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, makers of geitost (goat cheese): where the milk is boiled until the sugars carmelize - a very pleasant taste. Gouda with a bit of goat bite.
The ferry captain pointed out that it was actually a French woman who came up with the idea, though I haven't been able to confirm this through online sources.
While they were busily
chatting to me, the captains forgot to turn on the chipper Audio-Tour
Guide. This is how I found out (in 12 languages), that Undredal was
also home to the smallest stave church in Northern Europe.
once
accessible only by ladder. On cool blurb I read said that "the ladders
were pulled up when the tax collectors came, and that young children
were kept on a leash to prevent them from falling into oblivion".
Other random facts:
"Thanks to the warming Gulf Stream, the Norwegian fjords enjoy a mild climate and remain virtually ice-free. Apples and apricots are grown at the latitude of Alaska. But summer travellers can still see snow-capped mountains and glaciers from the Norwegian fjords".
"Nærøyfjord is the narrowest fjord in the world, at one point only 250 metres across, while mountains tower up to 1800 metres above its tranquil waters."
" In Flåm and in the area there are several producers of
local food. One of them is “Haugen Gardsmat” they make delicious
sausages and lamb chops from pork and sheep. They heartily welcome you
home and can offer lunch and dinner from their menu. Booking can be
done at fjordbui.no" -- Hey, too bad I never heard about this guy.
"The Flåm Railway is one of the worlds steepest railway lines on
normal gauge. The gradient is 55/1000 on almost 80% of the line, i.e. a
gradient of one in eighteen. The twisting tunnels that spiral in and
out of the mountain are manifestations of the most daring and skilful
engineering in Norwegian railway history. " According to the daring and
skilful engineers that is. As a bit of an adrenaline junkie, I have to
say that I was rather disappointed with the slow-moving reality. Don't
get me wrong. It's a cool train and the views are great. But I think
the real show is the numerous villages along the way. My guidebook said
you "can" get out and walk from halfway down. I'd like to amend that
to, you "must". Course, it is a long hike, so be prepared. (Not that I
did it. I thought I would have until 2pm the next day. Plenty of time
to take the train back up halfway or more, and hike down. Too bad I
barely managed to sleep.
This time: no bachelorette, or after-hours bars; no snoring old
lady; no early-morning travellers getting up for a flight. But I
did wake up in the middle of the night with the distinct feeling that
my skin was crawling. I ignored this and went back to sleep. Only to
wake up again, with a more insistent sense that my skin was crawling.
And itchy, too. Insect bites. Lots of them. Eww. Bedbugs, I think. I
had to rouse the hotel manager from bed in a house down the road to let
me into another room. I counted 75 bites, mostly on my arms and
legs. Nasty itchy. Creepy, too. Bedbugs seemed to me to be something
straight out of the Great Depression. But apparently they are making a
comeback in major cities. Thanks in part to the international
traveller . (This is why sleeping bags are banned in most Scandinavian
hostels).
For more information, Johs B. Thue gives an in-depth and fascinating account of the region in his online publication The Naeroyfjord. The pictures alone will make you want to empty your bank account and book your the next flight. http://en.skald.no/data /filer/8279590757.pdf
previous travel blog entry
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