A day of two halves really, first along the Atlantic Road with its magnificent bridges, but a dark and brooding landscape overlooking the equally dark and brooding North Atlantic Ocean. Mood not helped by the weather i guess, also appropriately moody…. Pretty tough kind of place to make a living: the standard model it seems has been for the men to fish and the women to farm and somehow eke out a living doing both. Not so much these days, of course…

At the end of the Atlantic Road we reach the lively looking town of Kristiansund: lots of oil and gas industry related shipping and other activity from what i can see. Doesn’t prevent the Norwegian’s having the most expensive petrol in Europe, of course: 2.64 euro a litre!!! Here are a couple of pics of Kristiansund:

Then on to the second half of the day from Kristiansund to Trondheim: lots of flat bottomed valleys and sleek looking cattle but little by way of crops – almost all hay as evidenced by the endless rolls of hay wrapped in white plastic waiting to be collected. Great roads to drive, wide sweeping bends instead of hairpins, a few longer tunnels but mostly short ones and – of course – a couple of ferry rides.

Something quite refreshing about the driving style in Norway: most folks observe the 80 kph speed limit and there is very little overtaking. It doesn’t seem to be simply that i am on holiday and not in a hurry, it seems to be their overall attitude! I have never driven so far, so slowly…. and enjoyed it so much!!!

Great stop for lunch at a campsite next to a fjord: enjoyed a huge, wonderfully light and fluffy omlette ….and a giant ice cream cone!!!

Day of rest in Trondheim tomorrow: a sizeable city of 200,000+ souls and a history going back more than a millenium. The place boasts the most northerly gothic cathedral in Europe, dating back to the 11th Century – more on that and a few pics for you tomorrow…..