Sognefjord Express

Yesterday, we saw a sign that breakfast didn’t start until 0800 on Saturdays and since our boat leaves at 0800, that was not going to work for us. Last night, I asked at the desk if we could perhaps get a take away breakfast. She told us do not worry just come down at 0700 and some food will be out. So that is what we do this morning. The whole spread is out except for the eggs and potatoes, which we can see are being made. We grab some stuff for lunch and wait until the eggs are ready. I have fried eggs with loks, smoked mackerel, and a pastry. I am getting plenty of omega 3’s my last few days.
We check out and walk to the dock and the boat is already boarding. We secure some seats on the second level and settle in for our ride. The first hour and a half is sailing just inside of the North Sea before we turn up the sognefjord. I use this time to write yesterday’s journal, with occasional forays out on the cool, breezy deck for a picture or two. We pass a large oil refinery in which ships bring oil from the North Sea. The day is mostly cloudy and although the trip is scenic,I know it will detract some in the picture taking.

Waterfall

As we sail up the fjord, we start to see mountains with snow on them and a few waterfalls. We stop at several small villages until we reach Vik ( pronounced veek) where we will be getting off. As near as I can figure so far, the Norwegians pronounce e’s as a and i’s as e. Hence Lervik is said larveek.
We reach Vik and are the only ones to get off. Most people are going all the way to Flam to do more fjords and then to Oslo, all in one day. We slowed things down with a stop in Balestrand tonight and Flam tomorrow. The next and last boat to Balestrand is at 1800 so we have about five and a half hours in Vik. We walk over to the information center, which is closed. There are picnic tables there so we decide to eat lunch. Then we start our walk to the Hopperstadt Stave Church. About 1.25 miles later we are there.

Hopperstadt Stave Church

The stave churches were built out of wood between 1130 and 1350 when the Black Death brought most building to a halt. This is one of the oldest, dating back to 1140. Other countries built some but only the Norwegian ones survived. Out of about 1000 only 28 exist today. This church was built just 10 years before Norway became a separate province under the roman Pope. This church has withstood time because it’s timber based frame rests on a stone foundation and since the wood does not touch the earth, it did not rot. It is smaller than I thought it would be but the architecture is very cool. The roof looks like an inverted boat.
We see a path down below and I ask the girl at the church if it goes to the Stone Church. She says yes and so down the path we go.

Carol’s Marshmellows

We pass some large marshmellows and a few historical plaques along the way. One is very interesting in that there are 8 mounds around us and they are Viking burial mounds. They found remains and artifacts dating to the Viking days. After our short break at the mounds, we make it to the stone church which dates back to 1150. It starts to rain a bit and there is a nice tree outside the church for us to stay out of the rain. While sitting there, a man approaches us, and thought Carol was Norwegian. This has happened a few times in Norway so maybe she is not Irish but a Viking lass. Anyway we chat with Gustav from Frankfurt, Germany for about an hour. He used to work for Proctor and Gamble in Frankfurt and is traveling around in a small motor home he has owned since 1976 called a hobby. There are hobby clubs so it sounds almost like our airstream clubs. After our chat the rain has stopped and there is even a rare glimpse of sunshine.

Vik Water Front

We walk back down to the waterfront and soak up a few rays. There are a few intrepid kids at the small beach and one actually jumps in the water. It has got to be cold. The outside temperature is about 60 degrees, so you know the water can’t be very warm. The sun retreats and we move to the small shelter by the boat dock. It blocks the wind. I write this journal and Carol feeds the seagulls and small birds. She spots something moving along the docks and it turns out to be a weasel, slinking up and down the waterfront. He is way too quick and full of motion for me to get a picture, but it was a cool sighting.
The boat should be here soon for the short 20 minute ride across the fjord to Balestrand. There are only 3 restaurants there and last night, we decided on one called the Pilgrim which got good reviews. It is in the historic Golden House and is supposed to be a slow meal. I emailed them last night to make reservations and we are set to eat at 1900. Since we are not getting to Balestrand until 1820, we did not want to have to eat elsewhere or wait a long time to eat. We will let you know how it is. That is all until dinner.
We did great in our choice of restaurants. The pilgrim located in the Golden House was superb. Phenomenal fish soup, reindeer sausage, moose patties, meatballs, and we had the worlds best cake for dessert. The owners and staff were great also.

Our Dinner Host – Story

One owner explained the way their name came about, as we are all pilgrims, traveling in a foreign land. she also told us a story of how the word Skol which is like, cheers in the USA, came about from the tradition of women serving beer in a big wooden bowl. The man would get the first big sip described as skol and there you have it.
Back to the food. We tried the moose and it was very good. The reindeer sausage was exceptional. Now we have tried several Norwegian foods. The worlds best cake has its own story as to how it got its name. A Norwegian from North of here won a contest for the worlds best cake some years back. It is difficult to make and only a few can do it right. Our chef is one of them. It lives up to its name.
We enjoy the late daylight here to walk around and enjoy the beautiful snow filled mountains and the fjord that surrounds us. It really is quite stunning here.
Expenses
Boat from Bergen to Vik 1050 NOK
Hopperstadt Stave Church. 120 NOK
Boat From Vik to Balestrand 124 NOK
Hotel Balestrand 1090 NOK
Dinner at the Pilgrim 480 NOK
Walked 6.5 Miles