We left camp early on a Sunday morning in light rain - what we thought was instant coffee in the van turned out to be latte, so only Mike could have coffee before we left, using the handy electric kettle at the camp. Given what we were about to tackle, the driver most definitely needed caffeine!
We had specifically chosen to wait until a quiet Sunday morning, rather than a busy Saturday afternoon, to take on Trollstigen. The road itself (aka Troll's Ladder) is intimidating enough, narrow with crazy hairpin switchbacks and limited visibility, so adding traffic (in particular tour buses) did not seem fun.
We only passed one car on the way up - stopping at a pull-out to let him pass - and between the steepness and the hairpins, Winston did the entire climb in second gear. We stopped at the top to exhale a big sigh of relief and take the obligatory and epic pictures of the road below in the wind and rain.
We followed the very scenic Road 63 through verdant valleys, stopping for coffee and cinnamon rolls at an artsy but serene cafe at Gudbrandsjuvet. As a smaller road continued past Validal, we instead dropped down the water and boarded another ferry at Linge to cross the fjord to Eidsdal.
Further down Road 63, we stopped again - this time before starting the equally harrowing descent into Geiranger on the Ornevegen (aka Eagle's Road). More hairpins, more traffic, this time downhill and still in the rain. Winston again favoured second gear, this time to avoid braking too much. At least from above, I could see cars and campers approaching the hairpins from below, giving me time to stop before the curve to give them room to make the turn.
Once down the hill and into the village of Geiranger, we miraculously found free parking and wandered the tourist town. In spite of the less than perfect weather, we opted to do a one-hour cruise along the beautiful Geirangerfjord, which included drifting up close to the base of a few waterfalls.
After a very peaceful cruise up the fjord and back, we spent a little more time in the village, finding a small patio on the water at a local brewery. We also hit the local Joker grocery store for coffee, an oversight on our earlier shopping trip since we thought there was some in the van. They also sell beer (up to 4.7%) in their grocery stores......but on Sundays it is not allowed, and they literally just pull a curtain across the beer shelves.
Rather than moving on, we decided to get a campsite nearby and dry out for the night. Just up the hill on the outskirts of the village, we found quaint Vintje Camping, with a grassy roof (very common in Norway), a view of the Geirangerfjord, and its own waterfall.
Jane also chatted up the camp owner, advising him that she was in fact 2% Norwegian according to Ancestry. He also affirmed the rumour we had been hearing that Norway is often called "Little Canada" by a lot of Northern Europeans due to the stunning scenery.
The first few sites we tried were so muddy after all the rain, we found ourselves sliding sideways and almost got stuck.....luckily we extricated Winston and moved to higher (though un-level) ground.
We fired up the diesel heater in the back to take the chill off and dry our shoes, while making a simple dinner of boil-in-bag dehydrated meals we brought from home for just such occasions.
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