The rest of the nutshell

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On Sunday, we continued our journey to return to Bergen from Balestrand. To do this, we jumped back on the fast-ferry, which continued to Flam. Although we no longer had primo seats, it was still the best part of that day's journey, with the amazing views constantly changing as we travelled up the fjord towards Flam, and a few stops for beautiful waterfalls. The sides of the fjords had small buildings, farms, built high above the fjord and accessible only by boat. Sometimes we'd see a road travelling alongside the fjord. The sun was shining, the skies were blue with fluffy clouds, and it wasn't too cold.

I noted that everyone we met travelling in Balestrand was quite amiable. We had many conversations wherever we went with other people, possibly because there were so few of us, and we keep showing up at the same places (there's one hiking trail area, one area for restaurants, shopping, one place to pick up the boats).

At Flam, we were united with all the millions of people who travel on "Norway in a Nutshell". Many tourists from all over the world. Flam consists of a few hotels, many souvenir shops all selling the same things - moose and viking paraphenalia, trolls, hats, fleeces. We had about an hour & a half to kill here. We were smart and stood in line for the Flamsbana early - getting a great seat. I learned (thanks Google) that the best views are on the right, but honestly both sides of the train had great views. The Flamsbana was definitely dramatic, with lots of tunnels through mountains, waterfalls and steep vistas. This part of the journey - I can see why people go out of their way to do this. At the top, you quickly switch to a regular passenger train on the Bergen-Oslo line. We took the train to Bergen, and the scenery was OK but nothing to write home about. a LOT of long tunnels. Unfortunately I spent most of the trip in the bathroom with my son. Did you know these trains flush directly onto the tracks? It's kinda strange if you ask me to imagine the whole railway covered with toilet paper and human waste. I found this so strange that I just read an internet page called "Train Toilets of the World". At any rate, unlike the fast-ferry bathroom that had a gorgeous view of the fjords (also, which I watched while accompanying my son to the toilet), this one had no view at all. The train ride felt like it lasted forever. In order to face forward, we had to sit in a two-seater, and hold K. on our laps, and he was rambunctious. (Sadly he slept through the beautiful Flamsbana, including the amazing waterfall stop where the "huldra" came to dance in the waterfall).

In retrospect, I'm so glad we took Sognefjord in the Nutshell. The grand vistas of the Sognefjord, especially around Balestrand, were more beautiful to me than the views around Flam. The fjords there are tighter, and possibly the mountains higher, but there is less expansiveness to the views. It is still quite beautiful, but Balestrand has it beat. If I were to book this again, I would take the express-boat in and out, as it's much more comfortable than the train.

Finally, I miss Copenhagen. It felt more like a real city, fewer tourists, not to mention better coffee, than anywhere in Norway. I think I feel more like a Dane than a Norwegian.

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