Our next few days were filled with the expectation of what Norway would be like. We expected spectacular views, great riding roads and beautiful Fjords. We would not be disappointed!

Wednesday (I think!)

The next part of our trip would see us heading south and then veer north again to visit more of Norway. First overnight stay was at Kristiansand on the south coast. The weather was very ordinary, rain and chilly which always affects how you feel about a ride. We rode through many tunnels, the longest being 3.2km. Outside the tunnels the riding was slow as the roads were quite slippery. We found a nice shopping centre to have our lunch and to warm up before riding on. Our accommodation tonight was in The Budget Hotel - overpriced for what we got - bunk beds, make them yourself but at least it had a private bathroom. We found a great American style diner for our evening meal. It was still raining when we went to bed!

Thursday - When we woke this morning the sun was shining. After a late breakfast we set off to our next stop Stavanger. The scenery today was spectacular. We rode through pine forests that seemed to grow right down to the fjords, high rocky cliffs and meandering streams were beside us all day. We stopped several times just to take photos and marvel at the views. There were more tunnels and bridges and picturesque towns along the shores of the fjords. As we got closer to Stavanger the temperature dropped and it started to sprinkle rain so we stopped to put on the wet weather gear. The rain didn't really develop but we were warmer than we had been all day - 10 degrees is a bit cold when you add the wind chill factor. Our hotel is about 2km out of central Stavanger with a bus stop across the road. We decided to stay for three nights as the accommodation was great and the weather for the next couple of days was not going to be too good - windy, cold and wet. Better off the bike than on it!

Friday, Saturday - check out the Stavanger Blog entry.

Sunday - The sky was blue when we woke this morning ready for our ride to Bergen. Today we needed to take two ferries, ride through long tunnels (the longest was 8.78km) and cross long bridges. Unfortunately the weather was not kind to us and after the first ferry is was wet weather gear on, so not many photos. Added to the frustration of poor weather our GPS decided not to play the game and to top it off our rear tyre only had 9 PSI when we checked it before setting out. We could not find the problem with the tyre so rode on with several stops at service stations to top up the air in the tyre. Luckily there is a Triumph Dealer in Bergen so our first visit tomorrow will be there to get the tyre issue sorted.

Monday - time to check out the Bergen Blog entry.

Tuesday - No rain forecast today - yippee! We packed the bike and left Bergen at 8:30am heading east. If we were talking tunnels - today was THE DAY! By the end of the day we had ridden through 60 tunnels - how do we know? Kerrie counted them! The shortest was 60m, the longest, wait for it ........................was 25km! Each time we exited a tunnel there was another spectacular view. If ever we had wanted to see the Norway that we had imagined, today was that day. Greg says it is the best motorcycle riding day he has ever had!

We stopped at Vos for fuel and then again at Flam for lunch. Flam sits at the end of Aurlandsfjord. When we arrived there were 2 cruise ships berthed in the fjord - we were amazed that such big vessels could get so far inland up the fjord as we were over 100km from the coast. After hotdogs and coffee we rode on to our destination for the night. The village of Ron was the right distance from Bergen for a night's stay and we have a lovely room in a guesthouse right by a lake. We have a 3 course dinner, 2 Grolsch beers and breakfast included in our stay - 1580 NOK for the night which is about $260. By the way, the dinner was amazing.

Wednesday - Today is our last day in Norway and we have a beautiful sunny day for our 400km ride. The scenery today, though not as spectacular as yesterday, was still amazing. There were only two tunnels but we rode through pine forests and beside lakes for almost the whole day. We did have to avoid a wandering cow and a few sheep as we passed by farm after farm - all with the white farmhouse and red barns for the stock. We said goodbye to Norway at the border with Chris claiming back the tax on the new jacket he bought in Bergen. Our nine nights in Norway have been wonderful, another tick off the bucket list!

Our accommodation tonight is in Karlstad, Sweden - our first Airbnb. The apartment is on the second floor of a building in a semi-commercial area. It is only $114 between the 3 of us and is quite luxurious. We have food left for us (included in the price) to feed us both dinner and breakfast. Greg and Chris took the oportunity to wash the bikes in the secure compound downstairs - Kerrie has to cook dinner - fair deal I think!