On December 14th, I did what is called "Norway in a Nutshell". I took a train from Bergen to Voss. Then a bus from Voss to Gudvangen. A boat through a couple of fjords (Nærøyfjorden & Aurlandsfjorden) to Flåm. Then the Flåm railway to Myrdal. And finally another train from Myrdal to Oslo. Here is a map where you can see the locations beginning in Voss up to Myrdal...
This wasn't a guided tour, but I bought everything through Fjord Tours because it was easier than booking everything myself. I also booked a luggage porter service through them that picked up my luggage at the hotel in Bergen and delivered it to my hotel in Oslo and that was 100% worth the money.
Now let's start at the beginning... I was required to have my luggage at the hotel reception by 6:30 a.m. and then I had breakfast at the hotel. Hotels in Norway apparently have a competition for best breakfast awards, so they are pretty darn legit. I went back up to the hotel room to put on makeup and finish getting ready. I noticed my luggage was still there so I went and put my makeup and some other things in my suitcase to lighten my load for the day.
I walked to the train station (about 15 min. walk) and got on the train that was headed to Voss. The train was filled with people heading to Voss to ski and snowboard. The train left at 8:30 and arrived in Voss about 9:45. I think it's a pretty route, but I was only able to see the last 30 min. or so of the journey because it was still dark.
I caught a bus that left Voss at 10:10 and arrived in Gudvangen at 11:05. Voss looked like a cute town, but I only got a few pics from the bus.
The bus ride was very pretty though!
A little video of the bus ride
Once I arrived in Gudvangen, I had a bite to eat before boarding the boat.
I was one of the first to board and was able to get a prime seat up at the front. I had windows in front of me and to the side so I had great views, and the door to the deck was right there too. I'm sure in the summer the boat is super crowded, but it wasn't full for my trip.
It was so beautiful! I took a million of videos during the 2 hour boat ride, but here are just a few...
And this last video is where the one fjord fed into another and we made the turn to Flåm
The boat arrived in Flåm and I had 30 minutes before the train left, so I hit up some shops.
I have huge regret for not buying this coat. If I'd had longer than 30 minutes total in Fläm, I'd probably own it, but I was in too much of a rush to make a major-ish purchase.
On board the train
The Flåm church was built in 1670
The train stopped at the Kjosfossen Waterfall for pics
The train stopped at Myrdal and people either took a train back to Bergen, or on to Oslo. I had chosen to go all the way to Oslo, which is just short of a 5 hour train journey.
A little bit of info about "Nutshell": This day looked very different than if I had done Nutshell in the summer with loads of daylight available. I would have stopped in Voss and ridden the gondola, I might have gone to a Viking thing in Gudvanger, but I for sure would have killed two hours in Flåm and taken the later train. But since I was racing daylight all day, I had to take the early train out of Flåm to be able to see the famous journey, and that meant 2 1/2 hours at the Myrdal train station.
I couldn't believe it when every single person but me got on the train to Bergen and I was left in an empty train station up on the mountain for 2 hours!
I was so happy when the train to Oslo finally arrived and I was on my way. I was wishing I had grabbed some food back in Flåm to eat during my solo train station experience, but I hadn't so I walked to the dining car and saw this fellow passenger.
It was about 10:30 p.m. when I arrived at the train station in Oslo, so I bit the bullet and paid for a too expensive taxi again to my hotel. I was again staying at a Thon hotel, but this time it was Thon Hotel Cecil. The outside was on a side street and really nothing remarkable, so no picture, but this is my Standard Queen room. It was fine, but I didn't love sloped ceiling/window situation and there wasn't enough room to leave my bag open.
It was an incredibly long day, but what an experience! I loved it and was so happy I did it. Stay tuned for Oslo...
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