Cruise Day 4–22 May

Awoke to complete stillness and the sound of cascading water.  Overnight we had travelled the length of the Geiranger Fjord, and had moored at its very end, stern tied to the land.  Mountains reared up on all sides, and dozens of small waterfalls emptied into the fjord. Nice sunny day again, reached 18 or so degrees.  After breakfast several of the lifeboats were used as tenders to ferry us ashore for our tours. 


I did a 3 hour “highlights” tour which included a museum visit that gave some of the history and culture of the area; then a road up to the plateau that zig-zagged in dozens of hairpin bends.  Farming land up top between the mountains, with a rather pretty lake as a stopping place.  The road took 9 years to build by the local fishermen and farmers who wanted an alternative route to the rest of Norway apart from the sea.  They could only work for 3 or 4 months a year during the summer, so it was quite an achievement.  It did open up more tourism too, and the 200 people who live in Geiranger village basically depend on that for their livelihood.  Along the road we stopped at several spots for picture opportunities.  The area is certainly very scenic.

We set sail at 4pm, so have now traversed the entire fjord in daylight.  It is very impressive, with some quite major waterfalls along the way.  For all that, I think Milford Sound is a bit more awe inspiring because it has sheer rock walls that rise straight up from the water.  Tonight we do a loop out into the ocean to fill in time,  then travel the Flam fjord to arrive at breakfast time tomorrow.

My cabin attendant is a Filipino, and has quite a sense of humour.  Last night I returned from dinner to find a towel shaped as a rabbit wearing my glasses (see the pics).  Tonight it was an elephant. 

Have been meeting some quite nice people on the bus trips and at meals.  On the other hand, one is exposed to the other type too:  loud mouthed passengers who talk while the guide is giving his commentary making it difficult to hear; groups that stand chatting in doorways and staircases completely blocking the path to others; the ones who are always late for the bus at every stop, making everyone else wait etc.   I am not sure I make the most tolerant of tourists.

Did the gym thing again tonight.  At dinner I tried a Lil Joey, airline sized bottles of Australian wine on sale (packaged in California I noticed).  Chardonnay was quite ok. Only $6.50; last night a glass of Australian Cabernet Sauvignon cost $13 plus 15% gratuity!

Last couple of days have been wishing I had a good quality digital camera here (like Tom K’s) to capture all of the fascinating detail.  But the convenience of a small slip-it-in-the-pocket digital does stack up when travelling.  I think the pics end up being good enough for memories.

Took too many today, waterfalls and mountains etc.  so have just done a selection to post online to give you an idea of the place.  See them here.