Bergen – Voss – Stalheim – Gudvangen – Flam – Myrdal – Bergen

For NOK895 (Norwegian Kroner), me and one of the colleagues decided to go on the ‘Norway in a Nutshell’ tour to fill up our Saturday.

…:: Excerpt from http://www.norwaynutshell.com/default.asp ::…

Norway in a nutshell® takes you through some of Norway’s most beautiful fjord scenery. You can experience the scenic Bergen Railway, the breathtaking Flåm Railway, the Aurlandsfjord, the narrow Naeroyfjord (now included on UNESCO’s World Heritage List) and the steep hairpin bends of Stalheimskleiva.

The Bergen Railway  
The Bergen Railway is a unique experience on Northern Europe’s highest-altitude railway line. One of the greatest challenges is the harsh and changeable weather. The line is exposed to deep low-pressure centres from the west, which can mean strong winds and heavy snow for part of the year. Keeping the railway open demands great effort and technical expertise. Today, skilled workers, effective equipment, tunnels and snow tunnels make the Bergen Railway one of the safest and most comfortable ways of travelling between Oslo and Bergen. The line was voted one of the 20 best railway experiences in the world in 1999.

The Flåm Railway 
The journey on the Flåm Railway is regarded as one of the highlights of the Norway in a nutshell® tour. The 20-km-long train journey from the mountain station of Myrdal down to Flåm, down beside the fjord, takes around 55 minutes. On the journey, you have views of some of the most magnificent mountain scenery in Norway with an ever-changing panorama of tall mountains and cascading waterfalls. The train moves slowly or stops at the best views.
 
Splendid Norwegian fjords – on UNESCO’s World Heritage List!
Down at the picturesque village of Flåm, there is time to eat and to wander around before continuing your journey by boat. The boat sails out the Aurlandsfjord and into the Naeroyfjord, one of the narrowest fjord in Europe. The Naeroyfjord is included on UNESCO’s famous World Heritage List. Surrounded by towering mountains up to 1,800 metres high, this branch of the Sognefjord is amazingly beautiful. On the journey, you have excellent views of small traditional farms. If you are lucky, you will see goats grazing right beside the fjord and seals basking on rocks before the boat moors at Gudvangen.
 
Stalheimskleiva 
The journey continues by coach up the steep and spectacular hairpin bends of Stalheimskleiva*. The road up to Stalheim Hotel has 13 steep bends. After enjoying the wonderful views of the Stalheimsfossen and Sivlefossen waterfalls, there is a short stop at the hotel to enjoy the view before the journey continues to Voss. From Voss, you can continue your journey by train to Bergen or Oslo.
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I did the tour the other way round, if noticed from the route in the title. Was lucky everyone wasn’t playing tourist this weekend and crowd all the attractions. Eventhough there was a time this really kecoh old man was busily talking and putting one hand at the bus door pushing me out of the way. Just so he can get his whole gang in. D-uhhhh! It’s not like there’s not enough place for everyone! And I got the best seat with the best view anyway!

I was terrified here. If the bus brakes were not well-maintained, we’d end up god-knows-where!

I leave you with a video of a ‘mysterious’ lady appearing at Kjosfossen Waterfall(free fall 305 feet) where the flam railway stopped for 5 minutes.