Originally published summer 2012 

Wow.  What an amazing experience.  Standing on the bow of a ship, cruising slowly into a remote fjord in Norway, with an entrance so small and blocked by a large rock, that it would be impossible for the larger cruise ships to enter.

We have it to ourselves.

I marvel at the beauty.  This is why I came,  My Mother is part Norwegian and I’ve always wanted to see the country of some of my ancestors, especially the fjords.

I am standing near Jim Richardson,  a National Geographic photographer who has thirty years of NG cover stories experience.  He’s giving tidbits of advice to the photographer wannabe’s like me.  I loved every minute and thoroughly enjoyed taking shots like this one.

He’s talking about shooting  the ice we’ll see later and reminding us to check the white balance.  What a moment.  I didn’t want it to end but my hands and feet were cold and over the loud speaker, the call to breakfast.  Coffee.  AHHHH.

Throughout the trip many people loved the opportunity to take photos with their long fancy lenses of the wild life and the birds.    I particularly enjoyed taking photos of reflections of the land and sky in the water.  I see these images as Art in Nature.   Here’s a favorite.

Later we chose the zodiac ride (other options: kayak or Bushwacking hike) to explore this fjord more completely

We saw several kinds of birds including an eagle.  Also the head of a harbor seal…several, actually.  Mostly we savored being so far away from the world we know.

The water falls are breathtaking….tiny little trickles to huge slabs of water making its way down to our clear watery receptacle.

The rain lightly sprinkles and I’m reminded of the Expedition Leader’s comment,  “There’s no bad weather.  Only bad gear.”  I pull my hood up over my fleece head band and soak in every sensation.

We’re on a National Geographic/Lindblad exploration of the fjords and the Arctic Circle late May during the long days when it never really got dark. Everyday we hear experts talk about the climate, the geography, the wildlife, the history and the people.

I got a real kick out of a short spiel on the Trolls–famous in Norwegian history.  Turns out they have trees growing out of noses and only eat porridge.  The men have tails and if they get hit by a beam of light they turn to stone.  You will see them in the mountains.

For the rest of the trip I saw Trolls in the rock formations and thought about the early people of this area who made up these stories.

I also learned about fjords–actually long fingers of water created by the glaciers. Steep steep sides, rocks and deep water. So it makes sense as we visit the fjords we visit glaciers. And we did.  Here’s a particularly spectacular one.