The couple sitting across from me on the Flåmsbana was from Minnesota, and the wife was of Norwegian descent. It took almost all of my willpower to not make a reference to Rose Nylund. They wore broad cheerful smiles and spoke excitedly of the things they had seen during their time here, including a visit with her aunt.
The Flåmsbana is the railway that connects Flåm to the town of Myrdal, from where it is tied to the rest of the nation. It was built in the 1920s, and construction was a feat because Flåm and its fjord lie deep within a valley and the drop from the top of surrounding mountains to the valley floor is a precarious one.
The ascent is steep, with numerous switchbacks and tunnels through the rock.
Seating on the train was limited, and as often seems to happen, the best views were on the opposite side of the train.
Even so, there was no shortage of waterfalls to be seen.
About 2/3 of the way up the train drew to a stop and we stepped down from the vintage train cars into a fine mist for a 10 minute up-close view of a frothing tumbling waterfall rushing down the mountainside and diving into the ground below the platform.
I wiped condensation from my glasses and snapped a few photos.
At Myrdal, we all disembarked and waited about 40 minutes for the train to Oslo.
I bought this chocolate bar from the machine. I’ve seen them everywhere and have been wanting to try one – the name means “Quick Lunch.” It’s not really lunch, however. It’s candy – I would basically describe it as a Kit Kat with better chocolate.
I’m glad I had something to eat, even if it was just a bit of candy, because the train ride to Oslo took 5 and a half hours. (I’ve noticed that the trains here are clean and modern, but not nearly as fast as the Eurostar trains in Italy.)
The countryside along the way was initially very rocky with scattered lakes, but gradually flattening out as we approached Oslo. At one point during the journey we were delayed by an electrical problem, which put us an additional 20 minutes behind on arrival to Oslo S station.
Needless to say, when the train finally reached Oslo, I was happy to be there. I had finally made it to my destination after spending a long day on the train.
Somewhere during my journey the rain had abated and the clouds had disappeared. As I exited the station, a few glowing tendrils of light remained in the darkening sky; the silhouettes of the buildings around me were mysterious and exciting.
And I was ready to see what would come on the final two days of this trip.
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