Fjellstua
NORWAY & DENMARK Diary : Day 11 - 10th April 2019
The FJELLSTUA is a view point in Alesund Town. It is often referred to as the AKSLA viewpoint, as it sits atop the AKSLA Mountain. The jaw dropping 360 deg views are strewn all along the climb up this sturdy mountain, that stands in the middle of the Alesund Town. The mountain is around 190 metres high. The 19th Century, beige coloured stone stairway zig-zagging up its summit, can be spotted easily from many points within the vicinity of its foothill, in the town. One needs to pass through the town park & climb up 418 steps to get to the top.
The view point needed a separate, special mention in this blog, in order to present the 'OUT OF THE WORLD' views that were captured via photographs. We had reached the town that afternoon after a long, overnight journey, from Bodo in the North. The evening was blissful and appropriate for a climb up the AKSLA. We settled down in our accommodation and had a leisurely evening snack, before heading out.
The Stadtpark (city park) , Alesund is at a 10 minute walking distance from 7, Nedre Strandgate, where we stayed. It was easy to find our way to this park, walking through the town, exploring a couple of interestingly curving streets, running uphill. The shops were already closing down at that time. We were thrilled to spot a poster of the movie/play 'FAKIREN' in which Dhanush ( South Indian popular actor) stood posing. We reached the park & walked through its gates. The neatly maintained park threw an instant question mark regarding the start point of our climb. After a short walk around we spotted the arched, glass rooftop, restaurant peeking from the top of AKSLA. We followed its view, winding our way through the park.
We crossed a water pool, the statue of ROLLON the viking on a mound above us and many other interesting parts of the park. Our climb to the Fjellstua began with the blowing wind making it very cold. At every turn, the views grew prettier and prettier, making the 'cold shivers' worth it all. Each side displayed a mildly different coloured sky. The views covered the snow clad Sunnmore Alps, the sea water - most certainly a mixture of the North & Norwegian seas & of course, beautiful views of the Alesund Town. We were amazed at the setting sun playing games with the sky, shading it differently, when viewed from different angles at the same time.
The climb was easy & didn't consume much time, it was only the number of stops we made. We found a canon installed in one of the zig-zag turn. Half way through the climb, there was a rectangular view point, with a wooden floor sticking out of the mountain, covered on 3 sides with glass. This offered uninterrupted views of the town below.
The sky was still a little bright. We caught views here of the yellowish, dark blue sky, with the bright sun still managing to stay above the horizon. Wowing the splendid views, literally at every step, we reached the top in about 20 minutes. By this time, the sky had turned distinctively different coloured on either sides. It was sheer magic. The last step welcomed us with FJELLSTUA embossed on the stone slab. The view of the Sunnmore Alps got even better at the top. The pinkish tinge amidst the blue of the sky, right above the snowy mountain range was a treat. On the other side the sky was Orange with a view of the town beneath. The lights in the town were coming up slowly.
We walked around posing at every possible corner, finally getting to the restaurant. The views were promising enough to forget the lingering yummy aroma, of the goodies in the restaurant. The big verandah outside, was where most people gathered. The wooden benches were inviting. We sat there shivering all the while, still sipping the surrounding lusciousness. Outside the restaurant, we walked further up a curving road, to find another view point.
The stone steps to reach the railings of this view point was kind of in ruins and therefore, to stay safe, we decided to give it a skip. ( One of the kids did try this climb, but had to give up half way through due to lack of proper passage. No amount of rock climbing worked. ) We stayed happy with the current views and continued to walk upward. At a certain point on the road, we found a pile of rocks clinging together, like a stone barricade, warning us of a possible danger from the steeply sloping mountain side, beyond that point. As dangerous as it looked, it was equally inviting. One of us decided to cross over to the other side, holding on to the rocks, to get a feel of clinging on to a mountain side. The view of the Town from there was definitely special.
We waited for the sky to get darker. That evening, on our way to the park, we had browsed through a certain shop. On one of its wall was a framed, huge sized picture of the town, taken from the view point at night. I badly wanted to click one of those shots myself. My dream came true. When darkness befell, the town shined in its lights, seeming like a thick sheet of oozing, fresh, molten lava. I got a near perfect picture of the entire town. Alesund lay shining in its lights , amidst the blackish blue skies, with a shade of shimmering orangish pink around its horizon, wrapped by water all around. It is a sight one should definitely experience. I didn't in the least feel like returning. The chill weather seemed to get stronger but the wind had stopped blowing.
We walked to the "Fjellstua" carved stone (ie. the first step to our way back down). Taking one step at a time, we relished the amazing night views. We sat on a few steps for a while, feeling on top of the world. It was just the silence and our cameras clicking continuously. I still can't decide which is the best picture here. The sunset (in various shades), the pink sky, the orange sky, the night views, the Alps, the town glowing in street lights as seen from above, the crescent moon shot along with the entire town, or was it our unforgettable feelings that could never be captured. The climb down was easier and much faster. It took around 15 minutes with a few stops, to reach down. The park was all lit and shining too. For further story read ALESUND TOWN
