Day 3 – Beautiful Eidfjord

This morning around 7 am, after a too short night caused by the snoring of a person we won’t mention here, I hear from the window: 'Oh, this is beautiful’. The curtains are open, the sunlight comes in and before me  one of the fjords passes by. It's Tuesday morning and we're finally where we should be. The water is wonderfully calm, just a few ripples by the gently propelling of the ship.

 

The ship sails at a slow pace the last kilometers to Eidfjord, one of the most beautiful fjords in the region. We moor in the small village of Eidjord, where about 900 people live.

It's still a bit cloudy, but there are more and more blue spots in the sky.

We quickly take breakfast at the Lido Market  and I eat a bagle because at 9:30 am,  I'm back in the computer class to learn how to improve photos. When I'm done, we leave the ship through the walkway on the A-deck. It's pretty hot, especially in the sun. We decide to pick up the tourist train for a ride of an hour. We especially want to visit the old church, which is only a good 600 meters from the ship, but of course it’s strong uphill. Moreover, the train rides a bit outside Eidfjord too. We're not the only one who came up with this idea, and it is a wait before we can leave on the 11.30 am train. We drive to Haeried where there is a cemetery of the Vikings. In total there are 350 graves dating from 400 to 1000 AC. These tombs consist of heaps of stones. This cemetery is the largest of its kind in western Norway. We stop en route for a stunning view of the town, the fjord and .... the Koningsdam.

On top of the highest peaks of the fjord, there are still glaciers, although small, but they are there. The melted glacier water flows like a waterfall.

We descend further to the ancient church of Eidfjord. The St. Jacob's Church was built in 1309, but was closed due to the poor condition of the floor. Around the church is still the old cemetery.

Then it's time to get back on board for lunch ... overlooking the fjord. These are moments you will never forget.

In the afternoon we take it easy with the high tea at 3 pm. Sandwiches, sweets, it's all there.

We pass the time enjoying the views from our balcony. This is the reason why we have chosen a verandah stateroom. And we are not disappointed. There is nothing better than to enjoy the splendor of nature in the sunshine. And we are not alone. The Koningsdam consists largely of verandah staterooms. In the past you needed to go on deck to really enjoy the scenery or sun, now you can do it in the complete privacy of your own balcony. After dinner in the restaurant we stroll to the promenade. The Koningsdam has now begun its scenic cruising of Eidfjord. We just fit under the newly built Hardanger bridge, 3 meters longer than the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. The ship was almost 30 cm too high to sail below. A piece of the antenna must be taken down to avoid taken risks. The fjord is beautiful. The sky is almost cloudless, the sun shines on the cliffs. We pass sideways Sørfjord before we sail into the impressive Hardanger Fjord, the queen of the fjords, to sail towards Bergen.

In the theater, Tony Bond has a ‘license to thrill’ as this pianist plays both  classical music and musical tunes for the audience. We enjoy  two music sets at the Billboard on Board venue and during the set covering the 70s, Eddy manages to persuade Rachel to sing Rocking in the Free World by Neil Young. It is not only a free world, it is also a beautiful world ...