June 21
Flam – Bergen
We left Flam in the morning on a 2-hour fjord boat ride, then a 1-hour bus ride, then a 1-hour train ride, then a 1/2 hour walk, ultimately arriving at our hotel in Bergen.
[Flam, in the morning . . . ]
[Our hotel against a background of nature . . . ]
[After dinner the previous night, I left my camera under my chair and didn’t realize it till morning. Then we had breakfast at the same restaurant and I misplaced my room key under my chair. It’s a sign . . . ]
[After breakfast, Ole went outside to smell the proverbial roses . . . ]
[“It’s a beautiful morning,” said he.]
[Where rain can only fall after sunset . . . ]
[The souvenirs are the waterfalls beyond the gift shop . . . ]
[Why yes, the human hand can provide a convenient sun block . . . ]
[Ole found our boat . . . ]
[Honoring the construction workers of Flamsbama.]
[The Flåm Line (Flåmsbana) is a 20.2-kilometer (12.6 mi) long railway line between Myrdal and Flam. A branch line of theBergen Line, it runs through the valley of Flamsdalent and connects the mainline with Sognefjord. The line’s elevation difference is 863 meters (2,831 ft); it has ten stations, twenty tunnels and one bridge. The maximum gradient is 5.5 percent (1:18). Because of its steep gradient and picturesque nature, the Flåm Line is now almost exclusively a tourist service and has become the third-most visited tourist attraction in Norway (Wikipedia).]
[Our fjord cruise would be electric . . . ]
[And there’s the beautiful, new, all electric fjord cruiser (there are at least two) . . . ]
[A final stroll around Flam . . . ]
[Hooray for Norway!!]
[Ole and the Super look to find Flam on the globe . . . ]
[That’s Africa, Ole . . . ]
[OK, maybe too much here, but this thing was moving and we tried to catch it with Ole pointing to Flam . . . ]
[He found it!]
[OK, Ole, let’s get on the boat . . . ]
[The stroll, continued . . . ]
[Great day for a boat ride in one the world’s great fjords . . . ]
[The Super has discovered our A-list seating arrangements . . . ]
[I did a quick exterior roundabout . . . ]
[The bleacher seats . . . ]
[Well, the bleacher stands . . . ]
[Leaving Flam . . . ]
[Heading that way . . . ]
[Leaving that way . . . ]
[A picture postcard setting . . . ]
[As a scenic tour boat heads out . . . ]
[Hi! It’s me!]
[Hi! It’s her!]
[Now in several photos through the fjord an appropriate quote may be in order . . . ]
[In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous. ~ Aristotle]
[Preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we’ve ever known. ~ Carl Sagan]
[Nature is pleased with simplicity. And nature is no dummy. ~ Isaac Newton]
[Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. ~ Rachel Carson]
[Ooops, these are some selfies . . . ]
[The Super, Ole, and the Norway flag . . . ]
[There I feel that nothing can befall me. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson]
[Leave the road, take the trails. ~ Pythagoras]
[Going to the mountains is going home. ~ John Muir]
[I like this place and could willingly waste my time in it. ~ William Shakespeare]
[How did these houses get there?]
[Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished. ~ Lao Tzu]
[Choose only one master – nature. ~ Rembrandt]
[The most beautiful gift of nature is that it gives one pleasure to look around and try to comprehend what we see. ~ Albert Einstein]
[I never saw a discontented tree. ~ John Muir]
[Our sister (brother?) boat returning to Flam . . . ]
[Well, there may be more – they provide an amazingly quiet ride . . . ]
[Adopt the pace of nature. Her secret is patience. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson]
[Can’t be an easy commute?]
[In every walk in with nature one receives far more than he seeks. ~ John Muir]
[The poetry of the earth is never dead. ~ John Keats]
[Nothing is art if it does not come from nature. ~ Antoni Gaudi]
[The world owes you nothing. It was here first. ~ Mark Twain]
[Nature knows no indecencies; man invents them. ~ Mark Twain]
[I love nature, I just don’t want to get any of it on me. ~ Woody Allen]
[The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep. ~ Robert Frost]
[Despite the surrounding beauty, one must still eat . . . ]
[I was determined to know beans. ~ Henry David Thoreau]
[Instructions for living a life. Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it. ~ Mary Oliver]
[How glorious a greeting the sun gives the mountains! ~ John Muir]
[Those who dwell, as scientists or laymen, among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life. ~ Rachel Carson]
[Nothing is more beautiful than the loveliness of the woods before sunrise. ~ George Washington Carver]
[I am not an atheist but an earthiest. Be true to the earth. ~ Edward Abbey]
[Where we were and where we went (to be continued) . . . ]
It is inexcusable for scientists to torture animals; let them make their experiments on journalists and politicians. ~ Henrik Ibsen
Up Next: We will momentarily leave Norway for “camp” . . .
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