Day 1

Flam is a village in S.W Norway best known for its fjords. Most tourists spend a day in Flam, taking a trip on the Flam railway and the boat cruise. So, when we told those who’d been to Norway that we were spending 3 nights there, they looked us as though we were crazy. After having stayed there I totally get it. If you’re a tourist in a hurry then one day or at the most two should suffice but if your goal is to spend time with family with no distraction or just get away for a while then Flam is the place.

We drove down from Bergen to Flam. A milk-white step waterfall greeted us at the entrance to Flam. There were meadows of wild flowers and a few homes around. The first thought that crossed our minds was, ‘ Wish we could stay in one of them.’ Imagine waking up and sleeping to the sound of water falling over rocks, the babbling sound of the stream and seeing stretches of wild flowers from your window. We got off the car and walked up to the waterfall, far enough not to get drenched by the spray but close enough to feel its coolness on our faces.

We got back into the car, a little wistful that we had to leave it behind and move on. However, we were in for a surprise. The hotel we had booked was not more than fifteen minutes away (as per Google maps). We decided we would come back but we didn’t need to. Gudvangen, is a village dotted with several streams of waterfalls- we watched amazed at the mechanics of nature – melting snow flowing down from the top of the mountain wherever it could or taking a plunge to reach the Nærøydalselvi river. Sometimes, disappearing into the ground or behind a veil of trees and then appearing, seemingly out of nowhere to begin its journey to the river over rocks and stones. The river welcomes the icy waters and plumper because of it, meanders happily into the fjord. The entire cycle looked so simple, moving steadily like it would never stop but it would one day when all the ice on the top had melted. But for not it was beautiful. And we were fortunate for summer set in two weeks before our arrival to Flam. There was enough supply of snow to keep the waterfalls flowing until the end of our trip.

The hotel in which we stayed alloted us a cabin in the premises. It had a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and a tiny living area on the ground floor and two rooms on the top floor. The slant roof of the room on the top provided a direct view of the waterfalls. Over the three nights and days we stayed there, I woke up and slept to the sound and sight of water rushing down the mountains. It was the last thing I looked at before I closed my eyes for the night and the first thing I woke up to. The room alongside meant for children (with 2 single beds) overlooked the base of the hills covered with flowers.

After checking in to the hotel, and changing into comfortable shoes, we decided to explore the area. Gudvangen is a good place to hike or go kayaking on the fjord. There are a few good restaurants- a pizzeria, the viking village restaurant and two others, whose names I forget. Alcohol is only served at the restaurants and can be bought from the supermarket in the vicinity station only until 6.00 p.m. I assume its because its on the highway.

We walked up to the river but we couldn’t go down to it as there was no way to reach it. Also, it wasn’t a gentle river. The waters rushed with a busyness as if they had no time to waste and would simply sweep everything in their way with them.
So, we made our way back to the hotel and walked in the opposite direction to the fjord and the restaurants.

After a dinner of pizza at the pizzeria, we called it a night. We sat on the chairs placed outside the cabin late into the night watching the waterfalls. The evening was quiet except for the cries of a bird. We wondered what was wrong. We would get to know the next day.

Day 2

On the way to breakfast, we saw why the bird had been crying. Its baby had died and its body lay on the the sidewalk. The mother bird was nowhere to be seen but as soon as we neared the baby she came swooping down. She still believed it was alive and wouldn’t let anyone near it.
After a late breakfast, we made our way to Flam where we the cruise was to start from. It could have been avoided if we had known Gudvangen hotel was one of the stops. We wouldn’t have to take the car to Flam and back. But, with all the time in the world, driving to the place wasn’t a showstopper. The cruise was to begin at 12.00 p.m. and last for an hour and a half.

It doesn’t matter where you sit on the cruise because after a while people will get up and walk on the deck to take pictures or to the restaurant on board to grab a bite. So, don’t stress. Taking the cruise and the train ride in Flam is a must-do. The view of mountains, waterfalls, river, land and forest in its purest form will leave you speachless. However, if you’re not one for nature then Norway is not for you.

