Flåm

June 18
We left Bergen on the evening of Saturday, the 17th of June, and Sunday morning we found ourselves sailing through the beautiful fjords of Norway. Those are the first 4 photos below. More of those later.

We made port in Flåm, which is at the end of the Aurlands Fjord, and there we boarded the Flåm Railway. This took us up into the hills along the river, crossing it many times, taking us through tunnels, and treating us to some gorgeous views. We stopped and got off the train at an amazing waterfall. There was a dance performance done there, but I missed it. The train then took us up to Myrdal Station where we stopped to take pictures, but stayed on the train. We stopped again at the waterfall on the way back and I got to see the dance performance then. I got some of it on video.

Once we got back to the ship and set sail, the captain decided we had time to sail down a side fjord that is supposed to be one of the most beautiful. Martha and I watched from the observation lounge for a bit, but we were exhausted and went back to our cabin for a 1 hour nap. When we woke up, we were near the end of the fjord, so we still got to see it (and take pictures) on our way back out of it. If I understand the map correctly, this fjord is called the Nærøy Fjord and ends at a place called Gudvangen.

Before dinner, I attended my first of the science lectures, Slip Slidin’ Away: Plate Tectonics and the Geology of Norway by Dr Jim Zimbelman, geologist.

Dinner was the Captain’s Galla Evening with Captain Romain MOATTI introducing his officers and heads of departments. It was an occasion for dressing up, and after dinner, the dancers of the Ballet Paris C’Show and singer Adriana performed Show Frida in the theater. Described as being like a Frida Kahlo painting, the show took us through her life. It was a beautiful and exciting show.

Later that evening, as we headed north, I got a lovely sunset shot at about 10:40 PM as the sun sets rather late in that area at that time of year.

I have 2 videos from this day. The first is of the dance performance at the waterfall on the Flåm Railway. The dancer portrays Huldra (or a hulder) luring people into the mountains.

The second video is of a waterfall in the fjord near Gudvangen. As near as I can determine from camera GPS information, this is the end of the Smellagrovi river.