The Excursionist

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Well I only have a couple of days left now till I head home which is amazing but then when I think of all I've seen and done it does feel like I've been away a while.

By the way as there are no Internet cafes in Bergen as far as I can make out, the remaining photos won't go up until I get home (Saturday). Thanks for nearing with me and all this barren text.

Today is my excursion day. I got a special multi-ticket to get a train to Myrtal then the extra special train from Myrtal to Flåm and then the express boat all the way back to Bergen through the fjords. 

I have to admit I wasn't in the best of sorts heading out. I hadn't slept well last night and it was an early start. The train to Myrtal was basically part of the journey I already did from Oslo so I was rather blasé about it and dosed a bit. There was another annoying American voice, this time a young guy sitting a few seats back but his voice was just like this constant  creaky sound and rather grating on the ear. I know I must sound rather unkind bout my fellow passengers and as a keen traveller shouldn't let these things get to me but how is it one annoying voice always seems to come between me and my enjoyment of a stunning mountain train journey in Norway. Twice, I tell you, twice! 

The special Flåm train ride does afford marvellous vistas of the valley but I wasn't too happy about the fact that about 90% of the journey is in tunnels. So to compensate for this obvious deficiency in touristic enterprise they 'enhanced' the trip with commentary (bjööögelflügger) and then they stopped the train for ten minutes at a moderately breathtaking waterfall but had some terrible recorded music AND tHEN a lady in a billowing red dress and long blond hair appear as if by magic posturing herself about the waterfall. She'd disappear behind a rock and then incredibly 'reappear' a distance away by an old cottage. It was bloody hilarious. Utterly magnificently naff. I bought a postcard of one of the ladies for posterity.

Flåm is a bit dull. Well I didn't give it much of a look in really. Just bought a nice picnic lunch in the Co-op then sat on the grass by the fjord. It was lovely and would have been perfect if the bottle of beer had actually been beer. In fact it was an unalcoholic malt drink, horribly sweet and I couldn't drink more than a couple of sips. Yuck.

But don't despair for it seems the final leg of this journey, the watery leg, is making up for all the crud and old grumble chops is feeling chipper again. It's all about boats now. I'm on the express boat with a prime seat location at the front, two (proper) beers in my mini rucksack (which has a surprisingly big capacity for beer cans) which I'm saving for a bit later so I don't keep having to wee. When you venture out to the helm the speed of the boat means your face gets pummelled and your eyes water but it's so exhilarating. From now on all my trips shall involve boats, trains too, but plenty of boats.

I'm off the boat and into the pub garden. I'm feeling bloody marvellous, that boat ride was so good, with beautiful cloud formations into the bargain. The best thing was on deck no one could talk, the words just would get slapped back into your face, so the entire trip was nuisance free! At one point I angled my face a certain way and the wind whipped through one nostril and out of the other. Snot all gone in a flash. I did notice a few people wiping their glasses after that. It's funny, I never thought myself a speed merchant but now I can see the appeal of speedboats and motorbikes. Although with motorbikes you have to wear a helmet so you don't get the wind in your hair factor.

Anyway when we arrived back I went to take a picture of the boat and discovered it was a blooming catamaran! (which I just spelt with a 'g' at the end and was corrected - that's devastating news for me as I'd always thought 'meringue' which is a favourite pudding. Bugger!) So that was that. I'm happy, drinking exorbitantly priced beer, but I deserve it after getting myself such a fantastic excursion. Flåm railway; alright. Express boat; ACE!

Tomorrow I plan to visit the villa of Norway's own virtuoso fiddler of yore, Ole Bull. Aparently he was quite a flamboyant character in his day and as I have a passing interest in flamboyant virtuoso fiddlers I thought I should check him out. I'd love to have a go on a hardanger fiddle, not sure I'll be allowed but maybe I can go to a fiddle shop...

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Photos

Express boat Flam - Bergen
Having my face pummelled as the boat speeds through the fjords.

Comments

[Hilke]

Your boat trip sounds amazing, and I loved the bit about the blond woman and the waterfall, haha. The office is all quiet and boring...and the builders are still drilling annoyingly from time to time. I'm sure this is info you didn't want to miss... Hx