Between Oslo and Bergen, Norway, August, 2000
From Oslo, I travelled to Bergen via the one day "Norway in a Nutshell" tour. The tour is really more of a set travel route on train, boat, and bus through a very scenic part of Norway (although there is some commentary along the way). Both Anders and Facundo had recommended it to me. It's very popular amongst backpackers and tourists and you can break it up by stopping at different towns along the way. I had limited time, so I went straight through to Bergen. If I could do it over, though, I would stop off somewhere on the Hardangervidda plateau (see photos below).
Click on images for a larger view.
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These three photos are taken from the train as we passed over the Hardangervidda plateau near Finse. |
The area was so beautiful that I wished I had planned to spend some time there, and I was really kicking myself that I was going straight through to Bergen. |
The road that follows the railroad tracks is called the Rallarvegen, and extends 80km from Haugastøl to Flåm. Travellers hike, cycle or ski (in the winter) along this road, staying in huts or hostels along the way. I'd really like to go back someday to cycle at least part of the Rallarvegen. |
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Me at the Myrdal train station. From here, the Norway in a Nutshell tour continues on a smaller train that travels down a windy path down to the edge of the fjord. The smaller train is called the Flåmsbana (the Flåm railway - it travels between the towns of Myrdal and Flåm). |
View from the train window. Notice the road with the hairpin turns that parallels the waterfall. By the way, Myrdal is at 866m elevation while Flåm is at 2m elevation, and it's a steep drop! |
Another view from the Flåmsbana. |
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One more view from the Flåmsbana. |
In Flåm, the tour continues by boat through Aurlandsfjorden and Nærøyfjorden to Gudvangen. |
A textbook example of an U-shaped glacial valley. |
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Scenic fjord photo. |
Me on the fjord cruise - that whole town behind me is situated on one big alluvial fan! |
Another scenic fjord photo. |
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Waterfall descending onto an alluvial fan. |
Farm on an alluvial fan. Yeah, I went a little crazy with the alluvial fan photos, but after spending months mapping fans in New England, what do you expect? |
Another waterfall descending onto an alluvial fan. You think this is bad - you should see how many Norwegian alluvial fan photos I have that didn't get scanned! |
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From Gudvangen, the tour continues by bus up a narrow road full of hairpin turns to the town of Voss. Along the way they stop at this scenic overlook. |
From Voss I took the train on to Bergen. I took this photo at one of the train stops between Voss and Bergen, I can't remember which one. I thought it was a particularly Norweiganesque scene. |
