Day 18 - Tuesday 9th May

Today we'd be travelling from Geiranger to Leikanger. It was cloudy today and the forecast was for some light showers. It had been very windy overnight indicating that there'd been a change in the weather overnight.

It was a leisurely start today because we were not setting off until 10am. We had to have our bags out for collection at 9am. Before leaving, Suzy and I went outside to take photos of the waterfall near the hotel and the little bridge over the waterfall.

There were a few sprinkles of rain and the breeze made it feel very cool but I was well rugged up. Coming back inside I felt very hot with all my layers of clothes.

The hotel displays a dozen well preserved vintage cars. One is in the entrance foyer. Most are downstairs in the level below reception.

The ferry was booked for 11am and so we had plenty of time in the Geiranger wharf area. The souvenir shops were open but the cruise ships had gone and so it wasn't crowded like yesterday afternoon.

When the ferry arrived at about 10:40, it quickly filled up because we weren't the only bus wanting to board. I took photos as the ferry arrived and then boarded it to take photos of the vehicles coming aboard.

It was the same ferry trip as a couple of days ago except it was going in the opposite direction. Instead of staying outside in the cold, Suzy sat in an enclosed area on the middle deck to keep warm. In this room, I could hear the commentary which gave lots of information about the journey including the fact that the fjord is 200m deep.

Seagulls took a liking to us and decided to accompany the boat - flying on either side of the boat. It reminded me of the way dolphins sometimes like to follow a boat playing in the waves.

The ferry arrived at the wharf at Hellesylt at about 12 noon.

Once again, we stopped at Stryn for lunch. This time we tried a different cafe, Stryn Kaffebar & Vertshus. When we walked in, we told the owner we just wanted a sandwich and he gave us the big sell on the quality of his sandwiches.

I went for the chicken option and Suzy had a BLT. Except they were no ordinary sandwiches - they were more the size of a hamburger. They were delicious. Like everything else in Scandinavia they were very expensive.

After leaving Stryn at about 2:15pm, we travelled next to the fjord and passed a huge P&O cruise ship moored close to shore at Olden.

The bus drive through several tunnels before leaving the fjord and climbing up the mountain. It was now raining and the ground was covered in snow. Later it changed again as we drove through a valley with green grass. There were two more long tunnels - one was 8.6km and the other 6.3km.

Our next destination was the Norwegian Glacier Museum.

I don't normally mention toilet stops unless there is something special - as there was in this case - because if you stand in front of the mirror for long enough, a polar bear appears in the mirror and growls at you.

Most of the group left on the bus to go on a nature walk. I had opted for the museum and Suzy had decided to go on the nature walk. I was surprised that she didn't change her mind because she hates walking in the rain. It was only 7C outside. Five of us stayed behind in the museum.

The museum has interesting exhibits about polar bears, mammoths, early inhabitants, glaciers, etc. The highlight was the movie that plays in the auditorium every twenty minutes.

It's quite a large auditorium. I decided to sit near the front in the third row. The screen is very wide and semi-circular - so you feel as though it wraps around you. Apparently it's the largest seamless screen in Europe.

The movie tells the story of the nearby Jostedalsbreen glacier, the largest glacier in mainland Europe. You really feel as though you are part of the story - partly because of the semi-circular screen - but also because the seats and the floor vibrate. For example, you feel this vibration when a block of ice crashes off the glacier.

The video photography is absolutely brilliant. Apparently they used drones to film it - flying over the glacier, past cliffs, down waterfalls, over fjords and lakes. Swooping like a bird in the huge wide screen. It also follows an expedition of five people exploring the glacier.

The scenery is much more than just amazing, much more than just spectacular. It is extraordinary, stunning and breath-taking.

I Have Never Seen Anything Remotely Like It!!

When the film finishes, the attendant invites you to see more videos. I told him that nothing could possibly top what I'd just seen.

You are guided through a series of small rooms that deal with the dangers of climate change - everything from the formation of planet earth through to the impending catastrophes in 2040. (I don't know why they chose 2040).

Back in the museum area, I came across a video talking about how they had made the film we'd seen. One of our group asked the attendant if he could buy the film but was told that it is not available for sale.

It was about 5:15pm before the others returned to the museum in the bus. The bus then took us to the foot of the glacier for a photo opportunity. Gennady told us that the glacier has been receding because of climate change.

On our way to the hotel, we drove through more long tunnels (2.9km and 6.7km), past widespread snow cover, a frozen lake, another long tunnel, then green grass with no snow cover and no rain next to the fjord, another long tunnel . . . It's amazing how much change we saw going from one place to the next. Plenty of contrast.

Leikanger is on the banks of the Sogne fjord and the Leikanger Fjord Hotel is next to the fjord. We arrived there at about 5:45pm. Great location but a fairly basic hotel. It was not raining and it was 6C. It has a Viking theme. There was a Viking boat above the hotel entrance.

Although there was no lift, our room was on the first floor and so we only had to go up one short flight of stairs. It had two single beds each with its own quilt with a bedside table between them. In other words, there was no pretence here about a king size bed like we've seen so often elsewhere in Europe. They didn't bother pushing the two single beds together.

There were two lounge chairs, a cupboard, work desk, heater but no air conditioning. The bathroom was very small and had a separate shower and no bath. We were given only one key which was attached to large piece of timber decorated in green. The Wi-Fi was very fast: 290 Mb/s down and 215 up.

Out the window, there was view of the fjord and nearby houses. The window mechanism was the same as we had in Geiranger with multiple positions depending on what you do with the handle.

There were not many power points. No safe. No fridge but they did provide wine glasses. Chris and Janet had the room next door.

Originally dinner was scheduled for 7pm but because we arrived late, the hotel asked us to postpone until 7:20. This gave us time to settle in and have a pre-dinner drink with Chris and Janet. I had to borrow a corkscrew from reception.

After dinner, we walked outside to take photos of the fjord and then walked along a road near the shore which was described as a culture walk. Here most of the houses are white rather the the red-brown colour in Sweden or the black timber we'd often seen elsewhere in Norway.

Several of the houses had cherry trees and tulips. There is also a cherry tree in bloom in the hotel courtyard. As we were returning to the hotel, we noticed the P&O cruise ship sailing up the fjord.