NORWAY: FJORDS, GLACIERS AND WATERFALLS, OH MY!!!

 

I couldn’t have asked for a more stunning welcome  to Norway’s fjords than the Unesco World Heritage Site, Geirangerfjord.  This one mile long waterway has it all – towering craggy cliffs,  cascading waterfalls, lush areas of multi green hues and more.   It is almost 1,000 feet deep,  creating  a stunning harmony with the towering mountains which rise to approximately 5250-56000 feet above sea level.

This fjord is a quintessential example of the fjord landscape.  Its formation is due to glacial erosion. During the  glacial period, massive and heavy  ice sheets depress the Earth’s crust. As the glaciers melt, the land begins to rise back up  (post-glacial rebound).  The rising of the land is still occurring today in this area.  Although greatly reduced, you can still see the remains of these glaciers (provided with help from my 600MM zoom lens):
Meltwater from these glaciers as well as melting snow and rainfall creates some towering waterfalls.  the most famous of these are “The Seven Sisters” –

The legend behind this waterfall tells of seven unmarried sisters who were being chased by a suitor and are transformed into the cascading water in their escape.  On the other side of the fjord (I did not see this one)  is  “The Suitor.”

Due to a lack of snow and rain,  there were only six streams rather than seven (or perhaps one sister snuck off to the other side for a rendezvous).
 Then there is  “The Bridal Veil” –

Perhaps if The Suitor is successful, the bride-to-be-sister can “avail” herself of the veil (sorry for the pun).

Every turn of the fjord revealed more breathtaking scenes –

 

 

For lunch, we rode a skylift to the Hoven restaurant. at the top of another nearby fjord, the Loen. The Loen Skylft  is known for having one of the steepest cable car ascents in the world. At its steepest point, the gradient reaches 60 degrees. The cable car climbs   3,317 feet to the top of Mount Hoven in about 5 minutes,

There were platforms surrounding the restaurant to take aerial views of the fjord – I will end this post with these – enjoy!
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