Olden was our second port after Stavanger. We have visited here several times before and we wanted to visited the upper part of the Oldenvatney lake again on the hop on hop off bus.
Day 4: Tuesday, May 31st 2022 Olden
At 7 am I was out on the balcony watching Iona‘s wake as she made her way up the fjords to Olden.
We had lots of time to get ready and make our way down to Deck 6 for breakfast before the ship was scheduled to dock.
We had great view up the valley from the head of the fjord at Olden up to the snow covered mountains.
As Iona manoeuvred the dock and the surrounding buildings all looked familiar. This included the small bar with its verandah overlooking the dock.
On the Hop On Hop Off bus
Somehow we missed the OK to leave the ship while we were having breakfast. Out on our balcony after breakfast we noticed crowds of passengers out on the dock. Then we had to rush to get ready and head off to Deck 3 to get ashore.
Our plan for the day was to catch the hop on hop off bus and ride up to the lake rather than take a P&O excursion up to the Brickdal Glacier.
The dock area was very busy with queues of passengers waiting for their coaches as well as others like us trying to work out where to go to book tickets. We were directed back to a guy selling tickets for the open top double-decker. Once on the bus we joined the top deck of the bus and we were very lucky to get seats.
The river, Oldeelva
The first stop was by a bridge over the fast flowing river. Here we had only a few minutes to get off the bus, onto the bridge and then take some photographs and then get back on the bus.
This swift stop did nothing for the sales of a small shack selling drinks and snacks by the bridge. I hope that passing cars and motorhomes were better customers.
The road up the valley was very narrow in places. The driver had to negotiate past other buses and coaches (very easy), cars (very easy) and motorhomes (never easy at all.) Up the valley as we went around the lake and we had views of the snow capped mountains all around us. The bus crossed a narrow bridge from the east to the west where the lake was the narrowest. This was the site of a large camp site.
Oldenvatney
At the side of the lake, Oldenvatney, the bus pulled into a lay-by and here we all left the bus. Crossing the road we could get closer to the lake. Here was where it should have been possible to take pictures across the lake to where the glacier is. Unfortunately the glacier has now retreated so much that it is no longer visible from this view point.
The journey back allowed us another opportunity to see the fabulous scenery.
Time for a coffee break
Once back in Olden we opted to leave the bus at the shops. The outlet stores were packed with souvenirs as well as outdoor clothes. Across the road is the Iris café and we headed over there for a drink. We stuck to just coffee and water and sat on the veranda along with dozens of fellow passengers.
After visiting all of the outlet shops, we went inside the Co-Op to but decided no more chocolate! The nearby public loo was a bit confusing at first, as it required a credit card to enter. This had to be swiped not tapped.
In the car parks we came across these two American cars.
This building was above the roadside as we walked back to Iona.
We missed going into the souvenir shops opposite the dock. And too, this visit we missed out going into the bar at the end of the dock and instead boarded the ship for lunch.
Our lunch was again in the Quays and this time we tried the Katsu chicken, southern fried chicken and the hamburgers (between us all I might add).