Hjørundfjorden

The Fjord extends into the jagged Sunnmøre Alps, whose peaks rise as much as 1,600 m above the fjord and are covered in snow even during the summer. The mountains are beautiful but dangerous. Big avalanches along the fjord are common during the winter and have claimed many lives.

When you visit the fjord, in the late summer it's perfectly safe and it will give you the feeling of serenity.  It is a secret jewel and still a place for peace and quietness even though Hjørundfjord was discovered by European cruise tourists in the late 19^th century, and in the early 20^th century it also became a holiday destination and playground for European royals and aristocrats. The German emperor, Wilhelm II, King Oscar of Sweden and Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands visited Hjørundfjord several times. Edvard Grieg and Karen Blixen have visited Hjørundfjorden. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle did the same. And maybe he found the peace here to invent more mysteries for the Sherlock Holmes-books?

From the fjord a spectacular valley stretches inwards among the wild mountains; Norangsdalen. It has been visited by seven queens, including Norway's current queen, Queen Sonja. One of the mountains, the 1564 meter high and majestic Slogen, is one of the norwegian mountain-loving queen's favorites.