As a creative way to celebrate our anniversary, Grant decided to book something extra special that includes the two things Jess loves: ….getting up early, and zipping around on a tiny boat in the cold ocean wind and spray!
Yes, folks, we went on a “Fjord Safari” which left bright and early in the morning, and included the chance (/requirement) to suit up in all the clothes we had AND THEN donning a super waterproof and insulated Norwegian jumpsuit, complete with gloves, hat, and goggles:
We only know this is Jess because of the shoes
Needless to say, we were more than happy to have this gear once we got rolling.
Two minutes after getting into the boat, it hits us: Jess had not put on her motion sickness patch, which caused a bit of anxiety. Luckily, the boat is surprisingly smooth (when not going over the wake of other, larger boats, at least).
Nervous, but down for adventure
The cold air actually helped a ton, so we were both able to enjoy the scenery nausea-free!
The trip was about 2.5 hours during which we toured the whole Sognefjord, from Flåm to Gudvagen and back. We saw a pod of porpoises, a family of seals, and a large herd of young goats that greeted us like a pack of puppies, and which our guide informed us would jump into the boat if we went too close to shore. We also saw the oldest farm in Norway, which has been continuously farmed for 2,500 years!
Also, we saw a bajillion waterfalls. Honestly, there were too many to count, but we have tons of pictures!
The leftmost waterfall may not look like much, but it has a drop of 600 meters!
Waterfalls that lead into pretty little towns? Check!
We even got up close and personal with a few falls
The Fjord is actually a UNESCO heritage site and as you can see, is truly beautiful. It’s also deep, like really really deep; so deep in fact, that if we took this mountain and inverted it, it would fit under the water and still have space for water above it!
This mountain is 1400 meters high
We were well and properly frozen by the time we got back in, and Jess nauseous to boot, so we tried walking it off. Walking turned into shop browsing, which turned into shopping, and Jess foundsan awesome soft-shell rain jacket (which was a lifesaver a few days after – more on that later!). Jess felt the guilt of avarice, but Grant assured her it’s not only a practical purchase, but also a great deal.
From there we grabbed our bags from the hotel and over to the ferry dock, where we are well fed by an outdoor restaurant – delicious seafood lunch that was more than earned!
Then it’s off to Balestrand on the ferry (Jess this time wearing her super patch) and make the 1.5 hour voyage in the open air to enjoy more fjords, even though it was VERY windy.
Yes, this ferry had even more views of waterfalls!
So windy, Grant’s about to be blown away!
Upon arrival in Balestrand we dropped our things and head out for the “Heritage Walk” stroll around the town’s waterfront. Balestrand is a small town, but we took our time and saw St. Olaf’s church, a few traditional styled Norwegian villas, and several Viking grave mounds!
Our final stop on the walk was dinner: Ciderhuset for a fancy anniversary dinner. We didn’t get the whole back story, but the menu at Ciderhuset is a fusion between Turkish and Norwegian food (most served tapas style in shareable small plates, right up our alley). Also, as you might have guessed Ciderhuset is also a cider house! So of course, we treated ourselves to a “cider” flight that included two ciders and three spirits (apple brandy, raspberry aquavit, and a fortified plum dessert wine). We were stuffed to the gills, but fortunately enough used the long meal to wait out the rain showers that had blown in.
Then it was a leisurely stroll home as we had big plans for another early morning (and Balestrand was too small and cold for anymore exploring!)
-G & J