Ferries, alpine walking and loo capers

By car from Stranda to Helleylt we caught the first of three ferries to cross Sunnylvsfiorden to Geiranger and then a larger one to cruise the 15k Geirangerfjord for an action packed hour of yet more stunning and very raw scenery. Even the toilets had picture windows = felt very weird and exposed!! This fjord is so unique, it makes it onto UNESCO’s World Heritage list. Carved out through several ice ages, the last 10,000 years ago, the fjord is a huge canyon between the 1600m high mountains with the water up to 250m deep - similar dimensions to the Grand Canyon.

Great commentary a mix of folklore and history. One waterfall called the Suitor sits opposite 7 waterfalls dubbed the 7 sisters (photo left page), fittingly for us only six were flowing today, “all seven are said to remain unmarried” - the longest one 250m. With the Suitor’s wooing attempts constantly being turned down by the sisters, he has turned to drink as reflected by the bottle at his feet.
A farm evacuated in 1898 due the impending fall of a massive boulder above it, is long gone but the boulder remains in place, with the farmhouse now restored.
Abandoned orchard a no brainer in this climate, it could only produce 60kg of apples and plums a year.
The aptly named Devil’s Crack = guess which photo that one is.
Superb weather for our visit but can be a harsh place in winter, where avalanche driven winds can belt through at triple hurricane speed.
Finding we had a couple of hours to fill, we parked up after driving another zig zag road that is the only one in this area they keep open

all year, to view the majestic scenery from the top. We stopped for a picnic lunch and an alpine walk feeling very much like we were walking the Hobbit area of the Tongariro crossing, with the delightful call of a cuckoo keeping us company.

Home again and those badly placed bathroom fittings we keep coming across finally won, with a gash to the head from the towel rail upon dismounting from the loo! Yay for ice and feint free first aid. The tallest of us has to sit upon the throne sideways to fit in that lethal space.

Landlady very proactive, having a plumber here within half an hour to fit a new shower nozzle so cold water joins the hot.