Flam and Gudvangen

Left the Youth Hostel after a breakfast of stale bread and egg. It was a delightful departure.

Got back to Voss station and joined the hordes of very old Americans on the platforms waiting for the train to Myrdal. Now, you have to realise that we know nothing about what’s going on here. We are just going to a place called Flam and we know we get to go down a pretty spectacular railway but how this all happens we have no idea.

So a train pulls in and it’s packed to the gunnels (if a train has gunnels which I’m sure it doesn’t, unless it’s amphibious) with people. It’s gross. There’s no way we are going to enjoy the view from this awful train. Mirinda is freaking out, thinking it’s an awful way to run a tourist industry. Norway, which up until yesterday was gaining points hand over fist, is now rapidly getting into the red. The train is a Norwegian equivalent of the old red rattlers we had from Penrith to Sydney, except it was blue.

Finally we get to Myrdal and guess what? On the opposite platform is a gorgeous train with massive windows for viewing and the majority of passengers on the train are actually getting off here. We clamber aboard the Flam express and have marvellous seats with a window all to ourselves. Mirinda immediately calms down and the points start to once more gather on the plus side.

Well, is the Flam railway memorable? Is it incredible? Is it amazing? Is it amazingly amazing? All of these and so much more. Highly recommended. In fact if anyone goes to Norway and misses the Flam railway they deserve to have their passports taken away and eaten.

A few intriguing facts: The railway is 20 kilometres long from Flam to Myrdal and has 20 tunnels which makes up 28% of the total length. It took almost 20 years to build and was budgeted to cost 20 million kroner (I have no idea what the significance of the number 20 is as the leaflet stresses it but then goes nowhere with it!). Nearly 80% of the 20 kilometres has a gradient of 55% and the curve radius goes right down to 130 metres (I have NO idea what that means but it sounds good). All of the tunnels were excavated by hand except for 2 where a machine was used. The engine has 5 braking systems because of the gradient but has never had an accident.

Two really amazing things about the Flam railway:

1. There is an incredible tunnel called the turnaround tunnel (officially Vatnehalsen Tunnel). When you enter it there is a viewing ‘shelf’ where you look out of the lefthand window of the train and see the railway on the opposite side of the mountain. The train stops here for a bit. Then the train moves forward for a few minutes, seemingly in a straight line. Then another ‘shelf’ appears on the RIGHT hand side and the view is exactly the same except from a slightly lower level. The train had turned through 180 degrees and it was impossible to notice. Truly amazing.
2. Halfway down, the train stops at a waterfall which is crashes down the mountain and underneath (and all over) a viewing platform. This is pretty spectacular as you’re almost inside the fall – everyone gets out of the train – but then music starts and this strange woman starts to wander among the rocks, high up, singing away in a strange eerie fashion. We had been warned by the announcer on the train that the mountains are full of evil sprites who entice the men-folk to their deaths among the rocks and crags. It was tough but I managed to hold securely onto the rail and safely returned to the train unharmed.

So we arrive in Flam. This is a souvenir shop on a dock. There is a huge ferry docked and millions of people milling. Mirinda goes to the TIC to see about somewhere to spend the night. I keep the bags company and watch the mad tourists who insist on getting their photos taken next to a moth eaten and frankly miserable fake stuffed reindeer which is standing outside one of the shops. Weird people. As always, I’m on the look out (or should that be hear out?) for quotable quotes. I overheard an American man say to his wife “There’s ALWAYS somewhere to spend your money.” When she seemed to be a bit concerned about what would be at Flam once they got there. Naturally this became the catch-phrase for most of the trip. And it’s awfully true. There ALWAYS is!

Mirinda comes back empty handed so I go and book the most expensive (and only) hotel in Flam, the Fretheim. We drag the bags over there.

What a contrast to the previous night! A lovely pine hotel, all new and shiny. Naturally it cost a million times as much but at least it had a telly. Left the hotel to check out the sites of Flam. Although this didn’t take long (about ten minutes) it was brilliantly spectacular. It’s at the end of a fjord (a real one, not like the pissy Oslofjord) called Naeroyfjord, and it just takes your breath away. We bought some bread and fillings at the supermarket and sat by the water eating lunch.

At 3pm we boarded the ferry to Gudvangen. This was a two hour cruise along the fjord, between towering mountains and lonely houses atop inaccessible peaks. There are no words to describe how brilliant it is. Photos do not do it justice but here’s a bad scan of a postcard showing a ferry almost at Gudvangen. Our ferry was a tad smaller than this one.

Ferry to Gudvangen - postcard

It looked just like this only better.

Gudvangen is only slightly bigger than Flam and, I think, exists for the ferries. We walked to the main road and waited for a bus to take us back to Flam via a series of long tunnels (one was 11k). Popped into our comfortable room, just to make sure it was still there, then went to dinner in an ex-train carriage. This is one of two restaurants in Flam (not including the hotel) and looked the cheaper and more interesting as they had traditional Norwegian food. This should be amended to traditional British food. It was ok (and nicely cheap) but really nothing special and basically a bit boring. Mine even had a dollop of mushy peas which I left for the cat.

Afterwards we walked around the dock with post-dinner ice-creams. It was so lovely. Then back to the hotel to coffee then more US sitcoms and finally sleep.