August 30, 2014
Voss is known as the adrenaline capital of Norway, home to paragliding, skydiving, bungee and much more. Queenstown, New Zealand has a similar nickname, and I was actually a bit put off by the craziness and numerous tour operators in that town, so I didn't have high hopes for Voss, but I was quite pleasantly surprised. It actually felt like a quaint little town situated on a huge, beautiful lake, backed by green mountains and thick forest in every direction. We found a great hostel right on the waterfront, so after our Norway in a Nutshell tour, we wandered the city and took the bridge across the creek to the side of town to visit a small gorge.
The gorge, Bordalsgjelet Gorge, is a beautiful, extremely narrow canyon with moss and fern covered walls on the outskirts of town, only about a 30 minute hike from the center of town (or you could also drive there and just do a 5 minute hike to and from the parking lot). Again, we weren't exactly sure what to expect, but the towering walls of the very narrow canyon were quite impressive, so we took in the views and numerous pictures before heading back to town a little before darkness set in. We spent the night in Voss at the hostel, and while it was expensive, as is everything in Norway, the huge breakfast buffet with fresh lox of salmon, granolas, yogurts, cheeses, deli meats, and tables full of organic fruit definitely made up for the cost.
Given our great weather and good connections, we were actually able to do everything on or ahead of schedule, so Craig actually decided to go home a day early, so he left the next day from Voss, taking the train back to Bergen and then connecting with a few short flights before making his way back to Washington DC. Or maybe he was just really sick of me...I guess we'll never know.
Voss is known as the adrenaline capital of Norway, home to paragliding, skydiving, bungee and much more. Queenstown, New Zealand has a similar nickname, and I was actually a bit put off by the craziness and numerous tour operators in that town, so I didn't have high hopes for Voss, but I was quite pleasantly surprised. It actually felt like a quaint little town situated on a huge, beautiful lake, backed by green mountains and thick forest in every direction. We found a great hostel right on the waterfront, so after our Norway in a Nutshell tour, we wandered the city and took the bridge across the creek to the side of town to visit a small gorge.
The gorge, Bordalsgjelet Gorge, is a beautiful, extremely narrow canyon with moss and fern covered walls on the outskirts of town, only about a 30 minute hike from the center of town (or you could also drive there and just do a 5 minute hike to and from the parking lot). Again, we weren't exactly sure what to expect, but the towering walls of the very narrow canyon were quite impressive, so we took in the views and numerous pictures before heading back to town a little before darkness set in. We spent the night in Voss at the hostel, and while it was expensive, as is everything in Norway, the huge breakfast buffet with fresh lox of salmon, granolas, yogurts, cheeses, deli meats, and tables full of organic fruit definitely made up for the cost.
Given our great weather and good connections, we were actually able to do everything on or ahead of schedule, so Craig actually decided to go home a day early, so he left the next day from Voss, taking the train back to Bergen and then connecting with a few short flights before making his way back to Washington DC. Or maybe he was just really sick of me...I guess we'll never know.
(The edge of Voss and the scenic lake around which the city is situated. I wasn't expecting much from the city, and it turned out to be a beautiful place.)
(The swinging bridge across the creek emptying into the lake led us across from downtown to Bordalsgjelet Gorge, about a 30-45 minute walk.)
(Craig heads into the gorge. The narrow gorge has steep walls covered in greenery, opening up to a few small waterfalls at the end of the viewing platform.)
(Craig surveys the scene while I hang behind for pictures...pretty typical.)
(An aerial view of the narrow gorge from the road above.)
(My fantastic breakfast (Part 1 of it) at the hostel. While the hostel was expensive compared to other parts of Europe, a HUGE buffet breakfast of deli meats, lox of salmon, cheeses, granolas, yogurts, and tons of organic fruit more than made up for it.)
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