Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Snuggle into the fjordside village of Balestrand, which has a variety of
walking and biking options and a fun local arts scene. Balestrand is also a
handy jumping-off spot for adventures great and small, including a day trip
up the Fjærlandsfjord to gaze at a receding tongue of the Jostedal Glacier, or
across the Sognefjord to the truly medieval-feeling Hopperstad Stave Church.
Farther east is the Lustrafjord, a tranquil branch of the Sognefjord offering
drivers an appealing concentration of visit-worthy sights. On the Lustrafjord,
you'll enjoy enchanting hamlets with pristine fjord views (such as Solvorn),
historic churches (including Norway's oldest stave church at Urnes and the
humble village Dale Church in Luster), an opportunity to touch and even hike
on a glacier (the Nigard), and more stunning fjord views.
This region is important to the people of Norway. After four centuries
under Danish rule, the soul of the country was nearly lost. With semi-inde-
pendence and a constitution in the early 1800s, the country experienced a re-
surgence of national pride. Urban Norwegians headed for the fjord country
here in the west. Norway's first Romantic painters and writers were drawn
to Balestrand, inspired by the unusual light and dramatic views of mountains
plunging into the fjords. The Sognefjord, with its many branches, is featured
in more Romantic paintings than any other fjord.
