Day 21, A Bridge Beyond!

So we woke up, on one of the world’s most scenic drives on a tiny islet. Unbelievably the promised rain had not materialised and there was actually some sunshine. It was time to go and explore!

The Atlantic Ocean road is very difficult to describe in just mere words; hence this is my excuse for loads of photos! To give you some idea of what to expect, imagine a road that buckles and twists like a sea serpent, connecting 17 islets between Vevang and the island of Averoya. It is barely 8km long, and has the most amazing twisty curved bridge you will ever see. It is amazing to drive; a real feat of engineering, but to get a good idea of what it looks like I took a photo of an aerial display board.

We drove it when we got here last night, to get a first impression, then found our parking spot for the night, with a view out to the Atlantic and crashing waves. When we woke this morning we were looking out at diving boats, where divers were exploring the undersea kelp forests.

The road can be incredibly busy, and just about everyone has come to see the view. It had long been Lyn’s dream to run the road as a fabulous bit of run tourism, but we just failed tosee how to run it safely. It is a very narrow road, with no bike path or pavement, and metal barriers at each side. The nature of the scenery means that drivers often don’t have their eyes on the road when driving! I was really anxious at the thought of him running, and luckily he felt the same so abandoned the idea.

We walked (me nervously!) for a short way down the road, facing the oncoming traffic till we could get on to the metal walkway that runs adjacent for a short while. I felt happier when I was on that, and we had a great view of the scenery and the famous bridge. It was good to just sit on the rocks and take it all in.

I cannot imagine living in one of the houses on the islets. This new road must have transformed their lives in so many ways, and I wonder if all of them are for the best? The amount of traffic and visitors it has brought to an area only previously reachable by boat is phenomenal. The houses look idyllic now in the sunshine; but I wonder how if feels in the winter or an Atlantic storm?

We cruised up and down the road several time, taking time to stop and walk the available walkways.

I had been fascinated at the lack of plastic seen in any of the beaches we had visited, and the water seems so clear I had assumed there was less of a problem here. The children of a local school had collected plastic and made it into a big crab to highlight the problem, so there obviously is an issue here too. Most of the plastic seemed to be from boats or fishing debris which is understandable around here.

Unfortunately it was soon time to leave and head back on the road, this time to Alesund. Alesund is quite a unique place; it’s home to Norway’s largest cod fishing fleet and sits on a fish hook shaped sea bound peninsula. After a devastating fire in 1904 the city was built in art nouveau style. Lyn navigated the busy roads in, and took us first to a famous viewing point to see Alesund in all it’s glory. Up, up, up we went, round twisty corners, until we got to the top and parked the van. Wow, I’ll let the photos speak for themselves!

There was a huge P & O cruise liner in port, with over 3,500 passengers on board. As we were unable to find a spot in the main (crowded, dirty) mobile home parking yard, Lyn drove near the port and we parked unofficially in an empty car park there, and found we were right next to the Britannia. A quick check of google showed she was due to leave port in 9 minutes, so we waited to wave her out. She was enormous! She was heading to Bergen next. We watched her disappear over the headland opposite, funnels visible.

We then looked for somewhere nicer to stay for the night, and have ended up in the car park of the aquarium, along with another few motor homes. Much nicer than the “village of the dammed” as I christened it, where we tried to park earlier. I made chicken curry for dinner and caught up on my blogs, whilst Lyn went for a little walk. All in all, a very good day!