August 29, 2014
Norway in a Nutshell is a long day tour that packs in a few of the typical highlights in Norway in one long, well-coordinated trip. It is also the most popular tour in Norway, so we knew it would be crowded and largely for an older audience, but it was still a great way to make the most of one day, so we opted for the trip, leaving from Voss. (It is typically done from Olso or Bergen, but by leaving from Voss, we saved some money and cut out a large portion of the less-exciting parts.)
Arriving in Voss after our night in Odda, we made it to the train/bus station and got on one of the two large buses to start the tour. We headed Northeast from Voss towards the Stalheim Hotel, an old hotel situated atop one of the steepest roads in the country. Passing by mountain lakes and green landscapes, we snaked our way up the hill to the hotel, stopped for a one minute view in the bus and then headed down into the glacial carved valley below. The road passes by two noteworthy waterfalls, but each is just a quick glance as the bus stops for about 20 seconds to give passengers a view of the falls before moving on. Descending into the valley, about an hour into the bus ride, we arrived at Gudvangen, a tiny village at the base of Naeroyfjord.
Naeroyfjord is one of the narrowest fjord (that's what the name means) at only about 250 meters wide in some points. It's also a UNESCO world heritage site, as a classic example of a fjord. We quickly boarded a large boat for our cruise through the fjord, and as expected, it was rather crowded, but Craig and I found a good spot near the front of the boat for the majestic views of the green mountains dropping straight off into the deep blue water below. Tiny villages/farms dotted the landscapes, adding some perspective to the huge scale of the area. As Naeroyfjord widened, it opened up into another waterway, where we turned and headed back down into Aurlandsfjord, making a sort of V-shape with the cruise route. Another impressive fjord, this took us all the way to Flam, ending the beautiful 2 hour cruise. We were again blessed with perfect weather - blue skies and sunshine, though the wind coming off the water was a bit chilly. A few of the tour groups rushed off the boat in Flam to catch the train, the next part of the journey, so we were glad that we had built in some time in the town.
Although there's not much to actually do in Flam, it is situated at the base of the fjord and a few huge grassy areas at the edge of town/the waterfront looked very hard to resist. We browsed the tourist shops quickly and passed by the small restaurants set up for the hordes of tourists that pass through the area every day, and we found a quiet spot laying on the grass, taking in the great views. A lot of the visitors left on the next train, and while there was still a large cruise ship in the tiny harbor, we did find some peace and quiet and simply sat and took in the surrounding natural beauty.
Eventually moving on, we took the Flamsbana railway, touted as one of the steepest and most scenic railways in the world. Craig wasn't initially that excited about the train ride, but passing through more great scenery with high mountain walls, green valleys and cascading waterfalls. We passed through a few tunnels and ended up at Kjofossen, another huge waterfall with a quick stop on the train. We had just enough time to get out of the train, take a few pictures and watch a weird show with some sort of folk music playing over the speakers where a few dancers with similar outfits pranced around the rocks of the waterfall, disappearing in one part and then reappearing in another (shhh....it was actually more than one dancer). While the show was a little odd, the train ride was fantastic, and we soon arrived at Myrdal, the terminus of the railway.
The final portion of the trip was another train ride back to Voss from Myrdal. We found a train arriving just as we were standing on the platform that seemed to be going in the right direction, so we boarded the train just as it was taking off, though we were then a bit worried that we may be on the wrong train, as that looked like the express train to Oslo, so we hoped that we wouldn't have to take a huge, costly detour back to Voss from there. Fortunately, as we were hoping, the express train was comfortable, scenic and DID stop in Voss, so it actually worked out perfectly.
All in all, the tour was everything we had hoped for - spectacular views of the mountains, valleys, fjords and waterfalls that make Norway so special. It was crowded and even a tiny bit rushed, but to be able to do a fjord cruise, a scenic bus ride and two train journeys in one day without having to worry about the connections was certainly a great use of our time (and money).
Norway in a Nutshell is a long day tour that packs in a few of the typical highlights in Norway in one long, well-coordinated trip. It is also the most popular tour in Norway, so we knew it would be crowded and largely for an older audience, but it was still a great way to make the most of one day, so we opted for the trip, leaving from Voss. (It is typically done from Olso or Bergen, but by leaving from Voss, we saved some money and cut out a large portion of the less-exciting parts.)
Arriving in Voss after our night in Odda, we made it to the train/bus station and got on one of the two large buses to start the tour. We headed Northeast from Voss towards the Stalheim Hotel, an old hotel situated atop one of the steepest roads in the country. Passing by mountain lakes and green landscapes, we snaked our way up the hill to the hotel, stopped for a one minute view in the bus and then headed down into the glacial carved valley below. The road passes by two noteworthy waterfalls, but each is just a quick glance as the bus stops for about 20 seconds to give passengers a view of the falls before moving on. Descending into the valley, about an hour into the bus ride, we arrived at Gudvangen, a tiny village at the base of Naeroyfjord.
