At 7.30am we boarded the 'Njord" our express boat for the 5½ hour cruise through the Sognefjord and Aurland fjords to Flam. It was a relatively new boat and contained all the mod cons including a great café so we were happy to sit back and enjoy a comfortable and pleasant cruise.

We cruised out of Bergen Harbour then through the archipelago before entering the Sognefjord which is the deepest fjord in Norway . As we cruised further into the fjord the surrounding snow-capped mountains grew ever taller dwarfing our boat as they rose towards the sky. It was just a magical place to be on such a magical day - we felt very privileged to be there.

We made five stops along the way to small villages then all too soon the cruise ended and we had arrived in Flam. Flam is a beautiful hamlet of 600 people, we disembarked and walked the 50 metres to our hotel "The Fretheim” which is an historic white weatherboard building set in a lovely garden at the foot of an enormous mountain. Once again Trevor and I were sharing a family room with Sally and were fortunate in being allocated a 3^rd floor room overlooking the beautiful harbour – impressive!

Flam itself is tiny but its numbers swell as cruise ships and fjord boats arrive daily for tourists to cruise the fjords and ride the 20 km world heritage listed Flamsbana Railway to Myrdal . It was fascinating to sit in the glassed walled lounge of the hotel and watch this daily procession.

Our one night stay at the Fretheim Hotel was enjoyable – although I think Trevor nearly had a heart attack when we dined in the restaurant and the meal cost 495 NOK each. As everyone knows Trevor only eats enough to keep a sparrow alive - so having to pay $90 AUD + taxes he wasn't a happy camper!

The following day we had a late check-out then based ourselves in the hotel lounge until it was time to board the Flamsbana Train for Myrdal at 4pm. Luckily we had forward facing seats on the train so could enjoy the picture perfect views as we rounded each bend.

The duration of the trip was one hour and we enjoyed every second of it.  The sheer beauty of the Norwegian Alps with its majestic mountains and gigantic waterfalls flowing into crystal clear rivers beside quaint alpine villages was just breathtaking We all voted it an experience we will long remember .

Arriving in Myrdal we had time for a quick coffee as we waited for our train to Oslo to arrive. To enable us to board the trains quickly as they stopped briefly at the station we'd devised a "boarding plan".  I jump on first with my backpack and hand luggage ready to receive the cases as Trev and Sal manhandle them up the steps before they jump on board with their backpacks and hand luggage to join me.  We seem to be getting it down to a fine art!

We were pleasantly surprised by the Oslo train, it was modern, comfortable and well equipped with all the latest gadgetry.   As we would be eating dinner on the train we checked out the Buffet car and were suitably impressed.  Sal and I opted for the Roast and Trev a Danish (Norwegian?) Hot Dog. After dinner we settled back to enjoy more of the beauty of Norway for the next 5½ hours as the train sped towards Oslo.