Allo (that's hello in Norway) from the Fjords

Do you remember the very first time you saw Yosemite? Or for that matter, anytime you visit Yosemite. Awesome … nature at it’s best. Well, almost. In Norway, I have discovered something even more spectacular. A place where nature has outdone Yosemite. First to back track a bit.

Wednesday night never really ended. It just kind of blended into Thursday morning. We finished dinner at 10:30PM with the sun still well above the horizon. Unable to go to bed with it still so light outside, I headed to the upper deck. At 11:30, I took a few photos of the sun as it tried to go below the mountains. Finally at midnight, I gave up. And though it never did get dark, I did finally go to bed ... only to wake up six hours later in one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen.

Somehow, this huge ship we are on made it up through the narrow gorge known as Geriangerforden. Where the gorge ends, the ship anchored 100 yards off the shore from the tiny town of Geiranger. But before the land adventure began, it was time for breakfast. Bacon, sausage, pancakes, eggs, omlettes, deep fried hash brown patties … this is the daily feast of choice for a “large” part of the people on board. It’s all there for the grabbing at the Lido Café. You would think some of these folks hadn’t eaten for weeks, there is such frenzy. So much so, we have renamed the Lido Café … we call it “The Hog Trough,” and we are mere amateurs in the competition to see who can pile their plate the highest. Fresh squeezed OJ, a plate of fresh fruit, Raisin Bran, and decaf. The large and seasoned eaters smirk at us light weights. But then we didn’t see any of them on the hiking trails that lead nearly up to the snowline.

A short tender ride to the dock, we’re in Geiranger. Here, there are a couple of hotels, a few souvenir shops, and a dock where regional ferries bring in supplies, and transport kids to schools in larger towns along the fjords. It is cool (50 degrees), slightly overcast, great for a hike. And that’s what we did, following a rushing river fueled by melting glaciers. The place is truly one of the most beautiful spots I’ve ever seen (and that includes Yosemite, Yellowstone, Tahiti, and the Swiss Alps). The air is clear, the town immaculate, the people genuinely grateful and friendly. Gardens are covered with giant orange poppies, and the apple orchards are just now in blossom.

Following the two hour alpine-like hike, it was back to the ship for a 10 mile cruise through a glacially carved canyon, spotted with so many waterfalls you didn’t know what to photograph next. Even with the sun playing hide and seek with the clouds (the clouds eventually winning and producing a steady rain as we exited the fjords), it was a day not soon to be forgotten. In some spots, patches of snow still hugged the canyon walls right down to the waterline. And all the mountaintops were white capped, with freshly fallen snow and glaciers.

We eventually made it back out to open sea Thursday night on the way to Bergen, Norway’s second largest city.

Here, it is rainy and cold, but that has not stopped us. We roamed around this morning … another amazingly clean and quaint town with castles and tramways … and streets lined with huge blooming rhododendron bushes. And they have a great open air fish market right on the waterfront. But how people can afford to live here, we don’t know. Fresh king crab caught right off the coast, like what we have in the U.S. from Alaska for about $20 a pound, here will set you back $50 a pound. The same is true for fresh salmon and other fish. Clothing is also extremely expensive (regular cotton t-shirts starting at $30-$40 and some as high as $65-$75). With those costs, and with the rain coming down hard, we headed back to the ship. And a welcome surprise … instead of having to head back into town in the rain to access the Internet at the library or McDonalds (every McDonald’s here has free and very fast Internet), I was able to find several unsecured links available from our balcony. So, here you go. Tomorrow (Saturday), we’ll be in Scotland. Now, I’m heading downstairs for lunch at the Hog Trough. Ciao.