Day 11: Bergen
The day began at 4.30 am in order to have our bags ready for pickup at 5.15. Then a quick breakfast before boarding our coach and driving 2 hours to commence cruising on the beautiful Naeroyfjord and Sognefjord. There were magical mists swirling around the countryside on the drive and these misty mountains provided a perfect setting for all the Nordic myths we are learning about. When we descended into the ravines the mists darkened changing the mood. Grieg's music was playing in my mind completing the scene. The route took us through Voss which was bombed heavily by the Germans in WWII. Of course it has been re-built now.
The cruise made me realise the extent of the name Fiord land. Of course. We were deep in the land of fiords with their torrenting waterfalls even in mid summer after Norway's longest drought throughout May. The pilot brought our boat to the foot of the biggest of these giving us opportunity to appreciate the volume and force of the water.

At the end of the cruise when we were coming into Flam we came alongside one of the floating city cruise boats dwarfing our little craft. It really is very challenging trying to visit a town when a cruise boat has come into port. The passengers just swarm over and through everything like ants. They demonstrate gross waste and wanton materialism. What on earth do they do with the armful of stuff they buy? Just how many ceramic trolls does one need? Flam itself is a tiny town consisting of 5 houses. What has turned it into a major bucket list tourist destination was the opening of the Flam Railway in 1940. It took 20 years to build with progress averaging 2metres a week in the tunnels The trains were electrified in 1944 making them the first electric trains in Norway. The track is 20 km long at a gradient of 1:18 and has 20 tunnels. It has an engine at both ends, one to pull and the other to push and takes one hour to reach its destination. At the half way point is the splendid Kjosfossen waterfall. The train stops for a photostop and in due course recorded music heralds the appearance of a magical siren who dances her way across the rocks luring the men away from their wives to come join her. We deduced that there were a team of identical dancers as she appears and disappears from rock platforms down the bed of the waterfall. It is all very theatrical and highly entertaining. I'm not sure how other wives fared but I certainly kept Peter on a short leash.
We disembarked at the end of the track at Myrdal and waited for the Bergen - Oslo train which sped us through the Hardanger National Park in the most picturesque summer conditions. There is much residual snow still and I was happy in my trusty puffer jacket.

It was a 5 hour journey stopping at many towns en route. In the end I stopped myself taking photos of spectacular scenery. My breath has truly been taken away by Norway. It was not high on my travel list but now sits right at the top.

Mind you we were very pleased to pull into Oslo at 7.00pm to be picked by Peter, our wonderful coach driver and be taken to Scandic Victoria. I'm not sure why sitting in a coach, a boat and 2 trains for 13 hours builds a healthy appetite.