Monday 8 August

Today we had to leave the ship at 7.15am so it was a 5.45am start this morning. Our small ship had to move away from the dock to allow a much larger cruise ship to dock so at the end of the morning we were taken back to our ship by zodiacs - which we are getting quite used to.

The morning was spent on the famous Flam railway which took us up the mountain past huge waterfalls & deep valleys scattered with small settlements. At the top of the mountain pass we left the train & headed to the Mountain Hotel for waffles & tea/coffee (mostly coffee in Norway is brewed - it is hard to find espresso machine coffee). After some time enjoying the views from this lovely spot, we boarded the train for the return journey.

After lunch, we disembarked again on the zodiacs to visit the little village of Undredal sitting on the side of the fjord. Until 1988 this village could not be accessed by car, only by boat. It is a village of 130 people & 500 goats. Unfortunately the goats are presently high in the mountains on summer pastures so we didn't see any. The village has two claims to fame - a small stave (Viking) church built in 1147 & later expanded, & goats cheese. We visited the church & heard much of its history & then heard how the cheese was made & best of all, got to sample a few varieties as well as some jams made from local berries. 

Overall, a very tasty day!!