About 15 kilometers west of Oslo, turn right in the town of Sandvika and head northwest, where the climb begins.

オスロ市内を西へ15キロほど、Sandvika (サンヴィーカ)の町で右に折れ、進路を北西へと変えると登りが始まります。

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The photo isn’t very clear, but looking back, I can see the Oslofjord stretching out beyond the city.

After riding about 20 kilometers, a lake appeared on my left. It’s Tyrifjorden, a freshwater lake 295 meters deep and the fifth largest in Norway.

I crossed the bridge over the lake and rode for a while before arriving in the town of Hønefoss. From here on, I just had to follow National Route 7.

[“Wow, so this is the Bergen Railway. I just need to ride alongside it.”] After leaving Hønefoss, the climb got a little steeper. I continued for another 20 kilometers or so and camped for the night off Route 7. The elevation was probably still around 150 meters.

The Bergen Railway is about 500 kilometers long, connecting the port city of Bergen on the western side of the Scandinavian Peninsula with Honningsvåg as its starting point. Bergen is Norway’s second-largest city and is also known as a base for fjord tourism.

Reaching a maximum elevation of over 1,200 meters, the Bergen Railway winds through the mountains and fjords, and the views from the train windows are said to be spectacular. Since Oslo and Hønefoss are also connected by rail, tourists typically take the train from Oslo to Bergen.

On this day, I planned to ride straight to the town of Gol. Shortly after setting off, I arrived in the town of Sokna. Around Hønefoss, the coniferous forests became denser, and at the same time, sawmills began to stand out along the road. There was a large sawmill in the town of Sokna as well.

The Bergen Railway heads northwest, while Route 7 heads southwest; the two routes diverge here in the town of Sokna. Soon, a lake appeared before me. It was Lake Krøderen, which I had heard about yesterday at the tourist information center.

[Wow, they held the Olympic skiing events here!] I spotted a sign in the town of Hamremon, which faces the lake, that read “1952 Oslo Olympic Ski Venue.” The map indicates that it is 35 kilometers from Hamremon to Golsvik, the town at the northern end of the lake. The lake extends several kilometers to the south as well, so it certainly looks like it’s about 40 kilometers long.

ハッキリしない写真ですが、振り返ると市街地の向こうにオスロフィヨルドが広がっています。

20キロほど行くと左手に湖が現れました。水深295m、ノルウェー国内5番目の大きさの淡水湖 Tyrifjorden(ティーリフィヨルド湖)です。

湖に架かる橋を渡りしばらく走るとホーネフォスの街に到着。ここから先は国道7号線を行くだけです。

[ヘェ~、これがベルゲン鉄道ね。この鉄道と一緒に走ればいいんだ]ホーネフォスを出ると登りが少しきつくなってきました。さらに20キロほど進み7号線を外れた場所で野宿。まだ標高は150mほどでしょうか。

ベルゲン鉄道は総延長500キロほど、ホーネフォスを起点駅としてスカンジナビア半島西側の港町 Bergen(ベルゲン)とを結んでいます。ベルゲンはノルウェー第2の都市でフィヨルド観光のベースとしても知られています。

鉄道の最高地点は1,200m以上、山間そしてフィヨルドの間を縫って進むベルゲン鉄道は、車窓からの眺めが素晴らしいといわれています。オスロとホーネフォス間も鉄道で結ばれていますから観光客が利用するのはもっぱらオスロ発ベルゲン行きということになります。

この日は一気にゴルの町まで行くつもりです。走り出してすぐに Sokna(ソクナ)の町へ到着。ホーネフォス辺りから針葉樹の森が増え、同時に街道沿いに製材所が目立つようにもなりました。ソクナの町にも大きな製材所がありました。

ベルゲン鉄道は北西へ、7号線は南西へと、ここソクナの町で一旦別れます。やがて目の前に湖が現れました。昨日、観光案内所で聞いた Krøderen(クローデレン湖)です。

[ヘェー、オリンピックのスキーをここでやったんだ]湖に面したこの Hamremon (ハムレーモン)の町の案内に「1952年オスロオリンピック・スキー会場」とあるのを見つけました。地図にはハムレーモンから湖の北端の町 Golsvik(グルスビーク)まで35キロとあります。湖は南側にも数キロ続いており、確かに長さが40キロありそうです。

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