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My cruise along the Norwegian Fjords [2/x]
While I'm sorting out the photos of my amazing vacation, I'm also in the middle of moderating the 2022 SPN_ReverseBang, so it may take some time to get all the picspams up:) Here is part 2, which is Day 4 of my Cruise along the Norwegian Fjords and the second shoreday. I had booked an excursion here beforehand, to make sure I wouldn't miss my chance to ride the Flåmsbana, the steepest railway without cables in Europe. Y'all know how much I love trains:)
Yet to my surprise that ride would not be the most exciting event of this day. That would happen just before midnight, when the captain came on the loudspeakers to wake up all passengers for a unique sighting of the Northern Lights!
Scroll down for some photos of that at the end, or start the day like a regular morning on a fancy cruise ship: with a smashing breakfast...
Day 4: 2nd stop - a trainride in Flåm!
When I wake up around 07:30 the ship is already docking in Flåm! This is the view from my balcony. After I get dressed I go to breakfast in the Tide restautant at Deck 4. I choose a donut from the breadbasket and the waiter asks if I want a 'fruitcup' while I wait for my order. This turns out to be a bowl full of freshly cut fruit (grapes, kiwi, strawberries and different types of melon) and it's delicious!
Also tasty: my (plain) omelet with sausages and a hashbrown on the side. (I did not eat the tomato).
Thank you elevator for reminding me it's Saturday (September 3, 2022).
After breakfast I get my bag from my cabin and report at the theatre to join the excursion group. A guide with a sign takes us off the ship and walks us to the Flåm trainstation!
How glorious are these mountains *hearteyes*
You can see the trainstation in the background; the yellow building is the railway museum. (I'll visit this on return). They have set two carriages apart for my group (there are more groups from the ship, but also other tourists on the train)
I manage to get a windowseat, I choose the non-sunny side on the right, which turns out to be a great choice for the view, as the other side is the mountain side.
There is a screen with information about the journey and there is also a voice-over that tells you about the area and where to pay attention:)
Flåmsbana is 20.2-kilometer (12.6 mi) long railway that runs from Flåm in the North to Myrdal in the South. The line's elevation difference is 866. Construction was started in 1924, the line opened in 1940 and turned in to electric traction in 1944.
Here we go! I travel backwards to the top, and the USA couple across from me (married for 43 years!) warn me when to get my camera ready, so sweet. I so love it when I can see the train while riding it.
In the middle of the right photo you see the tower of Flåm kyrkje (Flåm Church).
Down in the valley (beyond the bridge on the right) you can again see Flåm kyrkje, a brown, wooden church built in 1670.
Between the trees: Rjoandefossen waterfall, 241 metres (791 ft) tall.
As the train goes around it, I'm zooming in on Rjoandefossen waterfall, which flows down to Flåmsselvi river.
Emergency brake:) No need to pull it, because the train is going to make a stop anyway.
We get a short photostop at Kjosfossen Waterfall (93m), which is right near the platform of the station, very cool. (As everyone gets off the train, it is hard to take pictures, but I'm pretty pleased with how I captured the sunlight behind it!)
These colourful houses are Vatnahalsen, the penultimate station on the Flåmsbana.
Myrdal, the final stop of the line is not a very photogenic station, but fortunately the mountains on the other side are;) This station connects the Flåmsbana to the Bergen Line to the East of Norway.
The train stops for a few minutes before turning back, which means I travel forward on the way down!
Yes, that is again a photo of Vatnahalsen, just because I captured the train meandering:)
Look at this VIEW *chinhands*
We stop at the Kjosfossen Waterfall again, and now that I'm prepared, I manage to find a spot up close to make a video and also capture the mood music that's playing.
Another view that I didn't get a good photo of on the way up: the hairpin turns of Myrdalsvingane, at the top of Rallarvegen, the road going down from Vatnahalsen Station. This road was originally built by the workers on the railway for transport of materials; the road opened as a cycling route in 1974.
You can see the cycle path going down next to the railway; I think I prefer sitting in the train:)
Going through another tunnel... and then this view \o/
Håreina Station, last one before Flåm; the train only stops upon request.
Back in Flåm, *happy sigh*
Before I go back to the ship (in the background!) I'm going to explore Flåm.
Yay, a skandinavian pothole cover!
I have lunch on a bench in the Flåm Marina (That breadroll I bought in Olden with some orangejuice;)
The (up-side-down) walking map of the area; the blue walk follows the railway.
