How I showed my mum some Norway, part 2

This is part 2 of a trip report. Part 1 can be found here.

I left part 1 off at a point where we, two unprepared tourists, had just climbed up and down a considerable mountain and still had the 2nd half of the day ahead of us. We were somewhat exhausted, but also glad we had chosen to go ahead and do it, and quite proud of ourselves. Afterall, we both grew up used to landscapes flatter than an ironing board; even if I have now lived in hillier countries for a few years and taken good advantage of it, I still hadn't done anything quite up to that scale. But now I definitely dare to say that I hope that this is just the start and that I'd certainly like to be scaling more impressive peaks soon.

Now, before I get to what happened next, here's some more music to enjoy, as promised.

After resting for a few hours and feeling slightly bad about letting our time in beautiful Bergen just go to "waste", we decided to head back out again. In addition to just being absolutely gorgeous, Bergen is the southmost port served by the Hurtigruten coastal service that plays a crucial role in keeping coastal communities of various sizes connected. Afterall, while mountains and fjords are beautiful, they're also extremely difficult to build over, or otherwise actually live with, and therefore, water and air transportation is far more important in Norway than in most other countries.

Since the Hurtigruten coastal service is entirely domestic, it's not subject to ISPS (International Ship and Port facility Security) regulations. Therefore, while the ships are docked in Bergen, it is actually possible to visit the ship without any need for any prior agreement or registration; one just needs to bring a valid ID. On our first evening in Bergen, there was unfortunately no ship in port so this wasn't an option, but on the 2nd evening, the lovely MS Nordkapp was there and we didn't want to be too late to heed Sverre's advice to visit during the least busy hours. So, as soon as we felt like we could again, that's where we headed.

MS Nordkapp, being refuelled by Bergen Tank. She (the former, that is) was built in 1996, but received an extensive refurbishment in 2016. She's 123,3 meters long and can carry 590 passengers and 24 cars. She has 497 berths in 214 cabins. At a service speed of 15 knots, she completes a roundtrip all the way to Kirkenes and back with many stops on the way in 11 days.

The usual boarding photo through the usual terribly dirty window.

And the same on the other side of the gangway.

Deck six at almost six o'clock.

The way leading into the Explorer bar on deck 7

The Explorer bar had a nice selection of drinks, nice interiors and big windows and comfy chairs all around.

The windows were being washed, among the many other things that were happening while we were there, but they evidently hadn't gotten around to that window quite yet. 

The Multe bakery on deck 7 had closed by the time we got there, but it was still possible to pass through.

Around the corner from Multe bakery, there was a small gym.

The ships offer great views to the Norwegian coast as they sail, and they don't necessarily stop doing that when they're docked in Bergen, either. 

One can even enjoy the view while sitting in a nice warm bubble bath. 

The absolutely mandatory funnel photo...

... and the just as mandatory staircase shot.

The starboard walkway towards Brygga bistro on deck 4 

For such a small ship, the wine selection was quite extensive.

Towards the end of our visit, as we looked around the store and smelled food all around as dinner was being served, we became increasingly hungry, both for souvenirs and for food. Bitter was our disappointment when we found out they weren't allowed to sell a single thing to port visitors, such as ourselves. Had that not been the case, our wallets would've certainly lost quite a lot of weight on board. 

The biggest tease was the Torget main dining hall, where we had to settle for just taking a photo and leaving.  Thus, the only physical items I acquired while on board were the ship brochures that have been very helpful in writing this post. 

After we had taken a proper look at all the public areas on board, it was time to leave. 

The forklift, always busy at work whenever the ship is in port. 

A view of the Hurtigruten & Fjord Line terminal as we disembarked...

... and a final view of the Nordkapp as we left.

 As soon as we got off, we started to look around for places to have dinner, and we eventually settled on Røyk BBQ restaurant where we had a nice big dinner of delicious burgers with blue cheese, bacon and portobello mushrooms and celebrated our successful ascent of the Ulriken mountain earlier that day.
After having eaten properly we took another nice walk around downtown where, in addition to seeing some more sights, we were lucky to meet a friendly local kitty.

St John's Church, the largest church in Bergen with 1250 seats, built 1891-1894.

View down from in front of the church.

A building right next to the church. You can also see old tram tracks from back when Bergen had a small tram network, the last of which was shut down in 1965. Of course, that is not counting the new tramway connecting the airport to the city centre which was gradually built and opened over nearly a decade, with the entire line all the way to the airport first opened in 2017. 

What a sweet little thing.

