Rivers, Glaciers, and Waterfalls

To Leikanger, Norway -- Day 1

Hi, it’s Dex.  Today I got up nice and early and put on my warm weather gear because we had a bus to catch.  We turned on some Olympic highlights as we packed our bags, and before I knew it, we were ready to get on the 8:40 bus.  Luckily we got there early, so Mom and I were able to go to the bathroom.  We went to a little bakery and came out with some great hot chocolate and took a neat video of a waterfall.  When we got on the bus we were surprised to see only two other people, both of whom were also backpackers.

From the moment we left the town, the hills jutted up into mountains and the valleys and rivers were just incredible.  The grass was so green, the rivers so rapid and the mountains so picture perfect -- I was just entranced.  It was really cool spotting sheep on the mountains too. 

As we got farther away from civilization, the roads became more narrow and the sights more beautiful.  After 30-40 minutes we found ourselves in a winding river valley with just enough space for an oncoming car to pass.  Kylie and I had fun running from seat to seat trying to get the best view.

As we climbed, the trees thinned and we noticed more and more little streams running into the river, like veins running to the heart.  We also noticed little snowy patches along with high poles to mark where the road was after heavy snow.

Strangely, the sheep really are not scared of the cars or buses because we nearly plowed into some and had to slam on the brakes. The sheep must not have liked nearly being run over, so they took their sweet time clearing out the road.  

Not too much later, I saw something that I will never forget -- a massive glacier grinding its way down the opposite side of the valley.  I thought the glacier was absolutely magnificent!  When we got to an information center at the top of the pass, the driver took a 15 minute break, so I was able to go to the bathroom and stretch my legs. 

It was really neat looking at our road on the way down as it twisted and turned below us through the valleys and cliffs.  Frankly, I was a bit of a scaredy-cat because it was raining, there were clouds in the road, and I'm not a big fan of sharp turns (and there where many of those.)  

We eventually got down to the Sogndal Fjord (the largest and deepest fjord in Norway), which we would be going on tomorrow.  As we wound our way along the fjord, we saw loads of sparkling water falls jetting off treacherous cliffs.  It was like that for about an hour until we got to our stop.  There we had to wait 4 and a half hours, so we ate some lunch and read books.  When we where done, we realized we still had three and a half hours to kill.

Okay, change of plans, instead of reading we decided to lock up our stuff and go explore the near by church.  When we got there I was surprised to see how little decoration there was, but at the same time it was really pretty.  Outside the church was a really big cemetery and Dad thought maybe we could try to find the oldest grave stone. I found one that dated back to 1832.

We also tried to find the oldest person.  Dad found some one who died at 104 years old, but before anyone else could confirm it, he forgot where the gravestone was!  Hmmm, how fishy.  I found someone 102 years old and made sure every body had checked it before walking off to find more old people.

Last but not least, we tried to find people with the same birthdays as us. (Kylie 5/12, Dad 1/4, Mom 8/14, and me 1/24).  We found one with my birthday, multiple with Dad’s, one on Mom’s, but none with Kylie’s.  But then, just as we were getting ready to leave, I found a grave that said 12/5 (May 12, in Europe).  Success!

As we made our way back to the bus station, we decided to walk along the fast moving river.  I got bored and threw a bright red apple into the current. I had to run to keep up with it going all the way to the bridge where we crossed.  I watched the apple disappear as I waited for everyone to catch up. 

The rest of the bus ride was pretty uneventful, so I read the whole way through.  Kylie and I were really excited to see our cabin in Leikanger because this is the first time we've stayed in a one, although we saw lots of them at all the campgrounds we stayed at.  It was the perfect size and perfect for tired people like me. I decided to lay on the couch, which had a great view of the Fjord

Sadly, Kylie and I fell asleep on the couch, so we weren't able to sleep in our bunk bed -- oh, well.  I guess we’ll have to sleep on beds in Bergen.  Fun on yet another adventure.