We had lunch at an unassuiming restaurant after getting off the cruise at Flam village centre. There are restaurants, a railway museum, souvenir shops, grocery store and one that sells clothes, souvenirs, accessories and a lot of other things that you can pick up to gift friends and family back home. You can also buy tickets for the Flam train ride and boat cruise at the village. It is also where you begin and end the train ride. Check out the slide show below.

We returned to the hotel and drove down to Rimstigen village. We had seen it from the cruise and wanted to check out the church. The photographs are in the slideshow below the map.

We returned to the hotel and had a dinner of grilled fish and mashed potato at one of the restaurants nearby. For dessert we had an ice-cream which in hindsight I really could have done without (it’s getting awfully difficult shedding all the weight I put on in Norway).
That night we slept to the sound of the bird’s cries. Everytime someone drove or walked close to her dead baby, she cried to warn them to keep a distance. In the morning when I woke up she was still crying.

Day 3

By the time we headed for breakfast, the bird had stopped crying. Its baby was no longer there. The cleaners may have got rid of it or buried it.

If you’re taking the ride, make sure to sit on the left side of the train facing the engine. You can sit on any seat but that’s the side with the spectacular views. Lush green mountains, crystal clear waters and gushing waterfalls.

You’ll get to see nothing on the right side except the mighty Kjosfossen which can be only reached only by the train. But, it doesn’t matter because that’s the only stop the train makes. So, if you’re on the right or left, you can get down and see the waterfall, the lady in red dancing on the mountain close to the Falls (don’t know how she does it). We were standing in front of the falls on the landing provided for viewing and we still got drenched. The waters have a fall of 93 m and while it is beautiful the waters look ferocious- like a Tsunami. The speed with which the water falls is so great that it’s used to generate hydroelectricity (I have taken a video which I can’t seem to share for some reason).

Since the food choices were limited in Flam or Gudvangen, we ended the night with pizza again.

The third day in Flam brought an end to my sister’s holiday. We drove down to Oslo the following day to catch our respective flights.

I’m so glad we drove. The train journey is supposedly beautiful and is highly recommended. But going by car allows you to stop where you want. The landscape changed dramatically on the way from green to brown as we neared a ski town. It was deserted. Luckily a grocery store was open where we got a cup of coffee and muffins before continuing the journey.

I look back and think our time in Bergen and Flam was a perfect chance to detoxify ourselves from our gadgets. We did not watch TV as all channels were in Norwegian, I did not have wifi except when I was in the hotel which was in the morning before we stepped outside for the day or at night when we returned and I was too tired to bother checking social media. And yet, I wasn’t bored for a moment. Not one single day. It wasn’t because I had my sister with me. There was just so much around me to be amazed about. The way the snow melted. It amazed me. I wondered how much snow was there to melt, when would it stop and when it stopped how would the mountains look. They wouldn’t be as attractive, of that I was certain. The waterfalls brought them alive. I got my answer on the way to Oslo when we passed the ski town and from close up I saw that it wasn’t snow. It was ice- several feet of ice. No wonder it did not melt all at once.
Then there were the rolling meadows of wild flowers. They held me captive. I watched the butterflies hover over them. They went from one to another paying each one a visit albeit a short one. It was perfect in every way.
Come winter and all of it would be covered in a blanket of snow. And the only thing visible then would be the houses- red, blue and mustard yellow and the blue waters of the fjord in a canvas of white- roads knee deep in snow, white mountains and white trees. 6 months of white. And when summer came, it would shed its white clothes for colors like it had done now and flaunt it for all to see and admire. And why not.

I don’t have any interesting door this week. So, I’m sharing the leftovers from Oslo and Bergen for Thursday Doors Challenge hosted by Dan Antion.

To read the previous posts on Norway, you can click here.

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