The fjord junction

Here, at the spot where the Geiranger and Sunnylven fjords meet, we will give you a quick overview of the last 10 000 years of events. Just stand up on deck and turn around 360 degrees. Feeling dizzy? We’ll explain. On the promontory that juts out into the water to the east between the two fjords, you can see a clearing in the forest around 60 meters above the water level. This was once the small Lundanes farm, and people lived there until around 1920. On this site, archaeologists have found arrowheads and flint implements that are far older – they have been dated to the Palaeolithic. In other words, hunter-gatherers lived there more than 9000 years before the common era. That’s a long time ago. As a result of climate change, the kilometre-thick ice cover that had scoured and eaten away at the continent for thousands of years had started to melt and retreat, making the place habitable. Reindeer and other wildlife came wandering in, and the hunter-gatherers followed this source of food, bow and arrow in hand. At that time the encampment was located at the water’s edge, but because the land rose when the ice melted, it is now 60 metres above the waterline. Up in the mountains above Lundanes, the remains of large wildlife traps bear witness to the activities of the earliest settlers. Stone walls were built to steer the reindeer herds towards a hideout where hunters were waiting for them. People still go hunting in these mountains, which offer an abundance of game. Now you have seen a number of farms from the olden days, and there are more to come. On the mountainside to the west you can see the modern farms lining the recently upgraded road, and in the far end of the fjord you can see the pleasant and modern village of Hellesylt. So, now we have covered more than 10 000 years over a short distance. Not bad at all.