Flåm

The trip to Flåm was extraordinary, with its views of the glacier (yeah people live here),

the incredible Kjosfossen waterfall

The Rallarvargen bike trail

 And some houses with grass roofs

Just to name a few of the sites.  But Flåm is where I will be for the next week, and I am delighted.  It is now Friday, and I arrived on Tuesday.  Every day has been different so far.

Anders, the owner of the cottage, picked me up at the train, which, actually, is only about a 10 minute walk away and is in the midst of the "town," which seems to consist of a tiny grocery and some souvenir shops.  

I have been back and forth several times since then, buying groceries, mailing cards, and picking up junk, including a much-needed fleece jacket for myself.  Anders showed me how to run the boat, where I could chop kindling for the fireplace, and the general layout of the place.

You know how photos of accommodations never live up to the reality?  Not so with the Fretheimjordhytter.  This place is perfect, and even better than the photos.  The whole decor is wood, a light knotty pine, and there is a great attention to details, from the wood for the fireplace to the stereo system.

The front of the cottage is all windows, with an absolutely breathtaking view of the fjord, facing north.

Because the fjord runs north-south, there is not much direct sun in the fjord.  It is still light here until about 8 pm or later, but that midnight sun thing is long gone.  Yesterday I woke up to a skiff of snow on the mountain tops to the north and northeast; this morning the snow has touched the very top of the mountain to the southwest.  It is about 50 degrees here next to the water, though it was about 68 when I arrived.  Crazy.

I have already made some new friends, no doubt because of the bread tossed out my window:

At first there were two, but by last night word had spread, and I had five visitors.  It's nice to be welcomed by the locals.

My kayaking trip for Wednesday was cancelled, but I managed to reschedule for tomorrow, though I have already explored much of the south end of the fjord by boat.  I rode as far as the next town up, Aurland, but the little 5hp motor is not a speedy thing, and I had to fill the tank twice.  Between the fear of running out of gas and my aching butt, I didn't try for the mouth of the fjord.

This fjord, the Aurlandsfjord, is a branch of the great fjord, the Sognefjord and is adjacent to another branch the Nærøyfjorden, a UNESCO world heritage site.  Supposedly my little spare gas tank will get me out to the big guy, but I'm nervous about it.  It's a long row back.  Anders says nearer to the mouth of the Aurlandsfjord you can see dolphins (or porpoises, I don't remember which he said) and seals.  I would just like to make the trip to say I had done it, and to feel more like I am owning this experience.

Speaking of seals, the souvenir shop has, in addition to a thousand overpriced crap covered with trolls and vikings, animal skins for sale.  Okay, I eat meat.  I wear leather shoes.  But it absolutely creeped me out to see a pile of seal skins for sale.  Sooner or later my revulsion for the use of animals for profit will catch up to my personal practices, and I feel that day approaching quickly.

I think today I will try the walk to Aurland, which should take about an hour and a half each way.  Bikes can be rented here, and the way to Aurland is pretty level, but there appear to be several blind turns in the road, and I feel more confident I can get out of the way of a car if I am walking.