No doubt about it, Norway will take your breath away…the steep climbs, the wind and cold even in summer, and most importantly, the spectacular views. Most people go to Norway for one reason…to visit the awe-inspiring fjords. We spent 10 days exploring the fjord region from every angle using multiple modes of transportation – scenic railways down steep mountainsides, cruise boats to look up at the staggering mountains, tiny rigid inflatable boats (RIB) for close-up views of waterfalls and wildlife on the fjord, buses to prime viewpoints, our own car to explore apple orchards and waterfalls, and finally, our favorite, by foot to some of the most breathtaking places we’ve ever seen.
TRAINS
Our journey started on a train ride from Oslo to Myrdal that is often considered one of the most beautiful train rides in Europe. The five hour trip went fast as the scenery was enthralling. The landscape starts with lots of brilliant blue lakes and lush green forests and then turns to snow-capped peaks and barren, rocky lands as the train climbs into the mountains.
We then hopped on Flåmsbana, a short, ridiculously scenic train ride specifically for tourists from Myrdal down to Flåm at the edge of the Sognefjord. In less than an hour, the train chugs through 20 tunnels at an average of 5.5% grade to go from 867 meters above sea level down to the edge of the fjord at sea level. This scenic ride has often been described as the most beautiful train ride in the world.
BUS
In Flåm, we jumped on a bus to take us to a scenic overlook to get our first view of the fjords from above. The Sognefjord is the largest fjord in Norway and one of its branches, the Nærøyfjord, is listed as an UNESCO World Heritage sight. This lookout point is over the Aurlandsfjord branch of the Sognefjord. Notice how tiny the boats look.
RIB BOAT
We stayed overnight in Flåm just to be able to take one of the most unique rides on the fjord. We suited up and jumped on a RIB boat that sped through the fjords and offered close-up views of waterfalls, wildlife, and villages on both the Aurlandsfjord and the UNESCO World Heritage Nærøyfjord.
Our tour guide was awesome and gave us tons of interesting facts about the villages and people who live on the Sognefjord. The village of Undredal is famous for their goat cheese and being the inspiration for the village in the movie Frozen.
The evening prior to our boat ride we actually got to try some of this award winning cheese – both a white and a brown cheese.
Brown cheese? Yep, one of the iconic foods of Norway is brunost (brown cheese), which is technically a cheese-like product made from caramelized whey and milk/cream. The taste is a bit sweet but with a hint of sour from the goat’s milk. When cut into squares, it looks more like chunks of fudge and even has a fudgy texture.
When my sister visited us in Cambodia, she told us that her taste buds were confused by the strange flavor combinations, so she wasn’t sure if she liked the cuisine or not. I finally understand and had that moment here. Brunost looks and feels like fudge and is a bit sweet, but then the sour hits you. And you are like, what!?!? I can’t decide if I liked it or not.
Anyways, back to the boat ride but speaking of goats…the farmers let sheep and goats roam freely around the rugged landscape. They sometimes get lost, though, so you may see farmers out on boats with binoculars looking up into the mountainsides for their goats. We lucked out and got to see them right by the water’s edge.
The house on the cliff in the next picture can only be accessed by hiking up a trail (including a steep section with a ladder) from the dock on the water. Can you imagine getting the weekly groceries home?
ON FOOT
After a flurry of trains, buses, and boats, the time had come for our favorite part of visiting the fjords…exploring on foot. A short walk from the town of Vik gave us the opportunity to see one of Norway’s stave churches in its original idyllic setting in a valley between two fjord cliffs.
The Hopperstad stave church is estimated to have been built around 1130, which would make it one of the oldest stave churches still standing.
In Balestrand, we hiked for a couple hours to get to the Buråsi lookout. We were bummed to have a rainy, muddy hike, but the views still turned out to be incredible.
CRUISE BOAT
After some hiking and relaxing in Balestrand for a couple days, we were off again for another round of boats, buses, and trains to get to Bergen. One can never get enough of cruising the fjords, so we made sure to book a second boat ride, this time on a small luxury cruise boat through the Aurlandsfjord and the Nærøyfjord on our way out of the area.
Around every corner, a new layer unfolded with more gargantuan mountains looming above.
BUS
After the cruise ride to a town called Gudvangen, a thrilling bus ride back up into the mountains and down 14 spine-tingling hairpin turns takes you back to the train station. This has to be the most beautiful bus ride that I have ever taken.
BERGEN
We spent a couple days in Bergen learning a bit about its history, soaking in more beautiful views, and enjoying fresh fish skewers and reindeer sausages with lingonberry sauce.
That handsome man on the pedestal in the last picture is Ole Bull, the Elvis of violin. Norwegian women swooned over him in the 1800s.
Lastly, while in Bergen, we also learned that not only is Norway one of the most naturally beautiful places in the world but Norwegians are also the most naturally athletic. On our hike to see the views over Bergen, we came across an exercise area with equipment and a sign describing different exercises.
At first, you may think it is a basic bodyweight workout routine….until you look a bit closer.
Ummm…Jimmy and I feel like we are pretty athletic, but we can’t just stroll up to a workout area and perform the human flag. Can the majority of Norwegians?
So, there you have it, Part 1 of our fjord adventure with spectacular views from the peaks above and on the water below. Next up…two more fjords to visit including an epic hike and a road trip.
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