Svartisen glacier peeking at the sea past Steintinden mountain

Svartisen, “Black ice” glacier, are the collective name of the second and fourth largest glaciers in mainland Norway.

This is the largest, the West glacier at 201 square kilometres, and close to 1400-meter altitude. It is just short of Steintinden mountain peak at 1534 meter above sea level to the south in this photo.

Svartisen glacier is the second largest in continental Europe. It reaches the lowest point of any glacier in Europe, at 20 metres above sea level at Engabreen subglacier. Most of Svartisen lays at 1000 meter above sea level.

It is an enormous amount of ice and water. The landscape around this glacier is formed by older glaciers grinding and forming the mountain, peaks, valleys and fjords.

The Arctic Circle latitude crosses Svartisen close to this point.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Svartisen

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As fun as it gets in a powerful maelstrom

The maelstrom Saltstraumen is one of the strongest tidal currents in the world. It is situated near the city Bodo in Northern Norway, in a beautiful area in a typical coastal landscape for the region.

And as expected, the danger of the rough sea and powerful currents is a challenge to be taken by visitors. Adventurous visitors can enjoy having a wild, wet ride in small boats with powerful engines driving in and out of the whirlpools.

Saltstraumen handles up to 400 million cubic metres of seawater, forcing its way through a 3-kilometre long and 150-metre narrow straight every six hours. Vortices known as whirlpools or maelstroms up to 10 metres in diameter and 5 metres in depth are formed when the current is at its strongest. It is claimed the water moves with a speed of 40 km/h at its strongest.

No wonder the author Jules Verne let the submarine Nautilus disappear in a maelstrom in his fictional book “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea”, released in 1870.

Saltstraumen is one of the scenic spots placed along the national coastal road (Kystriksveien), a scenic 650 km road following the outer coastline of Norway from Bodo to Steinkjer.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saltstraumen

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Coffee break with a view to nature and culture

It is peaceful, yet with a majestic view to architecture and matching landscape, to have a roadtrip break a couple of hundred meters from the Saltstraumen maelstrom.

The view from the top of the bridge is awesome, and from the parling lots on both sides there is safe access for pedestrians to have a look. It is a look down into the strong currents of the strongest maelstrom in Europe, or a 360-view to sea, mountains, fjords, boat, fishing and peaceful farmlands and homes.

Worth it. But just having a short break with this view is not too bad either.

This spot is where the real roadtrip down the coastal highway of Norway begins. It prepares the traveller for even more splendid sights along the area known as Helgeland and Salten.

A very, very beautiful part of the Norwegian coast.
And that is saying something.

https://ridenorway.com/route-suggestions/the-coastal-route-road-17/

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