If you travel from Bergen up to Voss and Sogn in the autumn, it's easier to believe that these mountains were once giant trolls that froze to rock when the sun rose. It's also easier to believe the story of the Vikings who sailed from here to England, France and Jerusalem a thousand years ago, the air ringing with their battle cries.
You can also hear visitors cry out in amazement when they see Voss and Sognefjord with their own eyes for the first time. The mighty mountains with snow-capped peaks rise as huge massifs in the distance, and between the mountains you can see the shadows of unfathomable depths when you look out from the viewpoints along the way.
Sogn became an international tourist destination as far back as the 17th century, when wealthy Europeans arrived with their large sailing yachts at Balestrand, Leikanger and Flåm, where stately hotels were built along the fjord. Several of these hotels are still welcoming guests with a sense of history, such as Kviknes Hotel in Balestrand, which dates from 1752, or Walaker Hotel in Luster from 1640. Whether new or old, nature is at its most beautiful and wild in autumn when everything changes to yellow, red and white.
