Cruising Norway's Eidfjord

Located on the Eidfjord, a finger of the larger Hardangerfjord,  the village of the same name has a population of 937. It's a sleepy little village for most of the year except for in cruise ship season. And it was our first port of call on our Holland America cruise on the Rotterdam. ( If you'd like to read about our cruise ship you can click here)

Known as a typical, small fjord town, Eidfjord is also known as the home of the Sima Power Plant which is built into the side of a mountain. And even though it is a cruise stop for many large cruise ships, there's nothing of Eiffel Tower significance. It's just a stop to visit a typical village and then cruise the fjord.

We arrived early in the morning - before it was fully light out - and being our first view of a fjord, I was blown away by the view out our cabin's windows. We had decided not to do a shore excursion here as it was a short and easy walk into town. But we did hear about a "tourist train" that would take you up the hillside and back down to the other side of town. We thought Why not? So we bought our $15 ticket and reserved a time to see the town of Eidfjord.

Kayakers in the fjord

First we the visited one of the few souvenir shops in town, walked over to the community center (where they were holding Norwegian folk dance lessons) and ambled through the small grocery store to get a glimpse at some everyday Norwegian products.

Once on the tourist train, we rode up the hillside for a stop with a view of the fjord and our cruise ship down below. We passed some Viking graves and then made a stop at the Old Stone Church.(This church has records dating back to 1309 and is believed to be constructed in about 1300. Built of stone, it seats about 100 people and is no longer in use as the main church of the town) The train was sufficient for seeing the area and I'm glad we did it though it probably won't go down in the annals of most memorable cruise stop.

Tourist Train
Photo Credit: S. Eckhart

Viking burial mounds 
Photo credit: S. Eckhart

Best sandbox view ever!

The Old Stone Church

The highlight of the day was to be sailing the fjord. We booked a balcony cabin for the sole purpose of cruising the fjords and enjoying them from there. So we had a "fjord" party with our fellow sailors enjoying a beverage on the balcony and taking in the stunning scenery. 

The Eidfjord is a small fjord extending from the Hardangerfjord. It's considered one of the most scenic areas of Norway. We started our cruising deep in the fjord with our cruise director giving commentary over the PA system. 

Then we came to the new Hardanger Suspension Bridge which crosses the Eidfjord, with a span over 4500 feet, with a deck 180 foot high, suspended from two 660 foot towers. It was quite the spectacle to watch our cruise ship glide under it - it looked like we weren't going to make it!

My first experience of cruising Norway's fjords did not disappoint. Despite the gray weather, I still loved the scenery and the small town of Eidfjord. 

How about you? Have you cruised Norway's fjords? Or would you like to?

Linking up with: My Corner of the World at Photographing New Zealand!