Sailing Through the UNESCO-listed Nærøyfjord: Passenger’s Perspective
Have you ever wondered what it's like to take a boat trip through the UNESCO-listed Nærøyfjord? The best way to find out is by talking to the passengers on board the boat. On a beautiful June day in 2018, we boarded the all-electric Future of The Fjords, which has been named Ship of the Year 2018, to talk to the tourists about their experiences on the fjord.
"You feel like taking out the camera and taking pictures all the time," says Ben Brackin from California. Together with a film crew, we are on a fjord cruise on the UNESCO-listed Nærøyfjord to hear what the passengers have to say about their experiences on the fjord.
A picturesque postcard adventure
We quickly noticed a guy who was radiating enthusiasm and eagerness. We had to have a chat with this man. And he was more than willing to talk to us.
The man's name is Lee and he has traveled all the way from California with his family to experience Norway and the fjords of the west coast. He is very pleased with the trip, and says:
"The whole country is a national park – every time we arrive at a new place, it's like stepping right into a picturesque postcard scene. Just look around! Lee speaks excitedly."
He is not the only American who has traveled from the USA to Flåm. We meet many others who are also spellbound, on this beautiful day at Nærøyfjorden.
"You feel like taking out your camera and taking pictures all the time. You're on one side of the boat and see a waterfall you want to photograph – then suddenly you see another waterfall on the other side of the boat." "Absolutely fantastic," says Ben Brackin from Newport, California.
"It's incredibly picturesque," says Katie, the wife.
The couple is also impressed with the electric boat. The best part of all is that the boat Future of the Fjords is so quiet, they say.
"The boat is absolutely amazing. The fact that it's all-electric made a difference when we were choosing a cruise, because we wanted to hear more of the nature, the water, and the wind, and hear all the seagulls flying in the air above us,” says Katie.
“You don't think about the fact that you're on board a boat. When you can't hear the boat, it feels like you're just floating around on the water,” says Ben.
“Much better than on the internet.
Many of those who traveled on the fjord that day came from places far away. Mariam Gaston Santiago and Alan Garcia Camacho had traveled all the way from Mexico City. They had heard about the fjords, seen pictures online, and decided that they just had to see all the beautiful places in reality.
"The reason we went on this trip was that both our mothers are turning 60 this year and Mariam is turning 30. We wanted to celebrate in a special way, and decided to take a trip to the fjords!"
The trip to the fjords in Norway met expectations. And more than that.
"Seeing it with your own eyes is much better than just looking at the fjords online. It's incredible. When we left Bergen, we thought: 'How is it possible that anything is better than this?' Then we came here. And now we see that this is even more beautiful!" Says Alan.
“We see so much beauty around us that we can hardly believe it,” says Mariam.
The next stage of the journey to Flåm is a trip with the Flåm Railway, from Flåm to Myrdal.
“We have heard a lot of amazing things, like it being one of the most beautiful train journeys in the world. We can hardly wait to get on board.”
We could assure them that they had another exciting experience ahead.
