Blog

I mean, that’s it, really. You simply can’t beat today. It was that good. I could just pack it all home right now and I don’t think I would miss more spectacular landscapes. But we’re not here only for that, are we? Show must go on!

The day started with a slight panic though, when my first train in Oslo had a 20 min delay, which was somewhat concerning for my 10 min connection. A connection to touristic line, which is not in the Interrail, and thus costed me 60 good euros.

I called the company and they told me I could take the next one, two hours later. Well, could have been worse. After all there might be fairness …and justice for all in the Norwegian rail network.

In the train I got chatting with a nice Canadian girl called Robin. It was one of her first days in Europe and of Eurailing (the Interrail for non-Europeans), and so we exchanged travel tips. During my lunch, we remarked that it was very international: bread bought in the Danish Realm with ham from Norway, chips from Sweden, and brownie bite from the United Kingdom (finally finished!). In my bag I also still have food from France and the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

But my god those landscapes… Pure insanity! We did most of the first part of the journey following fjords and frozen rivers, with the typical rocky Norwegian mountains all around. Everything was covered in snow, which covered the ground with a thicker and thicker coat as we gained altitude. We ended up reaching a plateau, with few houses scattered in a pure white blanket as far as the eye could see. The numerous waterfalls that dots Norway all turned into superb ice sculptures. It was a truly magical ride. Aside from taking half a billion pictures, I took a few time-lapses today, so check out the YouTube channel soon!

I stopped at the Myrdal station in Aurland (the coldest place of the trip so far) for the treat of the day: the Flåmsbana! It’s a famous touristic line, known for being one of the steepest and most beautiful railroad in Europe, if not the World. It was a bit expensive, but I couldn’t let that slip.

Luckily, the train waited for us, so we could immediately enjoy the ride. I picked up the wrong side of the train, but still got some jaw-dropping sights. After half an hour, we reach the shore of the fjord in Flåm. I barely went on the platform to snatch a few pictures, but we had to get back up already. Flåm is the Northermost point of today’s trip, and thus the northernmost of the Tour, but also in my entire life so far. But it’ll be ridiculously South soon.

This time I change side, and woooooow that was some insane views over the valley and the mountains! It might be a bit overrated, but still well worth the detour, especially if you’re not doing the entire Oslo-Bergen line.

Which I took back at Myrdal station. This second part of the journey was different. Less snowy, but riding on the shore of a huge fjord. Absolutely stunning, I couldn’t stop myself taking pictures every time we got out of a tunnel. This line was truly the best railroad I’ve ever done. An absolute must to any train enjoyer.

We reached Bergen as the night started to fall, so I rushed to the Bergen funicular, missed it by seconds, then reached the viewpoint at the perfect time to admire the city lights, but still see clear enough to distinguish the sea, the mountains, the streets. To finally admire this city that we barely missed eight years ago with Bobby, Alex and Paul, it was another magical moment and truly the cherry on top of an impeccably perfect day!

I take the funicular down, and walk a bit around the city. No, I’m not checking in an hostel. Because you see, today’s far from over.

I’ve already been nine hours in trains today, but now I am embarking on my way back on a night train from Bergen to Oslo. And as the beds were an extortionate 100 € even with Interrail, I booked a normal, but reclining, seat. That’s not gonna be great…

But then again, today was the best day of the adventure. The proof in video:

EDIT: Oh I almost forgot… It’s been a month! It really doesn’t feel like it. Time just goes by so fast when you’re having a blast.

So, one down, four more to go. And as far as countries are concerned, I’ve clocked in ten of them (well, 9 and a half, I didn’t stay 24 h in Sweden yet). Which means I am now back ahead of « schedule »! Which is great for optimizing the chances of spotting the Northern Lights.

Long story short, it’s going very well. 🙂 But do leave me messages here or contact me directly, it helps not feeling alone.