Relaxing in Flåm and an afternoon on Western Norway's Fjords

22 May 2022.

[Lots of fjord photos coming your way so don't hesitate to scroll through.]

The day opened up with sun and blue sky, quite a change from yesterday. The morning began with yet another in a long line of leisurely breakfasts, this one at our hotel in Flåm. Although truth be told we started early in our room with coffee via a Nespresso machine!

A little before 0800 we walked next door to the hotel's cafe and helped ourselves to a buffet breakfast. Not quite up to the Hilton Slussen in Stockholm standards but not bad, either.

entrance to the hotel cafe

Afterwards we dropped by the Flåm Bakery and picked up a couple of local delicacies for later: one solbolle and one skulebolle (the one with coconut), both basically yeast-dough buns with fillings. I'll let Susie explain those pastries but I can tell you they were both deeeeelicious! 

photo courtesy of the French Tarte

We also picked up a pair of their handmade sandwiches to have in our room for supper later this evening after our return from fjord cruising.

the Flåm Bakery

From the bakery we walked 50 feet to the visitor center where we bought our boat tickets for a cruise later that afternoon.  

We returned to the room and while I worked on travel notes and photos Susie went out for a stroll around the town.  After she returned about an hour or so later we took a short walk (they're all short here in Flåm) to the Flåmsbana Railway Museum located next to the train platform we were on just the day before.  In point of fact, the building that is now the museum was once the train station.

off to the museum

We browsed the exhibitions for a short while -- most of the signage was in Norwegian, unfortunately for us -- but they did have plenty of vintage photos and artifacts telling the story of how the railway was built (and why). They also had an old locomotive as well as several other unique bits of railway equipment, including various pedal and motorized bicycle-like contraptions for working on the line. 

Back we went to the room for a lunch of tasty treats from the Flåm Bakery and a bit of relaxing before our boat ride.

Our boat was due to leave at 15:20 and we were at the dock in the queue a little before the hour. The Flåmsbana had just arrived from Myrdal and most of the passengers went straight from the train to our boat. Quite a logistical accomplishment here in Flåm to be sure.

A few minutes later and we were on board. 

The boat is electric and as you can see from the promo photo below is unique in both design as well as propulsion. I should also point out that the interior is very nice, spacious and with large windows allowing even those who don't want to brave the fjord winds to still get a full view of the grandeur (that word again) this place has to offer. Note there are no stairs just a gradual sloping ramp on each side of the craft. Amazing really. Not only infinitely safer but also allowing more folk to stand by the rail to appreciate the views. 

the hi-speed ferry express to Bergen -- about four hours

view looking toward the bakery and our hotel beyond

The scenery never stops!

one of several small villages along the Aurlandsfjord

note the narrowing ahead

Laegdafossen falls, one of the highlights of the Nærøyfjord

(It should be noted that foss actually means falls in Norwegian but in English general practice seems to include the word falls. I know, a redundancy, but just sayin'. . .)

About two-thirds of the way through the journey Susie and I opted to move inside where it was out of the wind and much cozier. We also wanted to sit and enjoy a glass of prosecco. . . 

small group of campers - one wonders how they got there

a village not far from our destination, Gudvangen

At about 17:20 we pulled in to Gudvangen at the head of Nærøyfjord; the cruise lasted about two hours. A bus was waiting to drive us back to Flåm and the return trip took us through two tunnels that covered pretty much the entire route of about 16kms and lasted about 20 minutes. 

Back at the hotel we picked up a couple of locally brewed beers at the reception desk (from the hotel's brewery). Because of fairly strict Norwegian laws on alcohol, they had to open the cans at the desk and we had to consume them in either the lobby or our rooms. No matter since we planned to have our beers with our sandwiches from the Flåm Bakery back in our room. Another fine supper in Norway!

After supper we took one last stroll around the waterfront in Flåm and let the majesty of this place sweep over us one more time. 

Tomorrow its off to Bergen!

Our experience in the Norwegian Fjords

Accommodation - hotel.
The room was a bit tight and somewhat tired in style but the location incredible: a corner room with two terraces and a spectacular view of the fjord. The bathroom was just fine.

Food.
Dinner at the hotel was good and our second night we enjoyed sandwiches from the Flåm Bakery in our room

Transportation.
The electric boat was a wonderful way to explore the fjords. The tram from Myrdal to Flåm was an absolutely stunning experience.

Attraction.
The singular attraction here is of course the scenery. The cruise up the fjords was superb and the boat exceptional.

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!