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Norway Day Six - Drama in the Mountains

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  Day six was majestic and stunning, and quite cold. We woke to a stunning, clear, and chilly day in Aurlandsvangen. We were able to watch the Ferry come in as we had done the day before and had great views down the fjord. We had no idea what was in store for us that day. We set off up the steep zigzag to the Stegastein lookout.  Norwegians know how to do lookouts, with a platform built out from the road to allow the panoramic views back down to   Nærøyfjord in all directions. When we had taken out fill of dramatic photos of the fjords and surrounding peaks, we carried on up to Aurlandsfjellet National Tourist Route. This mountain road is normally only open from the 1st of June to approx. 15th of October. Kenneth had never crossed it before as it has always been closed when he tried. And he was sure it was going to close again as we drove over.  The road crosses a mountain plateau between Aurland and Lærdal. Even in summer you can see snow, so on a day well...
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Norway Day Five- Norway in a Nutshell

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Day 5 was full of sights and adventures. We wheeled our bags back through Bergen to the car park where Kenneth’s father’s car was parked, and then headed off to the train station. Here we caught a The BergenRailway which runs from Bergen to Oslo. We met some lovely people heading out into the country who were very helpful. It is in itself a wonderfully scenic line. But even more awaited us. At Myrdal we disembarked and awaited our next rain and the beginning of Norway in a Nutshell. At Myrdal we waited for our next train - The Flåm Railway, or the Flåmsbana in Norwegian. It is often named one of the world's most beautiful train journeys and is also one of the world's steepest railway journeys. Our journey down to Flåm was in the original carriages – with a very modern eco-friendly engine. Our journey took us through tunnels, and views looking back on the track below, and of mountains, waterfalls and quaint farms and villages. We stopped at the impressive Kjosfossen falls ...
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Norway Day Four - Bergen

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The colourful wooden houses of Bryggen     Fløibanen Funicular Day four was a day to explore some of the beautiful city of Bergen. We had arrived the night before after picking up the wonderful Rebekah from the airport on the way into town. Our accommodation had no parking so we had to walk awhile to get there. Once there we found ourselves in the heart of the touristy area. Below us was the Fløibanen Funicular that goes up Fløyen Mountain. And we were on the edge of Bryggen which features colourful wooden houses on the old wharf, once a centre of the Hanseatic League's trading empire. Our accommodation was upstairs with great views. But also little heating and the ceiling matched the sloping roof line. I hit my head so many times trying to do simple things like get into bed and getting stuff out of my bag. It was like being in Kate's Dunedin student flat again. But it was so convenient, so warmth could wait a day or two...
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