Norway in a Nutshell

 September 8 - Up early, each with a breakfast/lunch bag provided by the hotel, we opted for a $25 taxi to Central Train Station even though Goggle predicted just a fifteen minute walk. We were waiting on the Track Three platform long before the train even arrived.   We had purchased our tickets a few months ago as this Vy Bergensbanen train sells out quickly even for the month of September.  Leaving at 7:50 AM, the train rolled through suburban Oslo, along lakes and forests making many stops along the way. As the train gained altitude, the forests thinned to the rocky and barren Plateau where arctic conditions prevail. 

Here lies Myrdal, nothing but a lonely railway stop where we disembarked with dozens of other tourists to wait in a light rain for the train to Flam.  We are on our version of the Norway in a Nutshell.  From Flam we plan to take a bus back to Flam, a ferry to Balestrand and then another ferry to Bergen. 

                                         Mydral                                                                        Google Earth

The Flam railway descends from Mydral through stunning scenery to Flam at the head of Aurlandsfjord.  Hiking or biking down to Flam would provide the best opportunities to photograph the scenery but we opted to do best we could through the train's windows.

The train stops several times along its one hour journey including one for a photo op of  Kjosfossen Waterfalls. Here a siren lures male passengers into the forest.  

We arrived in Flam in a light rain. After a little confusion on my part, we found the boardwalk around fjord leading to our hotel, the Heimly Persjonat. 

 While we waited for our room, we enjoyed a cups of coffee with other guests before  I walked up the road during a break in the rain for a few photos.

After dragging our luggage up the stairs to our room,  we relaxed before our included dinner featuring  excellent cod.  In the morning after a buffet breakfast, we walked to the ferry dock for our long awaited  fjord cruise.

Richard's commentary above

It was time for our fjord experience and wow, we had the best train ride from Oslo to Flam.  We went through snow sheds, trundles over bridges, and passes through many tunnels.  This ride is a marvel to human engineering!  After viewing deep woods and lakes, we chugged above the tree line to see a myriad of waterfalls and glacial vistas.  The best part was a stop a Kjosfasson Falls, where we saw, according to Norwegian legend, a temptress dressed in red called Huldra, who tries to lure train riders with her singing and dancing.  I had to drag Richard back on the train!

Joanne