Eidfjord, Norway

Today we arrived in Eidfjord, a place we’ve been to a couple of times before, so we know what to expect. It was just a half-day visit (Sunday); we’ll be sailing again this afternoon and I’ll be giving my second painting class, so we headed ashore determined to make the most of our relatively short visit.

A fifteen to twenty minute walk alongside the river brought us to Eidfjordvatnet, a magnificent lake…

At which point, we had the option of either retracing our steps, directly back to the port, or walking over the hill, via Hereidsvegen, back to the port, the latter requiring a bit more effort and energy (and time… which we were the most concerned about, it being just a morning stop). Needless to say – of course – we opted for the latter, pausing to admire the views of the crags on the adjacent hillside and the Haereidsmoen iron age Burial field, which consists of many mounds lined with small stones and rocks.

We were back in time for lunch and my class this afternoon was a tonal study of Brikstal Glacier, which went well and was far less fraught than the last one. As I taught, so the Borealis cruised along Hardangerfjford…

Fortunately, I’d finished my class by the time the captain sailed us up to a large waterfall known as Furebergsfossen…

We were rather pleased to see that guests were allowed onto the forward (forecastle) deck to enjoy the views.

From here, we sailed further down a narrow fjord to enjoy a rather splendid view of Folgefonna Glacier – Norway’s third largest glacier…

All of which brings to us almost the halfway point of our trip already. An eight-night cruise is something I wouldn’t normally accept, but the agency I work with is new to Fred Olsen, so this is all a bit of a tester from all parties point of view. Tomorrow, we’ll be visiting somewhere completely new to us – Skjolden – we’re looking forward to it…