As we were quite exhausted after the long day we had, we were again back in the hotel at a rather reasonable evening hour. It was even more important to get a proper rest now, as the wakeup on the following day was early, and the day itself extremely long. Thankfully, it wasn't quite as much walking on the next day, as by far the most time was spent on trains. Our train journey consisted of 6 legs and covered a total distance of 630 kilometers.

The first leg, which was about an hour (on a train that was bound for Oslo), took us from Bergen to Voss. That is also the oldest stretch of the Bergen railway line, opened in 1883 as a narrow gauge line, but converted into standard gauge in time for the completion of the Bergen line in 1909. Initially it was also considerably longer, as it ran around the Ulriken mountain until a tunnel was opened in 1964. So, we took the train through the very same mountain we had climbed less than a day earlier.

We did not have particularly much time in Voss; only 55 minutes, which was enough for a quick look around the train station and a quick shop in the souvenir store. Our situation wasn't helped by the fact that we did have a small amount of luggage to tug on and the whole train station area was a giant construction site.

A memorial for people from Voss who fought for independence in 1807-1814, when Norway, then a part of Denmark, had ended up on the losing side of Napoleonic wars and was thus "handed over" to Sweden in 1814; however, Norway then took the chance to declare independence and put up quite the fight for it. Although the war was ultimately lost and Norway became a part of Sweden until 1905, it got to stay largely autonomous and keep the constitution that was adopted on May 17th 1814, the date that has since been celebrated as the national day. 

Voss church, finished in 1277

After the brief stop in Voss, it was time to take a local train all the way to its final stop in Myrdal. That trip lasted another hour, despite being considerably shorter; there were a lot of stops on the way. This leg was about 50 kilometers long; as Voss is only 56 meters above sea level, but Myrdal is 867 meters above sea level, it also meant a considerable climb. 

However, the climb of the previous leg had nothing on the steepness and the amazing views of the next two legs, which took us from Myrdal to Flåm and back. The Flåm railway is the only branch line of the Bergen line that remains operational. Construction was started in 1923 and was done mostly by hand and horse; 13 years later, in 1936, the laying of tracks started, and the first steam trains ran in 1940, but due to Norway being in war, there was never a grand opening of the line. First passengers were carried in 1941, and the line was finally ready for electric locomotives in 1944. While the initial purpose of the line was to carry cargo and passengers, nowadays it's purely a tourist attraction.

View from the window of the Flåm train in Myrdal. On the left in the photo, you can see the main line towards Bergen, going into a tunnel. 

The Flåm railway is a little bit over 20 kilometers long and descends 864 meters with the steepest gradient of 1:18, making it the steepest adhesion railway (which is the most common railway type) in the world. Out of the 20 kilometers of length, almost 6 kilometers are tunnels. There are 20 tunnels on the line, 18 of which were excavated by hand; one of the tunnels features a 180 degree turn. The remaining 14 kilometers of the line, however, provide some of the most amazing views, which explains its popularity among tourists. 

Inside the Flåm railway carriage; once again, since it was still too early in the year for the hordes of tourists, we luxuriously had plenty of space for ourselves and the possibility to run from side to side as needed. 

When I first (and last) saw the Kjosfossen waterfall three years ago, it was still totally frozen, but this year, the spring in Norway has been somewhat warmer than usual. Nonetheless, when I said to Sverre about a week before the trip that maybe I'll be lucky and Kjosfossen will have thawed when I'm there, he was quick to dismiss that possibility. Needless to say, when I hopped off the train and saw the water flow, my excitement and joy did contain just a small hint of schadenfreude. 

The stop at Kjosfossen serves no other purpose than to allow tourists to get off the train for a few minutes and look at the waterfall. 

This photo is taken at a point where it's possible to see 3 levels of the Flåm railway (although in this photo you can really only distinguish two), and the Rallarvegen road with 21 hairpin turns. The Rallarvegen was built between 1895 and 1902 to support the construction of the Bergen railway, and in 1974 it was officially opened as a bicycle road. The steepest gradient of the road is 1:6. 

About halfway through the line, in Berekvam, there is a passing loop where the trains on the line can meet. Notice how there are two locomotives for just six passenger carriages; on such a steep line, they need a lot of power. On the way down, they're mostly holding the brakes; it's quite clearly heard when riding the train that the way down is quite a bit noisier than the way up. Of course, there are a lot of sharp turns as well, especially near the upper end, making it quite noisy either way.

The Rjoande waterfall making a beautiful rainbow

The same waterfall from a little bit further down; the total height of the waterfall is 241 meters, with that one single vertical drop being 147 meters tall.  

The upper Flåm village, with the wooden church, built in 1670,  just visible next to the majestic spruce trees that hide the western side of the river. 

