Norway in a Nutshell

At the recommendation of the BWQ we traveled the scenic route back to Bergen today. A flight is only 50 minutes, like flying between Honolulu and Kailua-Kona maybe, but our trip today took over 12 hours! A train to a train to a boat to a bus to another train. We left Oslo at 8am on the Bergen train, climbing to the mountain plateau that bisects the country. It was a winter wonderland! What incredible scenery we saw! Dramatic snow-covered mountains, quaint houses, and a few cross country skiers. We changed trains in Myrdal boarding the Flam railway which descends to the fjord town of Flam. It is a steep descent for about 10 miles during which the train slows or stops for scenic views. We stopped at one enormous waterfall for a photo opportunity. It was a lot like the wonderful waterfalls in Hawaii, except surrounded by snow rather than bamboo and rainforest.

In Flam we had a quick lunch of grilled Salmon and Moose Burgers before boarding a boat for a two hour fjord cruise. We passed through the narrowest fjord in Norway and by many little villages. Some of the villages had no access by road, only by water. The steep sides of the fjord make it very difficult to traverse any other way. We arrived in Gudvangen and connected with a bus for a short ride to Voss. The road was a narrow, windy climb back up the mountains. Over twenty switchbacks that would be a challenge in a sports car. The road was not much wider than the bus itself, but we made the very tight turns easily and made it to the train in Voss. This last train returned us to Bergen where we were met by our Bergen friends who delivered us to our new hotel near the Bergen airport. We will stay here our remaining two nights since we have a very early departure Monday morning. Also, our venue tomorrow, Siljustol, is very close by.



An afjordable view



A dramatic waterfall, just like home... sort of.