Going through all of the photos taken during our time in Norway.. wow did we do a lot! We filled you in on a few of our more major hikes in the last post but we had more exploring to do. After hiking the near 18 miles at Trolltunga, we took it down a notch the next day but stayed active. Our bodies needed to keep moving, we had too much to see and do to be sore! We headed to Gudvangen, a village set on one of the most beautiful fjords in Norway. Wanting to see them from a different perspective, we decided to hop on some kayaks!

Kayaking in Norwegian fjords is a little different than the kayaking we’ve done on Arkansas rivers. After getting into our wetsuits, skirts, jackets, and vests with help from our guide, we pushed off the shore. The cliffs surrounding the fjords seemed even larger from below! It felt special to paddle through spots that could only be reached by boat. The waterfalls this time of year are endless and passing by them so closely was exhilarating!

Our last couple days in Norway passed quickly. The largest glacier in continental Europe was the next stop on the agenda. 37 miles long, it’s a hefty body! Briksdalsbreen is only an arm of the glacier but was an easy trek from the road for us to incorporate into the trip. It’s interesting yet disheartening to see how far the glacier has retreated over the years. We were able to get fairly close, stopping at the lake it runs into to take photos. The water was so clean and the way the light reflected off it gave a gorgeous blue color! The northernmost point of our trip (Geiranger) was to come so we headed that direction for the night.

The next morning we caught a tourist boat to take us through the Geirangerfjord. Catching some wind from the deck made for a chilly ride but so worth the views! The boat allowed us to be dropped off prematurely at the bottom of our final hike of the trip. By this point it was cold, rainy, with no sun in sight. Not many chose to follow our choice to hike but we were committed!

It was a quick hike but a steep nearly 1,000 feet up, climbing rocks using not only legs but arms. After 45 minutes of this we took a breather at the top, admiring the mountain farm we had been hiking towards. Skageflå farm is set on a steep cliff side overlooking the fjords. Used as a grazing field for goats and cattle, it was hit by an avalanche making it less accessible. You can see where the destroyed old path lays next to the new in the photo. Saying it’s set on a cliff is an understatement. The kids living on the farm had to be on leashes when playing outside to eliminate the risk of them falling off the edge! The clouds broke just long enough to tease us with a view. By the time we made it there we were drenched to the bone! Our waterproof boots were barely hanging on but they had a little more work to do getting us back down.

One of the best feelings was getting out of the wet clothes and having a nice hot shower after that hike! Speaking of showers, we found it difficult to find campsites that allowed for us to shower and not camp. We may have missed a memo but either way we found ourselves staying at more campgrounds than random spots off the road since we wanted said shower. One nice thing that comes with campgrounds is an essentially guaranteed view! The roadside campsites have amazing views as well but it’s less guaranteed they’re available.

There’s a ton of small towns along the coast between Oslo and Gothenburg, Sweden. We stopped by a couple to break up the long haul back home. We passed through Copenhagen, staying for the night.. it’s one of our favorite cities! Stumbled on a ping pong bar for a little healthy competition and made some local friends before hitting the road the next morning.

Travelling in the camper van was a cool experience that we would 100% do again. If it hadn’t of been for an itinerary, we would’ve felt like we had all the freedom in the world. We found great spots to stay overnight and we saw some of the most stunning scenery along the way that wouldn’t have been seen otherwise. We had a herd of sheep attempting to cross the road ahead of us, a couple moose grazing in the fields, and drove through the spray of a massive waterfall right off the path. These are just a few of the incredible memories made!