7/1/12 day 67: Flåm, Norway

Escorted the Flåm train and bike tour today. Flåm is located at the end of the Aurslandsfjorden in the middle of the lower part of Norway. The tracks followed a narrow valley surrounded by steep, moss covered rock walls, cascading waterfalls, verdant pastures, small clusters of wooden houses... It's so picturesque I could slap a reindeer. Pics can't capture the sense of space and solitude. The train has an old timey vibe with wooden paneling and fold down upholstered seats, a perfect contrast to the green outside. There are also automated sight seeing announcements in three languages that direct your attention to different points of interest in the valley, enhanced with images and stats on flat screens at either end of the cabin.

We took a five minute photo stop at the Kjosfossen, a raging waterfall that greets you with a coat of heavy mist and where legend has it, a beautiful Norwegian woman lures you into the mountains. Sure enough, over some loud speakers, mysterious Norwegian folk music starts playing and on top of the ruins by the falls, a blond haired dancer appears, making suggestive gestures. It was borderline corny, borderline Lord of the Rings, borderline flash dance. The train winds higher and higher passing small summer cottages, and a fresh water lake, towards the snow capped mountains surrounding Myrdal. Once we arrived, the train stopped for ten minutes as passengers from Bergen and Oslo boarded and then the train started back down the valley towards Flåm.

Halfway down the valley we stopped and disembarked the train and began the biking portion of the tour. Now, for those of you counting at home, I've been on two bike tours so far. Each one (Talinn and Helsinki) was a rainy, soaked mess. In fact, when I got off the boat this morning, it was raining. I thought I was doomed and cursed. However, during our train ascent, the rain let up, eventually stopped and by the time we reached the bikes, the clouds had parted and the sun began to shine, as if to say "Brian, welcome to Norway. Have a nice bike ride. Dont forget to wear your helmut." It was a miracle! We hopped on the bikes and coasted down the narrow paved road that followed the rushing water. Norway is all about waterfalls: some appear silken and threadlike while others gush violently and crash into rocks below. These valleys are
so peaceful. It's like nature is giving you a big hug. It's quiet save the sounds of water and it smells clean and woody, occasionally you'll catch a whif of a wood stove. I felt a pleasant sense of solitude. I think we biked maybe 10 kilometers and were back in Flåm in 45 minutes. A great day and a great way to see that valley.