Deep in the fjords again today. The Sogne Fjord, including the Luster branch we're on, is about 200km long and up to 1 km deep. Skjolden is another small village at the end of a branch. It's a pretty small community of a couple of hundred people who farm strawberries and rasberries. I've been surprised how inhabited it all is, there are villages spread right along the fjords connected by tunnels and roads. In the mountains there are cabins used in the summer and buried in the winter.
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| Skjolden |
In the morning we had a bus tour along the Sognefjellet, a road that leads through the mountains and has the highest mountain pass in northern europe at Mefjell. It initially rose up the hillside along switchbacks.
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| Typical Valley View |
Eventually we reached a plateau surrounded by higher mountains and patches of snow.
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| Nedre Oscarhauge viewpoint |
We continued along to the highest point, by which time there was very thick, permanent snow, small glaciers, snow lakes and locals snow shoing or ski-touring in the distance (they ski up the mountains then take the skins of their skis, lock the heels and ski back down).
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| Mefjellet |
We were back at the ship by lunchtime. In the afternoon we had a short walk into town, where there were pretty houses, one cafe and one supermarket.
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| The road into town |
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