One day NIN (Norway in a Nutshell) from Bergen

Voss/ Flam/ Myrdal Photos

• Friday, July 10, 2015: We were asked to reach Bergen Central Railway station to catch 8:43 am train next morning.  The itinerary was as follows: Train from Bergen 08:43 To Voss 09:56, Bus from Voss 10:10 To Gudvangen 11:05, Boat from Gudvangen 11:45 To Flåm 14:10.  We had time at Flam to walk around and see the Flåm Railway Museum.  Train from Flåm 16:05 To Myrdal 17:03, Train from Myrdal 17:13 To Bergen 19:57.  A booklet with tickets for each part - like good old airline tickets of the past - was our guide.
• We reached the train station 20 minutes early - only a 10 minute walk from our apartment.  A large NIN board pointed left to our train.  First three cars were reserved solely for NIN passengers going to Voss, the rest of the train was continuing on to Myrdal and beyond - announcements were constantly made, yet some people ended up in wrong cars anyways.  Five minutes before departure, they made yet another announcement in Norwegian.  Everyone who understood it got up and started getting off our car.  Because of some malfunction, everyone from our car had to move to another car.  We still got the window seat on the left side (for better views.)
• The train left on time and reached Voss around 10 am.  Views of the fjord and bridges crossing over it were indeed wonderful, though the train spent most of the time in tunnels.  Unless you kept your camera ready at all times, the view was already behind you.  No pictures.
• At Voss, our three cars were told to disembark, exit the platform, go right and board buses waiting for us.  Though the buses looked all the same, it appeared that people were grouped by language and tour groups.  Most on our bus spoke English, but the driver had trouble with it.  Any case, the whole caravan left as soon as everyone boarded, and we were off to Gudvangen.  Large picture windows made it easy to see on all sides and take pictures.  The trip began in a wide open valley with mountains and waterfalls on either side of the road, then narrow winding single lane roads down the hills, around the mountains and lakes, finally to the Ferry Dock at Naeroyfjord.  

• Buses then wait for the arriving Ferry to take passengers back to Voss.  Ferries are also commuter service to Flam and back, and stop at intermediate stops as necessary.   This slow moving ferry gives you plenty of time (two hours) to enjoy the Fjord.

Naeroyfjord 

Naeroyfjord 

Naeroyfjord 

• Ferry carried some locals, but mostly tourists.  Some were on organized tours, rest on NIN like us.  The ferry was full - crowded on all decks.
  - Some were happy stopping at the first level to enjoy meals and drinks.  Others were on the open deck, and many others like me on the top deck.  There were plastic chairs, or you could stand against the railings.  Views on either side were mesmerizing and peaceful.  Occasionally, you heard Oooh's and Aaaah's coming from the other side (or an announcement), and then you moved around to see what they were admiring.  After the initial mad rush to find the "best spot," people settled down.  There was a flat raised platform in front of me.  There was constantly someone - sometimes several - standing on it for a better view and to take pictures.  The view from the very front (as you see in the pictures) was of course the best.
• We started from the end of Naeroyfjord arm going towards the main Sognefjord.  Soon, we reached the narrowest point - only 800 feet wide and 35 feet deep - with steep mountains on both sides.  That was the power of glaciers cutting such deep gashes through hard rocks.  Normally, cuts are the deepest (4000 feet in Sognefjord) farthest away from the ocean and fjords become shallow closer to where they meet Atlantic Ocean, because of sediments.  The water is ocean (salt) water, brackish where fresh water from waterfalls mixes it up a bit.  There are some remnant glaciers here and there, but because of moderate climate, most snow is fresh snow.  As for the beauty of this natural wonder, pictures speak for themselves.
• Along the way, we encountered many speedboats coming from Flam - bringing tourists from cruise ships for a quick view of Naeroyfjord - a great solution if you are short on time.  I wouldn't have been satisfied.
• After the 2 1/2 hour boat ride, people were anxious to get off the ferry (and rush to the restrooms.)  The adjacent visitor center offered many options of "Things to do in Flam" depending on how much time you had.  The railway station is literally a stones throw from where the ships (ferry as well as cruise ships) dock.  Boutique shops surround the place.  Some people stayed overnight at nearby hotels; most were catching the next train to Myrdal departing shortly.  A few like us had a couple of hours to spare in Flam.  We visited the nearby Flåm Railway Museum that showed the history of how this railway was built, life in Flam in those days, difficulty in building one of the steepest railroad tracks, and plenty of specimens.  Good for a quick overview.
• We walked through the town, up to the water - touching and tasting to make sure that it was in fact salt water, around the fjord up to the highway,  Highway E16, hugs the fjord near Flam, passes through tunnels and takes you back to Voss - part of the grand Europe Unification plan of infrastructure building.  We returned in time to catch our 4:05 PM train.  This time, we were told to sit on the right side for better views of waterfalls. 
• Any train ride is wonderful in its own right.  If you get a chance to ride the Flam train - which goes up the mountain to Myrdal - don't miss it.  From the village of Flåm, it climbs 2,835 ft up in only 12 miles—the steepest unassisted railway climb in the world.  Two trains run in the opposite directions - because part of the way is single track, they wait for each other at a midway station.  Although our train left on time, we had to wait for the downhill train to come by.  Right side of the train has lots of waterfalls, valley, river and towns - most of the way. 

