Our Norway in a Nutshell adventure started when we caught a train from Oslo to Myrdal (Read about our Oslo adventures here and here!). We were supposed to have a half hour layover (the plan was to grab lunch) before catching the Flam railway (Europes steepest and also one of the most beautiful). Unfortunately, our train was delayed from Oslo, but luckily the Norway in a Nutshell plan could adapt for this and ended up holding the train in Flam until our train from Oslo got in. We didn’t get to grab lunch at the top of the mountain, but the food on the train was surprisingly not more overpriced than food we’d found elsewhere.
The Flam railway was as scenic as promised, with waterfalls and dramatic views of fjords and snow covered mountains. Tip: Choose a window seat with a window that opens, you are allowed to keep it open except in tunnels and it greatly improves the photos. Unfortunately, much of the view is obscured by tunnels, built to keep snow off the tracks and to keep maintenance reasonable. Still, there are enough gorgeous views to go around. You wont be disappointed.
When we reached the Flam Railway station, we hightailed it to our kayak tour, because of the delay we were still cutting it a bit close. Luckily, Flam is tiny and the tour was a 5 minute walk. We got suited (or skirted, I guess would be more appropriate) and joined our kayaking companions, the instructor and a family of four. The kayaks were tandems, which is enough of a struggle, but they also had rudders which required you to use your feet to steer. Lucas was too tall to sit in back and steer so it was up to me. Not good. The instructor told us we had “set a new record” for the most distance traveled during the tour. Oops. Anyway, kayaking down the Sognefjord was amazing. You feel so tiny between the mountains on either side, and when the cruise ship went by, it put the mountains into even more perspective. We also learned that typically the fjords are as deep in the centre as the mountains are tall on either side. Crazy. Definitely an epic experience, and one I would whole heartedly recommend. Although maybe not the foot steering option.
We ate dinner at the Aegir Brewery in Flam, which was pricey but delicious. We split reindeer and beef burgers and a tasting flight. Then had to go for the desert made with the chocolate porter. It was all excellent. Before crashing in our hotel, we retrieved our duty free beers that we’d bought in the airport, and cracked them open to watch the sun set over the fjords. All in all, a pretty amazing day.
I think this is the most beautiful adventure!
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It’s definitely up there on the list 🙂
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Sounds incredible.
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It was a beautiful adventure! Definitely wouldn’t mind going back someday!
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What a wonderful adventure. The scenic parts of Norway are magical!
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They are! Being at the bottom of the mountains on the fjord really put how large they are into perspective!
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It’s a trip i would love to do ! a friend a mine did it and enjoy herself immensely ! How did you find time to visit all these places !!! it’s crazy 🙂
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We definitely have learned to maximize our vacation time from having only 2 or 3 weeks a year in the U.S. Now that we’ve got 5 or so… We’ve gone a little crazy. Norway was a really busy trip but so much fun! Kayaking was beautiful!
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