A Cruise on Hardangerfjord

A cruise on Hardangerfjord, all the way to the inner regions and back again.   We left Lofthus at 10.15 a.m. and returned at 4.10 p.m. although we spent three hours of that time at Eidfjord.  The boat was very comfortable, and warm in the main cabin.   There were huge windows all around, so a great view, while sitting in comfort.   

Interestingly this was the front of the boat, with the gangplank, not the back.   Very odd.

First stop was Kinsarvik, home of the steel factory, where they make Hardanger Bestikk cutlery.  We visited there yesterday.

A very overcast day, but the sun shone through at times, which made the mountain tops quite luminous.

The next stop was Ulvik, which was in the innermost reaches of the fjord.   Another picturesque church.

The little settlement of Ulvik, with a very flash hotel on the foreshore.  But very peaceful.

Finally we reached Eidfjord, which is the gateway to the Hardangervidda Plateau, where there is a huge national park, the Voringsfoss (waterfall) and a national park building where a film is shown of the park, for those people who cannot walk the numerous tracks.   A very popular destination.   We could have caught a coach up there today, but decided we will drive there ourselves in a couple of days time.

We chose instead to eat our packed lunch peacefully on the jetty, and then take one of the walks.  It was very quiet, but the cruise ships also call into Eidfjord, and it can get very crowded.   Good for the local businesses.   Luckily there were no cruise ships today, just a few tourist coaches.

We could easily have been in New Zealand, in Milford Sound, minus the sandflies, or Glenorchy.  It was so uncanny.   The big difference is the fjords in Norway are very accessible, as there are plenty of roads, buses and ferries.   Yet there is still plenty of rugged scenery, national parks, remote walks, glaciers and isolated areas.

A very large hotel, with a tourist coach approaching it.

There was a car rally taking place by the hotel.  I will not say vintage because there were plenty of cars of our era, 1967 to 1985.  We do not consider ourselves 'vintage' yet.  They were expensive cars, not the type we would never have driven.   This bus was made in 1937.

The walk we chose went past the school, two churches, farmland, and then back through a suburb.  Even the style of the houses were very similar to those in mountain regions in N.Z.

Moss and lichen growing on the hillside.  New Zealand for sure.

Now the style of these prefab houses were a little different.   They were built during the 1970s when a power station was built in Eidfjord.  They were now homes, for anyone who wished to purchase one.  There was one for sale.  I think it would be extremely cold, and dark, in winter.

A peaceful rural setting, with fat little lambs and their mothers.   Could have been NZ, except all the sheep had bells around their necks.   Very musical.

We finished the walk off, with a lovely ice cream, and sat on the jetty until it was time to board the boat for the trip home.   A most enjoyable day.

And to finish the day, after delicious hamburgers cooked by Walter, I walked the first part of track which heads towards the waterfall.   Very pleasant.

The view back down to the camping ground.   We are now heamed in by motorhomes, a caravan, and a tent, all after our beautiful view up the fjord.