Hidra, Norway, 8/2/2016, National Geographic Orion
Aboard the
National Geographic Orion
Arctic
After sailing southeast all night and much of the morning, we arrived at the picturesque island of Hidra. Hidra, similar to most of this part of the world has a long history. Artifacts have been found dating back to the Viking era and probably even farther. As well, there is a large World War II presence as Germans were on the island for a time being. Our excursions today focused on this history, the stunning scenery, quaint village life, and enjoying the outdoors.
Like most other days on this voyage, we divided into different groups in order to explore whatever interested us the most. Some decided to enjoy the water and joined a guided kayak tour. It was pleasant to paddle and learn about the local history. Others hiked through the town of Kirkhamn and up to a stunning viewpoint with some bunkers from World War II. The views were well worth the climb. And the largest group focused on the history of the area by visiting Flekkefjord. A great museum and pretty town helped us understand a bit about life in this part of Norway. All groups also got to enjoy some local flavors. Whether it was the delicious ice-cream or the tasty waffles (sadly no brown cheese!!), we all enjoyed a bit of the local cuisine.
We regrouped on board and headed out towards tomorrows destination of Risor. A gorgeous evening and sunset lit up the nearby shore, highlighting again this stunning landscape that is coastal Norway!
Mike learned early on that the best way to escape Ohio was to become a marine biologist. During college at Wittenberg University he attended a semester at Duke University's Marine Lab — that time only confirmed his love for all things oceanic and ma...
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Only in Norway would it be considered completely normal to come across a troll in a tunnel. This troll happened to be made of wood, and the tunnel was near Osa, a small scattering of buildings located at the end of the magnificently beautiful Hardangerfjord. The troll was about the size of a person, with the exception of its enormous proboscis. It was holding a candle, whose flame provided a small amount of light in the darkness. We came across the troll during our tunnel walk, one of the expedition offerings during our day in Osa. Our guide warned us that there were also cave bears in the tunnel, but we knew he was pulling our legs because just twenty minutes earlier he had told us there were no bears in Norway. Don't let anyone tell you Norwegians don't have a sense of humor. Even if it turned out there were in fact bears, our hard hats and oil lanterns offered some protection. We learned that our guide used to use this tunnel to store his homebrewed beer, its consistently cool temperature offering natural refrigeration. He ended this practice when all of his beer mysteriously disappeared…the natural suspects include the troll and the cave bear. Luckily, our guide has another, healthier, beverage option: Osa proudly proclaims itself the home of the best water in the world, a fact they assert has been scientifically proven (we were not shown the studies). In fact, one of the few buildings in town is the local water factory, which is owned by a wealthy Kuwaiti who loved Osa's water so much he decided to stop buying regular cases of the water and just purchased the entire facility. Our day had started with a stunning sail through the Hardangerfjord, which offered the first of many great photo ops of the day…if you were willing to brave the chilly wind blowing across the outer decks. Even in August, snow still dappled the tops of many mountains. Luckily, the weather during the rest of the day cooperated better than had been forecast, the clouds mostly held back their rain, but they made sure to baptize us with a parting sprinkle before we got back on the ship. The activities of the day included: biking along a picturesque fjord-side roadway; kayaking through the reflective waters of the Hardangerfjord; hiking along rocky trails to majestic waterfalls; attempting to capture the vast panoramas with a camera, and of course, drinking and eating, which are part of every day on this expedition. We ended our lovely day with a local cider tasting and delicious lox, shrimp or ham sandwich at the Hardanger Base Camp, a rustic shack that reminded the Frozen fans among us of Wandering Oaken's Trading Post and Sauna. We kept hoping one of the staff at the base camp would greet the next person who entered with the phrase "Yoo, hoo! Big summer blow out" spoken in a strong Norwegian accent...but no luck. As we rode the Zodiac back to the ship, we kept eyeing the rocks on shore looking for any motion…but there were no trolls to be seen. Maybe they only come out after dark…
The morning arrived with great anticipation, everyone had heard about the puffins that nest on the island of Vigor, and we were all anxious to see and to photograph the little birds. Landing on Vigor we soon found out there was much more to this island of one family residence. It is a small farm that has been in the same family for six generations, farming eider ducks, hunting puffins, and fishing the rich waters that surround the island has been the lifestyle of this family since anyone can remember. Today, hosting the few travelers who come to see the puffins and other seabirds that call Vigor there home adds a new dimension to life on Vigor, at least during the summer. Upon landing we were greeted by one of the family members who acted as our tour guide and storyteller. Our first stop was Puffin Rock, an outcropping of rock that is favored by the birds that give it its name. Puffins fly in and seem to peruse the area before making the final entrance to their burrows. Mouths filled with small capelin and sand-ells advertise the menu for the young puffins still in the nest. Eventually, the birds satisfied with the way things on the island look, they fly the rest of the distance to their waiting offspring, anxiously awaiting “take out” at home. After the puffins, we walked along a trail that makes its way through the colony of arctic terns. We are given flags on the end of sticks to hold above our heads so that the parent terns have a target to hit while defending their chicks from curious band of wanderers. Most of the chicks have fledged already, but that does not deter the adults from letting us know who has rights to this meadow of grass. The chicks have fledged, but still are begging for food from the adults, and this gives us a wonderful opportunity to view these masters of migration take their first flights. After our time in nature, it is time for a little of the farm comforts in the form of homemade cakes and tea. Even here on this remote island, life has its creature comforts. Back aboard National Geographic Explorer we sit down to a fine lunch and with precise timing, just as we finish our lunch, a call on the PA system lets us know that humpback whales have been spotted ahead. We enjoyed a magnificent view of multiple whales feeding alongside our ship as they surface, dive, and surface again. Our time on board has been a short few days, but our experiences have filled our lives with memories that we shall not forget.
