Getting around Norway's rugged coastline is quite an adventure. It requires different modes of transportation to make my way north. Take, for instance, crossing Bømlafjord. The most efficient way was to drive through the Bømlafjord Tunnel 854ft (260m) under the sea. The tunnel is nearly 5mi (8km) long, starting north of Valestrand and ending in Føyno.
From Heiane, I hopped on the Skjersholmane-Ranavik ferry and traversed the fjord diagonally to Halsnøy Abbey. Skirting around the fjord to Løfallstrand for another ferry crossing, I made a brief stop to check out a tall tower where the Norsafe Academy Årsnes conducts offshore lifeboat drop tests, with free falls from the tower.
Once on the ferry again,
I admired the vastness of Hardangerfjord and contemplated the origin of the
word "fjord". In Proto-Germanic, the common ancestor of all Germanic
languages, including the Scandinavian ones, the word "fjord" is derived
from "ferþuz", meaning a body of water used for passage or travel.
This evolved into "fjǫrðr" in Old Norse, referring to a narrow sea
inlet bordered by steep cliffs or mountains. In modern Norwegian, it became
"fjord", a term that was eventually adopted into English.
As I continued to marvel at Hardangerfjord, I was struck by its sheer scale. Hardangerfjord is Norway's second longest fjord, stretching 111mi (179km) from the Atlantic Ocean into its mountainous interior. At its deepest point, the fjord plunges to 2,922ft (890m). Featuring several major branches, the longest arm is Sørfjorden, extending 24mi (38km) south toward Odda, the largest town in the area. Branching north is Eidfjorden, and spanning the fjord is the Hardanger Bridge, Norway's longest suspension bridge at 4,530ft (1,380m) and the world's longest tunnel-to-tunnel suspension bridge.
Having successfully disembarked the ferry in Gjerdmundshamn, my next stop will be Bergen after crossing another fjord, the Bjørnafjorden.
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