Fire and Ice: An Easy Day in Isafjord

Friday 4 August 2017. During the night that was stubbornly light, we arrived at the jutting out north west corner of Iceland and slipped down a fjord to Isafjord ("Ísafjörður" in Icelandic).

This was drawn from the Celebration's coffee shop on Deck 5. We waited for things to warm up a bit as first thing in the morning there was a - shall we say - a slight nip to the air... By the time we covered up with hoodies and jackets though we ended up carrying them round as the temperature shot up to 23 degrees centigrade!

A whale skull and vertebra displayed on the ground near a souvenir shop and cafe. Isafjord was founded by Norsemen in the 800s and 800 years later apparently there were lots of witch trials around here, with anyone found guilty banished to an exposed peninsula nearby, now a national nature reserve.

The cafe/souvenir shop was a large wooden building. A couple of cats were sitting or wandering around outside, looking hopeful... It was perhaps their home or a source of the odd tit-bit!

Behind us is the ship and then a high cliff at the far side of the fjord so we were in the shadow of the cliff whilst the entrance to the inner harbour and the hillside behind the hut is lit by the sun.

We had decided not to do any excursion today as tomorrow's excursion will be a long full day trip. So we set off to walk around Isafjord itself.

This boat had seen better days, but it looked as though any useful parts had been stripped off to extend their useful life on other vessels.

The fjord approaches and passes Isafjord and then does two right-angle bends to the right finally ending in a sheltered inner harbour. We are approaching that here, walking by the edge of the water.

A few trawlers were in the harbour, perhaps having unloaded their catch and waiting for their next trip. A large green forklift truck was kept busy taking stacks of crates from the harbour into town.

Isafjord's only roundabout. It covers approaches from the small town centre, from the dock and from the houses that strung along the side of the fjord on the far side of the town.

The houses were quite colourful! A large house, standing on its own, turned out to be a former hospital and is now a cultural centre with a library and museum.

Like most fishing towns, there was a memorial to local fishermen that had set out but had not returned. This one was flanked by two flag poles and had a colourful flower bed set in front of it.

From the roundabout we turned to our right which led via a short street to the edge of the wider fjord at the end of the town. By now we were carrying coats and hoodies and were just in t-shirts. This in a place where the average mean temperature for an August day in just 9 degrees, with the average high being a mere 12 degrees. It's hard to deny global warming here...

There were quite a few of our fellow passengers enjoying the views from here. There is snow on some of the slopes despite today's high temperatures. We were told that we had been incredibly lucky with the weather as it had been raining hard and cold the previous day. In fact we heard that in most of the ports we visited - I want to travel with this captain again...!

Another cruise ship is approaching Isafjord in the distance. This is the Astoria, belonging to a Portuguese line. We'll have a closer look at her as we sail out.

We walked through the small town centre, coming back out to the fjord and our own ship waiting patiently against the dramatic backdrop of the side of the fjord. There's a few specks of snow up there too, proving that today's warmth was truly a bit of a freak luck!

We passed several large factories, mostly concerned with the fishing industry, cleaning, filleting, canning etc. Here, ice is being packed over the day's catch.

The day passes. At 5:00pm we cast off our cables. The gulls gather excitedly as the ship's thrusters move us out and away from the dock, stirring up tasty morsels no doubt from the below.

The Astoria. She's an old girl. Built as the Stockholm in 1948, Astoria is incredibly the eleventh name she has sailed under! Built originally as an ocean liner, she currently sails as a cruise ship carrying 556 passengers.

We are now on our way to our final port in Iceland, Reykjavik. Whilst not exactly "fire", the trip we take tomorrow will include some impressive volcanic and geothermal action! And a rather expensive (but very good) beer...

Back to the Cruise Index Page

Leaving Geiranger

Wednesday 7 August 2013. We arrive safely down the mountainside and end up by the fjord in Geiranger. The fjord is called Geirangerfjord - makes it nice and easy to remember!

It was a nice sunny day, but here by the fjord the mountains are shading us from the sunshine! We catch the tender boat back to the ship and, after climbing up to the Promenade Deck, we see the last tender boat depart from the jetty and return to the ship to be winched aboard.

There's time for a nice cup of coffee on the Lido Deck before the ship is ready to sail. As the three loud blasts on the ship's horn sound, we drink up and climb up one deck to the Promenade Deck again.

