Sailing the Norwegian Sea

Everywhere I looked was a photo I wanted to take. Even now, as I sit on the balcony in 50-some degree weather, slightly shielded from the strong breeze by our balcony partitions, the majestic fjord is begging for more photographs. The air smells clean, the water is a deep aqua with ripples of navy. The fjord is craggy and weather with trickles of melting snow running down and carving its side I hear the low hum of the boat "motor" and the crash of waves against its sides - hushed, natural, and mechanical, all at once.

Click to view the photo journals: Part I, Part II, and Part III

Travel tips: 

- Flåm: Take the early train to Myrdal because the sun is unpredictable and can wash out views later in the day. Sit on the right side of the train (facing forward) going up and the ride side of the train (facing forward) going down
- Åndalsnes: Head straight to the Romsdalsgondolen (it'll become much more crowded later in the day) to the Rampestreken Mountain and don't bother climbing if it's too wet and cloudy. There is a platform that requires some hiking down to from where the gondola drops you off - it might not be worth going to if the rocks are slick.
- Honningsvåg: rent a car and go explore
- Tromsø: $20pp cruise shuttle (no line and no pushing) or $12pp full-day Tromsø city bus ticket (but lots of lines and pushing + lots of waiting because the buses don't run frequently). Honestly, while in Tromsø's city center, you can walk. The cruise shuttle might be more worth it. If you want to brave the public bus, take Bus 42 from Breivika to Sentrum (there are several stops in the city center you can get off at).
- Olden/Loen: Book an excursion as far in advance as possible. There are very few rental cars. If you can't get any excursions, try to enjoy walking around and exploring by foot. You won't get to the glaciers, but Norway is still so beautiful and you'll still have a great day. The Loen sky lift for $58pp round trip doesn't seem worth it (the one in Åndalsnes is much better and for $9-11pp round trip). 

- Norwegian is a tougher language, but it has some German roots for those who know German, and learning just a few words can go such a long way. During my second trip to Norway, I met shop owners and an immigration officer who thought I was Norwegian or was fluent because I just said "tusen takk!"

- Be prepared to walk 20-25k steps daily!