“ if Barbie is so popular, why do you have to buy her friends?”…

After logging 22,000ft of climbing since our last rest day in Bergen, this flatlander’s legs need a rest!

And this tiny village of Skjolden is just right; a very comfortable and cozy hotel with a breathtaking view at the end of a fjord to either go hiking or just lay around enjoying the view, take a sauna and a dip in the fjord 🥶, have a pint and psyche ourselves up for the final week of riding in Norway.

An amazing place to rest and enjoy some of the finest fjord views in Norway, the Skjolden hotel is perfectly placed at the very end of the worlds longest fjord – Sognefjorden.

The village is quiet, there is cycling, hiking and boating options for more activity. But we had a steady misty rain most of the day and quite a bit of wind with a high of 8C…so lounging in the expansive lobby was really nice…with a view like this, it is hard to get moving. Today is the first day I’ve seen whitecaps on any fjord or lake, it has been almost dead calm and ‘hear a pin drop’ quiet, other than the sound of rushing water or the musical sound of sheep bells….just spectacular.

In Luster, close to both Jotunheimen and the large glacier Jostedalsbreen, you´ll find the small town of Skjolden and one of the more iconic fjord views in the Sognefjord. 

A rainbow peaked out for a short time behind one of the fjord’s mountainsides…

Surrounded by waterfalls, steep mountains and dramatic landscape, this is a town I will remember. Skjolden has more to offer than meets the eye. The Skjolden Hotel has it´s very own brewery in it’s basement and offers gourmet dinners which are second to none, like the one we devoured last night…haddock, halibut, beets, hazelnuts, veal and warm toffee cake!

There are several places in the Sognefjord region where you can see majestic waterfalls cascading down steep mountainsides, and some of these waterfalls are among Norway’s highest. We had lunch yesterday beside the country’s highest.

A point on definitions: to be called a fjord, the valley needs to be deeper than it is wide and be 3 sided(no exit). If the width is less than the depth, it is an inlet or bay. A Sound is similar to a fjord but usually has an opening at both ends.

Tomorrow we kit up for Stage 2’s Queen’s Stage….to bed early!

Life is Good in Skjolden!