Boating Through the Fjords

Today was actually the only planned activity I had made in advance for the entire trip! (Aside from picking up the Volvo, of course!) Today we went on a boat ride through Aurlandsfjorden and Naerøyfjord.

Before the morning cruise we had some breakfast that we got the night before at the local grocery store. What I thought was individual yogurts ended up being "Byggryn." When I opened it, it looked like tapioca pudding and I was put off, but we tried some and it was actually really tasty! I looked it up and it is a barley porridge. It was so good and even Adeline loved it so we ended up getting more!

Then we were off to the port for our boat ride. It was a pretty chilly morning!

The view from our apartment

Waiting to board!

The best part of visiting highly touristy areas during the off season is that you get to be there when no one else is! The boat was essentially empty, carrying only about 50 people when the capacity was 400, so we had lots of room to stretch out, explore, and wiggle! Here are some facts about the boat Will thought were cool: it was electric, it had two 600hp electric motors and an 1800 kwh battery pack, it could charge in 25 minutes and cruise for 40 minutes at 16 knots.

The ride itself was otherworldly. The mountains were about 1800 meters and the farms we passed by were hundreds of years old and only accessible by the water. There were some passengers from New Zealand on the boat and they said there are similar fjords in Southern New Zealand, but they are less clean, with a lot of lobster fishing debris.

Our boat's destination was Gudvangen. From there we hopped on a shuttle back to Flåm. In the warmer months there are more times for both the boats and the shuttles, so you can schedule it so that you can stay in Gudvangen for an hour or two to visit the former Viking settlement that is there. At one time 600 Vikings lived there. Now about 100 people live there. One of the farms once had 160 people, now there is one. We weren't able to stay to explore for much longer than snapping some quick pictures and then hopping in the shuttle.

This is a hotel!

Info about our route:

We arrived back in Flåm about twenty minutes later. We stopped in the mall for some coffee and to use the bathroom. I unfortunately left my mittens there, which I didn't realize until many hours later! After our pit stop we hopped back in the car and were off to the Stegastein Viewpoint. It was a terrifying tight one lane road (for two directions!) with a super steep drop off. Thank goodness I was not the one behind the wheel. I couldn't handle it even as a passenger! The view was absolutely breathtaking though so I'm glad Will was willing to drive us up there!

The boat you see here is the one we were on. So fascinating to see the fjords from this vantage point after being on the water.

We were glad we got to the lookout when we did because by the time we were heading back down the mountain the fog was starting to roll in. However, it was getting late into the day and we were hungry! We found the most delightful bakery/cafe open (Marianne Bakeri and Kafe), with the nicest lady (must have been Marianne!) running the place. We enjoyed talking with her about the food as well as Aurland and the surrounding areas. The pesto bread and vegetable soup were delectable. Even Adeline agreed!

By the time we were leaving lunch, the fog had turned into rain. Will was really wanting to see the Viking village but Adeline needed a nap and it was so cold and rainy, Will dropped us off at the apartment and he drove back to the Viking village. As he approached Gudvangen the rain turned into a beautiful blizzard! It looked like a much different scene than earlier in the day! The settlement museum area had closed for the day, despite what it advertised on the signs, but he still had a good time exploring around.

Will got home around the same time Adeline woke up from her nap. He fed her a little cheese for a snack!

Then it was time for dinner. And yes, we went back to the same place! It was that good (and pretty much the only place in town open!). And yes, I ordered the same thing. It was that good. Will switched things up and got the cod dinner. After dinner we enjoyed the fire for a few minutes before going home. Will even was able to get some of their beers to go! (The best part is that on the way to dinner we stopped by the mall where I had left my mittens and thankfully the doors to the lobby area were still open, and my mittens still there, so I got to get my mittens back! Hooray!)

When we got home Adeline wiggled before bed. Then we sipped some wine, wrote in our journal, and went to bed.