[mohit]

Whew... this is sensory overload! Simply breathtaking place! The waterfalls in the fjord are amazing.
Now to find out a way to get there !

[anekho]

excellent thread Deky! wish I was in norway instead of sweden
5 star from my side!
I think I have a long road-trip ahead

cheers

[deky]

There are a few more scanned pics of Gieranger that i am posting here.

[deky]

As we sail from Geiranger to Troll Fjord we stop in a small Norwegian town on the west coast namely Alesund.

Its a small stop hence the video is made from the ship itself.

YouTube - Alesund Norway

After Alesund we sail North and somewhere in between the Troll Fjord and Alesund we cross the Arctic circle (66.33' N)


The area above this Latitude is known as the Arctic region. the Arctic region during the months of June, July recieve sunlight during most part of the Day. The longest day being 21st of June, get sunlight 24hrs, hence the name "The Land Of The Midnight Sun".

In the winters during December, January the sunlight is minimum with the shortest day being 21st december which is night 24hrs.

Here are a few shots as we sail thru the fjords crossing the arctic circle. One thing that i noticed was that even if the population was very less, some hills just had 1 or 2 houses on them but still there was proper electricy being provided to them.

















As we reached Narvik, the first town after crossing the Arctic Circle the greenery gave way to kmore rugged and barren mountains

We also crossed a beautifull glacier known as the Hollandsfjord Glacier

YouTube - Hollandsfjord Narvik Norway

[ramkya1]

Deky,

Awesome photos and videos!!!!!

I can venture a guess about the joy you must have felt physically being there; 3d with the senses wide open would be a whole new experience altogether.

Looks like a trip worth making.

Thanks for sharing,

--Ramky
=======

[deky]

Troll Fjord is one of the most exciting places in which I have sailed through the ship. The last part of the fjord is a 1 km long narrow channel which ends surrounded with long tall snow covered mountains. The fjord at the widest part is 60 meters wide and the ship is 25 meters wide. When the ship reaches the end of the Fjord the Captain turns around the ship and comes out the way we went in.











The ship at end is rotated 360 degress





This are is a base jumpers paradise and lots of these cliffs have been used for base jumping.





The beauty of all this is to watch the manouevering of the ship through the narrow passage, stopping the ship at the right point, getting the bow thrusters and the propellors working in tandom to rotate the ship 360 degrees and come out.

Watch the video and listen to the commentry to get a perspective of what I am trying to explain.

YouTube - TrollFjord Norway

[deky]

Tromso is the biggest Northern most town of the world. Hence its also know as the gateway to the Arctic. Tromso gets to see 2 months of mid night sun and on the other side in winters for 2 months it doesnt get any sun at all. hence its engulfed in darkness for those 2 months.


See the clock behind, its almost 2300 hrs and check how bright it is


This pic was taken at midnight


During the summer months the town is bustling with activity with people enjoying sunshine and on the otherside in winters due to darkness people here go into depression and drinking problems get on a rise

Tromso also boasts of The Arctic Church which is right in the city centre and the architecture is mind blowing



Also a must visit is the arctic museum that shows the way of life in the area.





This town is also famous for its Northern Lights a natural. Although northern lights happen thru out the year but are only visible in the winters due to the total darkness

Also one can visit the Husky dog farm. These dogs are used for snow sledges and are bread to race.






A brief tour of Tromso and the dogs, also we spotted reindeers, although not very clear in the video

YouTube - HuskyDogs Tromso Norway

[deky]

Apart from being known as The Northern most town of the world hammerfest is also known as gateway to Barent sea, the Snow White town or the Polar night town. This town has a bigger reindeer population than human population. You will be surprised to know that we met an Indian gentleman staying in Hammerfest and taking care of one of the reindeer farms there.

Hammerfest word can be broken in two "Hammer" meaning boat and "Fest" means where boats are tied. Actually this port is free of ice even during winters since the gulf stream flows around it. These warm waters are also haven for all types of fishes including whales and dolphins

Heres a video of us trying to kill time fishing while the passengers were away on tour.

YouTube - fishing Hammerfest Norway

The biggest attraction for tourists here is the Noth Cape. Noth Cape or Nordkapp is the northern most point in Europe. Its a cliff 300 meters above sea level and offers most exciting views of the midnight sun during clear nights.

The cliff thats known as the North Cape



This area is known as the rhino's horn.


The monument on top of the cliff


The days are the ongest On 21st June. The sun just kisses the horizon on its descend on this day and it starts it ascend to mark the begining of a new day. Its a wonderfull sight to watch but we were not so lucky as it was grey and cloudy

But we did manage to see some dolphins and capture them on the video

YouTube - dolphins northcape Norway

After seeing the Northernmost point in Europe we didnt have anywhere else to go, hence we sailed back to harwich, England to pick up another set of passengers for the same cruise.

Since this cruise is possible only during 2 summer months and is for 14 days, a ship only does 4 such cruises during the year.

This has been the most memorable cruise of my life time, and I hope you guys have enjoyed reading and watching the photos.

Regards
Dhiraj

[abhijitaparadh]

Stunning !
What is this cruise called? And does one same cruise covers all fjords ? Or there are separate cruises for each fjord?

[hillram]

Awesome pics...are these the faous archipelagos where the fjords are tucked in?

[Thad E Ginathom]

Superb.

I used to dream of visiting that part of the world when I lived a great deal nearer to it!

I'm just astonished at the ship-handling skills. I know the fjords are very, very deep, and probably wider than they look, but it must be a bit like sailing a yacht under a hight bridge: you know you've got enough clearance for more than double your 40-foot mast, but, psychologically... as you approach it... you can't help breathing a little faster!

[deky]

Originally Posted by abhijitaparadh

Stunning !
What is this cruise called? And does one same cruise covers all fjords ? Or there are separate cruises for each fjord?

This cruise was done on a single ship called Sundream. Usually large ships dont do the Norwegian Fjord cruise due to the monoueverability. Otherwise ships of around 35,000 gross registered tonnage can do this easily. Usually a single cruise for the fjords will cover all the ports that i have mentioned above.

Originally Posted by hillram

Awesome pics...are these the faous archipelagos where the fjords are tucked in?

Archipelago is a term usually used for scattered islands close to the mainland, and fjords are long narrow inlets of sea surrounded by steep sides of mountains.

Norwegian Fjords in my knowledge have no archipelago's to boast of. The best archipelago I have seen is the archipelago when you enter the port of Stockholm, Sweden, Its simply mindblowing. Also the archipelago off the coast of Tuscany area, Italy is picturesque

[Sar]

Deky what wonderful pictures. I was blown away by the sheer beauty, serene and untouched. Wow.

[arsudarsan]

Wonderful information on a wonderful part of the world. Pictures are jaw dropping. Thanks for sharing.

[skmami]

I never seen so gorgeous place in my life. I don't think US comes close to this place. I should check it out some time in my life hopefully not after I retire.