Our transportation to Alesund, Norway from home could not have gone smoother if we had tried. From the Woburn Express to our short layover in Copenhagen to getting our rental car in Alesund - everything was perfect.
A Norwegian diving board
These seats were incredible but...they were too far apart and had giant armrests between us
The flights were easy. In the long line to get through customs in Copenhagen, we ended up standing in front of a couple who told us that they live in a small town called Plainfield, NH! We ended up figuring out that they even have Angela (my sister) as her doctor. Go figure.
In the Oslo airport
Our first view of Alesund as we flew in
SAS plane from Oslo to Alesund.
When we landed in Alesund, we were surprised that it wasn't raining. The plan was just to get adjusted to the time zone, maybe do a short via Ferrara and then head to bed. But we found out about a cool hike on the island of Godoya. It was a loop hike around a mountain lake that summited Storhornet. We took a long tunnel in order to get to the island. It is through tunnels that many of the islands are connected here. On the island, there was a small traditional fishing village right at the base of a beautiful waterfall. It had a nice harbor and beautiful Beach.
The start of our hike was right from the fishing village. It climbed for a while until we reached a mountain plateau filled with many ponds. The route reminded us of hiking the rim of a volcanic lake. We essentially hiked a loop around the whole island, but just from the mountain plateau. There were ponds (big and little) everywhere. For most of the hike, the ground was very soggy.
Along the trail, we picked small blue berries and tired eating them. They tasted a little bit like blueberries. Hopefully, they won't kill us.
A beautiful beach that we passed on the way to our hike
A sweet waterfall at the beginning of the hike. At the top of the waterfall was a plateau with many mountain ponds
An aerial view of the fishing village
The berries that we ate which hopefully won't kill us
There were a few rock scrambles on the summit push, but for the most part, the hiking was mild. On the summit, there was a cairn with a compass on top of it. We saw some very fit Norwegians running the loop which made it look like we were standing still. We also stopped and talked with a few locals who were hiking up to fish for BIG trout in the ponds.
There was a cairn with a compass on the summit
Along the hike, we encountered a Norwegian "diving board." It was definitely a little bit scary, but it was fun to check out.
After our hike, we drove to Alesund and checked into our lodging. The name of it was "City View apartment" which of course meant that there was bit of an uphill walk to get to it. The city of Alesund is known as the fishing capital of Norway (which is saying something). It is also known it's architecture. In 1904, most of the city burned in a fire and was quickly rebuilt in Art Nouveau.
Dinner was fish and chips for Kara and pasta for Dan
The day ended with a gorgeous rainbow. This is when we really appreciated the "City View." We were pleased as punch that we were able to do an unexpected hike, that it wasn't raining, we saw a a sweet beach, that we didn't fall asleep in our food (like what Dan did on the flight over 🤣) and we wrapped up the day with a rainbow. What a great 1st day in Norway.
A complete rainbow at the end of the day (almost 10pm) as seen from our lodging
It was a slow morning because heavy rain was kept us from hitting the trail early. Our plan was to do a ridge hike called Romsdalseggen, but there are exposed sections that sounded like they would be challenging in the rain. So, we ultimately decided to do a via ferrata in the rain - maybe our logic was a little wonky. To start the day, we found a yummy bakery called Walderhung Bakeri and stocked up on baked goods for the day. I have a weakness for bakeries and all of their treats. Once I enter and get a whiff of bread baking, I lose all sense of reason and buy way more than I can eat. I held back at this bakery and we only purchased what we needed. Maybe I'm learning some self control or maybe it's because everything is very expensive here. The pastery on the far right skilpadde - it is a traditional local treat. We were surprised at how light and airy it was (and not too sweet). It was still raining when we arrived in Andalsnes. We chatted with some people at the Nordsk Tind...
In Norway, it is quite difficult to narrow down what hike you are going to do because there are SO MANY options. Today the forecast was for clouds with only some rain, which is actually a good forecast, so we decided to go for a hike near Oye. Dan originally picked out a hike for the highest mountain in the region (Slogen), but we changed that to a slightly milder hike because it was described as an expert trail (rated Black) by Norwegian standards with many exposed and scary sections (needing "a good head for heights") with a fair amount of vert and we were starting late. So, Mount Saksa (rated Red: demanding by Norwegian standards) turned into the destination for the day's adventure. First off, I would like to welcome back some long dormant muscles who had to wake up yesterday to help out with the via ferrata. Today they are complaining a little bit about having to rise from their slumber. The morning began with a drinkable yogurt and banana in the car as we settled in ...
There were a few rock scrambles on the summit push, but for the most part, the hiking was mild. On the summit, there was a cairn with a compass on top of it. We saw some very fit Norwegians running the loop which made it look like we were standing still. We also stopped and talked with a few locals who were hiking up to fish for BIG trout in the ponds. 
Along the hike, we encountered a Norwegian "diving board." It was definitely a little bit scary, but it was fun to check out.
After our hike, we drove to Alesund and checked into our lodging. The name of it was "City View apartment" which of course meant that there was bit of an uphill walk to get to it. The city of Alesund is known as the fishing capital of Norway (which is saying something). It is also known it's architecture. In 1904, most of the city burned in a fire and was quickly rebuilt in Art Nouveau.
The day ended with a gorgeous rainbow. This is when we really appreciated the "City View." We were pleased as punch that we were able to do an unexpected hike, that it wasn't raining, we saw a a sweet beach, that we didn't fall asleep in our food (like what Dan did on the flight over 🤣) and we wrapped up the day with a rainbow. What a great 1st day in Norway.
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