Exploring doesn't take much time, haha. After buying souvenirs, I walk back to the ship.
My loot: postcards, a magnet and a little troll:)
I spent some time reading on my balcony before a late lunch...
Parmesan crusted pork, yes please.
I'm also drooling in the dessert corner.
Omnomnomnom. In the bowl a soggy but delicious bread pudding with vanillasaus
Slowly gliding through Aurlandsfjord. (Reading on my balcony until dinnertime)
On my way to dinner I do a bit of souvenir shopping on board.
Another menu, another lovely cheeseplate, thank you Yogesh:)
Starter: Roasted Pumpkin Soup with pancetta
Main Course: Steak au Poivre (so juicy)
Dessert: Ivory Chocolate Mousse
A walk along deck on my way back to my cabin.
Crafty artwork in the gangway.
In my cabin I'm greeted by a swan on my bed!
Look how cute!
On board souvenirs: an ornament of the Jewel of the Seas and a bracelet with cruise related charms for my mom:)
I go to sleep around 23:30, but get woken by a message from the captain about fifteen minutes later... He apologizes for waking everyone up, but he sees something that never happens this time of year: the Northern Lights, aka Aurora Borealis!
I climb out of bed to my balcony and do see some vague swirls ahead of the ship.
I quickly get dressed and climb up to the highest deck 13, where a whole bunch of passengers have gathered to watch this amazing light effect (that also kind of shows the earth is round;).
My camera doesn't do it justice, although the pictures below are maybe making it out to be more spectactular than how the human eye actually experiences it. You can't really see colours in the dark, but the way the light behaves is really eerie and magical.
Next to me a guy was taking great pictures and when I heard him speaking Dutch, I asked if I could share my email for a copy. Big thanks to M. Buskes, who sent me the photos that M. Bal made. You can even see Ursa Major (Great Bear constellation).
I treasure the memory of this night:)
I did manage this cool photo of the ship by night.
On my way back to my cabin, I came across this fun neon-art in the stairway. Unfortunately I forgot to capture the artist. My mind was full of the Northern Lights;)
Sweet dreams were had!
To be continued:)
J.
Previous Cruiseposts: Day 1: Departing from Amsterdam | Day 2: at sea | Day 3: 1st stop Olden, Norway
In addition I have posted a couple of short videos on my YouTube: my Norwegian Fjords Cruise playlist
X-posted to https://beelikej.livejournal.com/577211.html
Yet to my surprise that ride would not be the most exciting event of this day. That would happen just before midnight, when the captain came on the loudspeakers to wake up all passengers for a unique sighting of the Northern Lights!
Scroll down for some photos of that at the end, or start the day like a regular morning on a fancy cruise ship: with a smashing breakfast...
Day 4: 2nd stop - a trainride in Flåm!
When I wake up around 07:30 the ship is already docking in Flåm! This is the view from my balcony. After I get dressed I go to breakfast in the Tide restautant at Deck 4. I choose a donut from the breadbasket and the waiter asks if I want a 'fruitcup' while I wait for my order. This turns out to be a bowl full of freshly cut fruit (grapes, kiwi, strawberries and different types of melon) and it's delicious!
Also tasty: my (plain) omelet with sausages and a hashbrown on the side. (I did not eat the tomato).
Thank you elevator for reminding me it's Saturday (September 3, 2022).
After breakfast I get my bag from my cabin and report at the theatre to join the excursion group. A guide with a sign takes us off the ship and walks us to the Flåm trainstation!
How glorious are these mountains *hearteyes*
You can see the trainstation in the background; the yellow building is the railway museum. (I'll visit this on return). They have set two carriages apart for my group (there are more groups from the ship, but also other tourists on the train)
I manage to get a windowseat, I choose the non-sunny side on the right, which turns out to be a great choice for the view, as the other side is the mountain side.
There is a screen with information about the journey and there is also a voice-over that tells you about the area and where to pay attention:)
Flåmsbana is 20.2-kilometer (12.6 mi) long railway that runs from Flåm in the North to Myrdal in the South. The line's elevation difference is 866. Construction was started in 1924, the line opened in 1940 and turned in to electric traction in 1944.
Here we go! I travel backwards to the top, and the USA couple across from me (married for 43 years!) warn me when to get my camera ready, so sweet. I so love it when I can see the train while riding it.
In the middle of the right photo you see the tower of Flåm kyrkje (Flåm Church).
