I stayed at a hostel for the first time, when in Oslo, though according to comments by people following one of my blogs - we had it good. With a private room and our own bathroom, unlike the usual shared room with bunk beds and a bathroom down the hall.
Still it was interesting to experience the no frills feel of a hostel.. and living amongst people from all over, every nationality, en route to an endless amount of destinations, it was fun trying to imagine what each group of people’s story was… some in a rush to check in and out, some just lounging in the lobby like we were on one of the hostel’s comfy couches, taking advantage of their free wi-fi.
I admit that I wasn’t too impressed with Oslo, though it may not be fair of me to say as it was a bouncing point for us, we were there for only one, overcast day. We enjoyed the Nobel Peace Center very much, and strolled through town waiting patiently for the highlight of the vacation to begin the next morning.
The focus of this whole adventure is a tour called Norway in a Nutshell, a journey that takes you through some of the most breathtaking scenery in Fjord Norway, by train, ferry, and bus.
The Bergen Railway has been voted one of the world’s most beautiful train lines.
We left Oslo to begin the six hour journey to Flam, first by train.. a four hour trek to the middle of the fjords. A sunny and warm day at sea level, only to climb 4,000 feet at various points to find snow on the ground and people wearing coats… it was truly another world…
Check out this path along the tracks about three hours into the train ride, can you imagine?
About an hour later we finally reached Myrdal where we switched to another train to do the really treacherous tail end. Slowly, taking us down more then 4,000 feet to Flam, smack in the middle of the fjords, and our destination for the evening. The crawl down from Myrdal takes about an hour and this is where you see some of the most magnificent scenery.
A powerful waterfall on the way down to Flam, the train stops and let’s all of us tourists check it out for a few minutes.
This dog was going to the fjords!
The hotel was top notch, and had a ridiculously delicious, and healthy restaurant that we pigged out at. A lot of fish, and being a fan of herring, I was certainly in the right place. One of the best parts of our stay was renting four wheelers and checking out the area. You almost felt guilty using a motorized vehicle in such a pristine place.
Towards the end of the next day we departed the hotel by way of a two hour ferry ride, traveling passed the beautiful villages of Aurland and Undredal before the boat entered the Naeroyfjord one of the narrowest fjords in Europe. This arm of the Sognefjord is perhaps the most dramatic fjord in Norway, and is on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
The next hour of the tour is a hair pulling one… A bus took us up Stalheimskleiva road which twists and turns up through thirteen bends offering views to the bottom at some points, which most people were too nervous to look at.
Take a look at this photo!?!
The bus driver swore he never drove off the road before so I felt ok about it I suppose… Because of how steep the road is, it is only open from May to September.
I first wrote about this tour a little more than a year ago and I’m so happy that we made it happen. Soup and I could have stayed in Flam forever, it was like a piece of heaven and the actual trek from Oslo to Bergen was far more of an adventure than I even imagined. I suggest that everyone put this tour on your list and I’d be happy to chat with you about it if you’re really thinking about it. Shit, I may even do it again.
We then ended the tour by taking a one hour train to Bergen, (which somehow we were the only ones on the tour to miss and had to take the next one?!) where we spent the night, and most of the next day. It was also just a bouncing point for us, giving us one beautiful sunny day to walk around and explore, before taking a flight to Copenhagen where we chilled for three days.
A few photos of Bergen, a fishing town, and a nice place to be…
