Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Norway's greatest claims to scenic fame are her deep, lush fjords. Three
million years ago, an ice age made this land as inhabitable as the center of
Greenland. As the glaciers advanced and cut their way to the sea, they gouged
out long grooves—today's fjords.
The entire west coast is slashed by stunning fjords, and the Sognef-
jord—Norway's longest (120 miles) and deepest (1 mile)—is tops. Anything
but the Sognefjord is, at best, foreplay. The seductive Sognefjord has tiny but
tough ferries, towering canyons, and isolated farms and villages marinated in
the mist of countless waterfalls.
A series of well-organized and spectacular bus, train, and ferry connec-
tions—appropriately nicknamed “Norway in a Nutshell”—lays Norway's
beautifulfjordcountrybeforeyouonascenicplatter.WiththeNutshell,you'll
delve into two offshoots of the Sognefjord, which make an upside-down “U”
route: the Aurlandsfjord and the Nærøyfjord. You'll link the ferry ride to the
rest of Norway with two trains and a bus: The main train is an express route
that takes you through stark polar scenery above the tree line. To get from
the express train down to the ferry, you'll catch an old-fashioned slow train
one way (passing waterfalls and forests) and a bus the other way (offering
fjord views and more waterfalls). All connections are designed for tourists,
explained in English, convenient, and easy. At the start of the fjord, you'll go
through the town of Flåm (a transit hub), then pass briefly by the workaday
town of Aurland and the hamlet of Undredal (by taking the Nutshell trip seg-
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