Lærdal

When we planned our trip we could see that what made the fjords stunning was the steep mountains that descended all the way into the fjord. So, I figured we would be driving up and down these mountains a lot. Nay, nay, nay, you drive through them. The only thing we’ve seen more of than waterfalls is tunnels. There are 1,260 tunnels in Norway at last count and they are being added ongoing. Some are short, many, or most, are long being several miles. They go up in elevation down in elevation, curve all ways and even have roundabouts within the mountain offering a number of ways in and out. I have no idea how many we have been through in our three days driving. I’m guessing well more than fifty. We went through 17 today alone and the last one today was 24.5km (15.2 miles) long. Because of the length, they have light shows every so many kilometers to help keep you alert.

Today’s big event was taking the Flam Railroad (pronounced flom) up the mountain and back down. A one hour trip each way that is considered one of the most beautiful train rides in the world. Lots of fantastic scenery and, of course, lots of waterfalls.Read more