Norwegian Cruising Adventure 2022 - Geiranger - Day 7
Overnight the ship felt like it was on rails. We cruised flat as can be. Captain Regis made a brilliant decision to cruise inside the fjords. He had to hire two specially qualified pilots to guide us through many tight passages and it was the right choice?
We dropped anchor in Olden at 8:00 am. The cruise ship Queen Victoria was docked at the only pier. She has 4,000 passengers so I guess that is fair. We can fit our entire population in two trips of the lifeboat. I think Ponant saves money when the anchor out. We will anchor out tomorrow too.
Our first stop was Leon. This is the majestic Lake Lovatnet just below the Jostedalsbreen glacier. This glacier and lake have some history. In 1905 a huge chunk of the mountainside plummeted into the lake and triggered a tidal wave that obliterated the surrounding villages and killed 63 people. The survivors knew that could never happen again. They rebuilt the town on higher ground. They were right for 31 years. An even worse avalanche occurred in 1936 and 72 people perished. They rebuilt again and so far, so good.
We boarded a cruise boat and transited the entire lake and we were surrounded by towering peaks and numerous waterfalls.
Our destination was a restaurant called the Kjenndalsstova Cafe that served waffles with strawberry jam and clotted cream.
Kjenndalsstova Cafe - notice the reflection in the water. Photo by Priscilla
Waffles with strawberry jam and clotted cream
Our bus picked us up and drove us to the Kjenndal glacier. This glacier grew 900 feet between 1980 and 1997. Our Norwegian tour guide was asked if the glacier was retreating due to global warming. Her response was 12 million years ago this glacier stretched all the way to Germany. It has been retreating ever since. Someday it will grow again.
The road leading to the glacier was barely one lane wide. Tour buses passing tour busses was a thrill. There were even cows blocking the road.
Kjenndal glacier.
Our last stop of the day was the Leon. Skylift. It is giant gondola that provides access to the Hoven Peak which is over 3,000 feet above sea level. We could see our small ship that looked like the tender for the Queen Victoria. It was an amazing view.
A bizarre event occurred when we returned to the dock to board our ship. We were delayed from boarding the tender because the Queen Victoria requested that our tiny ship move aside when she pulled out of the dock. It took a while for our ship to reposition.
Finally, back on the ship, we had a delightful dinner at our favorite fantail restaurant. We are cruising through a magnificent fjord. The panorama is breathtaking.
The entertainment for the evening was a casino night. Priscilla and I had a good run at the gaming tables. The best part is there is no ante and everything you win you get to keep. The bad news is all the money is fake and we get to bid on three bags of marginal prizes. Even combining our winnings with another player were were unable to win the bid for a Ponant ballpoint pen. However we won all the same stuff and more the previous night in a music trivia contest.
Tomorrow we arrive in Geiranger. Another day of grand vistas and waterfalls.