River runs through it!

More waterfalls

Shiny River

Waterfall

• Although we were running late, I was surprised when they announced a 5 minute stop in the middle of nowhere.  The real surprise was the “Mystical Lady of the Mist!”  An enormous 305 foot Kårdalsfossen waterfall rushing down, with a wooden platform built so close that you get wet in the mist. During this 5 minute stop, be sure to hop off the train to admire it, take pictures, get wet watching a rainbow AND watch the dance of the Mystical Lady.  This lady in red is dancing to loud music, then disappears and reappears in various places to the right of the waterfall.  A surprise treat for young children and adults alike.

Kårdalsfossen Waterfall

Rainbow

Watch the enormous waterfall.  Don't miss the mystical lady in red dancing to the music.

• After 5 minutes, everyone is herded back on the train, and we marched on to Myrdal on the steepest curves - mostly through tunnels.  Flam train stops on one side of the platform, and conveniently, on the other side is your train to Bergen.  That train was also running 10 minutes late.
• Soon, the train arrived and after confirming that it was in fact a Bergen bound train, we got on.  It was, but not the one on which we had confirmed seats, as we found out later.  As a general rule, you occupy any open seat on the train.  Myrdal is high up near the tops of mountains, with lakes and snow capped mountains surrounding on all sides.  Another place to stay overnight and hike around.  Soon after leaving Myrdal, the train passes through a long tunnel, and then opens up to views of mountains, lakes and rivers all the way to Voss.  
• At Voss, many people got on the train and claimed their assigned seats.  We had to give up ours, but where were our seats?  When we asked the conductor, we realized that our reserved seats were on the train behind us.  This was an earlier train.  Any case, they found us seats in the family car -- designed for families with kids, and has play areas like those in McDonald's.  We were tired by now and needed to take a nap - this was a good place and not too noisy either.  We had seen the rest of the way to Bergen this morning - hugging the coastline of the fjords, mostly through tunnels.
• We were back in Bergen by 8 PM as originally planned.  There was still plenty of light outside.  We returned to our apartment having had a great experience - thanks also to great weather.

If there’s one familiar and enticing image of Norway - it’s the fjords, giant clefts in the landscape running from the coast deep into the interior.  Rugged yet serene, these huge, wedge-shaped inlets are visually stunning.
- The fjords are undeniably beautiful, especially around early May, after the brief Norwegian spring has brought color to the landscape; but winter, when all is unerringly quiet, has its charms too, the blue-black waters of the fjords contrasting with the blinding white of the snow that blankets the hills, valleys and mountains.  In summer, the wilds are filled with hikers and the waters patrolled by a steady flotilla of bright-white ferries, but don’t let that put you off: the tourists are rarely in such numbers as to be intrusive, and even in the most popular districts, a brief walk off the beaten track will bring solitude in abundance.
- The fjords run all the way up the coast from Stavanger to the Russian border, but are most easily – and impressively – seen on the west coast near Bergen.  Dotted with pretty village resorts, the Sognefjord is the longest and deepest of the country’s fjords.