Our lunch on the boat comprised a punnet of raspberries and an apple. We found we had a further 2 1/2 hours to enjoy the pretty village of Flåm, so we indulged in a coffee and a slice of strawberry cheesecake. It is Jen's 30th birthday today and here I am talking to her via FaceTime (but no video, sadly) compliments of the express boat's wi-fi!
The train stopped to allow photos of the spectacular fast-flowing Kjosfossen waterfall, with a 93m free fall.
As we wandered around Flåm, Mum met a friend...
At about 4pm we boarded the electric train to Myrdal, and found some good seats with an opening window on the right hand side of the carriage. The trip takes about an hour, and rises from 4m above sea level to 866m over a distance of 20 miles. There are 20 tunnels, including one that turns 180° inside the mountain. 18 of these tunnels were hewn manually out of solid rock, sometimes at a rate of 1m per month. The scenery was amazing as the train slowly ascended towards the snow-line.
Right across the rail line was a small hydro generation facility.
We reached Myrdal where it was very cold, and misting rain. We took refuge in the café and bought two gold-plated salad rolls (90 kroner - almost $8 each!). Everything in Norway is very expensive.
The train to Oslo arrived right on time and we just boarded, not realising that we had allocated seats. Eventually found them, and settled in to the long trip -- 4.75 hours. As we rose even higher, to the snow line, the scenery continued to amaze. At one station, we saw a loco fitted with a great rotary snow-plough mounted on the front.
At each stop on the line, there were hundreds of bikes for hire, and many passengers got off the train with their cold-weather gear and back-packs. We assume they'll be hiking and biking!
We are due in to Oslo at 10:45pm -- very late, and we're hoping it doesn't take too long to find our hostess, Inga...
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