Balestrand, Norway

Since we had early morning train tickets to Flam, we got up at 5:30 a.m., packed, and boarded our train from Oslo to Myrdal at 6:45 a.m. The plan was to change trains in Myrdal and ride on the scenic train to Flam, followed by a ferry cruise to Balestrand through the magnificent Norwegian Fjords.

I had an unexpected problem with my train tickets to Flam. I had booked the train tickets for June 24, and it was June 23! I had to buy 3 more tickets on the train and ride 3rd class. I was fined NOK 1400 for the additional train tickets. Thankfully, the train was not crowded, and we proceeded to our destination on time and without delay.

The scenery changed dramatically as the train neared Myrdal. At first, I saw many lakes, streams, and rivers - all lush green, with hundreds of farms, the iconic red farmhouses.

We saw some crops planted, like cabbages, but not many farm animals. We identified some horses and sheep occasionally but not many other varieties (a big difference from England and France, where sheep and cows were numerous).

Many houses were spread out, and Norwegians enjoyed solitude and being close to nature. As we neared Myrdal, the scenery became less green, with more hills and mountains still covered by snow, sparse vegetation, and fewer residents. There were a few houses here and there but no farms anymore. I wondered who could live in such wilderness (perhaps these were summer cabins).

The train stopped in a few places before getting to Myrdal. One of the more scenic stops was Finse - a little town that showed glaciers and frozen ice on the lake.

We enjoyed playing on the dirty snow and observed how cold it was. Alex observed that we were back in winter!

We only had ten minutes at this train stop, so we had little time to explore Finse.

It's supposed to be a famous ski resort town with great downhill runs. (Skiers are supposed to come here from as far away as Oslo).

When we reached Myrdal, we changed trains (our old train was going on to Voss) to the one going to Flam. The Flam train was crowded with tourists, and we barely had room to sit (and stow our luggage).

 It was a tourist express train, and everyone had a camera out to take photos of the scenery on the way. I also took a few pictures with my small Canon G15, but it was hard to compete with everyone jockeying for the perfect camera position. The scenery was spectacular, with many waterfalls, valleys, and gorgeous views.

The train stopped at one major waterfall - Kjosfossen - where all the train passengers got out and took photos on the large platform overlooking the waterfall. This was the largest and most intense waterfall from Myrdal to Flam and reminded me of some of the waterfalls in Yosemite.

After this significant train stop, the train continued with short, infrequent stops (where some people got off and on). In about one hour, we arrived at our final destination of Flam. As we had a couple of hours before our ferry, we decided to stow our luggage in a Red Shack (NOK 80 for 3 bags) and go for a hike around Flam. Alex spotted a lovely Fjord cafe selling gelato, and we purchased him one scoop (NOK 25) - before starting our hike.

We did a short hike around town that was recommended to us by Flam's Information Center. It took about 45 minutes and had a nice overlook of the city and surrounding Fjords.

After the hike, we got some lunch and ate at the local cafe. I ordered a salmon salad, and Inna ordered an open-faced salmon sandwich.

We tried some cake for dessert. It was delicious but not as good as the one in Oslo's Grand Cafe.

Overall, the food was acceptable, but not anything memorable or unique. There was another lunch place across the street (in a train car), and its menu was more expensive.

Inna looked at the local souvenir shops and liked the furs on sale. They were expensive but very well made; they are probably intended for the intense Norwegian winters and not appropriate for California.

Around 3:10 p.m., we got our luggage and boarded the Norled ferry from Flam to Balestrand. The ferry sailed very fast, and we arrived at Balestrand right on time. We saw lots of beautiful Fjords and little Norwegian towns on the way. I took many beautiful photos from the front and the rear of the ferry. The front is very windy and cold. The rear was packed with tourists, all taking pictures. It looked like a photo safari.

We saw many beautiful Fjords on our sailing adventure from Flam to Balestrand.

