To conclude the organised excursion of our third day in Norway during our Norwegian fjords cruise of 2013 – a day that had seen us dock at Olden then head off on a wonderful boat trip and glacier visit – we had two photo stops along the road back to the port.
First up was the spot at which the tragedies of the tsunamis along Lovatnet (explained in the previous article) was memorialised. A white cross on one side of the road sat opposite a metal plaque on which the names of those who were killed in the two natural disasters was listed.
The views were idyllic; a poignant contrast to the events behind the reason for our stop here to take photos. Across Lovatnet we could see Ramnefjellsfossen waterfall cascading down towards the lake.
Also visible was the remains of Lodalen, the boat which had been unceremoniously deposited inland on the first tsunami, then lifted up again and slammed further up the hill from the lake when the second disaster occurred.
We reboarded our bus and continued along the road towards Loen for about another twenty minutes until we stopped for the final time on this day’s cruise excursion. This was Kjenndalen, a traditional Norwegian farming village for want of a better description, and a picturesque spot right by the shore of Lovatnet with more of those spectacular views of the landscape we’d been spoilt by during our time on land; glacial lake, mountains, waterfalls: what more could you want?
Kjenndalen comprised a number of wooden buildings all sporting grass on their roofs, similar to one we’d seen during our previous day’s hike at Geiranger. Stone bases for sturdiness and wooden fences added to the rustic look impressively. With the vista of one of Norway’s turquoise lakes and a chain of ice-capped mountains to look out on, with the lush green of the late summer on the landscape, and with the pleasing temperatures of this time of year and gentle sunshine it was easy to see why this location had been settled. I could almost see myself living here until I remembered how much it typically rained in this part of the world and that I couldn’t recall having passed a pub on the drive.
That brought our Princess Cruises-organised excursion to an end so all that remained was to return to the ship in Olden. As is fairly traditional with fairly fresh-faced cruisers (and we were, at this time; more weather-beaten these days) there were some traditional photos of Crown Princess before boarding and passing through security.
Crown Princess let go her lines at 17:10 (look at me sounding all nautical when all I’m doing is quoting from the log of cruise) and made her way along the fjords towards her next port of call, Flåm, where we had another packed day planned with a long excursion and where we’d discover a very welcome surprise in the port itself. We stayed out on our balcony for quite some time because, well, it’s Norway and it’s fjordy and it’s pretty.
