Day 8 Bergen, Norway

Today we arrive in Bergen, Norway. Our excursion is to the Hardanger Fjord. My best tracking of our bus ride is from Bergen to Fusa where we took a ferry ride then via land to Omastrand to see Hardanger Fjord then Norheimsund for a waterfall and buffet lunch at the Thon Hotel. We returned to Bergen by another route.
The weather was mild at 15-18 C (59-64F). A gray day with low clouds. We were fortunate to only see rain while on the bus.
Hardanger Fjord is the second longest fjord in Norway and the fifth largest in the world. It was beautiful, calm & serene. We continued our route to Norheimsund to see the Steindalsfossen waterfalls. Our guide explained the name, stein=rock, dals=valley, fossen=waterfalls, so Rock Valley Waterfalls. Seems Norwegian and Icelandic names, we later learned, are quite descriptive.
Steindalsfossen was a powerful waterfall with a rock overhang so we walked up the path and behind the falls.
On into town with a stop at Thon Hotel for a buffet lunch. Is hotel a word universally found in many languages? I know it in English, French, Spanish and now Norwegian. Who knows?
The return to Bergen was via a different route. The countryside is green, covered with trees and waterfalls. The mountains are granite which shows through at times. Their highways were in great condition but narrow along the mountainside. Many times our bus drivers showed extreme skill in navigating the hairpin turns or having to back up the bus to let an oncoming vehicle through.
The ship left Bergen through the fjords and islands. I watched from the Observation Lounge as we sailed under the bridge. As we got out to sea we felt more rocking of the boat. This was actually the first time we felt anything significant but all was normal.
I am realizing my Norwegian great grandmother lived about 70 north of Bergen. I pause to consider the country she left in Norway at age 17 to emigrate to America then settle on the plains of South Dakota near Mitchell. What a dramatic change in lifestyle and scenery.Les mer