![\"Usie](\"https:\/\/www.alananna.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Usie-in-Gudvangen.jpg\")
<\/a>First though there was of course the small matter of a buffet breakfast to devour. We smuggled out a few things for lunch too! We then collected all of our belongings, loaded up with our rucksacks and headed to the dockside to board the Lady Elisabeth from Gudvangen to Fl\u00e5m. The Lady Elisabeth and the new Electric boat both left the dockside at pretty much the same time and followed the same route to Fl\u00e5m. It seemed weird that they’d go together, but I’m sure there’s a reason for that. The boat we were on was slightly slower, slightly cheaper and a lot less busy than the electric boat. In fact that weren’t many people on board at all so we had plenty of room to spread out and wander around taking photos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/a><\/figure><\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\nThe boat made its way up the N\u00e6r\u00f8yfjord, passing all of the places we had kayaked to a couple of days before<\/a>. We could see other groups of kayakers at the campsite and just getting on the water as we made our way past. It was a little windier today but still quite calm. We passed a nice yacht at one point too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I took some photos as we made our way along the Fjord and into the Aurlansdfjord. The scenery was of course still stunning and it was hard to resist taking photos of the many waterfalls tumbling down the steep walls of the fjords. We passed Undredal where our kayaking trip had ended and continued on towards Fl\u00e5m. A huge cruise ship dominated the view as we approached Fl\u00e5m. The MSC Euribia was at the dock and dwarfed the entire village of Fl\u00e5m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We disembarked and found ourselves surrounded by people. Everyone from the cruise ship was on the dockside waiting for coach trips, trying to board the train, booking tickets for things and hitting the shops that were aplenty. We had planned to drop our luggage in lockers and take a look around the village and its shops, but it was all a bit too much for us with so many people around. Instead, we checked our tickets for the Fl\u00e5m railway, changed them to an earlier train and then found somewhere a little out of the way to chill for a while.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It wasn’t that far out of the way though as people kept coming up to us to ask us to take photos of them in all manner of poses! We did head off to check out the ‘Mall’ and individually look at the shops. They were basically full of tourist tat, although Anna did buy a couple of tea towels and a Christmas decoration!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before long it was time to board the Fl\u00e5m Railway which would take us from sea level up to Myrdal at 866m above sea level. <\/p>\n\n\n The journey takes an hour, and is one of the steepest standard gauge railway lines in the world, with 80% of the journey running on a gradient of 5.5%. The train runs through spectacular scenery, alongside the Rallar Road, vertiginous mountainsides, foaming waterfalls, through 20 tunnels, and offers many viewpoints. At one point the railway takes a 180\u00ba bend inside the mountain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The views were indeed spectacular with waterfalls and the river being the highlights as usual in this part of the world. Inside the tunnel, there was a short ‘window’ that provided amazing views back down the valley. We also stopped briefly for photos at a raging torrent of a waterfall where everyone disembarked to get covered in spray and take some photos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We arrived at the station in Myrdal where the temperature had dropped from 29\u00ba at sea level to about 5\u00baC. There was snow all around, a chilly wind and drizzle in the air. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There wasn’t really anything to do in Myrdal so we headed into the warmth of the station, had some lunch and hot chocolates. Once the train left to return to Fl\u00e5m it was nice and quiet. As well as being the end of the line for the Fl\u00e5m Railway, Myrdal is also a station on the Bergen-Oslo Line. Our plan therefore was was rejoin the Bergen to Oslo train and head over the mountain plateau to a town called Gol.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The train to Gol was pretty much on time so we once again boarded with all our kit and settled into the clean, comfy seats. The next stage of our journey took us through yet more tunnels and then emerged out on the top of the plateau where snow and ice dominated the rocky, barren landscape. A few cabins were dotted here and there and there were of course still plenty of waterfalls. It was however a distinctly different place to the sea-level fjords. You could see where stories of trolls come from!<\/p>\n\n\n\n The highest station was the ski resort of Finse. Even though we were here close to midsummer’s day it was grey and dreary and freezing cold. In some ways, it would have been nice to spend a night here. A number of people did disembark at Finse, but we continued on through more frozen landscapes to a number of smaller stations and the larger resort of Geilo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We were now descending, leaving the snow and ice behind and heading into forested slopes once again. There was still no shortage of beautiful lakes, rivers and raging waterfalls. The temperature was rising as we descended too and by the time we reached our destination of Gol it was back up into the high 20’s. We jumped off the train onto a quiet platform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There was hardly anyone around in Gol. Our hotel for the night was a mile or so into town. We were a little weary so as there was a bus waiting and we had all of our luggage with us we jumped on it for a quick trip into town. The bus driver didn’t speak much English but was very friendly nonetheless and very helpful too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We found our hotel, checked ourselves in – reception was closed after 7pm – and then went for a stroll around the town and down to the Stave Church. Everything seemed deserted. I know it was a little later in the evening but there was no one around, the shops and restaurants were all closed and the visitor areas and accommodation around the church looked as though it had been abandoned.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/a><\/figure><\/a><\/figure><\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\nFl\u00e5m<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Fl\u00e5m Railway<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/a><\/figure><\/a><\/figure><\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/a><\/figure><\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\nEn route to Gol<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\nGol<\/h2>\n\n\n\n