There’s something poetic about summer evenings on a fjord. There’s a mellow, steady, no-shadow light that hardly changes from 8:00 until 11:00 p.m. The steady call of gulls and the lazy gulping of small boats taking on little waves provide a relaxing soundtrack.
When settled into a Victorian-era fjordside hotel, I find myself spending lots of time sitting on porches, mesmerized by Norwegian mountains. Rather than jagged, they’re bald and splotchy, with snow fields on top and characteristic cliffs plunging into inky fjords. Tonight I took my strawberries à la mode onto one such porch and sat there long after my coffee cooled and the ice cream melted.
After dinner, I strolled through the village enjoying the blond cherubs running barefoot through the stalled twilight. Cobbled lanes led past shiplap houses to rock cliffs — gullies and cracks green with trees. Half the sky was taken up by the black rock face of the mountain.
Sitting on a lonely pier, I enjoyed the souvenir stains: black splatters on my khakis — carbon smudges from my glacier hike. Apparently ancient plant matter peppers the glaciers and is eventually exposed as the slow-moving river of ice makes its way down the mountain.
In my research work, I did the two most-promoted “glacier trips,” taking me to the two most-visited tongues of the Jostedal Glacier — northern Europe’s largest glacier. One trip sails down Fjærlandsfjord to Mundal, Walter Mondale’s ancestral home town (and just as exciting), from where an awaiting bus shuttles visitors up to Bøyabreen. The other trip, up another fjord, goes to a tongue of the glacier called Nigardsbreen.
Being here tunes you into the glory and tragedy of nature. Bøyabreen has retreated to the point where it’s actually dishonest to sell a trip there as a “glacier visit.” You look at it in the distance past a lake made by its run-off, listening to your guide, who sounds more like an environmentalist who lost a loved one.
The other, Nigardsbreen, still thunders to the lake at its feet. To reach it, you pay to enter a national park, hop a small boat to cross the lake, then hike over glacier-smoothed rocks to a small group of tents where local guides are lashing spikes onto visitors’ shoes to take them hiking up into the mountain of blue ice with its black speckles.
Roped up with a dozen visitors, we did the hour-long hike. At first I moved gingerly — not trusting my simple, four-spiked crampons. But as long as I walked “with angry steps,” stamping each step deliberately, I could climb steeply up and down with no problem on the ice.
It took me the better part of two days. But now I can say with more certainty than any information I found in print: Bøyabreen is a waste of time. If you like your ice on the rocks, head for Nigardsbreen.
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| Sleepy Solvorn, under towering rocks with peeling paint, provides a restful, fjordside escape. Enlarge photo |
The Bøyabreen glacier experience? It sounds good in the ads…but you’ll need binoculars. As glaciers recede, some tour experiences are left on the rocks but without the ice. Enlarge photo |
Nigardsbreen, a tongue of the Jostedal glacier — Europe’s biggest — offers Norway’s best easy-access glacier experience. Enlarge photo |
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| All roped-up on the one-hour family hike, you’ll be glad you made a potty stop before setting out. Enlarge photo |
Climbing on the ice with flimsy strap-on, four-toothed crampons, you proceed gingerly. But by making “angry steps” you realize they grip, and soon you are confidently glacier hiking. Enlarge photo |
When I was in Norway last month traveling with your guidebook, the tourist industry was buzzing that you were coming. I drove from Oslo to Balestrand so I know what you mean about beauty being a distraction. I had to pull over so many times just to look and take photos. Ironically the beauty of Scandinavia made me appreciate America even more. We also live in such a beautiful country and I need to see even more. My son discovered his Norwegian roots and we had a trip to remember (and your book helped!).
Why take a swipe at Walter Mondale? I’ll bet you never knew him. I did. You aren’t funny.
