I've always had a soft spot for trains, ever since taking a train from Savannah to New York as a kid with my family. There is something quite romantic about them. So I was quite excited for this next leg of our Scandinavia trip. We planned to travel from Oslo to the western fjord lands by scenic train. It involved two trains, first Oslo to Myrdal, then Myrdal to Flam. We started in the hub of Oslo Central Station, but quickly made it out past the suburbs into the rolling farmlands. That was pretty, but it soon became quite beautiful as we headed up into the snowy mountains, past waterfalls, lakes, and even a glacier, barely visible through the low clouds.
At Myrdal we switched trains, just as the rain really started to come down. Little did we know that this train ride would be a slow motion cinematic experience with massive waterfalls, huge valleys, and incredible scenery. We made a stop at one waterfall, where they let everyone get off the train to get a better look. We heard this Celtic music playing, and saw that one lady in a bright red dress had somehow gotten way closer to the waterfall, walking out on some slippery, moss covered ancient ruin. I looked around to see if there was a trail, but then quickly realized that she was dancing to the music. She disappeared, only to reappear impossibly far below the ruins. There were at least two of the fairies in red, putting on a show just for us. It was totally unexpected. Now at to that a massive waterfall blowing water and wind out past the red fairies towards us, and you can start to imagine the surreal nature of the scene. After the two finished their performance we quickly loaded the train and descended farther into Flam valley.
The town of Flam was just as magical looking as the valley leading up to it. It felt like the lost world, as the sheer cliffs, rising thousands of feet on either side, made you feel very cut off from the rest of the world. We passed a church from the 1690's, and a cute railway museum before finding the end of the line. From here, a couple of vans picked us up and whisked us away, farther up the fjord, to a small town called Aurland. That will be our home for the next three days.
The Flam church. Tucked into the little Flam Valley, this church has been standing since 1690.
Inside the Flam church, built in 1690.
Waterfalls right outside of the train windows.
The Flamsbana, one of the worlds most scenic train rides. I might put it at #1.
The scenery just kept getting better the farther we went.
You could get snacks and coffee at the number 6 car.
Bike riding is very popular in Norway. Here people could pack their bikes up to the highest station, then ride down all these switchbacks into Flam valley.
One of the mysteries of the Flam Church from 1690, is the presence of exotic animals, like this lion, in the original art.
Kind of a weird picture, but really cool that on our train from Oslo there was a kids play car. It felt a bit like the playground at McDonalds growing up.
Rolling past farmlands on the outskirts of Oslo, Norway.
One of the red dressed ballet dancers emerges from the ruins in front of the raging waterfall to perform for our train. She represented a spirit of the waterfall.
Here is a zoomed out picture with the complete view of the falls. Now imagine the red dressed dancer way up at the ruined building, getting blasted by wind and water as she dances.
I leaned out of the train to get this picture after we had descended into Flam valley.
This was the oldest church in the area, and quite photogenic. It is still in use today.
An interesting photo. Here you can see the biking and hiking trail to the left of the waterfall, zigzagging its way down Flam valley.
This was the view up on the Hardangervidda, Europes largest mountain plateau. It is around 4000ft elevation.
Starting off in central station, Oslo.
View from the train of the little town of Flam.
Coming down the valley on the train to Flam and seeing this as we round the corner. Classic Norway.
More views from the high elevation plateau, with rocky mountains and waterfalls galore.
View from the train outside of Oslo.
Check out the waterfall in the background, pouring off the cliff.
The scenery in this part of Norway was mind blowing. This is down near the town of Flam.
I got a little glare from the window but I like how you can see the back end of the train and we curve around a corner.
Cute outskirts of Flam.
Our train to Flam descended 2,844ft in just 20 kilometers. It spiraled through 20 tunnels and hugged cliffs as we looked over the edge at rushing rivers and waterfalls.
As always, keep traveling!
- Dai Mar