Saltstraumen, Road 17, Torghatten, the Atlantic Road, Geiranger Fjord. Days 12 to 15

So, on July 28, 2016, we got up very early, at 5 a.m., to make it to the morning peak of the whirlpools. We made it.

Then we moved on. That early start helped us visit more places before the rain that had been forecast for the afternoon.

The beautiful Fv17 scenic road starts near Saltstraumen. At the beginning of it there are cameras that automatically charge drivers for using the road. If you have a transponder, the charge happens immediately. If you do not, the system recognizes the plate and sends an invoice by mail. There is also another option. If you are coming to Norway only for a short trip, you can register on their website, add your car number and your bank card. After the first time you pass under a toll camera, the system will, a few weeks later, charge 300 NOK to your card and then deduct tolls from that amount as information about your movements arrives. If the 300 NOK runs out, it will charge another 300 NOK. After three months, whatever remains from the last charged 300 NOK is returned to your card.

Road 17 takes you through many beautiful places, and along it you have to cross fjords by ferry several times.

While traveling along Road 17, we decided to stay for the night on Alsta Island. We were unpleasantly surprised by how few places there were to rent a cabin, and wherever such places existed, everything was already occupied. In the end we stumbled across some old house where they rented us a room for 1,000 NOK. I got up early the next morning, let my girlfriend sleep a little longer, and drove back toward the start of the island to take a few beautiful photos.

Then we packed up quickly and hurried to the ferry. When we arrived there were loads of cars, and we thought we would have to wait for the next ferry, but strangely enough, everybody fit.

Throughout the trip we never booked ferries in advance. We simply arrived, joined the queue and waited. The queue there works like this: there are several numbered lanes, from 1 to N, and the arriving cars fill them in order. First lane 1 fills up, then lane 2, and so on. So if you arrive and there is still room in lane 1 but there is already a car waiting in lane 2, you are supposed to line up behind that car.

After that we went to the rock with a hole in it called Torghatten. You have to walk there on foot, and the hike to it takes around 40 to 50 minutes. The return is quicker.

After that we visited a few more sights and spent the night at a campsite in our tent for 200 NOK.

The next morning we woke up and set off again. The weather was bad and it was raining, but there were no major sights on our route because we had already left Road 17 and were back on the highway. That is how we passed Trondheim without stopping, and only when we began approaching the next attraction did the weather finally clear up.

We visited the obligatory landmark, the Atlantic Road. Once again we found a campsite where we pitched the tent, this time for 100 NOK.

The next day the weather was not especially good. We packed the tent and drove on. After a few kilometers we reached Trollstigen. We were lucky and arrived while there were still only a few clouds around. As soon as we left, the whole sky became covered.

We kept going. Next on the route was the famous Geiranger Fjord.

After that we drove up the nearby mountain. It was cold there, and there was still snow.

We spent the night in a cabin in Loen. From there we tried to drive to a nearby glacier, but did not walk up to it because it started raining, so we went back to the cabin.