Finland. Acid rain or are the barks being peeled, like the cork oaks in Portugal? Or maybe they don't get enough sunlight, like the trees in Finland? It can't be a lack of water.

At Grotli we take road 258, a narrow and winding road without asphalt. Apart from the gorgeous views we also, suddenly, see a beautiful log cabin, a dream-house, like we would like to build for ourselves someday on a nice spot (not in Holland, that is).

When you are in the neighnourhood don't forget to drive this road; we have made dozens of pictures of the clear blue, sometimes almost green lakes, created by melting water, the skiers on the mountains and of the mountains themselves and the abysses. Near the road we cleaned our car and washed away all the dead midges with cold glacier water.

Near the road we cleaned our car and washed away all the dead midges with cold glacier water. Although the scenery is wonderfull, we don't see many other cars on this road.

Going downhill is simply spectacular, with views on the end of the valley, 1200 meters deeper. Back on the 'main road' we first turn back to the north, because we also want to see the Geirangerfjord, the most splendid fjord of Norway according to travel guides and stories we heard about it. Before going there, we first ascend the Dalsnibba, a summit of 1465 meters from where we have a magnificient view on the valley and the Geirangerfjord in the distance.

The sky is clear, a requirement to see this area in the best way possible. The road to the top is a toll road (50 crowns) and even on this unpaved, narrow and very steep road, there are dozens of big tourist busses and campers. Once on the top we enjoy the view and the sceneries. A nice Belgian guy takes a picture of us with the Geirangerfjord in the background.

The way back is also impressive with views on the surrounding mountain tops and the hidden valleys and lakes on this altitude.

After this trip to Dalsnibba we continue our way to Geiranger. The best view on the fjord is from a distance where we can see the boats and an enormous cruise ship. The vilage itself has only 300 inhabitants, but is world-famous because of this magnificient fjord with its steep slopes and nice location.

We find it difficult to leave this area with al its natural splendour, but finally we drive in the direction of Loen where we have a reservation for a cabin. But driving from Geiranger to Loen we come across many more beautiful and picturesque places.

This day really has been terrific, we would have to be poets to describe all the beauty we have seen, all in one day! As said before, we enjoy every day of our holiday, but as far as the beauty of the sceneries is concerned this was the best day ever.
We spend the night in cabin number 15, although Elisabeth accidentally walks into number 16 once.