Since my last post, my husband and I travelled to Norway to celebrate his sister’s wedding to a real life Viking! 🙂 They had a lovely ceremony, followed by a delicious dinner, emotional speeches by family and friends, fun games and a lot of dancing till the early hours. It was a great night, where all the guests seemed to enjoy themselves.
While we were there, we also spent some extra days enjoying the breathtaking landscapes of Norway. When it comes to Norwegian weather, you should always assume to expect rainy and cloudy days. However, we were lucky enough to enjoy a couple of lovely sunny afternoons, especially on their wedding day! 🙂
All friends and family guests coming over from outside Norway were staying in cabins right by the sea. The bride and groom booked this accommodation for all of us to be together, which was really a great idea. Waking up to such tranquility helped us start our days in a great mood. 🙂
The surrounding area was simply stunning.
We went on road trips, smaller hikes, organised a BBQ on the Viking Island, sampled homemade Norwegian food (thanks to the groom’s family) and explored little fishing villages. However at the same time, we were mostly overwhelmed by the beauty of the place.
Being hiking enthusiasts, we planned some trips to explore the Norwegian countryside, namely Preikestolen (the Pulpit Rock) and Trolltunga. We were joined by a group of friends, who were also attending the wedding.
On the day of the Preikestolen hike, we set out early to Stavanger from where we took a ferry along the fjords. The views were just breathtaking. As the fjord cruise started its return to Stavanger, we disembarked to get a bus to the trailhead. It is a round trip of just below 8km, which took us a total of approximately 5 hours, including stops to admire the incredible scenery around us and a small lunch break while we were at the top. (The trail was very busy, and if you do not like to walk in a crowd, I suggest you start very early in the morning or totally avoid this route.)
The weather forecast for the day we had Trolltunga planned was bleak. After reading various articles about this trail, we decided that it would be very dangerous if we went ahead with the plan. (The following day, we actually got the news that police were recommending that the trail should be avoided on that day, and the only group that ignored this advice had to be rescued).
We looked for alternative routes and ultimately decided on Dronningstien (translating to Queen’s trail). The path takes you up to 1,100 metres above sea level from where you can enjoy stunning views of the fjords beneath you all along the way. This time, we were super lucky with the weather and visibility was clear so we could really enjoy the surroundings. No wonder this is the Queen’s favourite trail. I will let my photos speak for themselves 🙂
I am really grateful to my sister-in-law and her husband for the effort they put in to organising such an amazing programme for our stay in Norway. Be sure that we will return! 😛
I had difficulty into finding the right words. Stunning.
Thanks for sharing these wonderful views. I now have another place to visit in my list
Thank you for kind comments. You should definitely pay a visit to this beautiful country 🙂
Rather breathtaking this Norway of yours!
It was really an amazing trip 🙂
That is easy to imagine! That is one of the dream destinations for me too, as it is to just about anyone who likes mountains, I guess. 🙂