HJØRUNDFJORDEN A truly imperial experience
A ford is a deep, narrow and elongated ocean in- let, cut into the landscape, with steep mountains on three sides. The fourth side, called the mouth of the ford, is open towards the sea. The fords were formed when the glaciers retreated and are a prominent feature of the Norwegian coastal landscape – from Hurtigruten's southernmost port of Bergen all the way north to Kirkenes. The Norwegian fords are world famous. And Hjørundford is perhaps the most idyllic and beautiful of them all.
This 33-kilometre long ford is an arm of the larger Storford, just south of the city Ålesund. It has a wide mouth but the further in you go, the narrower it gets. And it is deep. On the eastern side the mountains plunge straight into the ford and, although there is not much space for settlements here, a few tiny farms cling to the steep terrain. The mountains to the west also slope steeply, and here you'll find small villages connected by dra- matic mountain roads.
niscent of European climbing history: Saksa. Kolåstind. Kvitegga. Slogen. They are so-called nunataks, meaning they are so high that they pro- truded through the ice during the last ice age.
On a journey with Hurtigruten
you will experience more than 100 fords.
Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany visited this ford and the famous Hotel Union Øye in the late 1800s. So did King Oscar II and Queen Willemi- na of Holland and many others from the Europe- an aristocracy. They were search- ing for a scenic and exciting destination, and that is exactly what they found in Hjørundford. And then there were the climbers and hikers, those who came here to experience the alpine land- scape. The most famous of them all was the British mountaineer Charles W. Patchell, who was an annual guest at the Hotel Union Øye from 1923 to 1939. He was
the first person to climb 15 of the routes around Hjørundforden. He even had a cabin built at the foot of the mountain Slogen, which today goes by the name "Patchellhytta" (the Patchell hut).
But you are not travelling by land, you are travel- ling by water. You are standing on deck on board one of our ships absorbing the feeling of being completely enveloped by sea and mountains. You raise your eyes to the stunning Sunnmøre Alps, one of Norway's most famous mountain areas. The pointed, jagged peaks have names remi-
Now it is your turn. You can stand on deck and just feast your senses on the breathtaking scenery- the lush hillsides, the snowy peaks, the green-blue sea. And you may wonder: How deep is the water under me? How high are the mountains above me? Why did nature turn out like this, right here?
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