Here are some short videos of what it looks like to sail on a Norled Ferry through the Norwegian Fjords:

 

Once we arrived at Balestrand, we walked to our Kviknes Hotel (only a few steps away from the dock). Kviknes Hotel is the largest hotel in Balestrand, and the entire building looks very beautiful from the outside (waterfront). It can accommodate large parties of tourists, and we saw huge tour buses loading and unloading groups of Japanese tourists when we stayed there.

We checked into Kviknes and booked a smorgasbord dinner at 7:30 p.m. while we walked the shoreline and explored the little, quaint town of Balestrand.

We saw many beautiful Norwegian houses and an ancient wooden Stave church on our walk.

The Stave Church is beautifully built inside. It is constructed almost entirely from wood - something I have never seen anywhere. We went inside to take a look, and it looked very tastefully decorated, with beautiful wooden carvings but nothing ostentatious, as one would see in a Catholic cathedral.

In Balestrand (and most of Norway), everything is spotless and well cared for. There is hardly any trash, and most cars are expensive (BMW, Audi, Volvo).

The village looks charming like it came out of some Norwegian fairy tale. We were fortunate with the weather - as it was sunny, calm, and clear - like in California with unending daylight.

Dinner at Kviknes Hotel was costly and overall of average quality. We had been to some of the best buffets (in Las Vegas' Wynn) - so we were compared to the best buffets in the U.S. mainland. 

The food was well prepared, and the fish (especially salmon and herring were delicious). The other dishes were good but not great. This dinner buffet was very overpriced for the price (NOK 1340). However, the dining room was lovely, and the waiters were helpful. Inna enjoyed trying Norwegian specialties, such as cheeses, salmon varieties (Alaskan King Salmon is still the best), salads, and pieces of bread.

After dinner, we walked around the hotel and saw a giant bonfire near it (Other bonfires were burning on the shore).

It was unusual for us to see this (we didn't expect a hotel to light a bonfire). In addition, we stumbled into a small deck where people could swim.

However, there were a couple of seagulls (recently hatched) with a couple of seagulls guarding them. We were being repeatedly dive-bombed by seagulls, trying to get us out of there. This was surprising - as we had never been attacked by seagulls before - and we decided to leave and return to our room.


Tuesday, June 24, 2014

After waking up late (because we were so tired from the previous day), we had our late breakfast at the Kviknes Hotel.

Breakfast consisted of salads, various cheese slices (Inna liked the Norwegian version of the Swiss cheese, which was tastier and much better than U.S. versions), cold cuts (especially Salmon), yogurt, and pieces of bread. Of these, I liked the yogurt and croissants.

We were considering biking the 3 Fjords near Balestrand, so we rented three bikes to the Information Center. Unfortunately, the rental shop had no bikes that fit Alex, so we decided not to do the bike ride and instead hike to "Balastolen."

The hike to Balastolen is supposed to have a beautiful, unobstructed overlook on Balestrand and be of moderate difficulty. We filled our water bottles (Norwegian tap water is acceptable) and started our hike. On the way there, we stopped by an elementary school playground (which had very unusual ropes for climbing).

We started our hike uphill, mainly on a rocky path, surrounded by beautiful Norwegian trees (like spruce).

The hike to Balastolen was definitely strenuous in places and had a few terrific overlooks.

We saw a few spots with benches and fire pits where Norwegians burn their bonfires. It looked like a widespread activity, as we saw many locations with specific bonfire setups.

When we finally reached Balastolen, everyone was a bit tired.

The view from the top was spectacular, and on a clear day, we could see all the nearby Fjords and the town of Balestrand below. The hike was fantastic, and Inna thought it was the most beautiful hike she had ever experienced. In terms of beauty, it compares favorably to my favorite hikes in Oregon (Silver Falls) and Yosemite (Half-Dome).

After the hike, we walked down and played more on the Elementary School playground with all the ropes.

It was a lot of fun, and I was amazed that Norwegian kids get to play here (there are many ways to get seriously hurt).

Here are a couple of short videos of the recorded fun:



As we were hungry, we walked toward our hotel and decided to have lunch at the local restaurant called "Pilgrim." I ordered Norwegian Meatballs (using 100% Norwegian beef), and Inna ordered the "Troll Soup," a soup made of mushrooms grown by the neighborhood Troll community.

