Another Boat Ride, Another Fjord

Yesterday was another gloriously sunny day on the Sognefjord.  A blanket of mist hung over the water, but that burned off by noon.

I had purchased a ticket to take a half-day boat excursion up the Fjaelandsfjord, one of the many smaller fjords which branch off of the Sognefjord.  At noon we left Balestrand behind.

The Fjaerlandsfjord appeared wilder, and more rugged, with fewer farms and villages than some of the other fjords.

As on the other fjords, there are numerous waterfalls tumbling down the steep sides.

I thought to myself, any one of these waterfalls would be a major tourist attraction if located in the United States.  But here in Norway it's just another waterfall.

Look at the cabin at the bottom, and then at the height of this waterfall.

More scenery along the Fjaerlandsfjord...

At the end of the Fjaerlandsfjord several tongues of the Jostendal Glacier are visible.  The Jostendal Glacier is the largest in Europe, but with global warming, it is receding at an alarming rate.  

The boat docks at the village of Fjaerland and stays there for almost two hours.

You can buy a ticket to take a bus excursion that will take you to the Norwegian Glacier Museum and up to an observation point to see one of retreating tongues.  According to travel writer Rick Steves, the museum is overpriced.  He writes that "with global warming, glacier excursions like this become more sad than majestic," and he wonders "how long they will be able to bill this as a glacier visit." 

So I opted not to take the tour.  I stayed in the village, had some lunch, and took some pictures.

On the boat ride back to Balestrand, I talked with someone who had gone on the excursion.  She said that is was beautiful, but much too rushed.  Whether or not I made the right choice, it was still a beautiful trip with more glorious scenery.