Flåm and the fjords

21 May 2022.

The day began with a light rain. We had coffee, showered, finished packing up and left the apartment pretty much the way we found it. It was a short walk to the central station and, it being a Saturday, few people were out yet. We had a bit of a wait for our train so we sat and had a coffee.

Once our train came up on the departure board and we confirmed what the railway's app told me, we headed down to track no. 3. One of the reasons we believe Oslo has the best train station so far is the tracks are easily found and they have no stairs - just gentle, sloping ramps flanking an up escalator for each and every platform. Very civilized.

Waiting to board we heard quite a few English-speakers, most of who were undoubtedly North Americans. Some of them we would continue to see off and on throughout the day.

The train left on time and since our car was far from being full we could hop from side to side to check out the best viewing point for what was one of the most amazing train rides we've ever experienced.

After we were well out of Oslo the train rose in altitude and soon we were passing along some stunning river valleys. But that was just the beginning. Before long we climbed past the timberline and the landscape took on an almost surreal appearance: Snow-covered rocky crags, blue-ice-covered lakes and ponds, the occasional house in the middle of nowhere. It was simply stunning. 

For much of the last hour or two it was nearly whiteout conditions; it was almost impossible to see where the hills ended and the sky began. 

At Finse we reached the highest point on the line at 1222 meters above sea level. (To put this in perspective, our destination for the day, Flåm was at 2 meters above sea level.)

Although the train was going on to Bergen, many of the passengers joined us in getting off at a small, isolated railway station at Myrdal. Here's where we would pick up our next train, the world-famous Flåmsbana. This train would take us 20 kilometers in about an hour down the valley to Flåm at the head of the Aurlandsfjord.

Myrdal station

waiting for our connection

aboard the Flåmsbana

a stop for photos

Arriving in Flåm we made our way first to the visitor center in the train station and then on to our hotel the Flåmsbrygga to check in.

we ended up with a very nice corner room and a view of the fjord!

That evening we strolled about. The town itself is quite small but is a key transportation junction for busses and ferries, not to mention a link on an important biking and hiking path as well. The quiet beauty of the environment was in stark contrast to the urban worlds we've been experiencing so far. A pleasant change for sure.

 

the hotel, our room far upper right

from the ferry dock looking toward a cattle farm on the hill

view down the fjord

across the fjord to a roadway around the mountains

north up the fjord from town

from part of the ferry dock to the town

a small river runs past the town into the head of the fjord

on the other side of the river from town

We had supper in one of the hotel's dining venues, which also happened to be a brewery. Naturally we had one of the local products with dinner (a German lager-style, if you must know). Susie had the chickpea burger and I had a fried chicken sandwich. We skipped the Viking five-course dinner paired with five beers. . . 

A simply wonderful day. We were both struck by the grandeur of the things we have seen today. We have seen the fun of Norway, the culture of Norway and much of the history of Norway.  Today we experienced the beauty of Norway up close. 

And there's more to come tomorrow as we sail on one of Norway's electric boats down the Aurlandsfjord and then up the Nærøyfjord to Gudvangen!