After leaving Oslo, a 380 mile voyage to this beautiful ‘village’, nestling at the end of the Aurslandfjord.  It lies almost 100 miles inland and to get to it requires an 8-hour journey down the Sognefjord.  Taking 2 pilots at the entrance at midnight, we set off in darkness towards our destination, a World Heritage site for its beauty.  I got to bed at 1 a.m. and was called at 4:30, my turn on the Bridge at 5; this had the advantage that I could, at the least, start the GoPro and get the camera out. These are taken during the last 1½ hours of our journey.

All fast on a pier, considerably shorter than us, however it had good bollards for sending our ropes to. 

Gangway in and off everyone went.  My 2nd-in-command had asked for the day off, to go on tour and I couldn’t really deny him, he had done several duties for me.  The main attraction is the railway, a trip which takes passengers 830 metres upwards, with panoramic views on the way.  So it was, that I relied on Karen for photos and videos, she didn’t let me down and here are a selection.

 The train stopped at a halfway point and believe it or not, although Karen captured the “fairy”, many of the guests never saw it; she was “airdropping” it to many of them, back on the ship.

In the late afternoon I managed a short jaunt ashore, (camera in hand of course).

I write as we round the north coast of Scotland, having passed between the Shetland and Orkney Islands earlier.  We are in a force-8 gale, high winds and a reasonable swell.  She’s taking it well though, she’s a wonderful ship for taking seas.  Tomorrow morning we are trying for Portree on the Isle of Skye.  I write “trying’ because the weather forecast is not very good; wind, rain showers, (possibly even snow)!  I’ll let you know the outcome on a later post……