Where the Sea Reaches Far In among the Mountains, Gudvangen's Outlook over Naerofjord, Norway.
These is no town here--only a handful of houses--for as soon as the summer tourist season is over there are but scanty means of livelihood. People are so shut in here at the head of the fjord, that for several months in midwinter they do not actually see the sun at all. On the other hand, the close setting of the mountain walls makes the place surprisingly warm in midsummer. The cows wade out into the water to cool off. The water is, of course, salt, and at high tide it lies much deeper over the little beach before us.
In most places as small as Gudvangen the country people depend largely on goats for their household supplies of milk, butter and cheese, as goats can be kept where the pasturage is too scanty and inaccessible for cows, but a great many tourists call here in summer on their way to Stalheims in the Naerodal and cow's milk is necessary for the hotel tables. The steamers that are this moment adding so much to the picturesque effect have brought tourists are are waiting for their return from local excursions.