By:  Michael

I didn’t coin the phrase “Norway in a Nutshell” but it seems to be one of the most acceptable ways to experience the beautiful countryside and fjords of Norway. On Tuesday morning we got up early to catch a train to Voss followed by a bus to Gudvangen. We had an almost four hour layover in Voss, plenty of time for lunch and a gondola ride up a mountainside where we enjoyed watching numerous paragliders launch themselves into space. From Wikipedia: Paragliding is the recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders: lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure. The pilot sits in a harness or lies supine in a cocoon-like ‘pod’ suspended below a fabric wing. If only we were a few years younger…

We spent the night at the Gudvangen Fjordhotel, an interesting experience as it prides itself on being a replica of a Viking Village (no devices allowed), where we witnessed men and women garbed in Viking attire. On Wednesday morning we went for a short hike along the banks of the Nærøyfjord Fjord, the largest fjord in the world, before boarding a boat that cruised the length of fjord from Gudvangen to Flam. The two-hour cruise stopped at several small hamlets along the way, some of which can only be accessed by boat or by an arduous hike. Can’t imagine what life might be like for those few folks who call it ‘home.’ Once we disembarked from the boat we jumped on a tour bus that coursed up a harrowing single-lane road to the Stegastienen Viewpoint overlooking the fjord. Amazing views but probably not worth the crazy bus ride! Once back on flat ground, one more long bus ride back to Bergen, and we can now boast having experienced ‘Norway in a Nutshell.’ Tomorrow, it’s goodbye to Norway and hello to Amsterdam. See you there!!!