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Published: June 15th 2023
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Hello from Olden Norway. This delightful town is located near the end of the Nordfjord, which is the longest fjord in Europe. it is 100 km in length, which is 62 miles. The fjord splits off into several small fjords at its inland side, with Olden being one of the towns. Anyway, we started sailing into the fjord from the North Sea about 4:00 in the morning and did not reach port until nearly 8:00 AM. Since the sun had been up for hours, it was easy to see scenery and take pictures along the way. David did not start until 5:30, but others were already snapping photos earlier.
We got up and dressed, and then headed to the Horizon Court for a light breakfast. As our ship approached Olden, we saw another ship anchored in the harbor, and fortunately the pier had been reserved for us to dock. We had a "report time" of 8:00 in the Provence Dining Room for our excursion and we didn't want to be late. Actually, we were the first ones there. The Shore Excursion leader let us sit close to the door and gave us a head start to our bus when it
approached time for the tour. Another couple had the husband ran ahead and grab the front 2 seats until his wife showed up, claiming to be just as handicapped as anyone else. We were pretty skeptical but did not make a fuss and we went back to the middle of the bus where there was a 2nd door. There were two seats where a wheelchair could have been strapped down and this actually gave us a lot more legroom than the front seats anyway. But we had to shimmy down the aisle through half the bus to get there. Both that and climbing the bus's high first step was challenging, but we made it. The steps for the 2nd door would have been convenient, but they were very steep.
Our bus headed off along the fjord and we saw really great scenery. Today's weather was bright sun and the temperature was mid 70's, so it was shaping up to be a great excursion. Well, so far so good at least. They usually have at least 100 cruise ships in Olden during a summer season, and this year there are more than 150 scheduled. We drove past Loen on the
Loenfjord tributary fjord, and then through Stryn. Later we visited Eid. All these are comparatively small villages but collectively they bring the population to around 3000. Our ship's "port advisor" said Olden only had 478 people, but our guide today (who lives here) said it is close to 1100. Anyway, they all share terrific scenery but are overrun by each of the cruise ships.
Olden wasn't founded until 1846, but archeologists have found signs of life dating back to the last Ice Age 12,000 B.C. Through the 19th and early 20th century farming and fishing were the main business here. Norway grows about 40% of the food it needs and is working to increase that via subsidies from the government. So, there are small farms all along the side of the fjord. They grow vegetable and fruit crops and raise sheep, cows, and goats. It is difficult to see how they can scrape out a living on the small plots between evergreen forests on the sides of the mountains, but somehow, they do. Last year it suddenly became much more expensive to import the necessary food because of the Ukranian War, so there is even more focus on growing
their own foods.
Our guide told us that all of Scandinavia was a large comparatively flat plateau before the ice ages. He said there have been nearly 40 ice ages and the result has been forcing down some areas, pushing up others, and gouging deep furrows in the land. All this resulted in lakes, fjords, and mountains. If I were doing a project in middle school, I would research that information more accurately than just taking his word, but it made an interesting story today.
In the 1960s Norway discovered large petroleum deposits off the coast and nowadays that is a major source of the country's income. They also have tremendous electrical generation capabilities due to all the water sources, and Norway is actually an exporter of electricity to other countries.
After driving through some truly beautiful views, we stopped for a snack in Eid. We had some little cakes and coffee or tea, as well as a restroom break. Then we were back on the bus and headed for the deepest lake in Norway. It is lake Hornindalsvatnet which is actually Europe's deepest lake, and the world's thirteenth deepest lake. Our guide said it is 514
metres deep and covers about 50 square kilometers. We stopped at a viewing point where a small series of rocks were mistaken in WW2 by German soldiers who thought it was a British submarine and started shooting at it. No telling how, or why, the Brits would have gotten a submarine into this inland lake.
On our way back to Olden our bus started leaking coolant. Yes, we seem to have broken another bus. While waiting to repair the bus, we were shown small stones stacked - we were told this was a "tribute" being paid to the local Trolls (more about that tomorrow). We also had a good view of a house with "turf roof" (again - more tomorrow). We limped along until the driver got to a viewpoint where he could also get water to add to the bus. Unfortunately, it poured out the bottom of the radiator as fast as he poured it in the top. We eventually got to Stryn and swapped buses. The delay meant we did not have time to see a waterfall in Loen, but it was a good excursion anyway.
Back on the ship we returned to our cabin and
got some drinks and pizza for lunch. Then we checked in on our mail before starting a good long afternoon nap. Janet's head cold has improved and is just an occasional cough, but it has kept her from getting enough sleep. Tomorrow is a Sea Day and we can have another restful time before reaching Tromso on Saturday.
Tonight, is Tessa Brink's big night in her Dance Recital. She is in all 5 shows, but tonight is her main event. We received pictures of her in her costumes and we really are sorry to miss her performance. But we are sure that she will have a great time anyway.
Joke Time: When Norway and Sweden have a race, how does it end? When one crosses the Finish line. That is a bit of a geography joke so it may not tickle everyone's funny bone.
When it was time for the ship to sail, several of the locals came out on the dock and waved Norwegian flags. Quite a few more waved from their houses or from a restaurant which was playing sail-away music for us. The passengers cheered from the balconies after each song, and the ship
sounded its horn loudly as we pulled away from the pier. It was a very friendly ending to a happy day.
We went to the dining room and it was Italian Night. We both had melon with prosciutto. Then Janet had Mushroom Arancini and David had Peach Bellini Soup. for the entrees, Janet has Veal Scaloppini and David had Chicken Parmesan. Janet didn't have room for dessert, but David had Lemon Meringue Cheesecake. Now we are back in our cabin and have decided to skip the show in the theater tonight.
To answer Elizabeth question from the other day: Yes it was Banoffee pie, and it was REALLY GOOD.
Good night.
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