August 10, 2023
Norheimsund, Norway, to Rosendal, Norway (August 10, 2023)
We were Nervous for no Reason
We woke up and immediately reviewed the weather report: Occasional rain predicted and a high in the low 50s. That didn’t sound too bad and indeed we had a very nice journey. After the cold and wet ride two days ago I opted for an additional layer, putting on my tights under rain pants and wearing an extra wool top and arm warmers. It was the right move.
We headed out at 9:30 hoping to ride the 55 km to reach the ferry departure point at Gjermundshamn to catch the 2 pm ferry to Arsns. The weather was much ado about nothing. Despite heavily overcast skies and wet pavement all day we only had a small amount of rain mid-way through the ride. My leg (mild calf strain) was still bothering me, but not the cycling motion, so that was a bit of a relief. We enjoyed the rolling hills along the fjord and arrived at 12:55 to Gjermundshamn to simply pull up to the ferry and board immediately for the 1 pm departure! Perfect timing after a lovely ride. The 8 km final cycle cruise into Rosendal was easy.
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| Heart | 5 | Comment | 0 | Link |
So, I had a bit of an accommodation fail here. Our place Rosendal Turisthotell is an old historical house that feels like a dorm, with little double rooms adorned with with cot-like beds and, worst of all from Dave’s standpoint, bathrooms down the hall. Needless to say: no blow dryer in sight. The bathroom down the hall thing is a pet peeve of Dave’s and I only booked it because they had no rooms left with bathrooms. In my defense, the reviews on the place were good, and in fact, this hotel is used by the same touring company that used Store Ringheim, Brakanes, and Utne Hotel for their cycling tours (all very upscale places). My defense got weaker when we walked down the road in Rosendal and found a very nice hotel, Rosendal Fjordhotel, that would have been much more to our comfort. Dave’s like: “so why didn’t you book us in here?” To which I replied : “I booked 70 rooms, I don’t remember my exact thinking on every decision.” The party going on down the hall back at our place when we got back from dinner didn’t help my cause either - it really felt like staying in a dorm or hostel. (Dave interjecting here: OK, so I didn't suffer any lasting psychological damage having to trudge down the hall to use the bathroom or shower, and after all it was only for one night. And, yes, I did give Jill somewhat undeserved grief over this place and exaggerated my inconveniences for both humor and to make a point which was and remains, "Don't book us in a place like this again--ever!" End of scree.)
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That afternoon in searching for a bite for lunch and exploring the town, we met Anders, the owner of the bar Bar ON, down at the Rosendal Harbor. He was delightful and gregarious and not the stereotypical reserved Norwegian. Apparently he's an accomplished musician and while we sipped a beer and ate some takeout from a food truck next door to the bar, Anders regaled us with several amusing stories.
In keeping with our low-key travel mode lately, we split a burger at the local, but very nice, burger/weird Mexican food joint. That’s three nights in a row we managed to spend modestly on dinner; we’re still making up for the dinner at the Utne Hotel.
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The room was cold so hopefully it will be warm enough to sleep!
Today's ride: 70 km (43 miles)
Total: 1,464 km (909 miles)
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9 months ago