Alex ordered a "Burger and Fries" and really enjoyed them. The fries came flavored with paprika, and Alex enjoyed the new flavor. I haven't ever tasted fries with paprika before.

Inna really enjoyed her troll soup, and I really liked my meatballs. Everything tasted homemade. For dessert, we ordered a Norwegian cake, which was so delicious that we ordered another slice. This is a wonderfully memorable meal.

After lunch, we decided to try rowing in the Fjord. Our Kviknes hotel had two rowboats, and we borrowed paddles and life vests and went rowing. Norwegians are very trusting - no one asked us to sign waivers or liability forms or even wrote down our room number. We were handed oars and were told to have fun!

This would not happen in the U.S. I rowed the boat to the nearby Fjord, and Alex and Inna asked to try rowing. They each got to row the boat while I enjoyed the magnificent scenery all around. The water was a fine sheet of glass - like a lake - and we made rapid progress across the Fjord. We saw many houses on the shore, some intended for winter storage of boats. It was all very peaceful and relaxing. Next time, we will try fishing, as a few people were out trying to fish.

After a few hours, we decided to return, and the wind picked up a bit. I brought the boat and docked it in the hotel's small marina for rowboats.

Here are some short videos of rowing in the Fjords:

 

We rested in our room and decided to get dinner at the Kviknes Hotel's Ballholm Bistro. Inna ordered the "Halibut" and was rewarded with a deliciously prepared fish. I ordered the trout, and it looked and tasted like salmon - but Inna insisted that it was indeed red-colored trout. I liked it, but not as much as Inna's Halibut.

Inna wanted to try swimming in the Fjord, so we walked by the docks, and she went for a short swim. The water was cold, but she liked the idea of swimming in a Norwegian fjord's beautiful, clear water.

Here is a short video of her swimming experience:

After dinner, we had a lovely evening walk through Balestrand, amazed at how bright and sunny it was, even at midnight. It's incredible how trusting Norwegians are.

We saw many expensive bicycles left outside the house unlocked - so theft must be extremely unlikely (this is not the case in Amsterdam). Also, we noticed how quiet and peaceful everything was. I never heard any shouting. It was so soft that I wondered if anyone actually lived here.


Wednesday, June 25, 2014

It was our last morning at Balestrand, and we were sad to leave this wonderful town. We had an excellent breakfast at Kviknes Hotel, packed our bags, and caught our 8:30 a.m. ferry to Flam.

This was going to be a long, arduous travel day, as we planned first to take the ferry to Flam, then another to Gudvangen, then a bus to Voss, followed by a train to Bergen. The complexity required us to cruise the narrow Fjords between Flam and Gudvangen - a highlight Rick Steves said not to miss.

When we checked out from Kviknes, we asked the Kviknes hotel clerk about life in Balestrand. He lived there his whole life and said winters are very harsh - with the sun only coming from noon to 4:00 p.m. No snow days exist, so kids are expected to go to school in any temperature or deep snow. Near Balestrand, there is a lovely mountain where he could ski downhill (and that's what he liked to do). Most of the time, the weather here is stormy, and we were fortunate to experience unending sunshine and clear, temperate days.

After talking to him, we boarded our Fjord1 ferry from Balestrand to Flam. The ferry was small, with only half a dozen people on board. It was lovely not to be mobbed by tourists with cameras, and I enjoyed taking photos and observing the natural wonders. It was a fantastic boat ride (despite the loud drone of the diesel engines), and Alex even managed to catch some sleep. The weather was excellent, and I was beginning to think I was in California after all.

We saw many beautiful fjords on the way back to Flam. It was really nice being on a small ferry, as there were fewer tourists and much more peace and quiet.

There were many beautiful waterfalls along the way, and the scenery was astounding.

The ferry docked in many small villages, picking up and dropping off passengers. Some towns are small, with only a few houses and usually a church.

After we docked in Flam, we observed two cruise ships in port - an MSC Poesia - and another smaller cruise ship.

