Norway
Aurland

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  • Day 8

    On the road - leaving Brygge to Larvik

    September 7, 2019 in Norway ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

    Wir lieben die schmalen Serpentinen Norwegens, die durch wunderschöne Landschaften führen. Wenn jetzt noch das Wetter mitspielen würde, wären wir mehr als zufrieden. Aufgewacht sind wir heute in Gudvangen am Nærøydalselvi, umgeben von Wasserfällen.Read more

  • Day 49

    Thursday and in Oslo

    October 17, 2019 in Norway ⋅ ⛅ 2 °C

    A big day today. Up early for breakfast (the huge hotel buffet - almost as much choice as on the ship)...and then sad farewell to Carole and John who had come down early for coffee to say goodbye. Then we walked the very short distance to the train station. The train left as scheduled at exactly 7.57, and arrived at Oslo at exactly 14.45. It was a beautiful rail journey as reputed to be. Thinking about it, I think it would be better to do it in the opposite direction as you would leave the big city, go trough the usual industrial boring bit round a city, then get into the pretty flatter, then undulating countryside and farming land that gradually turns into mountains and ending in spectacular scenery as you get to Bergen! Of course, I don’t wish we had done that because it wouldn’t have worked for us, but after 2 weeks of such amazing and spectacular scenery, it did get a bit less as we approached Oslo. And 7 hours is quite a long ride. I am still feeling the shuddering movement of the train whenever I am still...very off putting! But I don’t think I’ve done justice to the train ride. It was amazing - we climbed (though you didn’t realise it as we went) up high into the mountains beautiful panoramas, then it was very snowy and quite whited out for a while, then that gradually lessened as we descended and came into obviously more moderate terrain where there were fields, ploughed and soggy looking, and grazing animals. Very different from the totally rocky crags and water of the last 2 weeks.

    So here we are in the big city. And we have had our first - almost - Scandinavian rain. We found our hotel, very near the central station, and went walking round getting our bearings. Walked along the main pedestrian road that leads to the royal palace, surrounded by beautiful gardens, and it did start to sprinkle a little...so eventually we went back to get umbrellas and coats, but it never became heavy, just very light drops, but you’d get damp if you didn’t have some protection. We did then go to inspect the opera house that is nearby. And it is magnificent! Very modern and angular..sloping and you can walk up the slope on the roof...very hard to describe and neither of us had our phones to take photos, and anyway the sky was all grey and it wouldn’t have been a good photo...will take some tomorrow.

    We have great plans for tomorrow - the Viking museum, the resistance museum, the Nobel museum and the sculpture gardens. Hope it is not too grey a day. We are again facing the extremely high prices here - had been insulated rather on the boat not having to buy meals etc...but we drew the line when to go to the loo at the station cost 6 kroner - that is equivalent to $3.50 - just for a pee! So we decided it was time to have a glass of wine, and use the loo there.

    We had dinner at an Italian restaurant - Olivia - the same chain where we had our first meal in Bergen! We loved the Norwegian food on the boat, but suddenly couldn’t face more fish and felt like pasta. I had ravioli with fungi and truffles, yum, and a delicious salad.

    Will put a couple of photos from the train, but not good through a window when moving...and there were many tunnels during the most spectacular times, and I took several photos of tunnel interiors, missing the moment of view! Hope I feel more normal after a night’s sleep.
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  • Day 91

    Bergen —> Flåm

    June 16, 2023 in Norway ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    We started our travel day (this combination of train, ferry and bus is called "Norway in a Nutshell") with a train from Bergen to Voss. This was quite a nice short train with pretty scenery though there were quite a few tunnels through the mountains. We then changed modes of transport in Voss to bus and caught the bus to Gudvangen. We had a very charismatic bus driver who was giving us fun facts along the way and we even made a stop at a very picturesque hotel with views over the mountains. We changed in Gudvangen to our last mode of transport for the day, a ferry. This ferry is electric and is recharged on either end of the journey. We stood at the top floor and enjoyed the beautiful views and weather.

