Calm Sogndalstrand, where time has stood still

After the visit to Stavanger and Beer mountain we travelled further along the coast. As it was a bit of the theme of the trip, we also chose a tourist route that goes from Bore to Flekkefjord. This road had a completely different character than the previous ones and it was really nice to be able to relax a little more as many of the previous ones had not been beneficial to the heart. You can read more about them in our other posts, including here.

Unfortunately, it was only the first half closest to Bore that was a little calmer but more about that below...

Our first stop was in the picturesque Sogndalstrand. It seems that time has stood still here and apart from some wires and pavement talkers, it might as well have been July 1824. Everything was incredibly well maintained here and you can probably imagine that there are quite strict rules for what you can and cannot do with your property. Regardless, it was really cosy to stroll around here.

After a short walk we found a hotel and inn that looked really nice. There was some language confusion between us and the young staff but we eventually managed to order a fish soup which was fantastic. In retrospect, I think they were actually trying to say that it was fully booked but at that time we were hungry and stupid tourists whose subconscious chose not to understand Norwegian. Incidentally, it is something we have noticed that people under 30 have a very hard time understanding Swedish. Over 30 there are rarely problems but the younger ones often look like living question marks. Someone said that this is because all Norwegian children's programmes used to be in Swedish but nowadays they are in Norwegian. I have no idea if that's true, but it's a remarkable difference between the generations.

Even around the village it is incredibly beautiful. As it is an old fishing village, there is of course a harbour but also a small river that completes the picture. This is especially evident in the opening image of this post.

Satisfied and calm, we looked forward to a continued calm trip to Flekkefjord, but we were disappointed. When we least expected it, the worst roads of the whole trip suddenly appeared. Not only were they winding and narrow, they also had overhanging rocks that made it impossible to drive all the way out with a tall vehicle.

The worst part was around Jøssingfjord where the roads were tying themselves in knots and in some places it almost felt like you could see your own backside in the curve. Considering that before the trip we told ourselves that the area around Geiranger was the worst, it was probably lucky that we did not start with this stretch because then we might have turned around and gone home again.

Although we are a bit new to this with motorhomes, we had managed to avoid boring incidents, but against a German who drove in the middle of the road, it was not even enough with a beginner's luck. Luckily he realised his mistake but it was a bit too late which resulted in two "bonked" rear view mirrors. There was no major damage but it was still a bit sad as we were almost home.

Despite the mishap, we could not help but admire the beautiful landscape. Very different from what we experienced in the Norwegian mountains but still special and almost unreal.

Exhausted, we finally arrived in Flekkefjord. In the small summer town there is what has been voted the caravan park of the year so the choice of where to stay was easy. It is a bit fun that the municipality itself runs it and they had also made a point of attracting visitors to the city so that they would not just sit and press the car park. Among other things, city walks are organised that start from the car park.

You can read more about the car park here.

During the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, a lot of business was done with the Netherlands and many Dutch people chose to settle in the city. It eventually became the Dutch Quarter, which is still a well-preserved area with lots of beautiful wooden houses. In the middle of the area is also the Grand Hotel which looked really cosy, and from what we understand they also have the best restaurant in town, Grand Gastro.

The beautiful area ends in a small harbour, where many of the newly built houses had their own jetty. It may not be obvious from the pictures, but the town is surrounded by water and it feels like shipping has been important both historically and today. It is clear that the town is a popular summer town with all its boats, mobile homes and restaurants.

One thing we never learn is that all shops are closed on Sundays. At home, you are spoiled by always being able to buy food, but in our dear neighbouring country, you simply have to go to a restaurant if you forget to buy food on Saturday. We didn't have to, however, as we found Tollboden bakery, a bakery that offered stone oven baked pizzas and sandwiches. They won't win any prizes for their efficiency, but the pizzas were really good.

So what do you do on a sunny evening in a city where everything is closed? Well, of course you have your own fudge tasting in the motorhome. The sweets had been bought in Bergen and it was high time to finish them before they got all dry and boring.

A nice part of our trip and a part of the country that we will surely return to as it is still relatively close to sunny Karlstad. On this particular evening, however, the sun shone brightest in little Flekkefjord, which gave us a beautiful end to the day.