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With the exception of Flam, the southern shore of the Sognefjord remains sparsely populated and relatively inaccessible, whereas the north shore boasts a string of appealing places. Top-of-the-list BALESTRAND is the prettiest base (reachable by express boat from Bergen and Flam), a tourist destination since the mid-nineteenth century when it was discovered by European travellers in search of cool, clear air and mountain scenery. These days the village is used as a touring centre for the immediate area, though farming remains the principal livelihood hereabouts. Buses arrive at the minuscule harbourfront, near which you'll find the tourist office (mid-June to mid-Aug Mon-Fri 7.30am-9pm, Sat 7.30am-6.30pm, Sun 8am-5.30pm; mid-Aug to mid-Sept Mon-Sat 7.30am-1pm & 3.30-5.30pm, Sun 8am-12.30pm & 4.30-5.30pm; late Sept Mon-Fri 9am-3pm). A hundred metres away, in the comfortable Kringsja Hotel , the local hostel (tel 57 69 13 03; GBP10-15/$16-24; late June to late Aug) provides convenient lodgings, as does the charming Midtnes Pensjonat (tel 57 69 11 33; GBP30-35/$48-56), about 300m from the dock behind the spiky wooden church. There's not too much to see in Balestrand itself, but several lovely places are within easy striking distance, particularly the delightful village of FJAERLAND which can be reached direct by passenger boat from June through to the middle of September. Formerly one of the most isolated spots on the Sognefjord, Fjaerland is now connected to the road system, but it retains its old-fashioned atmosphere and appearance, its handsome clapboard buildings sited at the end of the wildly beautiful Fjaerlandsfjord. Fjaerland is also Norway's book town, and there are various literature events held here in the summer ( www.bokbyen.no or www.booktown.net ). You can rent a bike at Balestrand tourist office and cycle the 9km round the Sognefjord to Dragsvik ; from here, car ferries shuttle across to VANGSNES , where Kaiser Wilhelm II, fascinated by Nordic mythology, erected a giant statue of the legendary Viking chief Fridtjof the Bold. Pressing on from Vangsnes, it's a further 12km south along the water's edge to the beautiful Hopperstad stave church on the edge of the hamlet of VIK . From Balestrand, it's also a straightforward affair to travel by bus to Stryn, on the Nordfjord, the next fjord system to the north.
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