After cruising extremely slowly back up Sognefjord and down the Aurlands Fjord early this morning we arrived before most of the herd was interested in stampeding off the ship.

Since I was here last year off the Eclipse and had a wonderful time on the railway I had decided to keep this year lower key. ( read cheap ) Nestled into the end of the fjord, sunrise might be at ~0430 but in reality it doesn’t get above the mountain range till after 1030.

In between is obviously the time to hike along the eastern side on the thoughtfully provided pedestrian/bike way. Smart move that considering that trucks on the main road were blasting along before being swallowed by tunnels clearly marked as off limits for those not motorized.

I hiked as far as the paved section lasted. At this point I was about 1/2 way to Aurland. It was obvious the: follow the graveled switchback road up the mountain past several ewes and their young ( twins, triplets and what looked to be the guilty ram based on the offspring’s coloration ) private houses. Near the top was a hiking sign to Vikland. 2 km. easy peasy.

Similar to last night, I went a reasonable way up the mountain on a goat trail befor common sense kicked in. I am hiking by myself. If I fall, there is a serious challenge. Just not willing to be in the situation where I have to text or email someone in another country for rescue.

So I strolled back at a reasonable pace dodging the day walkers now out in full force. The souvenir shops are packed with a variety of goods : sweaters to junk. I sent off postcards and will send this off.

Adding the photos here