Geirangerfjord and "the Golden Route" (Photo-essay)

In my previous blog post, I wrote about having wanted to walk the streets of Alesund, yet opting instead to go on a land excursion that took place during the MS Richard With's longest scheduled stop in the Art Nouveau city.  

But when I tell you that the attraction which ended up taking greater priority than that Norwegian coastal town was the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Geirangerfjord (which I had previously listed among the top five UNESCO World Heritage listed-sites that I wanted to visit), I think you'll understand.  And even if not, I reckon that the following photo-essay will go a long way towards explaining why I do consider the eight and a half hour excursion I opted to go on -- which included two ferry rides as well as one long bus ride along what's been billed as "the Golden Route" -- to have been one of the highlights of my Nordic vacation:-

From a wonderfully placed lookout above Geirangerfjord, 

this is the incredible view you get when you look to the left...

 ...and this is the sublime sight that greets you 

when you look over to the right! :)

About an hour by bus and a ferry away from Geirangerfjord lies

the fabled and visually impressive Gudbrandsjuvet (Gudbrands Gorge)

I figured I'd see snow in Norway, even in June, 

but I didn't expect to see so much of it so up close! :O

I also definitely didn't expect to be treading on snow

for the first time in some 12 years in June of this year!

 I did so though to be able to get to viewpoints like this one

which Puppet Ponyo enjoyed spending some time taking in :b

 From up above, one can get a view of what's to come: a hair-raising 

drive down the scary 11 hairpin bend, single lane (but two way) 

Trollstigen Mountain Road (aka The Troll's Path)! :O

 And when you consider that this road also cuts through 

the paths of a number of gushing waterfalls, one can't help but 

hold one's breath several times when descending down it! ;D