Eidfjord 24th August 2010.

Our first day aboard Arcadia was spent at sea; a rather rough crossing was ahead of us as we bounced up and down in the North Sea and headed for Norway.


Eidfjord

  I awoke the second morning and was surprised not to be rocking from side to side, I rather tentatively headed for the blackout curtains that lead to the balcony, I was half expecting to still be at sea but I was greeted by the most spectacular view I had ever seen. Right in front of me was the side of a huge mountain which had a tiny trickle of a waterfall tumbling down its craggy side. The air was fresh, the sky bright blue and all around was peaceful and calm.

We continued deeper into the fjord, nestled along the water’s edge is the small town of Eidfjord, it is a delightful place hosting about three shops, one restaurant and huge hotel, and on this particular day an enormous cruise ship. Arcadia dwarfed the whole town; no matter where you were you could see her freshly painted bright white stern and signature yellow funnel.

We disembarked the ship and took a leisurely stroll around Eidfjord spending our time looking around the gift shop which was selling all sorts of Norwegian goods ranging from Viking helmets to luxurious fleecy woolly jackets which were lovingly adorned with reindeer and snowflakes.

We were booked on to a pleasure boat call the Lady Anne, who was going to talk us further on down the fjord to the town of Ulvik. When boarding time came so did the cold icy rain, but it added to the already atmospheric surroundings. As we sailed away from Eidfjord the mountain tops became shrouded in clouds and the white lines of the waterfalls became hazy behind the fine rain mist. Our little boat chugged gently up the fjord past the majestic mountains making us feel like a tiny dot on  the vast waters of the fjord. The quietness and isolation of our surroundings was mesmerising, I felt like I could have been anywhere in the world totally cut off from civilisation, if it had not been for the chattering of my fellow sailors I could have been sailing along upon my own private cloud, aimlessly drifting amongst the low lying cloud gently brushing the sides of the mountains.

Once we had reached Ulvik, with its bright white buildings and lush green hillsides, the Lady Anne turned around and retraced her tracks back to Eidfjord. With Arcadia coming into view the closer we got the more the town slowly appeared behind her and it brought me back to civilisation.

My first taste of Norway left me wanting more, as Arcadia set sailed back towards the sea I watched the white buildings of Eidfjord slowly disappear behind the mountains to be hidden from view awaiting her next cruise ship visitors.

Arcadia docked in Eidfjord