Norway
The cruise stopped in three Norway cities; Geiranger, Alesund and Bergen.
Geiranger
Geiranger was the smallest of the three, boasting a population of 250 year-round but a stop for many visitors (cruise ships and otherwise) as a vacation spot. The sail into Geiringer was a highlight with its waterfalls and beautiful mountains.
The highlight of this sail-in was the Seven Sister Falls. There is a story with the falls and the one directly across the fjord. Legend says that a young man was at a wedding when he fell in love with one of the seven beautiful sisters, unfortunately, he also loved his wine that night and when he woke, he couldn't remember which of the sisters he fell in love with. That didn't win him the hand of any of them!
You can see the falls that resemble the wine bottle and the one that is seven sisters in the video while the captain turned so we could get the best views.
I spent the day hiking up to where the zipliners risked their lives going down. Of course, I didn't partake, I just took the route back down past the waterfall and
goats doing their job of keeping the grasses down.
Alesund
Alesund, a bit larger and more active port city, was quaint with its neoclassical buildings. I opted for a bit of a city walk this day, skipping any major hiking although all cities in Norway are built up into the hills around the fjord so every walk involves up.
Bergen
Bergen is the second largest city in Norway and dates back to medieval times. However, most of the buildings were rebuilt due to fires sweeping through the town over the centuries. This day I wanted to get to the top and see the view so I opted for the funicular to the viewpoint and continued the hike up from there to Skomakerdiket Lake. Trust me, I did not get to the summit like one of the other solo cruisers who is a real climber, but I am pretty proud this old lady got up and down without breaking anything.
