5 June 2019 Onsdag

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Now we're back in a southern port, Hellesylt, a change from Geiranger at the start of the cruise due to "tender issues". But we were still able to do Cruising Geiranger, since they are on branches of the same main fjord. In fact we did the Cruising first, then docked at Hellesylt. There are two major waterfalls in this segment of the fjord, the Seven Sisters and the Suitor. They face each other across the fjord. The Seven Sisters is shown at right. For scale, the top of the ridge is 1600 feet above the fjord. There are dozens of smaller falls.

The story goes that the Suitor is always proposing marriage to one of the Seven Sisters, but is always refused.

We got up early to take pictures during the Cruising and had breakfast brought into the cabin.

After the Cruising on the Geiranger Fjord we returned to the branch to Hellesylt and docked at 0956, four minutes early. The method of getting lines to the dock works well. A small boat pulls the lines from ship to dock. A worker couples a cable to the lines and uses the winch on a tractor to pull them up to the bollard on the dock.

When snugged up to the dock we found our cabin in line with the Hellesylt waterfall. The town is not big, population year-round is 300; in summer that swells to 600.

After docking the passengers went ashore and took over the place. There's a woolen outlet, the Peer Gynt Gallery of huge wooden carvings and the Fjordbuda shop.

Buses took away the first groups of tourists on three separate journeys, including Fran & Duane on the Noranger trip. We stayed aboard for a bit, then went ashore. The woolen outlet was closed so we went to Fjordbuda and gathered more junk for certain grandsons. We changed in the cabin for the tour Nordang Valley.

The tour took us over a pass into the valley of the next fjord to a scenic stop overlooking a lake. Many pictures taken. Coming back we stopped at a viewpoint for a tall waterfall, and another for a pristine lake. Then we came past Hellesylt up the highway through a 3.8 km tunnel to a scenic outlook up the Geiranger Fjord. Great views, including the one at right. Then back through the tunnel into town, to the dock, and off the tour.

I'd had an ear battery go dead, so I gathered D's stuff to take to the cabin while she went up to the Crow's Nest to order wine. She joined Fran & Duane and contributed to their Trivia. They lost by one point. I joined at the end and we reviewed each others Noranger trips. Then off to change for dinner.

Dinner was fine. Lots of laughs with Ricardo the wine steward and Harris our waiter. Gradually the settlements along the shores got bigger and finally we were back out of the fjord and into the ocean. Good food & wine.

I joined Fran & Duane for a post-dinner cocktail in the Ocean Bar, then back to the cabin. Time for rest.