Fri. July 29: Fjords and Flam, Norway

This morning we awoke to absolutely breathtaking views of the towering, western Norwegian fjords as we cruised into the idyllic tiny village of Flam.

Sheer towers of rock, goats on the rocky hillsides, multiple shades of green, shrouds of clouds, cascading waterfalls, glorious glacier-topped peaks- the view was stunning as we cruised into the fjord.

 

Herds of goats perched on the rocky hillsides could be heard bleating.

 

 

We cruised by several cascading waterfalls.

Flam is a tiny picturesque village located at the inner end of the Aurlandsfjord, a branch of the Sognefjord. A fjord is a long, narrow deep sea inlet between high cliffs, usually formed by a submerged glaciated valley (Webster definition). Flam is famous for its scenic railway, one of the steepest railways in the world.

We cruised past lush farmlands and misty mountains.

Our ship docked at the village. This was the view of the port from our ship:

 We walked around the village, and through a charming small museum.  The Viking influence could be seen in the buildings and tree sculptures.

Flam is designated a Unesco World Heritage site and is the station stop for the Flam Railway. The Flam Railway is designated one of the most scenic and steepest rail routes in the world. There are over 20 tunnels that go through sheer rock. We decided to get tickets to take the 2 hour up and down trip to the Myrdal mountain station (Meg and Gary were on a different scenic trip). In one hour the train goes from sea level where our ship is docked to 867 meters above sea level.

 We boarded our train as Meg and Gary disembarked from their train. They said there was a surprise when you got off the train at the waterfall. Hmmmm...we wondered what that could be. As the train chugged up the steep incline and we meandered between darkness and light as we passed through numerous tunnels in the rock, we were glued to the windows in our charming wooden interior train and awed by the dramatic scenery. We passed precipitous cliffs, cascading waterfalls, quaint villages, bicyclers and hikers, mountains lakes, lush valleys, and sweeping panoramas of snow capped mountains and glaciers. Even though it was raining for most of the time and a lot of the scenery was shrouded in mist, it was still breathtaking as these scenes shot from the window show:

The train stopped at the magnificent Kjosfossen waterfall and we were able to get out and take pictures amid the deafening roar of the falls spilling over craggy cliffs, spraying those of us who got close.

Oh but wait- didn't Meg and Gary say there would be a surprise here? Suddenly loudspeakers in the distance blared a haunting melodius song and we saw a mystical figure in the distance waving her arms and dancing on a hill, then disappearing and instantly reappearing down the hill on the remains of an old castle.

She would disappear again and reappear instantly in another place. How could this be? Was she magical? The legend goes there are sirens in the mountains, including Huldra, the siren of the waterfall, who lured men into the mountains with their bewitching song. Was that the mystical Huldra standing a top the rocky ruins? Click here to see the video David took of our mystical encounter!

It was a picture perfect day, even with the drizzling rain, ending with our ship cruising out of the fjord, north toward Bergen, with more scenic views along the way. Sunset at 10:02 PM.

Thur. July 28: Stavanger, Norway- A Charming Southern Nordic Port

Shortly after the sun rose at 5:16 AM Thursday, July 28, we approached the southern coast of Norway, on our way to the lovely southern port city of Stavanger, Norway.

Our ship had a central berth just a short walk to a delightful stroll among Stavanger's cultural riches. Stavanger is indeed a "rich" little city with its riches coming from the petroleum industry. Offshore drilling feeds the economy here making the city one of the most expensive in the world.

Stavanger is famous for its old town made up of cobbled streets lined with Europe's highest concentrations of wooden houses, protected by a conservancy after developers threatened to destroy them in the 1950's. These charming homes, most of them white with beautiful gardens, reminded us of old New England houses.

 Even the manhole covers were pretty!

Walking around the city, we came across several interesting sculptures. There was even a real Mini Cooper car attached to the wall of a traffic tunnel.

We strolled the shopping street and found several interesting shops including one with Beth's favorite fabric and a store with traditional Norwegian garb. David and Dave decided to be "knightly".

David found a trace of his ancestry coming across a shop named "Made with Hart"

Obviously the Norwegians are paying attention to the political election discourse in the U.S. as evidenced by this sign outside of a taco shop!

In the afternoon half our group went on the arranged walking tour which included a visit to the Petroleum Museum. We also saw that besides the white, wooden houses, there are many colorful houses and shops in Stavanger.

The afternoon was a chance to catch up on reading (upside down for some of us!), work (for some of us), and just hanging around enjoying life on the ship, including high tea at 4:00! The sunset at 10:09 as we cruised to the fjords of Norway anticipating waking up to a spectacular view!