Norway in a Nutshell

Before we head to Norway, in the here and now, Hurricane Dorian was a non-event with barely two inches of rain, less than we often get in afternoon rain storms. For all the folks who were not earning a paycheck during this last week due to business closures, I feel so bad. It was a week of anticipation, and then nothing happened.

On the other hand, just when everyone was breathing a sigh of relief that our siege had ended, last evening the phone rang after 9:00. I was brushing my teeth in the bathroom, but from there I could hear Bruce saying things like, "that is so awful!"  You can imagine how nervous that made me, however, when I walked into the living room he was motioning for me not to worry. Once off the phone, he told me it was Michelle and David who, while driving down Michigan on their way home, witnessed a hit and run accident right in front of their car!!! Apparently Michelle could see it coming and was screaming to Dave that the girl ahead of her was going to hit this man at 40MPH. Which she did, and then drove away. Stopping the car, Dave ran over to the body and called 911. It will be a long time before they can get this horrible scene out of their minds. People came out of their homes to help, including a doctor and nurse. Once they were home, the police called asking if they would return to talk to a detective and we accompanied them. When we returned to the scene, there were 11 police vehicles, and as many officers who had closed off the road. To date there is no word whether the older man, who was crossing the road after getting food at the taco place, survived, but it seems unlikely.

And then there are the folks in the Bahamas who lived with that terrible storm for days and now must literally pick up the pieces.

Life is not really very predictable is it?

I have to thank Matt once again for planning this whole trip, and especially the Norway in a Nutshell experience. Here's a link to what it might have looked like.  That, as you know, is not what it looked like on our trip, but I am not complaining a bit because, well, you shall see. This was me for most of the time,

not wanting to miss a moment of the experience. The waterfalls!! Everywhere.

And of course the rocky coastline that actually had some lovely purple growth that might have been heather.

To review what a fjord is---a long, narrow, deep inlet of the sea between high cliffs, as in Norway and Iceland, typically formed by submergence of a glaciated valley. In this fjord, the mountains are said to be a mile deep!

Believe it or not, the above is not a black and white photo! When we got closer to shore, or I used my zoom lens, the green appeared.

Another waterfall! Can you imagine having a home set on the mountain like that? Our boat was also a car ferry so every now and again we would head to shore where the colorful houses were so charming.

Here's that same stop once we resumed cruising.

I kept inwardly shrieking with delight when I would see the waterfalls which were so numerous I quit counting. These little settlements rely greatly on the boats for supplies and the mail, or so I learned.

The clouds hung low making this shot of water, mountains and clouds very dramatic. That is, if you know what you are looking at! It is no wonder they paint their structures colorfully is it?

Another ferry stop.

Can you imagine this same landscape in late Spring when those waterfalls must be crazy full of water from the melting snow? The presence of a small ship provides context.

Just before the end of the cruise we traveled through a crazy narrow passageway that everyone rushed out to photograph.

Damp and with very tangly hair, we took leave of the ferry in the charming little town of Flam.

After lunch and a short walk around, we boarded the Flam Railway. For more information, click on the link, but suffice it to say, it was spectacular seeing the landscape up close.

And yes, more waterfalls! And the Flam River from above.

By now the rain had stopped, and although it remained a bit gloomy, how could you not be thrilled to be seeing this kind of view? Especially if you are a Floridian where the landscape is flat as a pancake.

I took full advantage of the operational windows on this beautiful train. A special treat is a stop at this amazing waterfall which includes a "maiden of the mist,"

where most everyone gets off for a photo op. Climbing higher, the train ends at Myrdal, Norway where we resumed our train journey on the Bergen Railway across Norway, and ending in Oslo. Spectacular scenery everywhere we looked.

We rose higher and higher in the mountains, seeing rocky barren landscapes,

and on the other side of the car, glaciers.

When we first boarded the train we were in the wrong seats which we rectified soon thereafter. Before that happened, I was seated next to a young woman who was clearly amused at my astonishment of my surroundings. We would go by a glacial lake prompting me to be jumping up with my camera. She sweetly informed me that I would be seeing plenty of that in the next five or so hours as she travels on the train from her home near Flam to Oslo for school. Always listen to a local, right?

I love those shingles. Well, the green house is great too, isn't it? Surely it must be lonely here?

Look at that--blue skies finally!!! And a rainbow!

Arriving in Oslo at 10PM, after beginning the day at 7:30AM, tired and happy, we checked into the Thon Hotel, a Norwegian chain, just across the street from the train station. 

Well done Matt, well done.

your friend,

Gail

p.s. Bergen, Norway post should you have missed it.