OMG!

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Geo: 60.8371, 7.12194

Whereas we'd left our balcony curtains open the day before, for our arrival in Geiranger, the light had kept us up so we elected to close the back-out curtains before going to bed. I was awake early and didn't want to disturb the girls, but curiosity finally got the better of me and I inched my way through the curtain and went out on the balcony as quietly as possible. The sky was cloudless and the brightness blinded me for a moment, but then I saw that we were in a very narrow fjord, with cliffs about 75 yards from us on either side, and right behind us was a five-masted cruise ship. I looked over and up and saw that the cliff sides were dotted with all manor of little waterfalls and the sun was casting incredibly deep shadows on one side of the fjord. I will never forget that first impression.

We had sailed down the Sognefjord during the early mornings hours, which is the longest and deepest fjord in the world. I was later able to orient ourselves and knew that we had since turned south into the offshoot Aurlandsfjord, which forms the barrier of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

We all got up and went for breakfast, where we were able to watch as the ship slowed and eventually docked in the tiny village of Flam, which sits at the southernmost tip of the Aurlandsfjord. To say that the entire scene looked like a staged post card would be cliche but apropos. As in Geiranger and Hellesylt the day before, there was only room on the pier for one cruise ship, at which we docked. As we finished breakfast, we watched two other ships come in behind us, including the five-masted one which had been shadowing us earlier. It was the Club Med II, which I later read is the largest sail cruise ship in the world, even though it only carries only 386 passengers. Holland America's "Rotterdam" also sailed in, and both of those ships anchored in the tiny harbor and ferried passengers back and forth.

We had booked a "Fjordsafari" rib-boat tour for later in the morning, but K and I decided to get off as soon as possible and walk around the tiny but impossibly beautiful little town. We were among the first off the ship, and in fact some of the first non-locals to be walking around as shops began to open. Flam's biggest tourist attraction is a narrow-guage railroad which runs up through a series of tunnels and behind several waterfalls to reach a glacier high above the fjord. Most of the activity at this early hour was to prepare the first trains for the steady stream of people who would soon descend on the town. In addition to the three cruise ships, ferry boats started to arrive, most filled with more tourists who were completing the so-called "Norway in a Nutshell" tour, which was heavily championed by Rick Steves. It is a recommended tour for independent travelers who want to see the "best of Norway," which involves an intricate series of ferry, train, and bus trips through northern and north-central Norway. Seeing the crowds in the afternoon, we were very happy to have this quiet time to ourselves in the morning, when the shops were empty save us.

After joining back up with Anna, we checked in for our "Fjordsafari." Though it was bright and sunny, and relatively warm in the 60's, they proceeded to suit us up in full-body rain gear, goggles, and woolen hat and gloves. We looked ready to start an Everest ascent when we climbed on board the open boat, which carried approximately 12 people. Before we knew it we pulled away from the dock and, after slowly passing very close to the three cruise ships, our guide and driver -- Jonathan -- opened up the motor and we were soon seemingly flying back up the fjord.

He made several stops along the way, during he talked about the local life, legends, etc., and he was an excellent guide. He explained that we were going back north, up the Aurlansfjord, but that were were turning and running westward, down the Naeroyfjord, all of which was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005 and which National Geographic has labeled the most picturesque location in Norway. Hard to argue with that. The entrance to the fjord is marked by an immensely tall mount comprised entirely of the mineral anhortosit. It is the largest such concentration of the rock on earth, as only the moon has more of it. The cliffs here, and along most of the fjord, were more sheer than other places we'd been. The fjord is about 10 miles long, and we made our way down, stopped for seal and porpoise sightings and stories of the tiny villages dotting the way -- most of which are accessible only by water.

As we returned there were more wildlife sightings and he drove along the opposite side of the two fjords, so the scenery was somewhat different, which was enhanced by the subsequent movement of the sun, which meant the shadows and shifted and made most everything look different than before. We returned to the dock about 2 1/2 hours after left, and the three of us couldn't stop smiling. It was one of those rare moments when we all three realized that we'd just done something we knew we'd never forget. Truly a memory of a lifetime.

The sun remained the entire day and we made a short walk through town late in the afternoon. K and I walked the verandah deck around 5:00pm, as they were removing the mooring lines and we slowly inched our way from the dock, as a small crowd of locals gathered on a grassy overlook to wave us good-bye.

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Photos

Safety Briefing for Our Fjordsafari
Anna was very taken by our guide; a young Dane name Jonathan.