Friday, September 4
We set iPhone alarms to make sure we
got downstairs for the hotel's 6:30 a.m. breakfast. Quite a few other travelers did the same. After breakfast, we returned to the room so I could shower
while Bill finished packing. We had plenty of time to walk the two blocks to
Oslo Central Station.
Bill spotted our departure on Track
2. I assumed the train wouldn't let passengers board early, but Bill suggested we check anyway. He was right. Boarding was already underway.
Having assigned seats didn't
guarantee an easy luggage situation. I had to carry my bag to the first cabin
and store it there, even though our seats were in the second cabin. Once that
was sorted out, we settled in for the first leg of our journey.
The train ride from Oslo toward
Myrdal was beautiful. We started beside waterways and gradually turned inland,
passing through several distinct landscapes.
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| Glaciers, seen from train. |
At first, there were forests,
rolling hills, farmland, and sheep. Bill spotted deer eating in a farmer's
garden. The terrain then grew steeper, with deeper valleys and taller trees.
Eventually, we reached a high plateau where the vegetation became sparse, with
little more than moss and grass growing among the rocks.
After more than four hours, we
reached Myrdal and transferred to the next train. We hustled toward the open
seating area, only to discover that the next train hadn't arrived yet. When it
finally did, passengers leaving the train had to clear out before those of us
waiting could board. Then came the familiar travel ritual: everyone trying to
get on at once.
Bill managed to find two seats together
facing other passengers, a couple from Taiwan. We had hoped to be facing
forward, but once the train departed, we discovered we were traveling backward.
So much for our educated guess.
The couple were touring Scandinavia,
including Stockholm and Copenhagen, much as we were. We had a pleasant
conversation, and the gentleman generously gave Bill and me each a packet of
Taiwanese tea along with a small packet of nuts and dried fish. Not exactly my
usual snack, but it was tasty when we tried it later.
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| Us, and our Taiwanese friends |
Then came the spectacular descent
toward Flåm.
The railway followed steep grades
through deep valleys, with dramatic views of waterfalls cascading down the
mountainsides. The brakes screeched as the train negotiated the descent, making
it clear that this was no ordinary railway journey.
We stopped to admire one
particularly impressive waterfall. Nearby, performers dressed as sirens danced
to recorded music, adding a theatrical touch to the scenery.
The rest of the journey brought more
waterfalls, streams, and glimpses of the fjord country. Photographs simply
cannot do justice to the scale and beauty of the landscape. We eventually
pulled into Flåm, where we could see the boat that would carry us onward in a
day and a half.
Once off the train, we had trouble getting
Google Maps to cooperate with directions to our accommodation. Bill came up
with a better immediate plan: find a place for a beer. We located one, claimed
a table, and ordered our drinks while enjoying the continuing sunshine.
Our Taiwanese friends boarded
another boat, and we waved goodbye as they departed. Bill and I then walked to
the Brekke Gard Apartments & Hostel, where I had booked two separate reservations
because the original booking couldn't be extended. I asked Sonia at reception
whether the reservations could be combined so we wouldn't have to pack up and
move rooms. Unfortunately, that wasn't possible.
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| Brekke Gard Apartments & Hostel. Livin' Large. |
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| View of the locals from our hotel room |
We settled into our room, which was
a little short on amenities but made up for it with instructions on how
everything worked. The accommodation was at least a kilometer from town, so we
bundled up against the increasingly cool weather and headed out.
On the way, we passed a troll
statue. Fortunately, another couple walking by offered to take a photograph of
us with it. Every trip needs a troll picture, apparently.
In town, we debated our dinner
options before settling on a beer garden. When we first sat down, the sunshine
made it feel quite warm. Within minutes, the sun disappeared behind the high
ridge, and the temperature dropped noticeably.
We eventually found dinner: reindeer
sausage and potatoes, accompanied by another beer. By then, it was cold enough
to call it an evening and make the walk back to our accommodation.
Saturday,
September 5 — Six Hours to Kill in Flåm
Our sleep was restless, and Bill and
I had planned to leave the apartments by 10 a.m. Unfortunately, the
accommodation couldn't combine my two reservations, which meant we had to pack
up, clean the room, and check out before we could move into our new room later.
But first, a little background. This hotel had a ‘unique’
checkout requirement (see pic). And what
really bothered me was that this was probably the most expensive hotel cost
(per night, except for riverboat) for the trip!
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I had been awake several times
during the night. At 4 a.m., I decided to put the time to use and ran a couple
of loads of laundry. The communal clothes washer was in another building, and it
was creepy walking outside in the 4am darkness.
Bill and I were both awake before 6
a.m. Eventually, feeling tired, I shut down my computer and headed back toward
the bedroom. Bill was also crawling back into bed. I expected my usual hour or
so of sleep.
Wrong.
At 9:20 a.m., Bill punched me in the
arm and announced that we had a 10 a.m. checkout. We jumped up, showered,
packed, and cleaned the room. We made it to the lobby at exactly 10 a.m., only
to discover that there was no particular rush after all.
Now we had six hours to kill before
we could get into our new room.
We walked into town and stopped for
brunch, then continued around the end of the lake, passing four boathouses that
also appeared to serve as living quarters. We saw a sauna where people were
enjoying the heat before jumping into the water. That certainly seemed like one
way to embrace the Norwegian outdoors.
Later, I was feeling a little drowsy
while Bill was ready for another beer. We found a place where I ordered coffee,
Bill ordered a beer.
We also visited the Flåm Railway Museum, which turned out to be more interesting than I had expected. I had assumed the railway was built strictly to serve tourism. That was wrong. It had originally been constructed for practical transportation and infrastructure purposes; tourism later became an important benefit.
Looking back across the village
helped illustrate the point. The railway and its surroundings support the whole
community, even if today's shops and restaurants are clearly geared toward the
visitors who arrive by train and boat.
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| Bill and his new friend |
Eventually, we returned to claim our
new room. It was right next to the previous one and had the same layout. One
couldn't help wondering why we couldn't simply have stayed in the original
room.
By then, we were ready for another
beer, so we returned to our usual spot. This time, we found a corner table
indoors. The weather looked threatening, and it seemed wise not to tempt fate.
That turned out to be a good
decision. The rain began after we had ordered our drinks and food, and a
beautiful rainbow appeared outside.
Dinner was excellent. We split a
fish sandwich and a bowl of fish soup, along with another beer. The meal was
satisfying without being excessive.
We decided against staying out late.
I was back in bed by 8 p.m., which meant I missed sunset entirely. Travel is
full of compromises, and sometimes a good night's sleep wins.
More Flam pics here.
