Geiranger is tucked away deep inland at the very end of a fjord with steep cliffs at either side. That makes it very scenic and at times also very un-pleasant as the steep cliffs of the fjord can cause a funnel wind, reaching up to hurricane force, which makes staying there impossible. Then there are other days that it is a picture postcard location and the scenery is awesome. Today we were somewhere in between. There was no wind but it was chilly and the drizzle & light rain which started shortly after arrival and made it cold and bleak (a green version of bleak as the fjord at all sides has very green pastures running up the steep mountains)

The ms Prinsendam at anchor in Geiranger Fjord. Anchor down in 70 meters water and the stern on the buoy with 4 mooring lines.

We had to anchor a little bit further out as we were together with another cruise ship; the Aida Aura, which is a German Operator but also belongs to the Carnival family. They were coming in later but as they make more calls than the Prinsendam, they get the best anchorage (Plus they have more guests on board). They were supposed to go on the downtown anchorage and use the Sea Walk (a long walkway which can be extended for about 300 feet from the shore line) but for reasons unknown they stayed further from the shore. Maybe the captain was worried about the storm wind veering into Geiranger fjord. So we dropped the hook in 70 meters deep water and put mooring lines ashore at the stern, which stops the ship from swinging on the wind. ………….. as there is no space to swing around at any of the anchorages in the Geiranger corner. The Aida Aura kept her engines going to avoid the ship from drifting towards the rocky shore.  There are no any shallows here, the cliffs, the rock face, goes almost straight down to the bottom. Under water the cliffs are as steep as above water.

The town of Geiranger. The Campers are just of the photo to the right. This photo was taken at 07.00 in the morning while I was examining the tender drivers. By 08.00 hrs. it started to drizzle and rain.

Geiranger is a little village with houses against the steep mountain face and it is dominated by a large hotel next to the tender dock. What was also very dominant was the large number of RV’s (for our USA readers) or Campers (for our European readers). There was a large parking area below the Hotel and if I am not mistaken the Hotel has facilities for these camper people to shower and go to the toilet. Then there is a nice souvenir shop with a café/restaurant. So for us Geiranger is a tour stop and a good one as there are ample parking areas for the coaches and it has one of the best tender docks I have ever seen.  It can handle 3 tenders at the same time, so today it was all peace and quiet between Germany and Holland as we did not have to fight over tender landings.

I think that every tourist who has visited Geiranger has been either up or down this road. the sharpest turn is about 3/4 up and the bus drivers take a delight in asking everybody to look out of the window………….. and you see no road, just the abyss.

While the guests were enjoying the sharp corners on their tours going up and down the mountains, the rain got steadily worse and worse but the 90 turn in the Geiranger fjord kept us sheltered from the wind. That changed when we sailed at 15.00 hrs. and we came around that corner. The white caps steadily increased. But for a smaller ship as the Prinsendam, there is often a plan B, and also here. We have the option to stay inside and follow the coastal route for part of the journey. For now at least to Trondheim and then the Captain will have another look. The hope is that the swell will diminish so much that it does not matter anymore or that we can join the swell…… with having the swell in the stern. A following swell. The Prinsendam is a ship that can surf. Which means if she goes with full speed, 18 to 19 knots, then the waves do not hit her but she rides them. I have done that often myself in the past and it works very well. While a larger ship with a square stern would have very un-comfortable moments, the Prinsendam just rides from white cap to white cap.

That nasty storm has not hit the Norwegian coast. the Captain is alleviating the impact as much as possible by staying inside. Which means we will only feel the motion of the ocean when we pass a gap in the mountains/islands between the open ocean and the coastal route.

Tomorrow we have a day at sea while we surf/ race north to our next port of call Honnigsvag. So how we fare there will all depend on the quickness with which our bad weather system will fall apart or blow itself out.

In Honnigsvag they have nice weather at the moment, same as we had in Alesund. Their silence before the storm. But they should be ok again when we get there.