Mid July, 2006 - a very nice and sunny day - we decided to have a drive from my home across Sognefjorden (the longest fjord in Norway), along the fjord at the northside toward Balestrand. Then cross Sognefjorden again to Vangsnes. Vangsnes is our target; it is a very small place in the middle of nowhere along the fjord, however Vangsnes hold the huge statue of Fridtjof den Frøkne (the link is in Norwegian).

This remarkable huge statue was put up by the emperor Wilhelm II (Kaiser Wilhelm II) in 1913. This area of Norway was the emperor’s beloved place for recreation. The story says he became so enthusiastic over the scenery here that he donated this huge statue. It was put up in 1913, and we can just imagine what discussions that raised knowing what Germany and the same emperor done through the First World War.....! And, yes there was a serious debate to remove the statue after the war, however, the statue is still there - a huge landmark for all of us to visit.

A map of our route is available here. The drive lasted all together 13 hours - quite exhausting but a very nice drive   J

Lining up for the ferry across Sognefjorden	A rest - eating ice cream !	In front of a church in Balestrand
Sognefjorden in the background	Same here: looking at Sognefjorden	Aboard the ferry from Balestrand to Vangsnes
Our target - Fridtjof den Frøkne with a sign saying: The Norwegian emperor Wilhelm II.	The statue in the background	It happened to be quite late - no tourists in the park, so we drove the Vitesse in front of the statue