Rondane to Jotunheim

It was quite a nice morning when we got up but the forecast was not too great for the day, so we decided to up sticks and make our move. We could easily have stayed in the Rondane area for the rest of our time in Norway but its still a fair distance from Kristiansand so heading further south was the more sensible option. Also, we had only skirted the south western edge of the Jotunheim area so we were keen to head back there and see what else it had to offer.

The boys had a good play on the trampoline and threw some stones in the river while Joyce and myself sorted out the van, its great that the boys are now of an age where you can can (within reason) leave them to their own devices and play somewhere without having to always be there with them. We filled up with water and got on the road, although the first section of this was very short lived as there was a museum just around the corner we wanted to visit. It is a small museum dedicated to the local area's past with regard to hunting and fishing and way of life, and also how they harnessed the power of the river to drive a sawmill, it was very interesting and even better free, sadly there was no English translation to the exhibits which I think annoyed the poor lady looking after the place almost as much as it annoyed us. Joyce found herself a little hytte which fancied as home, and Callum and Logan grew a new set of horns (well antlers actually) today also.........

The heavens opened for a wee while and the rain was quite heavy but we got back on the road and followed the 27 road south but took a turn off left briefly as I wanted to have look at Sollia Church, I quite like these old churches and their shape and the craftsmanship that went into constructing them, unfortunately this one was not open which was a pity as it is reckoned to be one of Norways best preserved and beautifully decorated Baroque style churches, it was built in 1737 and 1738. We had a wander around outside and then also had lunch. The weather had improved again and that was the last we saw of rain for the day.

Back on the 27 road again we continued over a high pass rounding the south side of the Rondane, the scenery is superb although for a change it is fairly flat and open, the little hytte's and hotels with their grass roofs blend in so well with their surroundings, this is also clearly skiing country as there is some tows and lifts visible but I suspect the main skiing here is the cross country type. I think what we most liked about the Rondane was how quiet it felt, not a tourist trap like many of the area's we have passed through.

Eventually we were down and headed briefly back north on the E6 as we wanted to head west over to Jotunheimen area. We chose the smaller 257 road rather than the bigger 15 and this was a lovely drive, it is a steep sided gorge and there are lots of rapids running down here and plenty of opportunity for white water rafting and canoeing....a little above our skill level at the moment however. We found another interesting looking church at Heidal and had a quick look around this one also, which again was closed.  This one was built between 1937 and 1941 after the original church burnt down in 1933, the fire was caused by a lightening strike.

Back on the road we headed west and the scenery changed from a gorge into more of a pine forest and soon we passed a lovely looking campsite called Jotunheimen Forrestriere. We were sort of hoping for a free night but this did look good, we headed north on the 51 road which is the Valdresflye National Tourist Route. However, although there were a couple of options we elected to head back to the campsite and let the boys have a play on the swings and trampoline for the evening. We did and they had some fun and made some new friends again here. The sun was out and we were able to sit outside again and enjoy dinner, tonight it was Norwegian Pollock coated in Isbjorn Beer Batter........simply delicious......and probably one of THE coolest beer cans I have ever seen, the ring pull is a little work of art and a superb touch. It its made by the Mack brewing company, the world's most northerly brewery being sited about 70k from Tromso. Isbjorn translates to Polar Bear (beer). It is Macks biggest selling beer and it has a bit of history in that it was taken to the North Pole in 1981, and then also to the South Pole in 1990. It was called Mack Polar Beer. For some reason and I don't know why the product went out of production for some years, but was relaunched as Isbjorn in 2014 and is now Macks best selling beer brand.

 The forecast is looking better for tomorrow so we plan to try and climb a hill somewhere to get a look at the bigger peaks of the Jotunheimen. Better get some sleep...