We Take the Ferry to Flåm and the Railroad Back to Bergen -- Fun, Full Day!
Once again, we were blessed with a sunny day in a country where it rains 250 days every year.
We set the alarm for 6:30 in order to catch the 8:00 ferry a short walk from our hotel. The ferry is a big catamaran with probably 200 seats, rest rooms and a food kiosk on board. The captain kept us advised in English as well as Norwegian of highlights along the way. We had assumed that we’d go out to the North Sea and then into the fjord leading to Flåm, but instead we cruised between islands most of the way, with several stops and always with shorelines to look at. Here’s a screenshot from my iPhone 40 minutes into the 5.5-hour ferry ride:
We saw so many homes along the shores, mostly summer homes and many of them only accessible by boat. We also saw a few resort hotels including this one:
And so many waterfalls. One the captain turned the ferry straight toward it so we could get a close up look.
We made a friend on the ferry ride. Bjørg Tvetene Sæter was visiting Bergen and returned to her home, getting off at Leikanger, a stop just before Flåm. We learned a lot about Norway from her:
We had some time in Flåm to see the town before boarding our train up the mountain to where we boarded the fast train back o Bergen. Another boat, docked in front of our ferry advertised that it is electric powered. A taxi driver in his electric Mercedes told us later that every taxi is electric and so are many ferry boats. I hadn’t thought about it while on board, but ours could have been, since I don’t recall any engine noise, vibration or smell.
Here’s a hotel in Flåm:
The Flåm Railway was also electric, but very noisy when moving, especially the squealing on turns. We had one stop where we were invited to get off the train for 5 minutes to observe an amazing waterfall. Loud music was playing, and it took me a while to notice that some woman in red was dancing to the music on a ruin above our stopping point. Here’s a video of her doing her thing. I quipped that she doesn’t work for tips, because she was far from us!
I took many photos and videos on the Flåm Railway, but here are just a couple:
Rita and I both took so many photos and videos that we didn’t take any on the fast train to Bergen because we were at risk of the phones dying, and I for one had clients who needed to reach me and did indeed call before we got to our hotel with 2% left on my phone’s battery.
After catching up on business in the hotel room, we went to dinner at the same restaurant/bar, Madam Felle, that I wrote about yesterday. We even ordered the same entrees and wine and loved them just as much as yesterday!
That dancing waterfall woman was the Huldra, a forest spirit from Norse mythology. She seduces men into the forest, never to return. There at the Kjosfosson waterfall.