Our Furthest Point North

     It is fitting that, halfway through our cruise, we reached our furthest point north in Holandsfjord, right at the edge of the Svartisen Glacier and the gigantic ice cap that covers this part of the country. It is said that this is the only glacier in mainland Europe that actually reaches sea level. The name means black ice, but it was the classic blue color in the sun. This glacier has been advancing and receding. In the 1800s, the farmers at its base had to leave, but then it receded and advanced again in the 1990s. Now there is a beautiful turquoise colored lake from that terminal moraine to its present location.

     We tied up at the pontoon among a collection of strong, international boats and made several friends. The next morning, we rented bikes and rode to the trailhead of the glacier. We crossed ribbons of colorful rock that had been polished just a few decades ago. I marveled at the variety of wildflowers already staking a claim in the little soil there was. 

Far and Away in the Holandsfjord

The lake formed by the moraine

The bands of colored rock as we climb higher

glacial polish

tadpoles in a puddle close to the glacier

a great picnic spot

Some of the strong boats that make this type of trip. This French couple are planning to go to Iceland.

This is an American-designed (Sparkman & Stephens) yawl, but the English couple sailed her over from Scotland.

The view from our spot on the pontoon.

When the wind blew off the ice cap it was chilly!