Late in the afternoon we left Flåm, boarding a high-speed ferry which transported us to Bergen in 5½ hours via Aurlandsfjord and Sognefjord. When we left the rain clouds seemed to be surrounding the mountains in misty ribbons. Enchanting…
Again, I’m not sure exactly where we entered Sognefjord, but it is the longest and deepest fjord in Norway. It was certainly very wide. We didn’t get many good pictures because of the rain and because the shores were so far away. Some of these pictures were taken from behind the ferry window and with the long lens.
Rain always comes from the clouds,
clouds from mist
and mist from moisture in the ground.
~ Carl von Linné
(The Magic of Fjords)
No matter where I turn my eyes,
great mountains over each other rise,
flank to shoulder on they soar;
to heaven’s rim and all between.
We wail to hear the tumultuous roar:
silence adds grandeur to the scene.
~ Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson
(The Magic of Fjords)
As we got closer to Bergen we saw more small houses tucked away on the banks of the fjord.
…turf roofs provided insulation and protection against winds and frost…
We arrived in Bergen very late, although it was still light out, and found our hotel, a short walk from the ferry. The next morning we picked up a rental car and began our exploration of Hardangerfjord. Having a car allowed us to park on the sides of the roads and hop out of the car to enjoy the scenery and hear the waterfalls!
beautiful mystical pictures…loved your quotes too Barbara, thanks for sharing 🙂
Thank you, Tai! 🙂 It all seemed like a mystical dream and the gentle rain only added to that feeling…
Beautiful and inspiring.
Thank you, Island Traveler!
INCREDIBLE photos. Wonderful color of the rainy day. Very evocative and romantic and enticing.
Thank you so much, Pam! Rain does have its own magic.
Stunning photos, Barbara. I love all the fog, and that turf roofed house looks like something out of a fairy tale. 🙂
Thank you, Robin! I wish I had had a chance to go inside of one of the houses with a turf roof – what are they like? Cosy, I hope. 🙂
I love the amazing little house, all tucked up in the side of the hill, roof covered in turf. Just imagine living there, it must be fabulous, although rather isolated. I think that through your travels, I have fallen in love with Norway. 🙂
It’s funny, I was in love with Norway before ever I got there, mostly from reading “Kristin Lavransdatter” and “The Master of Hestviken” by Sigrid Undset. But my traveling companions fell in love with it while we were there. 🙂 You might enjoy those books, Joanne, one’s a trilogy and one is a tetralogy.
I’ll look the books up on Goodreads Barbara. Thank you. 🙂
The rainy and cloudy pictures are enchanting. So dreamy… I’m still wondering the life of the people who live in those houses by the shore. Why is the world so beautiful in your pictures? It seems like a magical land, like Hensel and Gretel walking hand in hand by those hills and the river side… where’s the chocolate bungalow? perhaps, one of those?
photo no. 12 has lovely shades of green. Looks very beautiful. I’m feeling happy!!
Perhaps you, too, would enjoy the books I mentioned in the above comment, Sonali. They are set in the 1300s and give wonderful descriptions of what life was like for the people of Norway back then. The spectacular fjords and nature surrounded them, but life was also very harsh, just trying to eke out a living and survive the winters because the land was so difficult to farm.
I will definitely look up for the books & many many thanks to you dear Barbara!
Great pictures of the majestic fjords and mountains! The little house with turf roof is like the ones people lived in all the Nordic countries centuries ago…that was a very tough live, as you know from the books you mentioned. Nature is still pretty much unspoiled up there, and that is wonderful to see and experience. Love quotes too!
Thank you, Tiny! Maybe next time (if there is one!) I go to Norway I will actually find my way to the inside a house with a turf roof. I’m trying to imagine what it’s like to see the northern lights and be above the arctic circle, too! And to go on a musk ox safari (in July) or a dog-sled ride (in winter)…
Sounds like a great idea! I’ve been inside some old turf roof houses in Sweden, and one can actually get a feel of the life so long ago….
I bet you’ve seen some of the old box beds that are built into the walls, too. I’ve always wanted to sleep in one of those! 🙂
Beautiful! Love the colours the houses add to the landscape.
Thank you, Arti! I loved the colorful houses, too.
What magnificent photos – black and white, with just an invasion of color; just to look at them, one can feel the atmosphere, thick with rain and cool, and sense the magic and history buried in the mountains.
Thank you so much, Aubrey! There was something ethereal in the mist that day – I wasn’t sure the camera could even capture the light, the intangible, magical, mystical mood of the mountains and the fjords…
Very gorgeous pictures, Barbara, as everyone has said. Such an ambiance. I feel transported by your thoughts and photos.
Thank you, Kathy. I’m glad I was able to capture enough of that ambiance so that you could experience a little bit of Norway…
Your blog is amazing, Barbara. I’m lost in exploring enchanting photos, and words.
Thank you, Susan! I’m happy to hear you are enjoying your exploration of “By the Sea.”