Day 14 - Skjolden, Norway

At 11:00 last night, our ship picked up a pilot to guide us through the longest fjord, Lustrafjorde,  in the world (20 5km). We docked at 7:00 this morning.  What a beautiful view we had when we pulled open the curtains this morning.  It was drizzling and the clouds were low but the evergreen tree covered mountains rose starting right on the shore with just a barn and home up maybe a couple of hundred feet from the gorgeous blue green glacial water.  This picture was taken from the ship on the 9th floor.

Since our tour wasn't happening until the afternoon we enjoyed a very leisurely breakfast and simply soaked up the view we had from that dining area which overlooked the waters and a mountain filled cove.

Following lunch, we boarded a tour bus for a trip down a very narrow mountain road that followed along the dge of fjord. We traveled thru several tunnels most of the time hugging the side of a mountain as we traveled. The bus driver had a real challenge because every time we encountered a car or truck we had to shift to the very edge of the road or back up to a spot where we could shift over a bit more so that vehicles could pass.  In one of the tunnels, we met a truck and our bus driver had to back all the way out of the tunnel to where there was a bit of grass shoulder so it could pass us.  The switch back roads as we climbed a mountain to see a stave church, became a real challenge when we met a tour bus coming down. At one point we made a very short stop so those interested could take a quick picture.  Six cars and trucks ended up backed up behind us.

In the town of Luster, we visited the oldest of the remaining 28 Viking built stave churches in the country (1000 once existed),  the Urnes Stave Church.  It was originally built in 1130. These wooden churches have high-rising turrets and sloped roofs along with a lot of carving and detailed paintings on the walls. Coatings of pine tar have protected it along with the fact it is constructed on a stone foundation to protect it from rot. Staves or upright long poles make up the frame work.

We were not allowed to take pictures on the inside so can't show the intricate carvings in there but this shot of the front and one of the sides gives an idea of what went into the construction.

Across the street from the church was a tiny museum with a huge field of raspberry bushes, loaded with big red berries. The farm land rolled right down the mountainside to the fjord.

The remainder of our tour took us through small towns, over rushing streams with small waterfalls, past vineyards and small farms and was capped with a ferry trip across the fjord so we continue back toward the ship yet see even more of the landscape.

The ferry ride itself was quite an experience as it was very small and required that all of us get off the bus and stand on the tiny upper deck.  The bus driver had to back onto the of the ferry with a space allowance of about 6 inches on each side of him.

Since it was raining, we weren't able to get good pictures but the views were spectacular.

These colorful boat houses lined the shore in the town where we were headed.

And we even had some dolphins follow us.

Because of the misty rain we were not able to get pictures that truly showed the beauty that surrounded us on our sail back down the fjord in the evening but it really was amazing.