Working on a cruise ship definitely has it’s advantages, especially when you finally get to cruise to Norway.
After several hours on the bridge as we transitted through the fjord into Geiranger, we were finally alongside and I used my early start as an excuse to go ashore all day and explore.
Geiranger is a small village at the very end of the 10-mile long Geirangerfjord, the village features a number of tourist shops & cafes, including a chocolate factory which offers tours, free samples and a shop selling their wares.
On the way in I had been speaking with the Norwegian Pilot who told me it was possible to climb up above where the ship was berthed in around 90 minutes, so having been tasked with getting some good photos of the ship I set off to do that.
We berthed on the “sea-walk” which is a moving walkway which snakes out to the ship when you’re tied up between two buoys, completely removing the need to tender – ideal if you work on a ship and can’t get ashore in tender ports! Heading off the ship around 9 am, I headed up the roadway away from the crowded tourist area and after following the road for a while came to a sign indicating to turn left and follow a path through woodland before emerging into a field at a small cafe (after around 30 minutes of walking). From here it split into various directions, I chose to continue upwards following the signpost with a “V” on it (no idea where it was actually going but seemed to go in the correct direction) and after around another hour of walking, including climbing up a waterfall I emerged at a position quite far up the fjord. Unfortunately, the ship was tied up too close to the side of the fjord making it hard to take any decent photos, but the views down the fjord were amazing.
We called again during my contract on-board, but while the weather on that maiden call was amazing – not a cloud in the sky – unfortunately, the second call when I recorded the arrival was rather wet.
