Fjords and mountains around Geirangerfjord and Alesund, Norway

During a short holiday based in Alesund in Norway, we did a day trip touring the surrounding fjords and mountains. Ålesund is a town and municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, is part of the traditional district of Sunnmøre.

From Alesund, we headed east to Sjoholt and then Stordal, passing a very long lake, then through tunnels and around mountains to Liabygda, along another lake to Linge where we had a ferry crossing. Views whilst driving -

Waiting for the ferry and the crossing -

We continued on, going through a valley with a lake -

Then up into the mountains and as we descended the other side we stopped at a major view point. There were stunning views down to Geiranger and the fjord. This is part of the UNESCO World Heritage site, West Norwegian Fjords – Geirangerfjord and Nærøyfjord. 
"Geirangerfjord and Nærøyfjord, set 120 km from one another, are part of the west Norwegian fjord landscape. The two fjords, among the world’s longest and deepest, are considered as archetypical fjord landscapes and among the most scenically outstanding anywhere. Their exceptional natural beauty is derived from their narrow and steep-sided crystalline rock walls that rise up to 1,400 m from the Norwegian Sea and extend 500 m below sea level. The sheer walls of the fjords have numerous waterfalls while free-flowing rivers cross their deciduous and coniferous forests to glacial lakes, glaciers and rugged mountains. "
"The starkly dramatic landscapes of Geirangerfjord and Nærøyfjord are exceptional in scale and grandeur in a country of spectacular fjords. These fjords are among the world’s longest and deepest, and vary in breadth from just 250 m to 2.5 km wide. Fjord, a word of Norwegian origin, refers to a long, deep inlet of the sea between high cliffs formed by submergence of a glaciated valley. These two West Norwegian fjords are considered to be classic and complementary examples of this phenomenon, a sort of type locality for fjords that still display active geological processes."

 The town of Geiranger -

We went down to Geiranger -

I was surprised to see jellyfish and starfish in the water, as well as seaweed.

Trolls feature prominently in Norse mythology, this is a Geiranger troll

From Geiranger we went up into the mountains again and stopped at another viewpoint

 View of the hairpin road we had descended earlier -

This blue sky didn't last as we climbed higher and came to the snow area

At this lake, 1030 m asl, we paid a toll to go up a new road to the summit of a hill. Unfortunately the clouds were down and it was sleeting and there was a strong wind so it was no good for photos.

Our next stop was at a thundering river and a long waterfall -

From here we went alongside many long lakes, past Stryn and several villages

We then had another ferry crossing before reaching back in Alesund

© Liz Price 

Alesund, Norway's Art Nouveau town

In Sept 2016 I had a few days in Alesund, Norway. Alesund is situated on the west coast surrounded by fjords and mountains. The municipality of Ålesund occupies several islands. The airport is located on Vigra island. The road to Alesund town goes through tunnels. I was amazed at the number of tunnels in the area, quite a feat of work, especially considering the population of Norway is only about 6 million.

The old town of Alesund burnt down in 1904. It was decided to rebuild it as a 'showcase' town and several architects came in to design the new Art Nouveau town, which was completed by 1907. The Art Nouveau style is full of towers and turrets and ornamentation on the buildings.
This is the location that you see in all articles about Alesund -

This is the old pharmacy, now the Art Nouveau visitor centre -

Art Nouveau furniture -

The main street is cobbled and pedestrianised -

The narrowest building -

Keyhole windows on the theatre -

More flower decorations -

Typical Viking faces -

Old buildings that survived the fire -

From the city park, you can climb Mount Aksla, which is part of the Sunnmore Alps. There are 418 steps up the hill to get great views over the town and surroundings -

Ambulance to serve the islands -

The town is so small it is easy to walk round. One thing of note is the heated seats. Even though I was there in September and it was quite warm, 15C or more, the heated seats were already working. The worst thing about Norway is it is sooooooooo expensive. Alesund is a shipping and fishing town. It is known for klipfish, salted and dried cod. I had cod twice for dinner, and an average price for a cod dish is £26!

© Liz Price

Woodpecker eating grapes

Green woodpecker eating grapes in London.

This grape vine is growing up a fir tree and when the grapes turned purple at the end of August, I noticed this green woodpecker having a feast. According to the RSPB www, the green woodpeckers eat ants.

This one is male, with a red moustache (from Garden Birds)

Video of the woodpecker eating grapes -