I regret having to be the messenger bringing the bad news to Rick Steves but it was inevitable that his social commentary on the world around us would attract competition. Bo, the first dog, has published his first op-ed in the July 16 edition of the New York Times. Titled “My First 100 (dog) Days in the White House,” Bo’s writing is surprisingly cogent. As a Portuguese water dog, he makes many of the same observations RS does about us all living together in one world, about looking different and about minor mishaps influencing his life and that of those around him. But, like some of RS’s correspondents, he also has an intolerant side. He too hates cats. I suspect he would also paws before delving into the intricacies of ice climbing. Bill Kester
Barry, you missed your opportunity. I thought you were headed there…but… I’ll do it for you: Rick: “I’ll bet you never knew Walter Mondale. I did…and you are no Walter Mondale”.
Thanks, Gunther. I goofed.
I really like Walter Mondale…even gave him money when he ran against Coleman. I wouldn’t call him entertaining…but his commitment to people has always been an inspiration to me.
A thought Rick. I would be more favorably inclined to take your Estonia, Russia tour if I didn’t have to go thru the hassle of obtaining a Russian visa for that leg of the trip. On a cruise ship THEY arrange the visa if you are traveling with the ships’ shore excursion. Do you think RS would get more takers for that tour if your company arranged for the clients’ visas? (sorry for the first dog, Bo, analogy but he IS Portuguese) Bill Kester
Just heard the interview on Tavis Smiley’s radio show…just 30 min after picking up my UPS delivery of RS guidies for my upcoming trip. Way out of control! Hopefully in a few years I’ll travel to Scandinavia, there’s just so many other places I want to see first (including places outside of Europe)…..
Hey Rick’ Sounds like youre staying in Balestramd – one of my favorite spots in Norway when I visited after your tour. The folks are so friendly and I was able to become friends with the owners/family of the large hotel and their spin off down the road. They live in bay area SF when not summering there! I also did the same Glacier hike and agree its well worth it to get over and take the hike! Enjoy your trip – will enjoy reading more. Loved Oslo and Bergen too and hope to go to Stavenger soon (maybe you can check out that huge rock/cliff area thats on all the postcards! Thanks – Tom in newport beach ca
If you are talking about Balestrand–we loved it, and would go back there again (next time, I’d drive and see more than just the fjord-level view). Your recommendations there were perfect for the small family hotel we stayed at (what a wonderful view from the balcony!) with gracious, caring hosts, to the unbelievable buffet at the big, tour-group filled hotel and the nearby cute cafe with great, reasonably priced local trout. We did like the glacier trip better than you, but you can get much more up close and personal to glaciers in Alaska, and the glacier museum is only fair. On the other hand, my wife is a librarian, so we loved the little “book town,” and it was having its annual book fair when we were there. Truly a “busman’s holiday” for her.
Hi Rick, I enjoyed your blog about your stay on the Sognefjord. My husband and I ferried to Mundal, stopping at Balestrand and my fond memory of Balestrand is the children selling boxes of fresh strawberries. We ate them all before dinner at the Mundal Hotel and before dinner decided to shower with not enough water for the 2 of us. Our stay was worth every minute we spent in Mundal, enjoying the beautiful family, good food and of course, our trip to the glacier. We didn’t hike it however, must have been no eager beavers. We have traveled to Norway 7 times, and never seem to get enough of the beautiful country. Recent highligts have been 3 times round trip on the coastal steamer. Way to go. In our 80’s now and health not too good for my husband, so we enjoy your tv programs and travel along with you. Chris
I can’t believe you went to Fjaerland. My father’s father’s family is from Fjaerland. There is a Distad farm. My relatives tell me that Kaiser Wilhelm used to come watch the glacier. He wanted it to calve and of course, he was the Kaiser, so he had people shoot cannon balls into it to make it calve. I dont’ know if this is true or apocryphal. And Distad is of course the other name in Fjaerland. I’ve been told we have a lot of catching up to do with the Mundals (Mondales)
Rick, I appreciate the opportunity to skip (mostly!)the political opinions. Just like I don’t listen to “movie stars” opinions. Everyone has their own beliefs and even if I agree with yours, I don’t go to a travel sight for that reason. Jill Ernst