It is almost impossible to fully imbibe Nærøyfjord’s dramatic grandeur. At every turn, you feel hemmed in by its infinite allure. Lofty cliffs rise over a thousand four hundred metres from the Norwegian sea, and seemingly kiss the overhead clouds. The sun bathes the snow-capped mountains with its golden rays. The water is completely still, and the mountains’ reflections glint off it. A spectacle of symmetry ensues.
Nærøyfjord spans seventeen kilometres and is the narrowest branch of Sognefjord, the world’s second longest fjord. With such inexplicable splendour, it is hard to fathom fjords are the product of a destructive force: glacial erosion. Steep inlets they are, formed when glaciers carve deep and U-shaped valleys into the bedrock. They run deep below sea level — Nærøyfjord extends 500 metres and Sognefjord a staggering 1,300 metres.
During winter, the waterfalls along the mountains rest, contributing further to the landscape’s tranquillity. All around the silence weighs heavy. The vast expanse indeed seems frozen in time.