We are just in time to see the last of the Vikings leave to plunder western Europe. They may face more resistance than their counterparts of 1000 years ago, but they have the advantage of a diesel engine...

The sides of the deck - the waist - have a few people taking their ease to watch the fjord go by but we join the crowd at the bow. This affords a view to either side but is a far more windy place to be! We don't realise in a car behind that windscreen, but once you move forward you press against the air in front of you which feels like a wind. At sea when the ship is going at its normal speed that wind can make you bend over double to walk towards it and makes you walk away from it faster than you mean to!

A ferry comes past us heading towards Geiranger. A few brave people in one-man kayaks look like small dots against the cliff that dwarfs not just them but our ship also.

The first turn in the fjord comes into view ahead and our first view of one the the two waterfalls that Geiranger is famous for.

On our port side is The Friar, falling from the very top of the mountain in stages. We can see a few of them and the the bottom two are shown here. This waterfall is also known as The Suitor.

This is because it is said to be wooing the waterfalls that tumble down the opposite side of the fjord. They are collectively known as The Seven Sisters. We watch them go by on either side and then hastily beat a retreat into the cabin to clean up for dinner. It's blowing a gale out there! Once again there are so many miles of fjord to negotiate before we reach the North Sea that we will be tucked up in bed by the time we get there. We will know when though, because the ship starts to rock gently from side to side - you slide down the bunk and then as it tips the other way, you feel the pillow pressing harder against your head!

Fjordland Wonders Cruise Index Page

Essence of Norway - Stryn to Geiranger

Wednesday 7 August 2013. We left Stryn behind in the previous entry and now we start to climb up into the mountains. The first photo stop comes a few minutes later.

We had been following a glacial river and the coach pulled to a stop by a bridge crossing the river just above some white water rapids. However, a few seconds ago we passed the rapids tumbling over a small fall and I thought that would make a much better photo. So John from Poulton and I rushed downstream and ended up on a small T-shaped platform of wood, totally unrailed and over the rapids!

We got the photos but if you look carefully you can see that the bridge is empty of tourists and so we were the last back to the coach!

We stop for lunch at the Jostedalsbreen National Park Centre in Oppstryn, about 14 miles from Stryn. Jostedalsbreen is also the name of the glacier that we can see above us, which is the largest glacier on mainland Europe. The centre is another of those grass-roofed buildings and in dire need of a goat...

Our dinner, meanwhile is served in a large conservatory, the gables of which can be seen to the right of the photo. We were four coaches on the tour and it fit us all. The tables were large enough to take four couples each. The benches were covered with reindeer skins. We sat with John and Sue, facing two other couples. The table was generously loaded with bottles of beer, Pepsi, and other drinks. We were against the window so Sue got the honour of being table monitor and passing the dishes out. Soup was followed by freshly poached salmon in a white sauce and rice - yummy! Tea and coffee followed.

After that we went outside to look at the lake and the collection of huge rocks. You can see these on the photo of the centre - each rock had a one foot square on its surface polished to show what it would look like as a floor, worktop or whatever. We admired the lake scenery for a bit then looked round the centre itself which sold reindeer skins and trolls and had record-breaking queues at the toilets... Even the Gents had a queue - which the ladies seemed to find quite gratifying for some reason.

We got back on the coach and started to climb. Lots of hairpin bends and we were on a very narrow road. A few cars were passed going the opposite way. This entailed slowing right down to a crawl and judging the right spot to allow the vehicles to pass.
"Do coaches only go one way along this road?" asked one passenger nervously.
"No... answered the driver. "But don't worry - I'm hoping to get my license next week..."

The guide tells us of an incident from World War II. A British plane and a German bomber had an aerial fight over the mountains one winter which resulted in both of them crashing. On the snow covered mountain survivors from both aircraft met in the same mountain cabin and had to live together to survive, becoming friends. The German bomber was still on the mountainside.

In fact, not long afterwards... But no - this turned out to be a replica. The story of the airmen was made into a film in 2012 called Into the White. Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley from the Harry Potter films) plays one of the British crew. This is a prop from the making of that film. However, the real bomber still exists somewhere in the mountains, whilst the British plane was recovered from a nearby lake and is now on display at the Fleet Air Arm Museum in Yeovil, Somerset.

