Yoo Hoooo! Big Summer Blowout!

My first impression of Nordfjordeid was somewhat lackluster compared to Geiranger. The surrounding mountainsides looked more suburban than picturesque and the port was very simple and plain. Nonetheless, we were curious to explore, as we learned that this was NCL's first time docking in Nordfjordeid.

Upon our arrival on land, it was pretty obvious that this port hasn't seen much action. A small office was converted into an information center with a few handwritten signs on 8.5x11 copy paper. We stopped in to see what there was to do (confession session: we didn't plan ahead), and received a simple map of the area with a couple of attractions highlighted. We were advised to "follow the steps of the fjord horse" to see some of the main attractions of the town. The "steps of the fjord horse" entailed a trail of white horseshoe prints. Like good little tourists, we followed the fjord horse steps through the old town, which featured lots of hair salons and some artisan shops. Overall, it was a sleepy street with a few classically Norwegian-looking buildings. Some of the shop owners had set out signs welcoming passengers of the Norwegian Spirit. It was interesting to see certain parts of the town come alive in anticipation of a bout of tourism.

The steps eventually led us to the town's most highly promoted attraction: a life sized replica of the oldest Viking ship discovered in Norway. The replica is housed in a museum of sorts with an entrance fee that was not worth it to us. But if you're into Norse history and Asgardian mythology (sans Chris Hemsworth), this may be the attraction for you. Instead of visiting the Viking ship, we spent some time at the park next door. Honestly, it was one of my favorite little parks I've encountered. It featured a seawall perfect for sitting, steps that led down to a little beach, a sand volleyball court, and a playground that we may or may not have hijacked from the small children.

After this, we wandered to... Another cemetery! Yay! I love walking around atop the graves of dead people! *Heavy sarcasm implied.* Admittedly, it was interesting to see 200+ year-old gravestones, and the church in the middle of the property was very much what I expected of Norwegian art and symbolism. But wait, there's more! We made our way to the next stop on our list: an ancient Viking burial mound; that's right, I said mound. As in, a large hill, made up of Vikings, dirt, and grass. Sightseeing is an interesting thing, y'all.

Things became slightly less morbid when we visited Norsk Fjordhestsenter; that's right, the Norwegian Fjord Horse Center. This place, by no means, felt like a tourist attraction, but that didn't stop me from having a good time. It basically felt like random stables in Wellington that were named as an attraction due to a lack of notable attractions. But again, I did not care. I pet so many horses, and I was satisfied with my experience. Apparently you can also ride the horses and see some sort of demonstration for a fee, but I was content to just pet them and love them.

We went back to the ship for lunch and then walked back to the park to play on the in-ground trampolines - yeah, I said play on the trampolines, what of it? All-in-all, the port had a lot of potential, but the locals are going to have to build their tourism industry up a lot. I'll be interested to see what becomes of Nordfjordeid as more ships begin visiting it. For now, it was kind of cool to be some of the first cruisers to explore this fjord.

See you in the Netherlands!

From: The Expeditioner