Woke for the usual reason at 2 a.m. to our first hint of dusk and a hint of what lay in store for us. The skies over the hills and the sea were tinted with pink and lights from the small towns twinkled on the shore. I tore myself away and returned to bed. Norma was up at 4 a.m. and sat bundled up on the balcony watching the scenery until I got up again at 5 a.m. and joined her. I woke up to her excited screams : "Mary Lou, Dolphins!!! and managed to stumble out of bed fast enough to watch five of them cavorting in the ship's wake. (We later learned that they were harbour porpoises.). We managed to get a window table at breakfast while the ship was docked at Hellesylt so didn't miss a thing. (Some people got off the ship here to join overland tours.) We were back on our balcony to enjoy the rest of the trip through the fjord to Geiranger. Geiranger is a small village of 250 permanent residents which can easily swell to 9,000 once cruise ships dock and tourists pile in by car to admire surely the most photographed fjord in Norway. The waters were calm and turquoise in colour. A myriad of waterfalls cascaded from the top of the cliffs into the fjord. Tiny houses clung to the cliff faces. We wondered how they got there. There appeared to be no roads. As we waited for our tour time, we noticed a road switch backing up the side of a cliff with many buses negotiating the steep turns. This, we learned, was the Eagle Road open all year round and the only link to the rest of Norway in the winter.
Once the tour bus started, immediately we began our climb on a road to Oslo which is closed in the winter. We were to climb 1500 metres from sea level to the top of Mount Dalsnibba with a photo stop at 1000 metres. Needless to say, the ride was spectacular as we took so many hairpin turns I lost count. Sometimes it felt that we were hanging over the edge of the cliff. The bus often had to stop along the way to allow other vehicles on their way down to pass. We climbed (in the bus this time) above the tree line to the glacier fields atop the mountains. Once there we joined crowds of other tourists taking pictures of the panoramic 360 degree views. You could see our ship in the harbour. It looked as tiny as a charm on a charm bracelet. Norma resolutely started walking. When I asked her to hold up so someone could take our picture I was told in no uncertain terms: "Mary Lou, we only have 15 minutes and I want to check out the souvenir shop." I followed her into a tiny, very crowded shop with lineups at both cashes and the washrooms. We both started looking around for the most coveted souvenir of the trip. We lost track of each other. Then I spotted the elusive creature that we had been looking for in every souvenir shop in every port of call in Norway. I couldn't find her so I yelled "Norma!" Up she popped. She was so excited she bought two. She said she had checked out that shelf and hadn't seen them. (I think I deserve a finder's fee.) As she waited in line, I gave her some Krona, and left her to make her purchases so that I could admire the view and snap some photos - which is the reason we chose that tour - not to stand in line in a souvenir shop.
Our next stop was at the Lodge for a pastry and a drink of glacier water. Had enough time to dip my toes in the glacier-fed waters before heading back to our ship. Our expected arrival was 15 minutes before the last tender at 3:30 p.m. Just as we got to the outskirts of town, traffic came to a sudden halt. We sat until the last tender was supposed to have left. We noticed our driver on his cell phone and guides from other buses wandering up and down the road. Finally one of the ship's staff boarded the bus to say that the port had gone to Level 2 security and no one was allowed into the town while certain checks were being made and we had to stay on the bus. This wasn't a problem for us as it was very hot and our bus was air conditioned. By the time we got on the last tender, it was close to 5:30 p.m. We sailed a full two hours late. Our captain announced that he was going to try to make up the time. He thinks we will arrive in Copenhagen an hour later than scheduled. Not a problem for us as we have an extra night there before our flight home but some people may be worried about missing their flights.
After all that excitement we finished one bottle of wine before supper, decided on a room- service meal and almost finished another bottle of wine before bed. Tomorrow our last sea day.
P.S. If you haven't already guessed, the coveted souvenirs were exact replicas of a Norwegian Fjord Pony!
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