On my way out of Olso and up into
the mountains I made a rare stop into the train’s tea coach. In fact it was the only diner I ever
encountered on a train. When we were
still at the tree line I looked up and over the aisle I noticed the biggest
couple I'd ever seen. The Norwegian
fellow was 7 at least feet tall with hands bigger than a catcher’s mit. His girlfriend, sitting at the table with him,
was just as tall. No wonder the English
in olden times feared their raids. I recall
King Harald and the Battle of Stamford Bridge in 1066.
Passengers leave summer and late
season haying to find mountain crags, water, fiords, and gorges. We passed Hönefoss and Gol. A little after we passed the highest point it
started snowing in Geilo where several passengers departed with skis slung over
their shoulders. I really appreciated of
the warmth of the coaches. I’m not used
to snow in September. On the way to
Begen on Norway’s west coast there are 200 snow sheds that prevent snow from
blocking the railroad tracks. The 300
mile line is called Bergensbanen (the
Bergen Railway or NSB). There are also
snow screens like the one in the picture to the right.
Hardangervidda is a moor and there’s
nothing there - just terrible cold desolation – no trees and nothing alive that
I could see. It reminded me of the
Grampian Mountains in Scotland, only on a much larger scale. There are, however, some small cabins,
perhaps used for fishing during the warmer months. Once in a while a fiord would come into view
and they are spectacular with their obvious depth on up to their snow-capped
peaks above them. Travel books say this is the place where battle scenes from The Empire Strikes Back were filmed.
I remember seeing many crystal clear boat
anchorages during the descent to the level ground not far from Bergen. The entire length of chain or rope was
visible down to the rocks on the bottom.
Many Norwegians have to take a boat to get to their boats because there are no docks and nothing to tie onto. I can appreciate this lower level because I'm not used to mountains or the cold. In their own special way, I appreciate the mountains too because they are so beautiful, but the people who ski there must be really tough or have a lot of time on their hands.
