Sara and Robyn say “hallo”

July 1: Oslo to Fram (and also birthdays for Robyn and Diana)

Ok, James…here’s the go re Heyerdahl…he was only partly right because his theory was that a pre-Incan Indian chief called Contiki Viracocha who lived in Peru, had been driven off after losing a battle and escaped into the sunset on a balsa wood raft. In fact, indigenous South Americans did in fact travel to Polynesia but ONLY after they had settled on Easter Island.

Today we started our “Norway in a nutshell” tour, on the Bergen railway which runs from Oslo to Bergen. It’s described by Lonely Planet as one of the best train journeys in the world and indeed it is really beautiful. You pass areas of open countryside and wooded valleys as the train climbs above the alpine tree line. The temperature dropped from 24 deg C to 12 deg C.

The train crosses northern Europe’s biggest mountain plateau, the Hardangervidda, to arrive at some of the fjord areas, where you start to see glaciers. The highest point on the railway is Finse, which is 1222 metres above sea level. Finse is only reachable by train, foot or bike. (Finse was used as the location for the 1979 Star Wars film .“Empire strikes back” – it was the planet “Hoth” in this film!)

We changed trains at Myrdal, and got on the train to Flam. This is considered one of the most scenic train rides in the world, and you can see why.

Along the way there is a spectacular waterfall at Kjosfossen, for which there is special photo stop.

All of a sudden you hear someone singing a song and from high up in the middle of this waterfall comes a strange long haired blonde woman in a red dress. Her name is Huldra, and she is apparently a seductive forest spirit from Norse mythology. She lives in luxury in the mountain. Huldra offers rewards to those who satisfy her sexually and death to those who fail to do so. When she chooses a man to seduce, he is never seen again. Huldra can only be recognized by her cow tail, which she hides under her skirt upon meeting humans!

After travelling through such isolated countryside, Robyn and I were expecting Flam to be a quiet little village. Not so. There were thousands of people who arrived by train, coach, cruise ships, and bikes! We decided not to go straight to our hotel as there would be queues of guests waiting to check in. Instead we indulged in a local specialty – cinnamon roll, called a “kanelbolle”.

We are staying at the Fretheim hotel which has a stunning view over the fjord, which is framed by mountains.

And here’s something that every gardener should hanker for…

What better way to end the day than a birthday dinner – champagne and Atlantic salmon.

As night descends, the rain begins