My original plan was to make a four-week trek up the coast of Norway, all the way to Nordkapp, the northernmost point of the European continent. Then to return to Oslo the final week by the most direct route, south through Sweden.
This plan stayed intact for about one week.
As I made my way north of Melkevoll Bretun campground, I eyed the map for where I might like to explore next. The town of Ålesund caught my eye.
I had read in the guidebook that Ålesund, a port city at the entrance to Geirangerfjord, was known for its art nouveau architectural style. The images were captivating! I made my way there, found plentiful parking here, and wandered around for a few hours.
Ålesund was well worth the visit. Most of the streets were brick and all of the architecture boasted this beautiful old-European vibe. There were many shops, open-air restaurants, and boundless streets to explore. Unfortunately for me, I chanced upon it on a Sunday and almost nothing was open. Perhaps one downside, I will admit, to traveling without any real plan.
From there I continued on, deciding to take the most coastal route, and was greatly rewarded as I ended up spending the afternoon and evening on the Atlanterhavsveien (The Atlantic Ocean Road).
The Atlantic Ocean Road is a 5-mile (8.3 km) section of road that connects multiple islands via 8 bridges. Perhaps the most well-known (and longest) is the Storseisundet Bridge.
The Storseisundet Bridge is a cantilever bridge that is 260 meters (850 ft) long and has a max height of 23 meters (75 ft). What you can’t tell from the images is how steep the pitch is. I had a lot of fun driving back and forth!
What may have been even more astounding than randomly coming across this well-known tourist attraction was that I was able to camp for free less than 1/2 a mile away, at a pullout off the main road. The above picture was actually taken after a very short walk from my campsite.
It was here that I first noticed how very long the days had become on my northward journey. Though the sun was setting, it was so brief and slipping under the horizon at such a shallow angle that full darkness was no longer a part of any night. And I loved it!
Lessons from: Ålesund + The Storseisundet Bridge
- In accordance with government mandate, most businesses are closed on Sundays in Norway, including grocery stores. Gas stations are open and perhaps as a result many of them have decent food options, including fresh pastries!
- You may find excellent free camping very close to tourist hot spots in Norway.
Something Interesting: Tales From Tunnels
It is no mystery that traveling through Norway means traversing many, many tunnels. The variety of size, complexity, length, (width!), pitch, and curviness varies greatly. For those US drivers out there, imagine traversing a tunnel that goes up a hill AND curves around? Mind-blowing! I was completely impressed with Norwegian tunnels.
The longest tunnel I drove through was 13 km in length (8 miles), however, the longest vehicle tunnel in Norway is an astounding 24.5 km in length (15 miles). Impressive considering the longest tunnel in the US is a mere 3.2 km (2 miles).
In the realm of complexity, I also experienced many tunnels with traffic circles inside of them. This may be hard to envision but yes, they do exist! On one such tunnel in the town of Tromsø, I was briefly traumatized by was ensued. I followed the Google Maps directions obediently and took the third exit in the traffic circle which provided the most direct route into the city center. What I did not know is that this tunnel was reserved for much shorter, passenger cars. I exited and saw a metal sign hanging down over the road and thought, am I going to hit that? And then, BAM, yes I hit it. Immediately the chaos ensued. Lights started flashing everywhere and a sign illuminated telling me that I was TOO TALL, TOO TALL, TURN AROUND NOW. My first thought was, did I just damage the roof of my van? My second thought was, how do I turn around in a tunnel?! Fortunately, there was a built-in carve out for such maneuvers and even more fortunately, there was no one behind me. I backed into the spot and made my way to safety. I shudder to think what would have happened without Norway’s fail-safe metal sign in place. And despite my fears, the sign did not damage my van. I counted my many blessings!
That experience aside, I very much enjoyed tunnel travel, for the most part. It was at the end of the Atlantic Ocean road that I experienced my first under the ocean tunnel. These I did not like. They tended to be very long with an incredibly steep pitch down and then back up. So steep that my vehicle was often shifted down into third gear and barely managed 50 kilometers an hour (30 mph), to the dismay of many passenger cars stuck behind me. Perhaps this is why these types of tunnels made me so uncomfortable. Or perhaps the knowledge that I was traversing under the ocean was enough!
A look behind the curtain.
What stands out to me when I think back to this evening, perched on the edge of the Norwegian coast, was how alone I felt, for the first time. I had been in Norway for over a week, the initial high had faded a bit, my jet lag was mostly gone, and I was settling into this new reality. Much of my day with filled with unbelievable excitement and awe. I truly was in my version of paradise. Norway had already impressed upon me in ways that were incredibly profound, and I was genuinely excited for each moment of each day. That said, I was still living life as a human. There were highs and lows, times I felt connected and times I felt like an island. Times I was embarrassed, times I was proud, times I felt silly, times I felt confident, and times when I was not. Most days were filled with laughter, excitement, joy, and promise. But at times, frustration, tears, and loneliness also crept in. I had been traveling alone for one week, and I had felt all of it. And on this evening, though I was overwhelmed with excitement about what lay ahead, that feeling of missing human connection impressed upon me the necessity of prioritizing interactions with fellow travelers and locals, not just leaving those up to chance.
This to me is a pro and a con of traveling solo. Yes, loneliness will be a reality but as a result, you are almost certain to connect with people that you never would have if traveling with someone who filled that need daily.
She Simply Wanders 
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