Naeroyfjord is one of the narrowest fjord (that's what the name means) at only about 250 meters wide in some points. It's also a UNESCO world heritage site, as a classic example of a fjord. We quickly boarded a large boat for our cruise through the fjord, and as expected, it was rather crowded, but Craig and I found a good spot near the front of the boat for the majestic views of the green mountains dropping straight off into the deep blue water below. Tiny villages/farms dotted the landscapes, adding some perspective to the huge scale of the area. As Naeroyfjord widened, it opened up into another waterway, where we turned and headed back down into Aurlandsfjord, making a sort of V-shape with the cruise route. Another impressive fjord, this took us all the way to Flam, ending the beautiful 2 hour cruise. We were again blessed with perfect weather - blue skies and sunshine, though the wind coming off the water was a bit chilly. A few of the tour groups rushed off the boat in Flam to catch the train, the next part of the journey, so we were glad that we had built in some time in the town.
Although there's not much to actually do in Flam, it is situated at the base of the fjord and a few huge grassy areas at the edge of town/the waterfront looked very hard to resist. We browsed the tourist shops quickly and passed by the small restaurants set up for the hordes of tourists that pass through the area every day, and we found a quiet spot laying on the grass, taking in the great views. A lot of the visitors left on the next train, and while there was still a large cruise ship in the tiny harbor, we did find some peace and quiet and simply sat and took in the surrounding natural beauty.
Eventually moving on, we took the Flamsbana railway, touted as one of the steepest and most scenic railways in the world. Craig wasn't initially that excited about the train ride, but passing through more great scenery with high mountain walls, green valleys and cascading waterfalls. We passed through a few tunnels and ended up at Kjofossen, another huge waterfall with a quick stop on the train. We had just enough time to get out of the train, take a few pictures and watch a weird show with some sort of folk music playing over the speakers where a few dancers with similar outfits pranced around the rocks of the waterfall, disappearing in one part and then reappearing in another (shhh....it was actually more than one dancer). While the show was a little odd, the train ride was fantastic, and we soon arrived at Myrdal, the terminus of the railway.
The final portion of the trip was another train ride back to Voss from Myrdal. We found a train arriving just as we were standing on the platform that seemed to be going in the right direction, so we boarded the train just as it was taking off, though we were then a bit worried that we may be on the wrong train, as that looked like the express train to Oslo, so we hoped that we wouldn't have to take a huge, costly detour back to Voss from there. Fortunately, as we were hoping, the express train was comfortable, scenic and DID stop in Voss, so it actually worked out perfectly.
All in all, the tour was everything we had hoped for - spectacular views of the mountains, valleys, fjords and waterfalls that make Norway so special. It was crowded and even a tiny bit rushed, but to be able to do a fjord cruise, a scenic bus ride and two train journeys in one day without having to worry about the connections was certainly a great use of our time (and money).
(The view from the Stalheim Hotel, looking down towards the beginnings of Naeroyfjord. The bus ride takes you up the steep road to the hotel, though you don't really have any time at all to explore the area or even get out of the bus, so the first couple of pictures were actually taken out the window of the bus.)
(Heading down the steep road from Stalheim Hotel, a few waterfalls can be seen on each side just before reaching the valley below.)
(Once in the valley, we quickly arrived at Gudvagen and were ushered to the awaiting cruise ship where we took a two hour cruise of Naeroyfjord and Aurlandsfjord.)
(Naeroyfjord is a UNESCO World Heritage site as a typical example of a fjord, so it had the spectacular steep mountain walls, narrow passageways and greenery for which Norway is known.)
(Looking back down Naeroyfjord, the back of the boat had a small dining room and chairs set up all along the edges of the boat. It was a bit cramped because of the large amount of people, but we found a good spot in the front and had nice views of the passing mountains.)
(After cruising back down Aurlandsfjord, we arrived at Flam, a tiny village at the end of the fjord, dwarfed by the massive cruise ship. There was a sign up on the hillside protesting cruise ships (true cruise ships, not our small fjord cruise), as it certainly did look a little out of place in this tiny area.)
(Getting away from some of the crowds, we headed down to a grassy area by the water in Flam and had a few very peaceful hours sitting by the water and taking in the surrounding beauty.)
(Here you can see Craig lounging on the grass, contemplating life or maybe just kicking back after a few too many drinks.)
(The Flamsbana railway is one of the steepest and most scenic in the world, passing by valley, mountains and waterfalls in route from Flam at the base of the fjord to Myrdal, high up in the mountains.)
(One of the many waterfalls and tiny farms seen from the train.)
(Another slightly blurry picture taken from the train window.)
(Kjofossen, a huge waterfall, over 700 feet high, is the only stop along the train journey. You are given just enough time to go out and take a few pictures before some strange music starts and a few dancers appear on the rocks.)
(Apparently the dancers are supposed to be the legendary Huldra, "a seductive forest creature in Scandinavian folklore." Unfortunately, even if the seduction works, we had to quickly get back on the train...)
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