Stave Church in Gol
After a good sleep in the quietude of the mountains and a great breakfast in the hotel we left and stopped to visit the Stave Church in Gol. The entrance to all these churches is around NK 70-90 and for families it goes to about NK170-190. The stave churches’ structure is made out of long poles that have a sculpted face on top, representing probably a heathen god. The tall poles are called Stave and give the interior a lofty aspect bringing your view towards the sky. Close to the church was a museum with the Norse legends and gods and a tomb of a Norseman warrior. We had an interesting discussion about life and prices in Norway with the lady that was hosting the place and it turned out that people are rather dissatisfied, not to say angry, with the government and what they get back for the taxes and the prices they pay.
Borgund Stave Church
From there we left towards the Songsfjord, the most famous fjord of Norway, trying to take advantage of the sunny day followed in the forecast by some rainy ones. The roads proved to be excellent, well paved and well maintained in spite of the waterfalls that are pouring around their sides. And in spite of the surrounding peaks and fjords there are few hairpins or sharp curves and no matter that there are no four lane roads the traffic is smooth with speeds around 80kmh. We stopped on the way to admire great waterfalls and fantastic landscape. Close to the fjord we stopped and visited the Stave Church in Borgund, one of the oldest in the country, dating from 1160. The church is covered with tar in order to be preserved and is one of the best in Norway. Same NK 160 ticket and the surprise is that the toilet access was at …NK5/person. Norwegian way…..
Sulphebreen Glacier
Leaving towards the fjord, after some tunnels the road ended in a ferry and we crossed (NK 115) getting in 15 minutes to Songden, the largest town and in a way the heart of Sognefjord. Here we got some information and a map about the fjord and after checking some places to sleep and eat we drove toward Faerling, where close to it there are two glaciers, Boyabreen and Sulphebreen. The road toward the town is marked as a toll road without saying how much is the toll and only when you finished the 34 km drive you get to pay the equivalent of $30. …And you have to pay again the toll at your return to Songden. Quite an entry fee. We visited the glaciers. In Bovabreen it is a lake at the glacier’s base and you cannot reach its base but in Sulphebreen you are able to go to its margin and walk on ice.
We returned to Songdal and continued towards Luster stopping in Hasflo at a guesthouse. But being Sunday night everything was getting closed early so after several tries around Hasflo we drove back to back Songdal (12km) and ate in the still opened pizzeria held by some Arabs and returned towards midnight to Hasflo. We have to thank the long Scandinavian day light that gives you a lot of flexibility. In Hasflo the night never sets in, the evening light holding over the town after midnight. The disadvantage is that you end up staying very late and going to bed every night around 12-1am. The guesthouse we stayed was the best deal we had in the entire stay in Norway with a very cozy two bedroom apartment for NK800. But you have to find it….
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