Olden, Norway

            Tuesday, 1 Sep 2015 – We awoke to our alarm at 2:15 AM.  Sally first searched the sky from our balcony, and then went out on deck to search further.  Only the bright, almost full moon was visible in the sky, and Sally returned to bed.  Later, and after brunch, we joined or tour group in the Island Dining Room.

            Our tour bus departed the pier at 1:15 PM, with our tour guide (Coleen) and driver (Earland).  We first drove through Olden, population 600, and on to Lake Lovatn, where we boarded a small motor boat for a twelve-mile cruise on the lake's turquoise waters.  We were lucky enough to sit on the upper, uncovered deck, which had a much better view; however, the wind was cold.  The guide explained how the lake's waters have been colored by clays washed down from Kjenndalen Glacier.  Although the water appears to be green, it is actually clear and the color is only an illusion.  The lake is filled by water from the melting glaciers.  In fact, our guide told us that the water is extremely healthy to drink, and (with tongue in cheek) even being like a fountain of youth.
 

Viking Troll

Kjenndalen Mountain Lodge

            At the Kjenndalen Mountain Lodge, we disembarked from the motor boat.  There, we were served coffee, tea, and delicious waffles with strawberry jam and yogurt.  The servers kept refilling the platters and Jesse ate until eating more would have become embarrassing!  (The waffles were delicious!) 



Kjenndalen Glacier

After we re-boarded our bus, it continued to the trailhead for Kjenndalen Glacier.  From there we hiked up the trail to the glacier, which was an intense blue-green.  The glacier is situated in the Jostedalsbreen National Park, and is home to the largest ice sheet in mainland Europe.  Stretching over 37 miles in length, it is divided into three major arms, and is over 1,312 feet deep at certain points.  We could also see several waterfalls along the way, which were fueled by melting ice from the glaciers.

            After hiking back down the trail to the trailhead, we re-boarded our bus.  We drove through Kjenndalen Valley and more Norwegian countryside along the Nordfjord, the sixth longest in Norway back to the ship.  Also, we stopped at a memorial to an area where houses had been destroyed and people killed on three occasions by landslides falling into the water and creating huge tidal waves.  In addition, along the way we stopped at a group of turf-covered buildings, one of them being about 500 years old.  There, we sampled wild raspberries, which were growing on the roof of one of the buildings.  (Raspberries are a big crop in Norway because of long days of summer sunshine.)

            At dinner we joined Rose and Malcolm of England, and Jean and Roy of Brisbane, Australia.  Because Malcolm’s accent was a little difficult for us to understand, we didn’t hear just where in England he lives.

            Since we missed the earlier live dancing, we went to the Club Fusion for pre-recorded ballroom dancing.  However, we found that the area was being used as a playground by two or three families with small children.  Although we tried dancing in one corner, finally the screaming became so loud that we gave up in our attempt to dance.