HIGHLIGHTS OF OUR SCANDINAVIAN TOUR: FLAM AND FJORDS (NORWAY IN A NUTSHELL ®) DAY 3

G'day my dear readers, hope you are all well

As you might recall, last night we travelled from Oslo to Flam as part of our Norway in a Nutshell® train journey.  If you missed my last post, you can read about it here.  

Today is penultimate day of our Scandinavian tour and we were feeling a bit sad.  To make the things worse, it was raining when we woke up.  Our morning was free so it was up to us how to spend it.  

There is a lot to do in Flam and surrounds:  there are short and long walking tracks depending on your fitness, mountain hikes and boat rides.  One activity that many people come here for is taking a scenic fjord cruise.   The fjord is a long narrow sea inlet with steep cliffs cut by the glacier and filled with ocean water.  Apart from Norway, you can find them in Alaska, Chile and our southern neighbour, New Zealand

As for our group, it was on our afternoon itinerary and we all were hoping that the rain would stop by then.

While some people chose walking or hiking despite the damp weather, my husband and I had no desire to do anything like it, we were happy just hanging there waiting for the rain to stop.  Our tour guide seeing us milling aimlessly, suggested that we go to Stegastein Viewpoint .

There was a shuttle bus that was taking people up there and back every 90 minutes that should give us enough time to see it and be back in time for the boat cruise.  Luckily for us, by the time the bus returned from the previous tour, the rain had stopped and the sky cleared up enough to see far and wide.  

It took us about 30 minutes to get to the top up the steep mountain hairpin bends that took my breath away a few times but the driver was very skillful and had a nice sense of humor that helped us to relax and enjoy the ride.

Once we reached the top and aligted from the bus, we were almost swept away by the very strong and cold wind.  Luckily for us, the walk from the bus stop to the platform was very short and once we reached the end of it, we were protected by the thick sheet of glass which is installed at the angle allowing you to lean on it to get the view underneath.

This viewing platform rises 650 meters above the Aurlandsfjord and offers unrivaled panoramic views over the fjord.  The structure is made of concrete and extends out 30 meters from the mountainside, enabling you to see further up the surrounding landscapes, including the fjord and surrounding mountains.  

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This is the picture of the public toilet I took from the viewing platform.  It has probably one of the most breathtaking views in the world.

Each group is allocated about 30 minutes to be on the platform that was more then enough to take pictures, enjoy the view and appreciate the wild beauty of Mother Nature.

On our return to Flam, we climbed on board the awaiting boat that would sail us deep into the Aurlandfjord to continue our Norway in a Nutshell tour.  All the vessels that offer cruises along the fjords are very modern and designed to maximize the sightseeing experience.  They all fully electric with no noise or emission disrupting the atmosphere the piece and tranquility.  

Our boat had three decks, each furnished with comfortable chairs, tables and benches with the huge windows all along each side so no matter where you chose to be, you will get an uninterrupted view of the scenery unfolding in front of you. 

Although the air on the water was rather fresh, we went outside to watch Flam disappearing from our view and soon it was just us and the magnificent fjords.

From time to time we saw small farms clinging to the steep mountainsides.

The boat took us all along the  fjord, the narrowest fjord in Europe and UNESCO World Heritage protected site all the way to end of the fjord to Gudvangen, a popular tourist destination where we took some photos of the the Nærøydalen Valley while waiting for the bus to take us to Voss where we would board a third and the last train of our NORWAY IN A NUTSHELL® journey that will bring us to our final destination, Bergen.

That is all for now.  Stay tuned for the finale.

Until then,

Anna

xoxoxo