The West Coast Fjord Country - Norway - page 324

escape from Norway, following the German invasion of their borders. The royals
made it, but Åndalsnes was left to pay the price.
The town today is modern, and all too ready to forget the period when it was
used as a military base for the Nazis.
ESSENTIALS
GETTING THERE Trains run daily from Oslo to Åndalsnes, taking 6 to 8
hours. From June 15 through August 30 daily buses link Åndalsnes to
Geiranger, taking 3 to 4 hours. Daily buses also run to Ålesund (trip time: 2 1 ⁄ 2
hr.) and to Molde (trip time: 1 1 ⁄ 2 hr.). Motorists take E6 northwest from Oslo
toward Lillehammer. At Dombås, head west on the E9 to Åndalsnes.
VISITOR INFORMATION At the train station, the Åndalsnes og Romsdal
Reiselivslag Tourist Office ( & 71-22-16-22 ) dispenses information. It's open
June to August, Monday to Saturday 9am to 7pm, Sunday 1 to 7pm. Also click
on www.visitandalsnes.com for information.
SEEING THE SIGHTS
Åndalsnes is the starting point for one of the great motor drives in Norway: the
Trollstigvegen , a 2-hour drive along Route 63 south to Geiranger. The
highway climbs to 620m (2,034 ft.) over a distance of 8km (5 miles). The Ørn-
eveien or “Eagle's Road” down to Geiranger was a marvel of Norwegian engi-
neering upon its completion in 1952.
Along the way you'll encounter 11 hairpin turns. The last hairpin curve is
called Ørnsvingen or “Eagle's Bend,” offering one of the greatest views
in the fjord country—that of the Geirangerfjord. The dramatic route will take
you right into Geiranger. This road for daredevils has a 1:12 gradient. To make
matters even more exciting, it's one lane for most of the hair-raising journey.
If you're driving or even on a bus, vehicles stop in front of the thundering
Stigfossen Waterfall , whose waters drop 180m (590 ft.).
Vegmuseum, Trollstigen ( & 71-22-14-65 ), is a little museum at the pass,
with exhibitions relating the story of how this incredible road came to be. It's
open late June to mid-August daily from 11am to 3:30pm, charging an admis-
sion of 15NOK ($2.15).
Another grand highlight of the area is en route to Dombås (Rte. 9). Both
road and train lines follow the Troll Wall or Trollveggen , a major challenge
for mountaineers, rising 1,800m (5,905 ft.). A combined Norwegian and British
team “conquered” it in 1965.
The visitor center (see above) distributes more than a dozen leaflets outlining
the best hiking trails through the Romsdalen Alps, a string of mountains
enveloping Åndalsnes. The most dramatic route—and our all-time favorite—is
the full-day jaunt that begins 50m (164 ft.) north of Åndalsnes and climbs to
the summit of Nesaksla Mountain , rising 715m (2,345 ft.) over Åndalsnes.
At the top you're rewarded with another one of those awesome panoramas. On
a clear day you can see down to the Romsdalsfjord. From here the climb con-
tinues to the summit of Høgnosa at 991m (3,251 ft.) and on to Åkesfjellet at
1,215m (3,986 ft.).
The Romsdalsfjord is one of the most scenic in western Norway, cutting
a deep gash into the earth and extending west of Åndalsnes. The tourist office
can arrange 4-hour fishing tours of the fjord at a cost of 250NOK ($36) per per-
son. An annual local license can be obtained for180NOK ($25) from the tourist
office.