Alesund to Geirange, NORWAY
Airing Date: Oct 25th, 2004
Norway consists of the western and northern section of the Scandinavian Peninsula, as well as the Arctic island archipelago of Svalbard, plus Jan Mayen. To the east of Norway lies Sweden, Finland and Russia. To the west, the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. To the north is the Barents Sea, to the south, the North Sea.
Situated on Norway's northwest coast, Alesund lies at the mouth of the world-famous Geirangerfjord, and is Norway's fisheries capital. It is made up of three islands (Norvoy, Aspoy and Hessa), and is home to 36,000 people.
Bridges connect the islands to one another and the mainland. Alesund is best known for the town's unique art nouveau architecture with its myriad of turrets, spires and ornamentation.
Like much of Europe, Scandinavia in not cheap by Australian standards. Visitors to Norway can save money by staying in private homes, like Anne and Iver Hage's farm stay near the village of Andalsnes.
Staying in private houses is a great way to learn about the way of life, like why the buildings have grass on the roof. The answer: it's an old tradition that keeps things warm in winter and cool in summer.
Guests can also help out with the farm activities. You can also sit down to a meal at night (while it's still light) and sample local fare like reindeer!
The journey between Alesund and Geiranger covers some incredibly mountainous country. The land was formed by glaciers during the ice age, and everything is on a huge scale.
Geiranger is magnificent, wild and beautiful; the waterfalls, sheer mountains and lush valleys have made the village one of Norway's most visited tourist venues. It's also a great place to go fishing for Norwegian salmon.
On top of this, the Geiranger Fjord is the crowing glory among Norway's fjord district's pearls of natural beauty. The Geiranger Fjord is one of Norway's smallest fjords, but is also the most dramatic and renowned as the most beautiful in the world. Tourists have been impressed and awed with this magnificent scenery ever since the first cruise ship glided into the fjord in 1869.
The fjord is a 15 km long arm of Storfjord in Sunnmre. It's up to 200m deep in some places, and for its whole length is surrounded by mountains reaching up to 1500m.
There are some magnificent waterfalls in Geirangerfjord, the most recognised being The Seven Sisters. The best time to see the waterfalls is at the end of May and beginning of June, when they're at their biggest.
The facts
Thai International Airways and Scandinavian Airlines fly to Alesund. Prices start from $2639 ex west coast and $2769 ex east coast.
Thai Airways International
Tel: 1300 651 960
Scandinavian Airlines
Tel: 1300 727 707
Bentours run tours through Norway. A three day package starts from $800 a person including accommodation, guide and Fjord cruise.
Bentours
Tel: 02 9241 1353
Fjord Norway
Suggested reading material: Lonely Planet
Prices correct at 25/10/04
