After the debacle that was yesterday, I had the opportunity to decompress with two nights in Voss. I scored a modern loft Airbnb, toured around town, and hiked out to Bordalsgjelet Gorge. I remember being here more than forty years ago, and wow, has it changed.
The Pros
- The setting is spectacular. The town sits in a bowl surrounded by mountains, with a beautiful lake right alongside it.
- The gondola. There’s a gondola that climbs the mountain directly behind me, making Voss a popular ski destination in winter. Off-season it’s filled with sightseers and hikers.
- The church. Voss has a beautiful historic church that provides a nice contrast to the rest of the town.
The Cons
- Tourists. Lots of them. Voss is one of the starting points for the popular “Norway in a Nutshell” tour, which heads from here toward Nærøyfjord, where you catch a ferry before continuing on the famous Flåm Railway to Myrdal. As a result, the town is packed with tourists. Think Banff.
- The architecture. This is where Voss really loses points for me. The town was heavily bombed during World War II and was subsequently rebuilt with mid-century utilitarian buildings that, to my eye, lack much character. Blah.
- The noise. The vast majority of vehicles I’ve seen on my trip so far have been electric. Voss has loud modded up cars, motorcycles, quads, and even gators ripping around at all hours of the day and night.
I don’t have much else to say about Voss, but I did manage to get over 11 km of walking and hiking in today, so mission accomplished. Sometimes a good long day on your feet is exactly what you need to de-stress.
A final word about luggage: the salesgirls at the Dale store said that there was no luggage retailer in Voss (hence my trip back to Bergen). Today I found a luggage shop owned by a sweet older gentleman. It’s called Gjøstein. Spread the word!
On to Geilo tomorrow….
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