travels.of.tara

July 29, 2016 – Bergen hostel.

It’s difficult for me to put into words what my Norwegian fjord experience was like. It was what I was looking for but not what I expected. It was hard work and nature and real adventure. It was stunning and different and big. It was physically exhausting and emotionally fulfilling. And so much more.

I last left you on the train from Oslo to Flam via a stop in Myrdal, in total about a 6 hour journey. The beautiful scenery started quickly on the Bergen Railway line as we crossed mountains and water and small towns. It soon changed to waterfalls, rapids, and snow-covered mountains. It started raining on and off, as it pretty much always does in the fjords. The further in we got, the more peoples’ gear changed from rolling suitcases to backpacks and hiking boots. At Myrdal I transfered onto the Flamsbana (the Flam Railway) an hour-long trip that is supposed to be one of the most beautiful train rides in the world. It takes you down into the fjord and points out some sights and facts in multiple languages along the way. There’s a photostop at a waterfall where someone comes out and dances for a minute. It was all just beautiful and amazing.

Ride the train with me! Watch these short videos: one, two, and three.

Arriving in Flam was like arriving in a timeless town unlike any place I’d ever been. You are at water level surrounded by tall mountains everywhere, with gift shops and a few cafes, while massive groups from a cruise ship zip by you everywhere (people keep saying “el groupo” around me). Every person I see is a visitor as the town’s population is just 450. As I step off the train and orient myself I see a rainbow welcoming me to the fjord town. The visitor center tells me I should walk with my suitcase to my hostel because cabs are expensive in Norway. It takes about 20 minutes with me stopping and gaping at the scenery. The hostel is sort of a little farm in the middle of nowhere called the Brekke Gard with no locks on any of the doors.

I quickly gear up for a hike to a waterfall that I’d read about. The description says it is difficult and will take 1.5-2 hours. The first half is a road near the hostel and I pass sheep farms and then a yak farm, or some animals that look like yaks. I find the trailhead and commence on a very difficult hike that I had not totally prepared myself for. It was all a steep uphill and very muddy and slippery, but beautiful and empty. I had to push myself and take frequent breaks. Making it to the waterfall with an awesome view of town and the fjord felt epic. I found 2 people to take my picture and as I left a family arrived, but otherwise I was totally alone for the whole hike. The walk back down was quicker and I miraculously didn’t fall in the rain. I got back around 10pm and it was still light out. I slept well that night.

Enjoy the peak of my hike to Brekkefossen, with none of the effort! Video here.

The next morning I wheeled myself back into town to catch my pre-booked ferry to the town of Gudvangen. The route I’m following in the fjords is known as “Norway in a Nutshell.” You can book a nutshell tour from a company and have everything taken care of for you, or book it on your own and save money and go at your own pace, which is what I did. You take a train from Oslo, switch to the Flam Railway, take a ferry to Gudvangen, then a bus down a winding road that’s only open in the summertime to Voss, and get back on the Bergen Railway line to Bergen. There are many other fjords and places in Norway that I can’t fit in on this trip, including far up north where you can see the Northern Lights in the wintertime. But the nutshell tour gets you a lot:

I was early to town so I decided to check in with the visitor center about buying the ticket from Gudvangen to Voss on the bus, since it wasn’t busy and just to confirm things. I was told by an unhappy woman that it doesn’t matter because the road is closed and will be closed all day today. What? Apparently there was a landslide last night and a bunch of huge boulders are blocking the road and they are too big to move right now. I’m told to check in with another line about what to do. A nicer woman tells me to take my boat ride, then book a bus from Gudvangen back to Flam, and then book a train back up the Flam Railway and connect to the Bergen Railway on to Voss. The situation cost me about $50 but was so easy to figure out, and I surprisingly wasn’t stressed about it at all.

On to my fjord cruise, a 2+ hour ferry boat that sails through the Aurlandsfjord and connects with the Nærøyfjord (“narrow fjord”), which is a UNESCO World Heritage site (aka one of the most beautiful places in the world!). The boat was basically a long photo op, and everyone seemed to have trouble sitting still in one spot.

Pictures and videos don’t really do the vastness of this region justice, but this video should give you a sense of what it was like.

I had a little time to walk around the tiny town of Gudvangen, which was similar to Flam, and then boarded the bus back to Flam. A lot of people were surprised with the road closure news and were buying bus tickets from the driver, so it was crowded with people standing in the aisle. I fortunately had left my suitcase back in Flam which made things easier. The bus took 20 minutes and almost exclusively drove through long tunnels.

After a quick lunch where I spoke to a 16 year old brat who grew up in Flam and really wanted to leave–he also called me stupid for being a vegetarian and had a bad opinion of America’s two party system–I boarded the Flam Railway train in reverse for another beautiful ride and transferred to the Bergen line, which again had new beautiful views. I finally made it to Voss in mid afternoon and lugged my suitcase (it’s getting heavier) down the sidewalk to the hostel.

Voss is a small town next to some lakes, rivers, and mountains. It’s known as the adventure capital of fjord Norway, because it’s centrally located to lots of activities. When you go out to eat dinner everyone is wearing muddy boots and windbreakers. All the stores seem to sell sports gear. There’s also a really old church from the 1200s and a promenade along the water, plus a nice park with camping spots.

I was tired from yesterday’s hike, so I rested in the hostel a bit and then went on a hike to Bordalsjelet, a gorge I’d read about and that the hostel employee told me was short and easy to get to, though I didn’t really know what else to expect. The hike went through the town’s park on a flat dirt path then over a bridge and into a residential area on paved streets up a hill, and then quickly became the woods. Then you hike down about 5 minutes on a rocky and muddy trail to get up close with the gorge. It was so pretty, and again fun to be the only person around. Unfortunately it was raining pretty steadily the whole time. It wasn’t cold or windy, but wet and uncomfortable. I was wearing a rain poncho which I then just threw out when I got back to the hostel. The whole excursion including a short stop for dinner at a cafe took about 3 hours.

I again slept well that night, with tired legs and knees. And now, I will close this post and continue with the story of my fjord kayak adventure another time!