Flåm, Norway
On our second full day in Norway we awoke in the village of Flåm. We had slept well, partly because it was very quiet in the valley since the high season for tourists hadn't begun yet.
The next leg of our journey didn't begin until the afternoon, and after seeing how beautiful the valley was, we were looking forward to renting bicycles to explore the area for a few hours.
However, it started raining just after breakfast, and that washed out our hopes to ride bicycles....typical for Flåm, we were told.
The rain brought a damp coldness to the air, and I had to purchase a pair of knitted winter gloves. I hadn't brought any winter clothes with me because it was the last weekend of May and I hadn't expected to be cold!
The yellow building below houses the Flåm Railway Museum, which we visited in lieu of bike riding.
It was quite interesting to learn all that was done to build this beautiful rail line so many years ago.
The railway passes through the narrow Flåm valley and is regarded as a "masterpiece of Norwegian engineering".
It took 20 years to build the Flåm Railway....so long because of having to bore 20 tunnels through granite mountainsides. And they were excavated mostly by hand! Excavating machines were used in only two of the twenty tunnels.
The building was small but the artifacts were interesting. Below is a pedal-powered rail cycle!
In 2011 the "Society of International Railways" listed the Flåm Railway as one of the world's 25 most beautiful train journeys. How lucky for us to be able to travel on one such rail journey!
After the museum tour it was time to check out of our hotel. Leaving the hotel we noticed springtime coming to Norway.
After the museum tour it was time to check out of our hotel. Leaving the hotel we noticed springtime coming to Norway.
Blooming in the front of the hotel were beautiful tulips.
We're not sure how much surface area was glass on the front of the hotel....but there was a lot!
The next leg of our tour was to be a 2-hour ferry ride on a famous Norwegian fjord. While waiting for the ride I spotted another little troll.
The next leg of our tour was to be a 2-hour ferry ride on a famous Norwegian fjord. While waiting for the ride I spotted another little troll.
Below is the ferry that would take us down a small portion of the Sognefjord....Norway's deepest and longest fjord.
The ferry had three levels.
The lowest level was enclosed, with viewing through the large windows.
Leaving the Flåm valley and village....
....we set out on our 2-hour fjord voyage.
The land was green and massive....and the water was placid and smooth.
As the boat quietly glided down the fjord we were constantly treated to sights of great beauty!
Within a short time, we passed the first of many waterfalls.
This one cascaded on multiple levels....so beautiful!
I only had a spring jacket and windbreaker, plus the knit gloves I purchased in Flåm. The weather wasn't really bad....I just didn't realize it would be so much colder on the fjord.
The boat had an enclosed deck that was warmer, but I wanted to spend most of the cruise outside enjoying a clear view.
There are a number of small villages on the banks of the fjord....with 30,000 people living along the fjords and up in the valleys.
The boat passed beautiful little towns and churches....
....and many mountain farmlands.
The Sognefjord is 204 kilometers long....and is included on the Unesco World Heritage List.
There are a number of arms that branch off of the main fjord...and each one has its own name. We sailed through the narrowest fjord...Nærøyfjord, only 250 meters at its narrowest point.
There was always something beautiful to see, including fog on the surface of the water in one section of the fjord.
Two hours of serene water, mountains....
....and beautifully colorful villages.
The two-hour fjord voyage ended at the small village of Gudvangen. The time had passed quickly, and we agreed that this was one of the most amazing sights we have seen in Europe....or anywhere for that matter.
More waterfalls on the sides of the mountains above the "Gudvangen" sign. Awesomely beautiful!
The rooftops of shops and homes were often covered with natural growth, as in the souvenir shop below.
The rooftops of shops and homes were often covered with natural growth, as in the souvenir shop below.
In Gudvangen we boarded a bus for the next leg of the journey....a one-hour bus ride to Voss. Just like on the train and fjord, the journey took us through valleys bordered by sheer mountain walls....
....but on this journey the pathway was paved.
