Stavanger, Norway

Our last day in Norway, we ported into Stavanger. When I found out we were going to Stavanger, I was stoked because I wanted to hike to Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock). We had friends that visit Norway a couple years ago and they did the hike and loved it. As I started to do research about the hike, I soon figured out it was going to be near impossible to do with our 6 hour window in Stavanger. Even if our port was on time and a ferry (Fiskepeiren) was sitting and waiting for us to jump on to get to Tau and then jump on the public bus to the Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock) trail and hike the 5 miles, which would take about an hour and a half each way... we would just be cutting it very close. I still printed out the ferry and bus times incase by some miracle, we ported early but we actually ported a bit late so, oh well.

I booked a boat ride for us in Stavanger with Rødne Fjord Cruise. I HIGHLY recommend getting in line early. The line gets long last and you want to make sure you get a good seat. We had a good place in line but as soon as they opened the door, their was a mad rush and we were one of the last on the boat. 

The ride was beautiful, even though it was a cloudy and rainy day. Rob and I took turns staying with Rand below deck while the other went up and took pictures of the fjords. The tour was 3 hours long and they had some snack and drinks but we ate before at this darling restaurant right near the Rødne Fjord Cruise port called Sjohuset Skagen.

fish soup

Sjohuset Skagen

on the Rødne Fjord Cruise

our route

In Helleren
Can you find the heart shaped rock formation to the left? Our guide told us of about an old tale about a troll that fell in love with a human but her father didn't approve so he decided to walk out in the sunlight and turn to stone

Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock)

Walking around the city of Stvanger, we came across this cute shop with some folk and traditional costumes called Bunad.

Farvel Norge!

Flåm, Norway

We normally do not book excursions through the cruise line but we had to make an exception because we wanted to go on the famous Flåm railway and they sold out of tickets weeks ago on the day we needed.

Rob was looking forward to our train ride on the Flåm railway. It took 20 years to build - most of the tunneling was by hand! The Flåbana railway winds its way around the mountain side offering views of the waterfalls cascading down and the river. The railway does link Oslo and Bergen from Myrdal and is a true feat of engineering. 

Our guide met us right at the port and we jumped onto a bus and drove through some very long tunnels which took us to Gudvangen. Major props to our bus (and driver) that climbed through the steep, narrow Nærøy valley. We traveled up the mountain roads, with many sharp bends, to reach the Sivlefossen Waterfalls. 

Our trip continued to the town of Voss, where we had lunch overlooking the Vangvatnet Lake. After lunch we boarded a train to continue our trip across a range of stunning natural landscapes, before reaching Myrdal. 

Here, at 867 metres above sea level, we changed trains and continued down the breathtaking Flåm valley, traveling on the world famous Flåm Line. The train passed by Kjosfossen waterfall where we got to get out and enjoy the lovely view before arriving at Flåm station, on the Sognefjord.

If you have time, get a glimpse of the museum next to the station, at what it took to build the railway. 

Geiranger, Norway

As I said in my last post, I look forward to pushing our cabin room curtains to the side every morning to see what beautiful scenery we get to explore that day. 

We arrived in Geiranger around 8am and tendered off our ship to this stunningly, beautiful place.

I prebooked a fjord tour through Geiranger Fjord. The office is right near the port, you can't miss it. The office is filled with loads of maps and information. It also has some great hiking suggestions.

Our tour wasn't till 11:30 but they kindly moved us up to the earlier tour since we were there at 8am. The 1.5 hour tour was well worth the money. Pictures do not do this place justice. 

After we arrived back to Geiranger, we jumped back onto our cruise ship to grab some quick lunch and headed back to Geiranger to do some exploring. 

Geiranger was such a special place. We have been able to see so many beautiful places in this world and this is definitely one of my favorites.