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Time to write some more as I sit on the ferry from Mortavika to Arsvågen. I seem to sometimes write little bits whenever I get time, so from now on a horizontal rule indicates a break between sessions. ;-)
I had a new German room-mate this moring. He asked how I was travelling and I told him, "by car." At this he made gagging noises and screwed up his face much as you might expect if I had answered, "I am travelling around Norway inside a cow's bum." I felt compelled to defend my mode of transport, explaining that I enjoy driving and that there are many very beautiful roads in Norway to drive along. He went on about how expensive it is, and how much the fuel and costs. I told him the fuel is cheaper in Norway than it is at home in the UK.
Driving in Norway indeed is a sublime pleasure. There are some disadvantages compared to the UK, like the tolls and the ridiculously slow speed limits. The speed limits are often ridiculously slow in the UK too however. The difference is mostly noticeable when driving in the countryside. 80Km/h, on a long, straight stretch of road with no hazards, is just about the speed at which driver's brain switches off .
The good news is that quite often you do not have to pay much attention to the speed limit. I'm not talking about reckless speeding, just about looking at the road instead of looking at the speedo. On the long straight sections you can quickly overtake the convoys of dozing drivers. On the twisty sections you can drive just fast enough that it is easy to stop in the distance you can see to be clear, relishing the acceleration through the straights and slowing for the next corner. Usually a glance at the speedometer reveals that you are driving slower than the limit, at least on the corners. You can drive for miles without meeting other traffic. And all this against a backdrop of mountains and valleys of staggering natural beauty. Not only a backdrop, but quite often you are amongst the mountains and valleys, driving along ledges cut into the rock above the fjord, crossing bridges spanning vast clefts, and navigating down steep hills with hairpin bends. What person who enjoys driving would not want to drive around Norway?
I set out this morning for Bergen. I would have liked to take the ferry up the Lysefjord to Lysebotn, but not only was it raining with very poor visibility, but looking on the map there seemed to be nowhere to go after that without returning all the way back to Stavanger. So to Bergen I headed. The E39 North from Stavanger was unremarkable at first, but as it neared Mortavika where I got the first ferry it became more coastal and rugged. By lunch time I reached the town of Haugesund. There is a big main shopping street here, so I bought a couple of CDs and got some lunch in a burger bar by the waterside.
When I left Haugesund the rain had started in earnest. I stopped a couple of times to take some photographs of the mist over the rocks, and by half past three reached Sandvikvag where there was another ferry to catch.
I reached the outskirts of Bergen at around 5. I have been to Bergen before, visited some museums and taken the funicular railway up the mountain for a magnificent view over the city. I could spend another evening walking around it, but the rain was incessant, and after a consultation with my maps and guidebook, I decided to skip Bergen altogether and push on to Voss. I called up the Voss Vandrerhjem and reserved a bed.
It's now 7.30 and I have checked into the hostel. It's the strangest place I've ever stayed at. A dorm bed consists of a matress on the floor in a huge loft room. Two guys are in there already listening to reggae. There are no locks to the loft room so I think I'll be leaving all my valuables in the car. I'm now downstairs in the dining room waiting for the lasagne I have ordered. The rest of the people in the room are in their 60s and 70s, and are finishing some kind of set meal. Still, it has a great view over the lake.
The small town of Voss is a winter sports resort. It sits on the edge of a large lake. On the other side of the lake are hills with trees on the top and villages dotted around the base. Whisps of cloud are floating down the hills over the villages. Further along the lakeshore I can see the town of Voss itself. Beyond it are snow capped mountains. Despite the rain I can see several boats being rowed across the lake. Behind me is a group of people who sound like Glaswegians except they are speaking a foreign language. And the lasagne tastes good!
This picture is not very good because the light is failing. I will try again tommorrow!
I have been for a walk in the town. There is a small church, several hotels and two or three roads with shops. It has the same strange mixture of urban and rural environment that I have found in many of the Norwegian towns I have visited; between the buildings you can see mountains!
From the coach outside, it looks like the old people are on a coach tour from the Czech Republic, of all places...