Lands of the Midnight Sun--Part Three--Geiranger Fjord and Geiranger Village

The Geirangerfjorden

Below, the Seven Sisters Waterfall

Since 2005 Geirangerfjorden has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  We cruised up the fjord, seeing a number of dramatic waterfalls, including the one called The Seven Sisters.  We sailed up to the head of the fjord to a little hamlet, also called Geiranger. The town is visited by several hundred thousand people every summer, and tourism is the main business for the 250 people who live there permanently.  Some 140-180 cruise ships visit this port each summer.  We and our travel companions Ray and Jo soon dubbed this village the “Norwegian Gatlinburg” because of all the souvenir shops, campgrounds, RV parks, the five hotels, etc. 

What the little town did have, though, that was definitely worth our taking the tender from the ship to the dock was another magnificent waterfall.  This one originated far up the mountain but that then cascaded down through the town. We took a walk up an easy path to see the rapids from several different vantage points. 

That evening we had a lovely dinner in the grand dining room with Baylor friends Bob and I had met on our 2008 Danube River cruise. Jo had met Nancy, one of two sisters, even earlier when she took an Oceania cruise around the British Isles and actually roomed with her. Another connection—Nancy was my sister Martha’s friend in Baylor and pledged the same club she was in! Still another connection: Nancy’s mother and mine were friends in Baylor. AND yet another:   her uncle, her mother’s much-older brother, was a colleague of my father’s in BU’s journalism department.

Below are a few more of my favorite pictures.  Remember to click on them to enjoy them larger!

 

the waterfall in town

Nancy at the right and her sister Suzanne at the left
Below, Bob and Alice in town at the waterfall