There are lakes a-plenty in the region. We had a photo stop at the side of this one next to a cafe and hotel with the rather quaint name Dupvasshytta. Don't knock it - 5-star reviews and all. Now we start to climb in earnest. No, not the coach's name...

This little (but 2-way) toll road is taking us to the viewpoint on the top of Dalsnibba mountain, from where we should be able to look down on Geiranger, the town at the end of Geirangerfjord, the fjord and the Thomson Spirit, the ship... The Jostedalsbreen glacier can be seen on the mountain tops and the road down can be seen... down...

We are 1500 meters above sea level - which is also fjord level seeing as we haven't gone through any locks or climbed any hills in the ship. The Thomson Spirit is there but partially hidden on the left of the fjord by an outcrop halfway down. Luckily we will stop again halfway down which will allow the following view of the ship which we last saw in Hellesylt first thing this morning.

We are late returning to the ship. It should have sailed half an hour before we got back to it and we were the first of the four coaches. One of the advantages to being on an official ship excursion is that it will wait for you to return. If you go off independently there is no such guarantee.

Fjordland Wonders Cruise Index Page

A Brief Stop in Hellesylt

Wednesday 7 August 2013. After the rain of yesterday it was a relief to get up onto the deck of Thomson Spirit and see a bit of sunshine!

It is really early in the morning. We were booked for a full day tour called Essence of Norway and the ship was calling here at Hellesylt for the sole purpose of dropping off any passengers going on that tour. The ship would then sail away and we would rejoin it at the end of the day at Geiranger.

After the rain, the waterfalls were pretty spectacular. We stayed up on deck, a little huddle of passengers together on the front of the Promenade Deck under the windows of the ship's bridge, watching the magnificent scenery glide past us as we made our way into the tiny village of Hellesylt.

The best waterfall, if not the highest, was waiting for us in Hellesylt itself. Flowing under two bridges to join the waters of the fjord. By now the Promenade Deck was fairly crowded and cameras were clicking away merrily! We went off to find some breakfast and to get ready for disembarking the ship. The tour left at 9:30am and it would be 5:00pm before we saw the ship again. This one tour alone was to make up for the two days of rain we had experienced so far in Norway. The weather was brilliant and the tour will include a glacier, mountains, lakes, plenty of hairpin bends and a crashed Heinkel bomber. You won't miss the next entry or two will you?

Fjordland Wonders Cruise Index Page

Very Rainy Day in Flam

Tuesday 6 August 2013. Last night we were told that all planned excursions for today were cancelled. The reason was a fire in a road tunnel which was the way into Flam for not only the excursion coaches, but also the guides who provided the commentary on Flam's railway.

This is a famous scenic ride up the mountains and is listed as one of the 100 things to do before you die. Doing it after you die is theoretically possible but, even if they let you on the train, the overall experience is not as good...

So we decided that we would get up really early to make the most of our sailing into Flam, which is at the end of the Aurlandsfjord which a tributary of the Sognefjord, a 204 kilometres long and up to 1,308 metre deep fjord. We had therefore entered this fjord in the middle of the night.

The weather was extremely wet. We went for a coffee and by sitting close to the Lido restaurant, managed to sit outside without getting too wet and then decided to go down for our breakfast.

As we passed through the Lido Restaurant on our way down to the waiter service restaurant on Deck 4 I noticed this little house with a water wheel, made out of bread!

We made a leisurely breakfast in the Compass Rose restaurant and were interrupted briefly when a member of the ship's Destinations Team came down to tell us that the Cunard ship, Queen Victoria, was 20 minutes behind us and that anyone who was wanting to travel independently on the Flam Railway was advised to get off the ship immediately to secure tickets as these would be very limited.

A couple on the next table immediately started grumbling. "They could have told us that last night!" he stormed. Yes I can just imagine the skippers of rival companies having those conversations over ship to ship radio, can't you?
"What time will you get in, because we want to be first...?"

We finished our breakfast and then went up on deck to watch the Queen Victoria sail in. Given the weather I expect that the view from the train was going to be severely restricted anyway and without guides to tell you what you couldn't see, we weren't about to spend on tickets. If (Fran says "when") we go back we will pre-book the Flam train excursion and hope for better weather.

Later in the day we decided we would go ashore even in the pouring rain, just to stretch our legs and have a look at Flam itself. We got to the cabin to find someone else wearing my cap...

