Geiranger
Geiranger Fjord, Norway, 2011-06-02 12:00 by Laerke
Geirangerfjorden was our first stop on our mini-trip to Norway. It is a fjord in the Sunnmøre region of Møre og Romsdal county. It is a 15-kilometre long branch off of the Sunnylvsfjorden, which is a branch off of the Storfjorden (Great Fjord). The small village of Geiranger is beautifully located at the very end of the fjord where the Geirangelva river empties into it.



The fjord is one of Norway's most visited tourist sites, but it did not at all feel crowded when we were there. Actually we were alone most of the time :) In 2005 the fjord was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, jointly with the Nærøyfjorden, although this status is now threatened by the disputed plans to build power lines across the fjord. Let’s hope they find another way to run those power lines, as the fjord is just so jaw-droppingly beautiful the way it is now. We didn’t have the best weather but even an overcast sky and some light rain could not diminish the experience. It was just so beautiful. Martin and I talked about how we have traveled to so many places all over the world – was it really possible that the most beautiful of all places was more or less in our own backyard?!



We hopped on the car ferry, which doubles as a sightseeing trip. It runs lengthwise along the fjord between the small towns of Geiranger and Hellesylt.


Waterfall seen from the ferry



It was lovely sailing down the fjord and getting to see the scenery from the water, along the way we saw a couple of waterfalls, one named the Seven Sisters and the other Bride’s Veil.

I found this quote by Magdalene Thoresen, Henrik Ibsen's mother-in-law, who said of the area:
"This fjord is surrounded by the steepest and, one is almost tempted to say, the most preposterous mountains on the entire west coast. It is very narrow and has no habitable shore area, for the precipitous heights rise in sheer and rugged strata almost straight out of the water. Foaming waterfalls plunge into the fjord from jagged peaks. There are, however, a few mountain farms here, and of these one or two have such hazardous access, by paths that wind around steep precipices, and by bridges that are fixed to the mountain with iron bolts and rings, that they bear witness in a most striking way to the remarkable powers of invention which the challenges of nature have developed in man."