The 2 weeks with Dani and Torsten were just wonderful. We enjoyed sitting together, having good conversations and feeling at home. Basti learned a little herbalism from Dani and kept collecting for the next few days. I then allowed myself the fun of teasing him that he just wanted to "poison" us. But he did a really good job.
Since the two of them also have 2 dogs, we ran in between. In Norway you can walk wherever there is no fence, including across the forest. I only did that once, after which I was really knocked out. Finja had also felt good and had taken a few places for herself. But even the best time is over at some point.
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Tingvollfjord - parking space across from Flaoya
We then drove on, with sadness, but also excited to see what was in store for us. The first stop was in Oppdal for shopping. We still needed some groceries. After that we are the one Sunndalsvegen Driven towards the coast. Since we didn't leave that early, we didn't want to drive so far so that it wouldn't be too late for a place to stay. And the weather wasn't the best either. The Sunndalsvegen was again a wonderful road. It went along a river between the mountains and sometimes like a gorge. Just great.
Shortly before Sunndal, where we wanted to fill up with fresh water, we made another stop. And as luck would have it, it was at a waterfall. We had seen a small one on the way, but here is one of the highest in the world.
It's the Vinnufossen, the 6th highest waterfall in the world. The water falls 860 meters deep, is fed by a small glacier and is not very wide. This also makes him very impressive. You can hike almost all the way to the top. A staircase is currently being built there to make it easier to get up. We were content with taking photos from below because it started raining again.
In Sunndal we filled up water and then went on to our chosen place to stay at Tingvollfjord drove. The route there was a bit adventurous. It wasn't a tarred single road that had a few potholes. There were various places that were given to us as a point in the app. And the last one was finally big enough and a little further off the road so that we could stay there for the night. We stood right on the water and across the street was the little one Flaoya Island. The road ended just before the island and was also a dead end.
For us it was strange to be on the road again, only with the other person as a conversation partner. But it was also fun to keep going and seeing new things. It was still raining in between and so we didn't walk to the island either. There are probably historical sites there, which are shown on the sign at the parking lot. The indicated circular route leads across the island past the various burial mounds.
Since it was supposed to be still raining the next day, we slept in, rummaged a little here and there and set off towards Kristiansund around noon.
Kvalvik Fort - unfinished fortress
Our drive took us to the parking lot from Kvalvik Fort. You could spend the night there and it's not that far from Kristiansund. We got there in the late afternoon and since it wasn't raining at the moment, we immediately ran off to have a look at the fort. Construction began in 1943 by the German occupying forces and was not finished in 1945. Since it is right on a fjord, the Germans wanted to monitor the shipping traffic in the fjords. The building was built by the prisoners; mostly Russian prisoners who were also badly treated.
Since the fort could also be reached from the land side, minefields were created all around. There are paths through these minefields today. The facility is quite large, has 3 quays, various bunkers that can also be visited and ammunition stores in the mountain. There were several guns on the mountain and the fort was also a submarine base. The fort is one of the best preserved in Norway and you can see a lot there. From sea mines to one-man submarines. If you stand by the guns, you have a super nice view of the sea.
Back at the bus, we had a cozy evening. The parking lot wasn't that full either and was therefore quite quiet. However, the place is not an insider tip, there were 2 more campers that night. After we had a great sleep, we drove to Kristiansund that day.
Here is some more information about the fort on the VisitNorway page: https://www.visitnorway.de/reiseziele/fjord-norwegen/nordwesten/listings-northwest/kvalvik-fort-k%C3%BCstenforts-aus-dem-2-weltkrieg/39716/
Kristiansund - viewpoint over the fjord
The weather was super nice today. The sun was shining and it was reasonably warm. The first stop was in Kristiansund-Varden. There is a large park there where you can hike. There is an old watchtower at the top of the mountain. From there you have a really great view of the city and its neighboring islands as well as of the fjord and the sea. With this great weather we of course had a wide view and after several photos we are back to the bus. After lunch we drove into town.
Kristiansund consists of 3 large and several small islands and skerries. They are connected by bridges and are so close together that it is not possible to correctly register that there are several islands. At the port there is even a small pedestrian ferry that drives between the islands like a taxi; is also well attended. The city itself was a bit of a disappointment for us. There were many colorful houses and there were also up and down hills, but a lot of shops in the pedestrian zone were closed. There are only 4-5 shops left there. We found one or the other eye-catcher and took a lot of photos.
We notice again and again that we are not so much the city sightseers. You do it, but only a few can inspire us. And for Finja it is always stressful because there is so much to sniff and stop.
Atlantic Ocean Road - a must see
Since it was still early when we were on the bus, we drove the Atlantic-Ocean-Road. A great route and the beautiful weather gave us a wide view of the sea. Since there were many places to stop, we naturally used them for pictures. It was very exciting for Finja to stop and run so often. At the last point, with the famous half-curved bridge, I stayed on the bus with her.
Basti ran up the hill and took his drone with him. Unfortunately it was so windy that he couldn't use the drone, from there he was able to take pictures of the entire bridge. As the sun was shining, there was no famous photo of us with the spray hitting the bridge. But it was also very impressive. And, of course, the stops were overrun with campers and cars.
Molde - a place to stay with a fantastic view
When we were looking for a place to stay, the app showed us one that just looked fantastic. Since it is not an insider tip, you have to be there early, as even the locals often use it and there are not so many parking spaces. The way through Molde and then up the mountain made me wonder whether we could even go there for long. But Basti said that all barriers were open and that the restaurant at the top was also open. So we drove up, an unpaved road.
The point above is called Molde panorama and when we were upstairs and parked we knew why. The point is 407 meters above sea level and offers a view of Molde, the fjord and the mountain landscape behind. Simply an unbelievable view, fantastic and cannot be beaten.
If the weather is still clear, you can see really far. We then walked a bit, passed the restaurant and took pictures from there. At first we only had a side seat to stand, but then a mobile home drove away and we were able to stand in the first row.
At some point Basti couldn't hear my sighs anymore, which I kept giving because of the look and teased me a bit. Unfortunately we couldn't see the sunset properly because it took place behind the mountains behind our backs. But then the view in the dark was not to be despised. The town of Molde shone under one and was beautiful to look at.
We were lucky that we had a clear night and the moon rose early. Basti tried to take some photos of the moon, later started again with the tripod. The moon pictures didn't turn out so good, but the night pictures were great. Mobile homes kept coming until late in the evening looking for a place to stay. How lucky we were that we were there so early. Because you are not allowed to stand on the other seats and it is checked.
Having such a view over coffee in the morning makes me sigh again. The mountains behind the fjord are impressive and when you know that you will be spending the next few days there, the anticipation is great. You don't really want to leave such a vantage point, but the good weather shouldn't last long either. So you drive on with a heavy heart.
You can find more pictures in the Photo gallery Norway.
