A last day in paradise

The last day of our trip to the west fjords in Norway we spent in the Nordfjord region. Olden has been our last port of call. Everything we did or planned we did for the last time on this cruise. Arne and Katja had their last briefing for the next day, which would be our disembarkation day, the last groups got the possibility for a bridge visit, we had a last hike, a last panorama tour, a last cocktail with our captain, Rune Andreassen, and in the evening a last, but wonderful dinner on board.

Suitcases had been packed already and there was still time for a last small talk with new friends in the panorama lounge and last laughing together during the amazing FRAM crew show.It will be difficult to say good bye tomorrow. 

And here you can see them, our last impressions from our last day in the fjords. 

A day out of a picture book

This day has been unbelievable again. We got so many different impressions that we want to show you today lots of pictures in the blog again. Pictures will say than words today.

We started very early in the morning at 5:20 in front of the bird cliff in Runde before we reached Ålesund later in the morning.

Lisa Anderson

Lisa Anderson

Some guests made the decision to go by bus from Ålesund to Geiranger.

FriedaPhoto

Others enjoyed the "art nouveau town" Ålesund before they sailed with FRAM through the impressive fjord system to Geiranger. 

FriedaPhoto

FriedaPhoto

 

FriedaPhoto

FriedaPhoto

FriedaPhoto

FriedaPhoto

FriedaPhoto

Others enjoyed the "art nouveau town" Ålesund before they sailed with FRAM through the impressive fjord system to Geiranger. 

Tomasz Zadrozny

Lisa Anderson

Lisa Anderson

In Geiranger the hikers got another chance to test their fitness.

Tomasz Zadrozny

Tomasz Zadrozny

Tomasz Zadrozny

All passengers had a more or less full packed day in this wonderful and amazing Norwegian fjord area. In the evening everybody was more than tired - but totally happy. What a day!

A day in Sognefjorden

Real explorers start the day early!  We reached Nærøyfjorden 05:30 in the morning. The fjord is regarded to be one of the most beautiful and dramatic in the world and is on the UNESCO world heritage list. Hikers were dropped at Bleiklindi in the inner part of Nærøyfjorden and left there to make their way to Flåm. They followed the old postal route to Styvi. It was a very pleasant experience, as  they walked in the midst of this stunning landscape. The hikers were off the ship before breakfast; however, nobody goes hungry on Fram as the Hotel Manager and Chef had prepared a full breakfast on the beach.

Tomasz Zadrozny

Tomasz Zadrozny

Tomasz Zadrozny

The Royal Postal route were built in the 1600`s to get mail between Bergen and Gudvangen. The post was transported at this time by foot some stretches or by boat if possible. When the fjord was frozen the post had to be transported overland and the mail carrier used the route Bleiklindi-Styvi and onwards by boat.

Tomasz Zadrozny

The hikers chose the same way this morning to catch up with the ship in Flåm. They walked the 6km to Styvi and there they were picked up by Polar Cirkle boats.

Tomasz Zadrozny

In the meantime another adventure had started from Flåm; a ride with the train from Flåm to Myrdal. The railway is 20 km long, but the train climbs 867m during these 20 km, crossing back and forth across rivers and through 20 tunnels. The railway is a masterpiece of engineering.

FriedaPhoto

FriedaPhoto

FriedaPhoto

FriedaPhoto

FriedaPhoto

FriedaPhoto

Next stop in Sognefjorden was Balestrand. Some enjoyed a cultural walk through this beautiful little town surrounded by high mountains and stunning scenery.

Lisa Anderson

To get a better view some even hiked all the way up the steep trail to the viewpoint at Orabenken. 

Tomasz Zadrozny

The evening ended with a fruit and ice carving show presented by our very talented crew out of the galley and the restaurant.

Lisa Anderson

A day full of action

We spent the night in the harbour at the pier in Eidfjord just next to a huge and nice looking hotel. But we have to say, it’s wonderful to have the possibility to take the own hotel with you on your trip. Coming back from a hike, a city tour or other activities, your cabin is waiting for you again. No need to pack or unpack day by day. Your personal belongings are where they should be already; it’s a bit like coming home.

FriedaPhoto

This day turned out as a day full of activities. In the early morning our kayakers started the first passenger cruise of this trip. Accompanied by our experienced and well trained expedition team passengers went into the boats for an unforgettable experience. Well equipped with dry suits, and even chocolate and a bottle of water, kayak by kayak was pushed into the fjord – and the tour could start, very well observed by the other passengers.

FriedaPhoto

FriedaPhoto

FriedaPhoto

FriedaPhoto

Some guests learned the city by themselves; others joined our lecture team on the “footprints of the Vikings”.

Our Chef Johan Ludvik expected us on the pier already when we came back after a morning full of new experiences. He had a typical Norwegian cake prepared for us, the so called “krotekake”, something like a pancake made out of potatoes. What a nice and warm welcome back on board.

FriedaPhoto

After lunch and a short break we started with our bridge visits. 

Lisa Anderson

The expedition team had some “brain activities” prepared for us. Of course there have been lectures again, but there has been a very special lesson too, a lesson in Hardanger embroidery. Like school children passengers and even staff members learned from our expedition leader Karin the first steps of this amazing needle work. 

Lisa Anderson

 The evening ended with an Udo Jürgens show by our pianist Ralf.

Lisa Anderson

Everything is possible in Hardangerfjord

We started the day with a visit to Rosendal , an area known for its long shipbuilding tradition. Gjøa was one of the many boats built here and used by Roald Amundsen on the expedition through the “North West passage”. The ship building museum has maintained tools and models  from the time of the ship building period 1855-1955. The small community of Rosendal  keeps the boatbuilding tradition alive. The community has taken upon themselves to restore the old wooden boat Gurine which was built right after Gjøa. The locals showed off their old lady and gladly offered a tour for those of us who passed by. The lucky ones caught the workers in their coffee break and got a taste of the local pastry “Svele”. So far, the community of Rosendal has spent 7500 hours of volunteer work on Gurine. The plan is to have her finished in 2017. They discuss lively during the coffee break where to go sailing when the work is done. Will it be Torshamn (Faroe Island), Caribbean or to neighbouring fjords?

Another famous attraction in Rosendal is the manor “Baroniet”. In 1650s a Danish nobleman came to Bergen and met the daughter of the biggest landowner in the area. When they married in 1658 they were given Baroniet as a wedding present.  King Christian V of Denmark gave the estate a status of barony, the only one of its kind in Norway.  The property remained in private ownership until it was donated to the University of Oslo in 1927. We enjoyed the beautiful park around the manor.

The weather was splendid and the Hardangerfjord beautiful so the lecture about fjords and surroundings where given on outside decks.

In the afternoon, we landed in the village Ulvik which is famous for fruit and cider production. Brakanes Hotel lies here in this  beautiful location.This highly respectable hotel was established in 1860 and is surrounded by high mountains, sparkling fjords and a well-organised cultural scene.

The most adventures decided to paddle the 18km between Ulvik and Eidsfjord, while Fram sailed the same distance