Mountain
driving in Norway not for the faint of heart
By TERRY HOUSHOLDER
Oh, my gosh!
I didn't say it out loud, for fear it would shake the confidence
my family had in my driving ability. But those were the words
I was thinking to myself as I first laid eyes on the massive
nine-passenger vehicle that awaited us at the airport outside
Oslo, Norway.
It wasn't the oversized van I had anticipated that I'd be driving
during our two-week Norwegian vacation. With a rear cargo section
that was bigger than some hotel rooms we've stayed in, it looked
enormous.
But I quickly resolved to accept the rental from Europcar, since
there was no easy alternative. Besides, it had what I required
- nine passenger seats and an automatic transmission.
My wife, our four children, two grandparents, a family friend
and I piled inside. By the time we were on the four-lane highway
headed north toward Lillehammer, a roadway that quickly retreated
into a narrow two-lane road, my confidence was restored.
This would be a piece of cake. After all, driving in Norway
couldn't be more challenging than driving in the Swiss Alps,
which I had done twice before.
I was wrong.
Norway is the most mountainous land I've seen. Most of the country
is a high plateau covered with mountains. And the roads contained
many more challenging experiences than I faced before. But the
beauty surrounding the hair-raising passageways made it all worthwhile.
We saw some amazing scenery, including breathtaking waterfalls
that descended near our pathways, lush forests, colorful glacier
lakes, snow-capped peaks, and the most famous sites in Norway
- its many tranquil fjords - narrow inlets of the ocean bordered
by steep cliffs.
If I could do the trip over again, I would not change a thing.
Norway's road system is excellent and well maintained. That's
similar to what I found in other European countries. But what
I didn't expect was the narrow roads, some which were only one
lane, intended for two-way traffic.
Many secondary roads, including bridges, in Norway are only
one lane. If another vehicle is coming toward you, one of you
has to turn onto the shoulder of the roadway, which by design
is minuscule. In some cases, someone has to drive in reverse
to make way for the other.
This is incredibly challenging and unnerving for someone driving
a two-ton vehicle who has very limited mountain-driving experience.
To say we had many ''close calls'' would be an understatement.
Every vehicle we passed was a ''close call.''
But my backseat companions were wonderful. Soon, the only
shrieks I heard were about the amazing scenery just ahead.
Here are some observations I had about driving in Norway:
· Driving is on the right side of the road, which I greatly
appreciated.
· By law, all vehicles must be driven with lights on,
even in the middle of the day. The reason is because of the special
light conditions in the country. Norway is so far north that
there are long periods of low sun. This gives the light in Norway
a very special color, especially in the winter. (It never got
dark while we were there until after 11 p.m. and it was light
by 4 a.m.)
· Even though Norway is oil-rich, thanks to the discovery
of petroleum in the North Sea in the 1970s, gasoline is still
expensive. Gas (they serve it up in liters) is about $2.75 a
gallon. It cost us about $80 to fill up the Europcar. Thank goodness
all the stations took plastic. We got the best currency exchange
rate by using our American credit cards.
· Getting a driver's license in Norway is very difficult
and costly. Few young people drive because of the expense - which
runs about $1,500. Norwegians, especially those in the small
cities, walk or ride a bicycle to get around. They also have
excellent public bus service to even the most remote mountain
villages. The rail system is also good, but its service is not
as widespread.
· Toll roads in the country are nearly nonexistent. The
few we drove on charged only a few dollars.
· Some roads that lead to remote mountain retreats are
privately owned. Owners erect their own homemade barricades and
collect their own fees.
The most fun I had driving in Norway was when the road ahead
of me occasionally came to an end at the edge of a body of water
(sometimes a big lake or a fjord). Happily, I would wait for
a ferry to arrive to take us to the other side. The ferry rides
- many which were only 15-20 minutes - had a calming effect on
me. And I'm sure they had the same effect on my passengers.
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