The dock was swarming with tourists, and we were not looking forward to spending time there. We got Alex some gelato at Fjord Gelato (NOK 25) and went to the Information Center to see what we could do for the next two hours while we waited for the next ferry to Gudvangen (departure time was 1:20 p.m.)

We decided to do a short stroll to the "Brekkefossen" waterfall. We walked along the road, looking at the many red-colored houses that Norwegians live in. We saw some livestock (pigs and cattle) and eventually ended up at the base of the waterfall hike.

We did not have time to get closer to Brekkefossen waterfall, as it looked pretty strenuous, so we took some photos and continued to the next bridge and back to Flam. The hike took over an hour, and I had another hour left for lunch at the local cafe.

Inna ordered a shrimp salad, while I ordered a salmon salad. Alex ordered a slice of pizza, followed by another scoop of gelato. The lunch was acceptable, but nothing special.

We boarded our Fjord1 ferry to Gudvangen at 1:20 p.m. (Two separate ferry companies operate on different schedules: Fjord1 and Norled). This Fjord1 ferry was a large, tall car ferry mobbed by tourists. I thought I was in Disneyland momentarily as everyone jockeyed to get the best photo seat. This ferry sailed relatively slowly compared to other ferries but was much taller, so the view of the Fjords was much better. However, many seagulls were following the ferry, and it did not help that many tourists were offering crackers to feed them.

It seemed that feeding seagulls was their entertainment (instead of observing the natural beauty all around). It became quite annoying to have all the birds flapping on every side of the boat and obstructing both views and photographic opportunities of the Fjords. Eventually, I moved to the head of the ship (which I thought would be very windy but was not due to the boat's slow speed).

From here, at least, there were fewer seagulls, and I could take photos with less distraction. I observed many beautiful waterfalls and sheer rock cliffs, but nothing that wowed me. There were some kayakers in the water and a few pleasure boats. This Fjord is best enjoyed on a smaller ferry or a private charter.

Eventually, we entered the narrow part of the Fjords - but it was not as little as I expected. There was still a lot of space between the ferry and the Fjord's walls. We saw many small villages on the way, with sheer cliffs overlooking them. I wondered how people in those villages got around, as I did not see any roads in or out.

When we finally arrived at Gudvangen, I was happy to be done with the ferry and eager to get moving, to get on the bus to Voss. Luckily, a bus to Voss was already waiting for us, and we boarded immediately. The bus fare was NOK 194 for two adults (children under 12 rides free).

What I did not realize was how incredible the scenery in Gudvangen was. It was more breathtaking and majestic than anything we have seen so far! I wished I had a car and would stop at all the beautiful waterfalls and overlooks - instead of being stuck on a tourist bus with windows that did not allow for good photography.

The bus eventually approached the steepest road in Europe - an 18-degree grade traversed at a plodding speed. We had a chance to take some photos, but they did not look great through the windows of a tourist bus. The views were amazing - the best that I can ever recall! After the bus reached the valley below, we saw some rivers running parallel to the road, where many kayakers were kayaking. It looked like a lot of fun. We hope to try that next time we come back.

We saw many waterfalls, but I could only capture a couple from the bus.

We arrived in Voss at around 5:00 p.m. - which was ahead of schedule. Since our train to Bergen was scheduled to depart at 5:42 p.m., we had some time to rest. There was a nice-looking Stave church nearby, and we explored it.

It was closed, but I took some photos of it. Voss, unlike other Norwegian cities, seemed more run-down. I did not like it or feel exceptionally safe there.

Our train was delayed by 20 minutes, and we eventually boarded on track 2 at 6:00 p.m. The train ride to Bergen was uninteresting. There was a lot of beautiful scenery, but we were all too tired to enjoy it. Inna, Alex, and I fell asleep at some point on the journey to Bergen.

We arrived at Bergen's train station at 7:20 p.m. - about 20 minutes late. Thankfully, the Airbnb apartment where we were staying offered to pick us up from the station - and we were quickly driven to our designated place for the next two days by Lars (our host).