Loen

We arrived into Nordfjordeid this morning, having sailed out of Sognefjord and back inland one fjord north overnight. After another morning swim of a kilometre and breakfast, we got off the ship and straight on to a bus for an excursion to Loen. The hour-long journey out took in the Horninsdalsvatnet lake, the deepest in Europe at 513m. The scenery on the journey was beautiful as we wound through tunnels, fjord-edge roads and glimpsed glaciers. At Loen, we got the skylift up nearly a kilometre in height to the top of Mt. Hoven, named for Odin's eight-legged horse Sleipner who supposed lost his footing a kicked loose a huge chunk of the mountain top leaving behind the scar in the mountain. The views from the top were stunning - views over lakes, fjords, glaciers, and small nestled towns under glorious sunshine. We took some pictures and meandered about the mountain top before grabbing a beer in the Hoven restaurant and enjoying the stunning views.

The route back was different than the way out - a panoramic road along Innvikfjorden...and it was stunning. The guide on the bus was knowledgeable about viking history, wildlife and Nordic traditions and we traversed up and down hillsides and around hairpin bends. A short three-hour excursion booked with the ship, but absolutely superb.Read more