Waking up this morning, I saw that we were negotiating Hardangerfjord—awesome in the literal sense of the word. This is what I expected to see in the fjords of Norway.



Our destination was the village of Eidfjord, a charming little town that is the gateway to a national park. Tourists come there during the season to hike the surrounding mountains. The town itself has fewer than 1000 residents. Because we were deep into the fjords, we had no Internet or TV (to get the news) available through the ship. I’m so used to it that it was a shock to be cut off. Later in the morning I took my phone off airplane mode so that I could get some Internet through it but could not, for example, communicate with my laptop.
The day was gray again and pretty cold, but it was not windy so it didn’t feel too bad. I could see the “downtown” from my balcony.


After a while, I bundled up and headed out to walk around. One thing I was surprised by was the flowers around town, just because it felt like winter to me. Right outside the cruise dock were four Easter egg trees—charming.


In the town square is this giant pelton runner—the world’s largest, in fact. It was used in a local hydropower plant for 34 years until it cracked in 2015, leading it to be replaced after around 30,000 operating hours.
The town is studded with public art—very impressive.



Another impressive sight was this charging station for electric cars. This photo captures fewer than half of the charging outlets.
There were a general store and a few cafes and stores with very nice merchandise, including a selection of trolls. We’ve seen a lot of trolls here in Norway.


There was also a small but nice art gallery right downtown. One room was devoted to a special exhibit of work by Hilde Kjepso. This one is titled Dance and music in old farmhouses. There were several smaller pieces shown.
I preferred her work to the that of the artist who is featured in the gallery, Nils Berglein. He had a realistic style with some landscapes, some paintings of people, and some of fantasy creatures. Among his paintings, my preference was for the landscapes, including Part of the mountain plateau and Boats at Vangsvatnet.


Returning to the ship for lunch, we were treated to the sight of a seaplane flying right next to us before it turned and landed right outside. The picture was taken through some sea-streaked windows.
After lunch it was nap time—a great feature of low-key days. When we left in late afternoon, we had more awe-inspiring views of the fjord, including this new suspension bridge that greatly cuts down the amount of time it takes to drive from Oslo to Bergen. Each end of the bridge is a tunnel.



This is a beautiful part of the world. I’m very grateful to have the chance to see it.
Especially loved seeing this dramatic landscape, the art and the trolls! Deb