The Thomson Spirit was moored in the middle of the fjord and was using her tender boats to ferry passengers to and from the Flam landing stage. It was strange being on a tender boat that wasn't rocking about, all of our other experiences having been on the sea!

The train was loading up, ready for its trip up the mountain. There is a small museum in the nearby station building dedicated to the railway and other forms of transport, i.e. skis. The museum was free to enter and I had a quick look round it, conscious that I was dripping water all over the wooden floors. So was everyone else, but I still felt guilty and didn't stay long. We had a look in the souvenir shops (reindeer skins and trolls) and raised eyebrows to the ceiling at the screams from the American child who suddenly realised the skins came "from an animal, Mommy!!! It's from an animal!!!". Not that we're that much better - I used to work in an agricultural college and amongst the teenage newcomers there was a depressing number who could trace milk to a bottle and then further back to the supermarket, but had no idea where it came from any further back than that...

An hour was quite enough to soak us through. We got back to the landing stage to find a lady covered in mud, who had tried to climb up the waterfall and had come down the quicker way... We got back to the ship and changed clothes. Then we gave the Horizons Bar our custom and our books our attention until it came close to sailing time.

The last tender boat comes back from Flam to the ship. We wait whilst it is winched aboard and then the ship's company go about the business of preparing for departure. We find a spot on the Promenade Deck and watch for the first signs of movement.

There were quite a lot of people out on deck to watch us leave, but because of the rain those numbers dwindled quite quickly once we had been under way for quarter of an hour or so. Flam faded into the distance behind us and we sailed down the fjord, knowing that we would be in bed before we sailed out into the North Sea again.

The continual rain of the day had served a purpose in making the many waterfalls a bit more spectacular though!

Fjordland Wonders Cruise Index Page

The Wrong Song in Kotor, Montenegro

Saturday, 13 August 2011. Normally the first day of a cruise would be a day at sea. This allows passengers to get accustomed to any motion that there may be and also provides time for the lifeboat drill which is required by law within 24 hours of boarding a ship. All passengers are required to attend.

On the Adriatic Explorer however we have a port visit - Kotor in Montenegro - to look forward to. To accommodate the lifeboat drill we will arrive at lunchtime and sail away a bit later at 11:00pm. So a second day where we have a chance to see somewhere after dark! To approach Kotor we have to sail along what they call the deepest fjord in southern Europe. It is some 28 kilometres long and as I hadn't realised we weren't sailing until after dark, I stuck my nose in a book on the sun deck and ignored it entirely... Duh... The bits I did see - and we were in it a long time - were spectacular! It is our first visit to Montenegro. All day long the song Montego Bay is going through my head even though it's about a totally different country on the other side of the world and the word "Montenegro" does not fit into the same space as "Montego"...

The Thomson Spirit moors right outside the city walls. Just a short walk is all we need to be into the city.

Kotor is a medieval walled city with earlier roots. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

At first we follow the walls around to our left, but very quickly we find we are heading for the modern part of town! So we retrace our steps along the wall towards the nearest gate into the city.

This is it. Literally a five minute walk from the ship by the direct route!

It brings us to the main square of Kotor. From here streets and alleys lead off in all directions.

You cannot ignore the mountains in Kotor. The city is literally squashed against the side of the fjord by them. To secure the medieval city, the inhabitants built the city walls to climb high up the mountainside from one side of the city, along the mountain's side and down another steep slope to the other side of the city.

Here and there are wall sculptures. They are dotted about the city. In fact, the right hand winged cherubim here seems to have been dotted with bullets...

Kotor is a delight of narrow alleyways, very worn marble paving and cobbled squares, surrounded by ancient palaces and churches. Scrawny cats stalk the alleyways that were made so that even two donkeys would have to be skinny to pass each other! We come out at one side of the city wall and at what seems to be a pond.

On closer examination though it is the water of the fjord. The roadway is bridged over it at this point. It no doubt allowed the city's folk to fish from the walls in times of siege.

The walls run up an almost sheer mountainside to a fortress far above us. The walls meld into the mountainside. Come dark we will see them far more easily so we'll have a look at them on the next page.

We head back into the city and spend some time exploring the alleys and narrow streets.

Back on the ship we head up to the Horizons Bar where the irrepressible Aiza is practicing the phrases taught to her by some Geordies last week: "Why-aye man! Cheeky booger...." Priceless!

Return to Adriatic Explorer index page