We awoke to misty mountains this morning & outside our window was a whopping great cruise ship from Italy! It was massive! Before long there were people going in all directions.
The direction we were heading was to this new super boat, which utilizes good design with space to create a much more viewer-friendly fjord cruising experience. It is also environmentally friendly, and as we were about to cruise down Naeroyfjorden, which has a quite vulnerable ecosystem (apparently) the boat would be using only battery power & move at less than 10 knots. That sounded good on paper, but what it meant in real life was that it was an exceptionally quiet, smooth ride & standing at the very front, I felt as if I was skimming across the water.
The wispy clouds wove their way in & out of the mountain tips, which added a sense of mystery & wonder to the scenery.
There were a LOT of waterfalls.... and I think Jeff photographed every single one of them! Some looked as if they came down from the clouds.
Some looked as if they either came directly out of the rock face.... or went directly into it!
The high cliffs of rock had a surprising range of patterns & colours, but what really amazed us, was that trees could grow in them. In some areas the tree growth had regularities to it, which made it appear as if they'd been planted by humans, but there was no way anyone could have got up that high. Nature continues to surprise & amaze.
Every glance was a photographers dream.
We left the boat at Gudvangen, where a very different type of boat led us to our next destination.
We were here to see Njardarheimr, a reconstructed Viking Village in the valley. Around a thousand years ago, there was a genuine Viking trading settlement here, so it was rather special to experience a bit of a time warp.
In the compound several craftspeople & Viking era specialists had moved into huts with turf rooves, where they slept under reindeer & sheep skins and during the day dressed in clothes of the era.
Whilst there we listened to a guide who was clearly a storyteller, as he introduced us to the realities of Viking life as opposed to the myths. No horns on helmets for these warriors!!
We met a basket maker, earthenware maker, bone carver, ironmonger, two weavers in different techniques and a spinner, who also happened to make garments using needlebinding. This looks like knitting at first glance, but creates a denser fabric & only uses 1 needle. I was very keen to learn, but the craftswoman was struggling with the fact that I'm right handed & she's left & she couldn't work out what I should be doing! Soooo....gently encouraged a Google search & visit to You tube!
It was all great fun anyway & even if it was a hugely touristy set up, we enjoyed the time spent back in time!
Back in Flam the sky was blue & the heat from the sun was actually warm, so the obvious thing to do was sit back at the marina & refresh the energy levels with some frozen yoghurt! We spent a pleasant time watching the boats, the birds & spotting the occasional fish or eel! It was lovely to just stop & be.
Blissful sigh!
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