After the third leg of our journey that took us down to Flåm, we actually had quite a few hours to spend there. Unfortunately, even all the way down there, it wasn't quite as warm and sunny as it had been in Bergen. Either way, we spent the time in Flåm shopping for souvenirs, admiring the wall-like mountains that surround the village, checking out the museum dedicated to the Flåm railway and taking a short hike a couple of kilometers up the valley and back. 

A basic Flåm view; the surrounding wall of mountains is quite difficult to fit into the frame.

A 1:87 scale model of the Flåm railway station as it looked in 1985; the gradual conversion into a purely tourist service happened over the 1990s. The lower village looks totally different nowadays.  

The EL9 locomotive, designed specifically for the Flåm railway with 5 different braking systems, taken into use as soon as the line was ready for electric locomotives in 1944. Only three were ever built, but they served on the line until 1984 and then as shunters until 1988; two of the three have been preserved. 

Future of the Fjords, delivered in 2018, is fully electric and emission free. Her 2016-built sister Vision of the Fjords is a hybrid, having a diesel engine as well; they are the first sightseeing vessels in the world that are capable of running fully on electric power. 

The way into the Flåm station as seen from the south.

An EL17 locomotive, used on the Flåm railway from 1998 to 2016, peeking out from the side of a house. 

The locals really seem to live - or in this case, park - on the edge. 

A Flåmsbana train shortly after departing from Flåm.

Me taking the above photo.

After the time we spent in Flåm, we were both quite exhausted; then it was time for the fourth leg of the railway journey taking us back up to Myrdal again. 

The Flåm valley as seen through a window that has been cut into a tunnel; a gorgeous sight in real life, but due to the thick forest of support beams, it's extremely difficult to photograph. Last time around, I managed to catch the most perfect timing, but my camera failed to focus on the valley; this time I got several half-decent photos, this one being the best of those that didn't have a support beam dead in the middle.

As we reached Myrdal, the highlights of the day were largely behind us; the 5th leg of our train journey was by far the longest, taking us from Myrdal to Oslo, 358 kilometers in a little over 4 and a half hours. After Myrdal, the line climbs further. The highest point is near Finse which is some 34 kilometers onward, at 1237 meters above sea level, which makes the Bergen line the highest mainline railway line in Northern Europe. 

Watching the train to Oslo roll into the Myrdal station. 

The only half-decent photo I managed to capture while we were still high up in the mountains.

After Finse, the railway starts to slowly descend again. By this point, we were both mentally and physically drained and exhausted; during the four and a half hour train journey we nearly grew roots into the train seats, and when we finally pulled into the Oslo station at half past 10 in the evening, we could barely muster the energy to drag ourselves the few hundred meters over to our sixth and final train of the day, taking us on the one hour journey from Oslo to my home in Fredrikstad. 

Literally one day prior to our train-day, the Norwegian railway company was officially rebranded; formerly known as NSB, it is now called Vy; when this was first announced, I witnessed the biggest collective Norwegian facepalm I'd ever seen. But a day after the official rebranding date I didn't see any sign of Vy anywhere other than the information screens in stations. As you can see in this photo, the train to Oslo was still definitely NSB. 

The remaining two days of my mother's visit were quite a bit more peaceful; on the first day, I gave her a nice two hour sightseeing tour of lovely Fredrikstad, and on the 2nd day we took the M/S Skjærhalden up the Glomma river to rival city Sarpsborg. Those cruises are somewhat of a rare experience, only being offered during special occasions; in this case, it was a "Turist i egen by" (Tourist in your own city) arrangement, which meant a lot of discounts on various activities and transportations, guided tours, and so on, covering Fredrikstad, Sarpsborg and Hvaler, the archipelago south of Fredrikstad. We did initially intend to go sightseeing in Sarpsborg after arriving there as well, but unfortunately the weather that hadn't been so great in the first place, had deteriorated remarkably, causing us to return home to Fredrikstad fairly quickly. Curiously enough Bergen, the rainiest city in Europe had graced us with wonderful weather, while Fredrikstad and surroundings that generally have beautiful, sunny climate, had much worse weather than usually during those days. All in all, we both had a great time though. My mother got to check off some destinations that were high on her bucket list, and I got to revisit some of the most beautiful places I've ever seen, and gain a few new experiences as well. 

MS Sagasund arriving from her daily roundtrip to Strömstad.

View aft shortly after we passed under the Fredrikstad bridge with MS Skjærhalden

MS Skjærhalden in Sarpsborg

Part of the European route E6 going quite literally over Sarpsborg not far from where the MS Skjærhalden docked, about a kilometer south of the Sarpsborg city centre.