    We had a beautiful view as we moved through the fjords, taking in the sights and waterfalls along the mountains as we made our way to our final destination for the day, Flåm. We checked into our hotel and then explored the town and visited the railway museum in relation to the famous Flåm train. We saw some very cool photos of the original trains and how the road was originally built through the mountains in the 1800s. The musesum also included models of the trains and further information about people who worked on the train.

    In the afternoon, we did a beer tasting in the afternoon in a Viking style brewery, followed by a delicious dinner in the hotel restaurant - we had a goat dish and pork cheeks for main followed by chocolate mousse and pannacotta for dessert.
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  • Day 52

    Flåm Bahnfahrt

    July 15, 2023 in Norway ⋅ 🌧 11 °C

    Nach der Übernachtung im Camping am Aurlandsfjord haben wie unsere Bike bereit gemacht. Wir haben eine Bahnfahrt gebucht mit der alten Flåmsbana bis hinauf nach Myrdal, 867m.(Liegt an der Strecke Oslo-Bergen). Das Bike wurde eingeladen. Die Fahrt zeigte die typische Landschaft Westnorwegens. Wasserfälle und steile Bergflanken. Unterwegs am Wasserfall Kjosfossen wurden die Wassergeister beschworen. Den Touristen wird was geboten! Es war gerade ein Schiff voll Amis angekommen! Anschliessend gings in rasanter Fahrt mit dem Bike den Berg runter.Read more

  • Day 147

    Subjugué•e•s par les fjords 🏞

    August 8, 2023 in Norway ⋅ 🌧 10 °C

    Nous parvenons à Bergen, ville comptabilisant le plus haut score de précipitations dans le pays,... sous une pluie diluvienne !

    Vous ne pourrez malheureusement pas admirer en photos le quartier historique et son port aux maisons colorées, car nous n'avons pu prendre AUCUNE photo ! ☔

    Balayé•e•s par des bourrasques de vent accompagnées d'une pluie torrentielle, nous avons eu un aperçu très succinct de la ville, en mode camouflage sous nos imperméables (les parapluies se retournaient toutes les 5 minutes 🙈).

    Nous avons parcouru le marché aux poissons, au bord de l'eau, et avons été frappé•e•s de stupeur lorsque nous avons découvert qu'il était possible d'y acheter... de la baleine. 🥺 De grandes maisons en bois aux façades de toutes les couleurs bordent le port. Plus loin, un bâtiment en forme d'église, se révèle finalement être une ancienne caserne de pompier•e•s, en plein cœur du centre-ville ! Il faut savoir que Bryggen (le quartier du port de Bergen) a succombé maintes et maintes fois sous les flammes. Les pompier•e•s se sont donc installé•e•s au plus près de ces belles habitations en bois. Ici, les pompier•e•s sont une véritable institution ! De nombreux•ses habitant•e•s donnent bénévolement du temps pour les épauler. En contrepartie, iels bénéficient d'une déduction d'impôts. 🚒

    Sous la pluie incessante, nous atterrissons dans un café ultra cosy, se fabriquant nous-même notre accalmie. ☕

    À minuit, nous partons chercher notre invité surprise à l'aéroport de Bergen ; mon petit frère (Romane) 🥳🥰. C'est parti pour un road trip de 3 semaines ensemble jusqu'aux îles Lofoten ! Welcome on board Loulou ! ✌🚐

    Après une nuit, seré•e•s à trois dans le van 😅, nous reprenons la route ! Malgré la pluie, le paysage qui défile sous nos yeux est hypnotique. On ne peut pas s'empêcher d'établir un parallèle avec la planète Pandora de James Cameron ! Cette comparaison nous est inspirée par la forme de ces montagnes tels des rochers qui semblent posés, voir flottant sur les eaux des fjords. À travers la végétation luxuriante qui la recouvre, les veines de la montagne coulent en de merveilleuses cascades qui disparaissent soudainement dans la brume. Un paysage complètement irréel. 💫

    Le pays est perforé de tunnels. Aujourd'hui, nous en avons emprunté un de 25 km de distance ! Ils permettent de préserver la beauté des fameux fjords. Cette particularité naturelle est un spectacle à admirer dans une vie. C'est de loin le panorama le plus éblouissant qui nous a été offert durant ce voyage à travers l'Europe. Les montagnes décrites précédemment s'arrêtent brusquement, de manière très escarpée, et accueillent l'eau, puis ressurgissent plus loin.

