Norway 3-Day Trip (2)
Norway in a Nutshell
Norway in a Nutshell is an itinerary put together by the Norwegian tourism board that strings the scenery along the route into a single trip, letting travelers ride trains and boats to experience Norway’s beautiful landscapes. Along the way, the mountains and rivers are lush in summer and blanketed in white snow in winter. The scenery really is stunning.
Leg 1: Oslo to Myrdal
This stretch starts off green and lush, then gradually turns into a world of white snow. Along the way you see countless rivers winding around the mountains; at first the rivers are clear and lively, but later they freeze over. In the end it’s just a vast white expanse, sky and earth all pure white. Occasionally you spot a few skiers, and sometimes you worry whether they might lose their way. Partway through I even saw someone paragliding over the snowy mountains. I’d never seen anything like it; it looked thrilling.
Leg 2: Myrdal to Flam
This is the mountain railway, and the scenery on this stretch is even more enchanting. In summer there would be some small performances along the way, but since it was close to Chinese New Year and everything was covered in ice and snow, the performers weren’t putting on any shows for the visitors.
After running for a while, the mountain train arrives at a viewing platform where everyone gets off to take photos and admire the view. The platform faces a small waterfall.
Leaving the platform, the scenery is gorgeous on the left at times and picture-perfect on the right at others.
As we neared Flam, villages began to come into view.
Leg 3: Cruising the fjord from Flam
This stretch is pretty much the climax of the Nutshell tour. Here everyone boards a boat and sails through the fjord for two hours.
Legs 4 and 5: Bus and train
By legs 4 and 5 the sky had already turned dark, so there wasn’t much to see, and I was already getting drowsy on board. But on this stretch, in summer, you can watch the train run along the coastline with the sea in view the whole way.