Skjolden Norway and we do a wild ride on a RIB!

Overnight the ship traveled through the 126-mile long Sognefjord to the little town of Skjolden.

The Sognefjord was considered one of the most important trade routes 1,200 years ago and Skjolden was one of the many remote villages stretched along the fjord transporting fish, berries and fruits to local markets.

Today the town is filled with tourists enjoying the beauty of the mountains, glaciers, and waterfalls.

Our excursion for this port is a RIB (rigid inflatable boat) ride on the fjord with a stop for a hike to Feigumfossen waterfall.

But first, we had a few hours to explore the small town.

The weather is perfect so we decided to walk up to the Sengjaberget Viewpoint--a mile up the mountainside for views of the town and fjord.

We passed the Eide farm, which is one of the largest farms in the area.

The fence posts are standing rocks.

We followed the signs...

...passed beautiful flowers...

and finally followed a dirt trail through the woods.  We made it!

And the view was beautiful!

We could see our ship way in the distance; and the Eldsvatnet Lake and Eldselva river down below.

Turning to the right, we could see more of the village of Skjolden.

After lunch it was time for the RIB ride and waterfall hike.

We checked in and put on our protective suits...the fjord water is cold!

Ready for a wild ride on the fjord.

 Off we go...

 We pass waterfalls coming down off the mountains into the fjord.

And soon we have our first glimpse of our destination:  the Feigumfossen waterfall.

It is the second highest waterfall in Norway, plunging from a height of 715 feet into a rocky gorge.

We disembark the RIB, stash our waterproof suits, and grab our hiking poles.

  Our guide, Ian, gives us information about the area as we start out.

It's quite a steep hike up to the waterfall.  We are glad we brought along the hiking poles.

Getting closer...

After about 45 minutes we reached the falls.

Time for just a few photos and then we make our way back down the trail.  We have one last look at the waterfall...

Then the suits come back on and we head back to Skjolden in the RIB.

Yes, that's snow on top of the mountain.

We caught sight of a seal swimming near the RIB.  He was shy and quickly disappeared.

We pass this raspberry farm.  It supplies much of Norway's raspberries for jam.

Back to the dock, we ended our stay in Skjolden.  A beautiful day, and a fun RIB ride and hike.  We loved it.

June 26 in Skjolden:  Sunrise:  3:48 am; Sunset:  11:15 pm

Our next port is Geiranger, and the sail in to it is beautiful!

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