Marilyn Monza, Arctic Midnight Sun 2024 | Day 12
Sognadalsfjøra. Sunrise at 4:13
The day 12 could have started a little bit later, with the crews waited at the embarkation point to catch the 9:20 ferry, but word had got around the night before that the Laksen bakery at Main Time Control was serving some amazing kanelbullar (cinnamon buns, a Norwegian speciality), so everyone left the hotel very early to catch the ferry from Mannheller to Fodnes, which delivered the cheerful brigade to the MTC 12.1, located in the small town of Lærdalsoyri, a heritage village with several wooden houses dated 1700, where the local mayor's office has allowed us to park overlooking a lake in a scenic backdrop of the old village, but the photos taken here were just the first a whole “photogenic day”. There was time for a walk, (coffee and treat in one hand, time card in the other to get the allocated start time for the day) and then off for the 320 km (which will be remembered as the most tiring of the event) to the final destination of Bergen.
From my personal experience with vintage car crews over the past 15 years all over the world, I can say that these are not people who, at first glance, take the easy way out. I had proof of this today when, to cross the Aurlandsfjellet mountains, instead of sitting comfortably in their seats and driving smoothly through the 25 km of the Lærdalstunnelen, the longest road tunnel in the world, they enthusiastically tested the engines of their cars on the first regularity as they climbed the 48.6 km of Norwegian county road 5627, that led them to the top of the stunning mountain pass, no doubt under the curious gaze of the trolls... regularity 1 began by climbing a steep and narrow road (this would be the 'leitmotif' of the day), with very moody fog clouds accompanying the climb but the reward was perhaps even greater than the effort, as an almost moon-like plateau opened up, where small streams suddenly turned into wide, crystal-clear pools, at one with the snow and the sky. Not to mention when the road, like a ribbon of silk unfurled from the summit, began its gentle descent to the other side of the peninsula, surrounded by fjords, before winding steeply in a series of hairpin bends that opened up breathtaking views of the Aurlandsfjord. The passage of our intrepid crews was even greeted at the top of the pass by a group of car enthusiasts who gave an 'ola' with raised arms and loud 'olé' as each car passed.
The E16, with a few tunnels and through waterfront villages, quickly took us south-west to Voss, adrenaline-fuelled capital of Norway, for a lunch in town (getting back in touch with so many people in one place at one time sounded a bit weird...). Fun and useless fact: one of my favourite brands of water (not for the water, just for the bottle itself) is Voss and I found out it comes from here! Fortunately for my wallet, Air France's baggage policy for my return to Italy does not allow me to hoard as much as I would have liked...
We should have known that the boundless amount of vans, campers, caravans and station wagons (remember those worshippers of the god Capron and the goddess Laika? ) we encountered on the Old Road would sooner or later spill over elsewhere: but we didn't think it would be on one of the narrowest and longest single tracks we've ever travelled, and that this very road would be our second regularity, so the various speed changes were determined more by manoeuvres in passing places (from simple pull-ins to actual pull-outs).
During my last week in Norway, I often felt that this country reminded me sometimes of Scotland, sometimes of Ireland, sometimes of Slovenia. Today it was definitely Switzerland, but not because of the landscapes, but because of the Swiss Emmental cheese and its countless holes. Indeed, breaking up the monotony (as if you could ever get tired of that view!) of the link section on the shores of countless lakes and fjords were a countless series of old rock tunnels, short or long, often poorly lit, that pierced all the mountains on the coast.
To make us sigh longer and thus better appreciate our arrival in Bergen, our route planner has planned a detour inland to take a break in the tiny village of Mo, a name that amuses me because, in the Neapolitan dialect, 'mo' means 'now', but it is a temporal concept that is as precise when you really mean that you are going to do something 'now' as it is vague when it implies that you have no intention of doing it, either now or ever. Now you understand why we gesticulate so much... The charming village with its colourful wooden houses overlooking the beach, the waterfalls on the fjord, the suspension bridge and the picturesque promenade on the pier gave the competitors a chance to catch their breath. All were tired from the exertion of the journey: some relieved themselves by stretching, others by lying on the bench with music in their ears, and others with a home-made ice-cream. A well-deserved break for all!
The end of the day, from a competitive point of view, was the last regularity on the slopes down to Osterfjorden, just before the E39 ferried us (no, not literally, but by now this means of transport has entered my lexicon) further south, except for Johan and Janine Sjöblom in Car 24 that, perhaps still in the mood to explore the surroundings, chose to turn right at a crossroads instead of left, prolonging Reg's stay.
We were in for a real treat as we dropped down into Bergen, the second largest city in Norway and another stunning World Heritage Site to visit tomorrow morning, since some leisure time has been given to the teams, before biting again the road on the penultimate day of the event. The red and ochre wooden houses with their sloping roofs, their windows blending in with the trees of the boats moored on the historic quays, bathed in a light that perhaps only a painter could reproduce, were a sudden delight to the eye, and our ‘return to civilization’ after miles of sun-drenched nature could not have taken place in a more evocative place.
From the competition point of view, there was quite a shake-up in the standings, both in third place, where Lejeune/Chavy are now in Car 7 (total penalty 10:03 sec), followed by the Mortons in Car 18 in second place (total penalty 9:33 sec) and the Engelens in Car 20, also at the top (total penalty 9:18 sec). They were followed by the Malmgrens in Car 19, Collinge / Brooks in a great comeback in Car 10 and Proenen / Seeberger in Car 22, who did not miss a beat, as did the Pusniks in Car 17, who slipped back to eighth place today.
Marilyn.