    ☝Ce phénomène est un héritage de l'ère glacière. La fonte des glaciers et l'érosion provoquée par ces derniers ont creusé de vastes sillons tout le long de la côte norvégienne, que la mer est venue combler. L'eau des fjords est dite "saumâtre" car elle provient à la fois de la mer, mais aussi des lacs, rivières et cascades alimentés par les glaciers encore présents en Norvège.☝

    Nous avons commencé par la découverte du Naeroyfjord, le fjord le plus étroit, et du Aurlandfjord. C'est deux fjords forment une patte d'oie, et sont en fait des ramifications du plus grand fjord de Norvège ; le Sognefjord.

    Nous avons parcouru plusieurs village, tel que Gudvangen où il est possible de visiter une reconstitution d'un village Viking, et où Paulo a rencontré son ancêtre (cf. photo !). 🪓😅

    Après quelques difficultés à monter la toile de tente de trek (pas si pratique qu'elle paraissait...🙈), nous nous couchons avec le son d'une cascade.

    Le lendemain, nous nous arrêtons au village d'Undredal et entreprenons une courte balade le long du fjord. L'atmosphère est très apaisante, l'eau est si inerte qu'elle semble gelée. Nous profitons d'une production locale pour goûter le fromage fabriqué à partir du petit lait de chèvre typique du pays ; le brunost. Verdict : c'est une expérience...! 😂 Nous avons détesté le goût (à l'exception de Paulo, mais qui n'en raffole pas non plus 😬). Il ne s'agit pas réellement d'un fromage, mais d'une pâte molle et collante au goût très prononcé de caramel.

    Sur la route, nous repassons devant Gudvangen et découvrons avec étonnement un énorme paquebot de croisière mangeant l'horizon et remplissant tout l'espace.

    Pour finir, les épingles de la route panoramique "Aurlandsvegen" nous attendent ; pour être subjugué•e•s une dernière fois par la beauté saisissante du fjord au point de vue culminant de Segastein. 🏞

    Une petite traversée en ferry, et direction la forêt pour un bon dodo à la fraîche ! Demain, nous découvrirons le Sognefjord à pieds. Des bisous ! 😚
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  • Day 5

    Lærdaltunnel & Fjell

    August 30, 2023 in Norway ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

    Trotz dass wir hier schon gefühlte 7 Mal waren, passte der längste Straßentunnel der Welt nie richtig in die Route. Nicht so dieses Jahr. Wir fahren die 24,5km, um danach wieder auf die "alte Straße" abzubiegen und uns einen einsamen Platz zu suchen 🙈🤪 Da es dort kein Mobilfunknetz gibt, wird die analoge Karte für den nächsten Tag zu Rate gezogen 🗺️😁Read more

  • Day 36

    Längster Tunnel der Welt ✅️und ein UFO?

