Monday, 4 March
Steps 13352
We skipped breakfast so we could be at the station at 8:35 without any hiccoughs. We were there early enough to enjoy a coffee and croissant. I was worried because we could only buy Standard tickets because “Komfort”was full.
I like that, standard or comfort, no reference to class.
I needn’t have worried, the seats in standard are so spacious and the train was empty enough for David and I each to enjoy a window seat. There is a good cafe on board for coffee and eats if you need. There is also free wifi that works and plugs to recharge your electronic devices. Very 1st world!
We had a 5 hour journey to Myrdal. There was snow all around, which turns everything into black and white. Some may think it is beautiful, but to me it is bleak. No colour! If I lived here I would paint my house a different bright colour on each side. We passed so many houses with snow was piled up outside and no tracks or footprints, so I can only assume are summer cottages and not inhabited year round. However, at one of the stops, a guy got off the train, put his skis on and set off home.
At Myrdal, we crossed over to Flamsbana for the iconic train trip to Flam. There is a brief stop at a waterfall which must be spectacular in summer. There was much less snow as we went down into the valley. The railway is an engineering feat. It includes a horseshoe tunnel that spirals in and out of the mountain and it is one of the world’s steepest railway tracks on normal track dropping about 850m over 20km.
Flam is a very small village at the edge of the fjord, with about 300 permanent residents and 8000 tourists passing through in summer. There is a very large hotel that started off housing the English lords who came to do some fishing and has grown over the years. I chose to stay in the other smaller hotel that also runs a brewery and viking restaurant. Far more Norwegian.
At 4:30, we went for a beer tasting with Chris, a modern day viking, who was very informative. David enjoyed the beer and I enjoyed a whiskey. We then went to the restaurant upstairs where we had a viking size portion of pork shank and spareribs which we could not finish.
After supper we went for a guided evening walk in the chilled night air. It was very interesting and we ended up with hot chocolate at a campfire on a small beach.
I really like Flam. There is a calmness about it.
What I learnt: They use a local white stone for the paths in the “kultuurpark” where we walked. They reflect the moonlight. According to our tour guide, it is a special rock, found only in Flam and also on the moon!
What I wonder: If you cannot cross the railway line and there are no bridges, do you have to go to either end to get to the other side?
Kim's journey 