One of the most amazing things about Norway is the easy access to nature. Besides the seven mountains of Bergen, there’s a huge amount of natural beauty which is all relatively easy to access. A couple of weeks ago, I traveled to Trolltunga (“troll tongue”), one of the most popular hikes in Norway and one of the most impressive sights I’ve ever seen. Trolltunga is a long, narrow cliff (resembling a tongue, hence the name) hanging about 2300 feet above the massive fjord-like Ringedalsvatnet Lake.

I went to Trolltunga with several of my roommates and other friends from our dorm block. We left on a Saturday morning, took a shuttle to the town near Trolltunga for 3 hours, and started the hike at 10 a.m. The path to the lookout point is about an 8.5-mile hike, so we also brought camping equipment to stay the night before hiking back to town the next morning. The drive itself to Trolltunga was also beautiful. The highways in Western Norway wind around wide lakes and burrow into mountain ranges through lengthy tunnels. During the trip, we also had to cross Hardangerfjord, one of the largest fjords in Norway, on a ferry since the water split the highway in half.

Trolltunga and the hike there were amazing, and the dramatic nature of the scenery really struck me. In three hours, you couldn’t even travel from St. Louis to Kansas City, but you can reach a place like Trolltunga from Bergen in a place like Norway. During the hike, our group often took breaks to admire the scenery and refill up on water from the mountain streams. I could keep describing the hike and its sights, but I think I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.

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Learn more about this blogger’s study abroad program: University of Bergen