We drove through Trollstigen again, the same place we went yesterday, since it was on our way anyway and honestly it was just so beautiful we wanted another look at it during a different time of day. We were some of the first people there for the day and pulled in right behind a huge bus full of 18-35 year old tourists. So we jumped out of the car and ran to the view point since we wanted to be able to get our pictures without the interference of a bunch of other people. I didn't think it would be possible but it looked even more beautiful today in the morning light. It was more clear than when we saw it yesterday so we were able to see the peaks of the mountains today. We took our pictures quickly and got out of there once the crowd hit.
We went a little bit and then made an unexpected stop when we saw an interesting area which looked like a big deal since it had a rather large parking lot. We think it was called Gudbrandsjuvet and it was an area where you could stand over a cool waterfall area.
Then we took the Linge-Eidsdal ferry over the Geiranger Fjord. The ferry was fun and gave us ample views of all the mountains surrounding the fjord. We even got to see a dolphin playing!
Once we got to the other side we were greeted with even more beautiful views of Geiranger Fjord. Stopping at Ørnesvingen is a must-do because the views are breathtaking. It's at the top of the fjord looking down onto the town of Geiranger and the water. Then we drove down the side of the mountain and ooh'ed and aah'ed the entire way down. We drove through the town of Geiranger and also stopped at Fossevandring Geiranger and Flydalsjuvet to get some views from the bottom of the fjord.
We continued on our journey which took us through the tops of the mountains and was like a completely different world; it had no trees and still covered in snow. We saw a huge alpine lake which was still largely covered in ice but did have some spots which had melted and the water looked crystal clear.
After driving a ways further we stopped for a picnic lunch along a lake which acted like a mirror reflecting the mountains above. It was a picture-perfect picnic spot and with a view like that it doesn't even matter what you're eating because life is just good.
We kept going and then took our second ferry over Lustrafjorden. Shortly after that we went through the longest tunnel in the world! We had no idea how long it was, only that it was the longest in the world, so beforehand we took bets on how long we thought it would take. We were all surprised- 20 min and 14 sec! Mom won the bet with a guess of 18 minutes, so we owed her a beer. It was 24km and every 6km they would have a light color change to try to help keep the driver alert.
Shortly after that we arrived at our place of residence for the next two nights. It's a small cabin right alongside a river. There are several other cabins and a public bathroom/shower area. It's pretty nice and the views are hard to beat. One of the fellow guests works at the Chinese restaurant in town and gave us each a free plate of noodles!
After settling in and getting some groceries we went into Flåm to check out the local famous brewery, and present mom with her winnings. Ægir brew pub is pretty famous and it lived up to it's name. The beer was good and the ambiance was cool- it had lots of wood with unique wood tables/chairs and there was a huge fireplace in the middle. Surrounding the fireplace was a ring where you could sit in these huge bar stools and drink your beer. On the second level was where they served food but we didn't go up there.
Norway continues to astound us with it's beauty! Tomorrow we are going on one of the Top 10 Scenic Train rides in the world.
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