Day 10 - Fjords, Fjords, And Even More Fjords, And a Glacier

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This morning is what Insight Vacations calls a “relaxed start” which just means we get a much needed sleep in as we don’t leave until 10:00AM. The reality is that the Geiranger to Hellesylt ferry doesn’t leave until 11:00AM, so we couldn’t leave earlier if we wanted to. But we did get down to the ferry early, as this is a public ferry and there are also other tour busses taking the same ride. Today is also the 4^thof July, but as Americans are the minority on this trip, none were willing to sing the National Anthem to celebrate. On July 1, it was Canada Day, and one of the Canadians handed out little Canadian Flag pins to everyone to celebrate. No Americans were handing out American Flag pins today. So disappointing!

So Maja got the tickets early, and we hung around beautiful downtown Geiranger. It was cold, and though it was supposed to be clear, there was a little drizzle. Before we got off the bus, Maja had given us all our marching orders. Since the bus may be parked in such a way that we couldn’t open the doors, we lined up to walk onto the ferry just as the cars were coming off. We were to go upstairs as a group and commandeer all available tables in the observation area for other members of our group who weren’t quite as mobile. And as we did, we understood why. There was also a bus of Japanese tourists, and we beat them to all the tables near the windows, so they had to sit at the inner tables. It’s great to have an experienced, and maybe a little devious tour director.

Once the ferry got under way, a few of us more adventurous souls gave up our nice, warm, comfy seats we had fought so valiantly for, to brave the outdoors and the exposed upper deck. In reality, it was a once in a lifetime trip, and I was not about to give up some spectacular pictures just because it was cold and drizzly. I might be miserable, but it wouldn’t kill me. So, a few of us went up on deck, and thanks to the bad weather it wasn’t too crowded. And as the drizzle increased, more of the less adventurous, or maybe smarter people headed back inside. But I stayed outside for most of the one hour ride and got some great pictures.

The ferry deposited us in Hellesylt, and we go back on the bus and spent the next hour or so looking at some of the most beautiful fjords anywhere in the world. Maja reminded us that in the Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy, Slartibartfast, designer of planets, won a special award for his design of Norwegian fjords. I can see why! Soon it was time to stop for lunch, and Maja had arranged with a local cafeteria style restaurant in a little town of 3,000 called Stryn. Stryn is a generally unremarkable town, other than it is in the middle of fjord country, but the food was good, and we wandered through some of the shops where we found a Stryn magnet and Jody found the Copenhagen style daisy earrings she had been looking for. They weren’t the genuine expensive Danish ones, but a good looking much cheaper copy. But she was happy!

After leaving Stryn we got back on the bus to make our way to the Jostedal Glacier. For the next couple of hours we were treated to some of the most beautiful scenery on earth. I took a bunch of pictures, but none of them really capture the majesty of the steep slopes, high peaks, and ubiquitous waterfalls that make up the fjord area. Even the little towns have water rushing through them along with little waterfalls everywhere on the side of the road. And because of all the water and the very long daylight hours, everything is so green and lush. I doubt there is a more beautiful place on earth. At least none that I have ever seen.

Jostedal Glacier is the largest glacier in all of Europe. By the time we arrived there, we were ready for a little afternoon pick-me-up and Maja had sprung for a traditional Norwegian pastry and coffee for each of us. The views around the coffee shop were spectacular and the pastry and coffee were just what we needed to continue on our journey. From the glacier, we were each given a choice of where to go next. We could either visit the Jostedal Glacier Museum or visit a nearby village with a local tour guide. Jody and I opted for the museum like most of the others in our group and we found ourselves in a strange, modern looking museum building designed to show us all about the Jostedal Glacier and answer any burning questions we may have.

We started out with a seven minute panoramic video that can only be described as spectacular. Recently shot with drones and a helicopter, it flew us right down into the glacier and followed along with a group of five hikers and their trek along the snow and ice. We wondered how they would address the multiple languages of visitors, and the answer was that the film was visual only and contained no dialogue whatsoever. As much as we enjoyed the film, we didn’t actually learn anything about glaciers.

For the rest of the museum, it was ok, but I would have preferred something a little more educational, especially about the effects of climate change. But we were encouraged to be sure to look for the polar bear in the bathrooms. After using the rest room, I looked everywhere but couldn’t find a polar bear anywhere. Then, when I opened the door to leave, there was a loud roar and the projection of a hologram polar bear on the bathroom mirror. It made me jump, but it was pretty cool.

After browsing the gift shop and picking up a magnet, we headed outside to take some additional pictures of the glacier. It turns out the entire roof of the museum is an observation platform, and the views in all directions where also spectacular. In the meantime the smaller group who had continued into town to visit the village with the local tour guide were back and said the tour guide was good, and knew a lot about the local history, so I’m not sure we might have liked the village tour better, but I would not have wanted to miss the museum movie.

By now it was getting late, and we had about another hour to get to the hotel, but we never did get tired of the scenery. There were also quite a few tunnels as we crossed over between fjords, each as beautiful as the last. Since it is summer, there was quite a bit of road construction, and a couple of times we had to wait as there was only 1 lane of traffic open. So it was almost 7:30 by the time we got to the hotel. Luckily dinner is just a small buffet at the hotel, so after a quick clean up in our rooms, we were able to eat quickly.

It seems its always daylight in Norway, so we were able to step outside after dinner and take in the view from or hotel. It is right on the shore, right in the middle of fjord country and the views are awesome! Our room is a little less modern, with actual room keys, but it is clean and comfortable and the wifi is great. Tomorrow we go for a scenic train ride to Bergen that is supposed to be amazing. We can hardly wait!

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