Down in the valley (beyond the bridge on the right) you can again see Flåm kyrkje, a brown, wooden church built in 1670.
Between the trees: Rjoandefossen waterfall, 241 metres (791 ft) tall.
As the train goes around it, I'm zooming in on Rjoandefossen waterfall, which flows down to Flåmsselvi river.
Emergency brake:) No need to pull it, because the train is going to make a stop anyway.
We get a short photostop at Kjosfossen Waterfall (93m), which is right near the platform of the station, very cool. (As everyone gets off the train, it is hard to take pictures, but I'm pretty pleased with how I captured the sunlight behind it!)
These colourful houses are Vatnahalsen, the penultimate station on the Flåmsbana.
Myrdal, the final stop of the line is not a very photogenic station, but fortunately the mountains on the other side are;) This station connects the Flåmsbana to the Bergen Line to the East of Norway.
The train stops for a few minutes before turning back, which means I travel forward on the way down!
Yes, that is again a photo of Vatnahalsen, just because I captured the train meandering:)
Look at this VIEW *chinhands*
We stop at the Kjosfossen Waterfall again, and now that I'm prepared, I manage to find a spot up close to make a video and also capture the mood music that's playing.
Another view that I didn't get a good photo of on the way up: the hairpin turns of Myrdalsvingane, at the top of Rallarvegen, the road going down from Vatnahalsen Station. This road was originally built by the workers on the railway for transport of materials; the road opened as a cycling route in 1974.
You can see the cycle path going down next to the railway; I think I prefer sitting in the train:)
Going through another tunnel... and then this view \o/
Håreina Station, last one before Flåm; the train only stops upon request.
Back in Flåm, *happy sigh*
Before I go back to the ship (in the background!) I'm going to explore Flåm.
Yay, a skandinavian pothole cover!
I have lunch on a bench in the Flåm Marina (That breadroll I bought in Olden with some orangejuice;)
The (up-side-down) walking map of the area; the blue walk follows the railway.
Exploring doesn't take much time, haha. After buying souvenirs, I walk back to the ship.
My loot: postcards, a magnet and a little troll:)
I spent some time reading on my balcony before a late lunch...
Parmesan crusted pork, yes please.
I'm also drooling in the dessert corner.
Omnomnomnom. In the bowl a soggy but delicious bread pudding with vanillasaus
Slowly gliding through Aurlandsfjord. (Reading on my balcony until dinnertime)
On my way to dinner I do a bit of souvenir shopping on board.
Another menu, another lovely cheeseplate, thank you Yogesh:)
Starter: Roasted Pumpkin Soup with pancetta
Main Course: Steak au Poivre (so juicy)
Dessert: Ivory Chocolate Mousse
A walk along deck on my way back to my cabin.
Crafty artwork in the gangway.
In my cabin I'm greeted by a swan on my bed!
Look how cute!
On board souvenirs: an ornament of the Jewel of the Seas and a bracelet with cruise related charms for my mom:)
I go to sleep around 23:30, but get woken by a message from the captain about fifteen minutes later... He apologizes for waking everyone up, but he sees something that never happens this time of year: the Northern Lights, aka Aurora Borealis!
I climb out of bed to my balcony and do see some vague swirls ahead of the ship.
I quickly get dressed and climb up to the highest deck 13, where a whole bunch of passengers have gathered to watch this amazing light effect (that also kind of shows the earth is round;).
My camera doesn't do it justice, although the pictures below are maybe making it out to be more spectactular than how the human eye actually experiences it. You can't really see colours in the dark, but the way the light behaves is really eerie and magical.
Next to me a guy was taking great pictures and when I heard him speaking Dutch, I asked if I could share my email for a copy. Big thanks to M. Buskes, who sent me the photos that M. Bal made. You can even see Ursa Major (Great Bear constellation).
I treasure the memory of this night:)
I did manage this cool photo of the ship by night.
On my way back to my cabin, I came across this fun neon-art in the stairway. Unfortunately I forgot to capture the artist. My mind was full of the Northern Lights;)
Sweet dreams were had!
To be continued:)
J.
Previous Cruiseposts: Day 1: Departing from Amsterdam | Day 2: at sea | Day 3: 1st stop Olden, Norway
In addition I have posted a couple of short videos on my YouTube: my Norwegian Fjords Cruise playlist
X-posted to https://beelikej.livejournal.com/577211.html