The water of the fjord takes on a particular hue here, a milky green that photographers never quite manage to capture. It comes down from the glaciers, laden with rock flour, and mixes with the deep waters of the Nordfjord. Olden occupies the head of this arm of the sea, a village of a few hundred residents framed by peaks that has become one of the busiest ports of call in the Norwegian fjords. The reason fits in one word: Briksdal.

A village at the foot of the ice

Ships dock at the quay or anchor offshore on busy days. From the gangway, the setting makes itself felt: the Oldedalen valley plunges south between rock walls hung with waterfalls and snowfields, and the ice cap of Jostedalsbreen, the largest glacier in continental Europe, crowns the horizon. Olden itself can be visited in little time: a main street, two churches including an old 18th-century wooden chapel, wool shops and a few cafés. The village is not the destination; it is the gateway.

The road to Briksdal

The classic excursion travels up Oldedalen for about twenty kilometres, roughly 45 minutes by road among turquoise lakes, farms and waterfalls. At the end, a trail climbs toward Briksdalsbreen, a tongue of ice descending from Jostedalsbreen between two granite shoulders. The climb on foot takes about 45 minutes of steady effort; electric "troll cars" shorten the walk for those who wish. In front of the glacier front, at the edge of the lake where small icebergs sometimes float, you understand the journey. The bluish ice, the spray from the nearby waterfall and the coolness falling from the cirque: that quarter of an hour justifies the port call.

Loen and the sky in five minutes

A few kilometres from Olden, in the neighbouring village of Loen, one of the steepest cable cars in Europe hoists its cabins from fjord level up to Mount Hoven, more than 1,000 m high, in about five minutes. Up top, a terrace and a restaurant overlook the Nordfjord, the lakes below and the ridges of Jostedalsbreen. Trails of all levels start from the summit, including an easy walk to balcony viewpoints. On clear days, it is probably the most striking panorama a fjord port call can offer without effort.

Choosing your day

Farms, strawberries and waterfalls

The Olden valley also lives from farming. The bright summers produce strawberries renowned throughout the country, sold in punnets by the roadside in season. The farms of Oldedalen raise sheep and goats, and some open their doors to visitors for a snack or some cheese. These simple stops balance the day: after the ice and the heights, a little earth and sweetness.

Leaving by the Nordfjord

Departure is best savoured from the deck: the ship slowly retraces its route along the fjord, passes Loen, and the peaks file by in the evening light. The green water darkens as the sea draws nearer. A taste of strawberries lingers on your lips and, in your eyes, that glacier blue no screen can reproduce. It is the kind of port call you talk about for a long time, still searching for the words.