We left Indrefjord, but not the waterfalls and fabulous mountain scenery, as we cruised to the village of Flåm at the head of Aurlandsfjord. We lost count of the waterfalls en route, and pretty much ran out of superlatives to desribe the scenery. At Flåm we had their guest dock all to ourselves, with a spectacular view down Aurlandsfjord.

Below are trip highlights from May 5th in Songnefjord, Norway. Click any image for a larger view, or click the position to view the location on a map. And a live map of our current route and most recent log entries always is available at mvdirona.com/maps

5/5/2018

Vangsnes Position: 6 38.30, 61 10.69 Wikipedia describes Vangsnes as being “on a relatively flat and fertile peninsula”. Fertile it may be, but flat is not the first word that comes to mind. But it is relatively flat compared to some of the farms we saw farther up Songefjord. The statue prominent above the town is of Fridtjof The Bold, the hero of a 14th-century Norse saga. The statue, erected in 1913, was commissioned by Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany as a thank you for the hospitality shown him over 20 years of travelling through Norway in his ship.

Line in water Position: 6 52.64, 61 8.45 This line crossing diagonally from top right to bottom left looked to be an overhead cable line that had fallen.

Frönningen Position: 7 1.13, 61 3.93 Small farm at Frönningen at the junction of Aurlandsfjord and Songefjord.

Waterfall Position: 7 1.58, 61 2.95 We’re seeing some spectacular waterfalls today.

Overcast Position: 7 1.58, 61 2.95 Even on an overcast day, the scenery is dramatic. And we’re expecting the clouds to clear later today.

Waterfall II Position: 7 1.67, 61 2.58 Another impressive waterfall a short distance inside Aurlandsfjord.

Mountain Scenery Position: 7 2.56, 61 0.90 The scenery along Aurlandsfjord is just incredible. We’re running out of superlatives.

Nærøyfjord Position: 7 3.46, 60 59.87 Looking south down Nærøyfjord, a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the more beautiful fjords in the area. The soaring mountains dwarf the two large tour boats visible.

Scenery Position: 7 3.46, 60 59.87 Our view forward as we pass the mouth of Nærøyfjord.

Vision of the Fjords Position: 7 4.23, 60 58.86 We started seeing lot of tour boats as we neared Nærøyfjord and the head of Aurlandsfjord. Vision of the Fjords, launched in 2016, is a hybrid electric fast ferry designed to minimize the environmental impact of emissions and wakes in sensitive Nærøyfjord.

Final Corner Position: 7 7.97, 60 56.95 The final corner of Aurlandsfjord before we reach Flåm at the head.

Head of Aurlandsfjord Position: 7 9.84, 60 54.82 The head of Aurlandsfjord coming into view.

Waterfall III Position: 7 9.61, 60 54.36 Another beautiful waterfall along Aurlandsfjord.

Flåm Position: 7 7.23, 60 51.70 The commercial harbour at Flåm, at the head of Aurlandsfjord.

Moored Position: 7 7.19, 60 51.67 Moored for a couple of nights at Flåm with a spectacular view down Aurlandsfjord. We expected Dirona might be a little over-sized and heavy for most of the village docks in Norway, but not at Flåm. It would take some pretty serious weather to impact this hefty new concrete dock.

Click the travel log icon on the left to see these locations on a map, with the complete log of our cruise. On the map page, clicking on a camera or text icon will display a picture and/or log entry for that location, and clicking on the smaller icons along the route will display latitude, longitude and other navigation data for that location. And a live map of our current route and most recent log entries always is available at mvdirona.com/maps.