stunning clear water in Sognefjord
Europe, Norway

The Beauty of Vik, Norway

Vik, Norway. Not to be confused with Vik, Iceland. Or Vic Reeves, comedian.

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The little village of Vik was a surprise addition to our itinerary, re-routed away from the Baltic Sea after the Russian invasion began in February. We found ourselves sailing on the Norwegian fjords instead, seemingly calling at whichever ports would take us. I was familiar (way too familiar, in my opinion. Soz, Norway), with the usual Norwegian fjords route, but thanks to the extremely last minute re-routing of an entire summer season, we repeatedly rocked up to some rather more obscure ports.

Vik, Norway, being one of them.

(Check out my post on Olden for a similarly unfarmiliar new cruise port.)

Vik is on the southern shore of the wide open Sognefjord, and until our final day of porting here, all I really saw was a wide open expanse of water, surrounded by snow-capped mountains and a far-off glacier often shrouded in misty rain. You know, that greyish rain which just seems to hover in the air, even though it’s definitely falling? In short, despite the solemn beauty of the mountains, I did not have high hopes for Vik i Sogn. Mainly because of the weather.

If you arrive in Vik by cruise ship, the only way to reach the shore is by a tender boat. For crew members, this means a lengthy wait for passengers to leave the ship first, followed by a shorter time outside to avoid arriving back late. So, me and Vik just didn’t seem to be meant for each other. Until the stars aligned during my final week on board. The sun was shining, the colours of the outside world were popping, and I was ready to jump into a tender boat and finally explore. And I’m so glad I did.

Arrive in Vik on a sunny day, and you will be astonished. I promise.

The village of Vik, Norway

As the tender boat trundled up to the jetty, I could hear the laughter of people in the fjord, punctuated with giant cannonball splashes as they flung themselves in to the water from a wooden platform. Norwegian fjords are crystal clear, and although I’m sure it was still cold, the sun was warming the air around us. On the little beach, diamond water lapped at tiny pebbles. Seaweed bloomed in the salty water, extending ribbony tendrils outwards, and tiny boats bobbed up and down where they were moored.

It couldn’t be more picturesque if it tried.

A row of colourful wooden houses line the waterfront, some with little placards on the front to explain what their original purpose was, or who once lived inside. A Norwegian lady sat in the doorway of one, needles clacking as she knitted a jumper for her granddaughter while her husband worked away, fixing something mechanical behind her. I stopped to chat and found out they were visiting from Stavanger for some peace and quiet. Although the Sognefjord is Norway’s deepest and longest fjord, Vik is not a place kitted out for big cruise ships to dock at, like the much more well-known village of Geiranger and its countless cafes and gift shops. Or Bergen and Stavanger, which feel like towns but are big cities as far as Norway is concerned. In the centre of Vik is one gift shop, and a small museum right where the tender boats land. That’s basically it.

Curious cheese and all the produce

Google ‘coffee in Vik Norway’ and you will be directed to Ostebaren– the local cheese bar. But the cheese on offer here is not just any cheese, oh no. The Tine Dairy at Vik is the only commercial manufacturer of ‘Gamelost,’ which literally translates as ‘old cheese.’ Now pals, I am a big cheese fan. But having sampled another of Norway’s cheeses at Nordkapp, I steered clear of the cheese bar on this occasion. I also was really after a coffee; somehow the thought of drinking a cup whilst surrounded by pungent cheese didn’t appeal to me. Next time, Ostebaren, next time.

(Curious about the weird and wonderful cheeses of Norway- including Brunost which tastes a bit like cheesey caramel? Here’s a brilliant article I found from the Cheese Professor. Highly recommended.)

In late August, tractors were out in the fields and fruit and vegetables were clearly growing in abundance. The Vikøyri Valley is farm central station, and I loved it. The fields were vivid green, rows of produce growing in the sunshine and cows, horses and sheep grazed in the distance. Pathways and lanes were lined with pretty little flowers and bushes weighed down with berries. Talking of berries, there are raspberries aplenty growing in this part of Norway, and Vik holds a raspberry festival every summer.

Vik’s history

This expansive fertile valley has been home to people for a long old time; there are burial mounds here from the Viking Age, and there’s evidence that humans have lived here long before even that. On the way out of town is Vik’s most beautiful building, which isn’t quite Viking old; but it’s still an old one, that’s for sure.

The Hopperstad Stave Church was built during the 12th century, when Norway had fully converted to Christianity. Although the church isn’t anywhere near the water, from far away the ornate wooden building looks almost like the dark silhouette of a ship sailing through the fjord, and on closer inspection there are intricate patterns and snarling dragons carved out of its wooden bones. The sloping roof is covered in little tiles which look almost like a dragon’s back. It reminds me of a much simpler Gothic and churchy version of Gaudí’s famous Casa Batlló in Barcelona- a significantly brighter building which also has strong dragon vibes.

Alas, pals. We are heading towards a cashless society, and many places in Norway only accept cards; I never bothered to withdraw any Norwegian krone for the entire four month stint in the fjords.

More the fool me, as the Hopperstad Stave Church only accepts cash. Adult entry is NOK 80, which is around €8. I would have like to go in, although having said that €8 seems a steep price to pay to enter a tiny building which seats only 30 people. (That’s Norway for you, folks. It costs a lot.)

Vik is a lovely little village which most people bypass on the way to the Flåm Railway or other more grandiose parts of the country. But I’m glad I got off the ship when the sun shone, so that I could see this beautiful part of the world in a truly beautiful light.




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