Flam - March 25 - 26, 2017

Oh how do I begin??? And what gave us the notion that we should take the Flam Railway to Flam??? I'm not sure, but we were blessed indeed. In the past two days we have been exposed to the most magnificent, breath-taking landscapes we've ever seen. The grandeur makes a person feel small yet strangely significant -- significant to merely be a part of this incredible world. Seeing places like this is a rare gift. We are so thankful to have been given it.

We left Oslo by train and traveled over four hours to Myrdal (think meer-dal), gradually going higher and higher. The lands became hilly then mountainous, with the landscape color going from brown to white as we passed the tree line. At one point, everything was white - the grounds, the mountains and the sky. The only thing to be distinguished was rocks poking out of the snow.

We passed small hamlets laid out on streams with small clusters of cottages, shops and churches in completely lovely settings. As we climbed higher, the hamlets were clusters of mostly holiday cottages or resorts that served skiers. Neat the town of Finse (think feen-sa), the snow was deep and it looked windy outside. We passed frozen, snow-covered lakes where people were kite skiing with colorful arched-shaped sails.

At Myrdal we left the train - or rather, the train left us and went back down Oslo. We waited in a small but nice, un-manned train station with other passengers going on to Flam. After about a 20 minute wait, The Flam Railway train arrived right on time, and took us down the mountain along the Aurland fjord. We took far too many pictures. Around every turn the scene was more and more amazing. We oohed and aahed like we were watching fireworks.

The Flam Railway was built for the distinct purpose of promoting economic development in the Flam valley and for opening a world of outdoor adventure and sight-seeing in the remote but fantastically beautiful place, Flam. Before the railway, the only means of reaching Flam was by horseback over the mountain or via the fjord. In the late 1800's a "tunnel" was build through the mountain allowing carriage travel to Flam from Oslo and Bergen and in 1920, after completion of the Bergen rail line from Oslo to Myrdal, construction began on the Flam Railway. It was completed in 1940 for cargo traffic but opened to personal travel in 1941. It began powered by steam but converted to electricity in 1944 when the Kjosfossen electrical power plant went into operation--- as a footnote, Norway has over 200 hydroelectric power plants driven by its many rivers. This means electricity is cheap - it is used for everything, heating homes, powering cars. There is very little use of fossil fuel here. It has more waterfalls than be counted too. We saw many the last two days but many were frozen.

The hamlet of Flam could be everybody's dream. It is nestled on an arm of the Aurlandsfjorden (Aurland Fjord) and at the foot of tall mountains, the Liahovden and Tvenningaberget on the north and Flenjahornet and Midnosi on the south. The Songnefjord is Norway's largest and best known fjord and is the second longest in the world. The Aurlandsfjorden is a finger off the Songenefjord. The beautiful deep clear waters in all directions add to the incredible beauty of the mountains, valley and sky. The area is exquisite to see this time of year but its high season is just beginning. In the summer it is a bustling tourist resort for those who like to boat, hike and cycle. We would like to return in sometime again summer time. Pictures of the area taken in autumn look magnificent as well.

Our hotel (one of the few hotels we will use on this trip) was rustic and wonderful. It had hardwood floors and was decorated in a style that seemed perfect in the area. We had a dinner of salad and poached salmon marinated first in lime and honey. Oh boy!!!

We slept like babies for the first time since we left home. We've been carrying an accumulation of tired.

This morning, we had a nice breakfast buffet - I tried pickled herring with various sauces and found each slightly sweet and generously seasoned with spices like cloves and allspice. Actually, I liked it. And of course, the bread was fantastic and the butter unbelievable. We almost missed breakfast . . . for once we did not set an alarm and we woke at 9 am!!! Yikes! Then we found out that Norway's version of Day Light Saving Time took effect early this morning. Breakfast was served only until 10 am but the lovely people at the hotel said they'd be glad to serve us still. I need to say now that all people we have met so far have been genuinely nice, truly helpful and a real delight to know.

After breakfast we walked around the bay and to the point where we could see Naeroyfjorden (Narrow Fjord) a UESCO site. The water in the fjord is crystal clear. We could see star fish on the bottom near the walk but we could also tell that the depth dropped off sharply. The fjord at Flam is narrow but is so deep and busy that it has a harbor master. Even some cruise ships come in. I'm going to stop talking soon. Your time on this location should be spent viewing the photos.

After touring the Flam Railway Museum we boarded the Flam Railway back to Myrdal and then switched trains to Bergen (think bhear-ghin). In fact, I'm writing this story while on board the train. Today our train is nice, but the one we were on yesterday was nice as well but had free WIFI and electrical outlets!!!