The driver said the road had recently re-opened after being closed since September. At the end of his comments, he calmly said with a wry smile, "I hope you like it".
The road descends the mountainside at a 15% - 18% grade....
The road descends the mountainside at a 15% - 18% grade....
....twisting and turning through 13 steep hairpin bends....and we had a front row seat on the bus! Though quite young, the driver skillfully, and very slowly, guided the bus through the turns and down the mountain. It would be hard enough to navigate the steep hairpin turns in a car, but in a large tour bus....impressive!
The road passes the Sivlefossen (142 meters) and Stalheimsfosse (126m) waterfalls.
The bus took us to the Voss train station where the final leg of our journey would begin....by re-boarding the Bergen Railway that we had taken from Oslo to Myrdal the previous day.
This time we stayed on the train for the two-hour trip to our final destination....Bergen. Traveling from the west side of Norway to the east had been great....but we were looking forward to being in one place for a few days.
This time we stayed on the train for the two-hour trip to our final destination....Bergen. Traveling from the west side of Norway to the east had been great....but we were looking forward to being in one place for a few days.
Troll sighting close to the Voss train station.
Bergen, Norway
The train arrived in Bergen at 7 p.m....with plenty of daylight left! After asking someone at the train station how far away our hotel was, he said it would be no problem to walk there. So we did....and how lucky for us, it was clear and sunny!
Apparently, rain is more common than sunshine in Bergen, so it was fortunate to arrive to such good weather.
The walk from the train station was easy....but pulling a suitcase along the cobblestoned streets slowed us down a bit.
In the photo above, Mark is standing on Bryggen street, a historic district that is a Unesco World Heritage site. Our hotel was at the far end of this row of wooden buildings.
In the photo above, Mark is standing on Bryggen street, a historic district that is a Unesco World Heritage site. Our hotel was at the far end of this row of wooden buildings.
These bright pink rhododendrons were everywhere in Bergen....
....as well as narrow streets....
....and colorful wooden homes and buildings.
I had taken the picture below on the way to the hotel, and our walk around the Bryggen district took us up this street.
We discovered that the white building at the top of the street was the bottom station for the Fløibanen funicular that ascends Mount Fløyen, one of the seven peaks that overlook Bergen.
Our first experience on a funicular was in Budapest, and after finding out that there was one in Bergen, we had planned to ride it. It was almost 9 p.m. but since there were was plenty of daylight left we chose to ride up the Fløibanen funicular on our first night in Bergen.
The cars were empty and we were the first to arrive.
This funicular opened in 1918, and has been one of Bergen's and Norway's most-visited tourist sites for 96 years!
It was a lovely climb up the mountain....I love this view!
The funicular trip takes about 7 minutes, with a few stops on the way up....
....if it went non-stop it would take just a little over 3 minutes to the top.
The funicular trip takes about 7 minutes, with a few stops on the way up....
....if it went non-stop it would take just a little over 3 minutes to the top.
The two cars travel up and down the mountain every 15 or 30 minutes, depending on the time of day.
Each car can hold up to 80 passengers.
Close to the top of the funicular....almost ready to disembark.
After leaving from this little building at the bottom of the funicular....
....we were greeted with this arial view of the Bergen waterfront. Such a pretty sight!
A young couple from Italy volunteered to take our picture.
The top of the funicular is 320 meters above sea level, and has great viewing areas, a cafe, a playground....and another troll.
It looks quite similar to the troll at the Voss train station seen earlier in the day.
The sights we would see extended from a former fortress, now park, on the far end of the finger of land above....all the way to the large fountain pool on the left.
The views coming down the funicular....
....were just as pretty as going up, but with a little less daylight.
While returning to the hotel after leaving the funicular....
The longer daylight hours were amazing....pictures taken close to 10:30 p.m.
There was also a rainbow in the sky....even on a day without rain.
The view below is of our hotel, from a parallel street.
The great location of the hotel was a happy accident because we had not known that it was so close to so many sights to see in Bergen.
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