    September 4, 2023 in Norway ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    Jaaa, die bekloppten Norweger haben es tatsächlich geschafft einen Kreisverkehr in einen Tunnel zu bauen 🤩🤣 nööö, es ist kein Ufo 😎🙈

    Ich freue mich schon seit mehreren Tagen auf dieses spezielle Spektakel. Nicht nur, daß es viele Tunnel zw. 10-24,5 km gibt, sie sind auch interessant gebaut. Alle paar km gibt es eine "geheime Tür" als ein Fluchtweg und in dem längsten Tunnel der Welt gibt es alle 5 km einen LED Band inkl Haltebuchten zum Entspannen? Keine Ahnung...aber wenn man gefühlte halbe Stunde im Tunnel fährt, ist man begeistert von solchen Zwischen-Highlights 🔥

    Fakten: Der Lærdalstunnel mit seinen 24,5 Kilometern ist der längste Straßentunnel der Welt. Die Straße verbindet die Ortschaften Aurland und Lærdal im innersten Teil von Sogn und bietet eine fährenunabhängige Verbindung zwischen Oslo und Bergen.
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  • Day 4

    Flåm bam thank you ma'am

    September 7, 2023 in Norway ⋅ 🌙 15 °C

    Today began by catching a train outta Oslo at 6:00am. On this train journey we went along Flåmsbana which was a 60 minute train ride known for being one of the most beautiful in the world. The claim did not disappoint, puffing billy will never be the same in our eyes after what we saw today.

    After getting off our 6 hour train journey of beautiful views and interesting conversations with Americans, we arrived in the town of Flåm. The small townstead was filled to the brim with tourists, but we got to try whale, reindeer and Moose salami.

    We then took a 25 minute electric bus ride to Stegastein viewpoint which is a 30 meter long and 4-meter wide platform 650 meters above sea level, with panoramic views of the Aurlandsfjord, Aurlandsvangen, and the mountains. Our lovely tour guide Peter gave us some interesting facts about the living situation in Norway and talked about the amount of crashes he's seen on the road we were taking.

    The night ended with a beer tasting tray in Ægir brewery and a pizza while taking in our stunning surroundings, and piggy pats back at our quaint accomodation.

    Seeya tomorrow Flåm!

    A modest walking day with 15,000 travelled each
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  • Day 5

    The raid of Gudvangen

    September 8, 2023 in Norway ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    Today was a calm and slow paced day. We started it off by catching a bus through an 11km tunnel to a nearby town of Gudvangen.

    In this sleepy town they have the Viking town of Njardarheim which is an authentic village that shows how the Vikings lived 1,000 years ago. The workers weren't in 'dress up', they live and trade in the village according to history and all things sold at the village are made by hand and according to traditional ways.

    Lots of things were learnt about Scandinavian history and the career that was Vikings.

    Bec stumbled and fell into a chair where she received a historical Scandinavian stick and poke hand tattoo and Phill wowed the village ladies with his ace throwing skills.

    The day ended with packet soup and end of day rolls in preparation for an exciting cruise of the fjords tomorrow.

    Seeya in Voss!

    Phill steps: 13,000
    Bec: unknown
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  • Day 6

    From the bottom to the top

    September 9, 2023 in Norway ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    This morning we said goodbye to Flåm and our friend Shadow the pig.

    The morning started off with a mini hike around the area and by us visiting a very riveting train museum, which outlined the history of the railroad.

    We then boarded an electric cruise boat for a 2 hour tour through the Nærøyfjorden Fjord that links Flåm and Gudvangen. This cruise was absolutely stunning, we both can still not comprehend the scale and beauty of this country.

    We then had 3 hours to kill before our bus to Voss, we wandered around the town, partook in a tasty lunch and aimlessly walked around multiple souvenir shops even if we had no room to buy anything.

    The bus ride to Voss was also very scenic, which made the hour trip pass by quite quickly. Once we arrived at our destination we checked into our first 6 bunk shared hostel room - which has been an experience...

    We then took an electric gondola 818 meters up onto a mountain and explored what felt like a completely different country in itself.

    Dinner was a supermarket salad and a shared roll, let's see how we sleep tonight..

    Goodnight, hope the bed buds don't bite..

    Step count:
    Phill: 18.6k
    Bec: 18.4k
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You might also know this place by the following names:

Aurland, ঔরলেন্ড, Aurlandi vald, Kommun Aurland, Aurland kommune, Эурланн, Aurlands kommun, 艾于蘭

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