I picked my friends' brains for inspiration when I planned my final bank holiday of Summer: Norway in a Nutshell round trip from Bergen. I'd seen amazing photos and heard only good things. And friends, you know your stuff! This was one of my most revitalising short breaks since coming to London four years ago.
My travel buddies and I collected our tour tickets from Bergen train station on Saturday morning and began our first day's travel via train, bus and ferry to the town of Flåm. The entire journey was filled with steep declines down to where the valley met the Sognefjord, Norway's longest and deepest fjord. Vibrant greens were dotted with pretty little houses along the coast, covered with mist for the morning. A sense of atmosphere posed the threat of down-pour which luckily started and finished during the second half of the cruise before docking at the harbour for our one-night stay in Flåm.
My travel buddies and I collected our tour tickets from Bergen train station on Saturday morning and began our first day's travel via train, bus and ferry to the town of Flåm. The entire journey was filled with steep declines down to where the valley met the Sognefjord, Norway's longest and deepest fjord. Vibrant greens were dotted with pretty little houses along the coast, covered with mist for the morning. A sense of atmosphere posed the threat of down-pour which luckily started and finished during the second half of the cruise before docking at the harbour for our one-night stay in Flåm.
With the extra time in town, we were able to enjoy its peaceful ambiance after all the tourist buses had left. In the afternoon, we went for a two hour hike up to the ecological farm which provided views of the fjord and valley from above, along a river, past the waterfall and enjoyed a cup of apple juice from the locally grown produce on the way back down. We arrived back in good time for a casual and tasty dinner at the Fretheim hotel cafe, one of the four restaurants open that evening (and the only one not booked out).
The next morning we woke to find a healthy sized rabbit munching on the pretty flowers outside our hostel, happy the sun had come out for our journey on the famous Flåm railway, one of the world’s steepest railway lines. Again the scenery was amazing, and the train provided commentary and a stopover at at Kjossfossen waterfall. A perfect photo opportunity as we kept a look out for the local seductive forest creature - Huldra.
The mystical spells of the stop were broken by the whistle of the train conductor and it was back on board for a short transit at Myrdal station on to a commuter train back to the city of Bergen.
The next morning we woke to find a healthy sized rabbit munching on the pretty flowers outside our hostel, happy the sun had come out for our journey on the famous Flåm railway, one of the world’s steepest railway lines. Again the scenery was amazing, and the train provided commentary and a stopover at at Kjossfossen waterfall. A perfect photo opportunity as we kept a look out for the local seductive forest creature - Huldra.
The mystical spells of the stop were broken by the whistle of the train conductor and it was back on board for a short transit at Myrdal station on to a commuter train back to the city of Bergen.
Item 94: Norway in a Nutshell? CHECK!
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