We road the Flåm railway from the mountain station at Myrdal down to Flam nestled at the end of Aurlandsfjord, a branch of Sognefjord. The railroad is 20 km long, has 20 tunnels and took 20 years to complete. The line was opened for steam trains in 1940 and electric trains in 1944. 18 of the tunnels were carved out by hand!

There’s a building in that circle. It’s just over the top of the pass. The road follows the river down the valley. It’s popular to rent bikes & ride down . We opted to not ride. It’s really steep with some gravel & narrow (open to vehicles but some roads are like wide bike paths). Beautiful from wherever you are!

The Flamsbana Museum has a wonderful collection of photos & memorabilia from before & after the railway was completed. In 1871, the first plans to build this railway as a branch line on the Bergen to Oslo line were proposed. In 1923 the Norwegian Parliament approved funding for an electric railway.

Flam’s population is about 450 with over a million visitors a year! The attraction is the stunning scenery and the mountain railway. Flam is a stop on the popular “Norway in a Nutshell Tour” between Oslo and Bergen. The village is also a cruise ship stop. We were out walking early, enjoying town before the crowds!

This is St Olaf’s church (AKA the English Church) in Balestrand. It was built in 1897 in memory of Margaret Kvikne. She was an avid mountain climber. If you have seen the movie Frozen, Elsa was crowned queen in a replica of this church.

This is inside the Church of St. Olaf. The architect designed the Church with features taken from old Stave Churches. Restoration is an ongoing project. Services are held throughout the summer months.

We love e-bikes! We rode the 3 fjord tour, about 40 miles. Fortunately, there wasn’t a lot of traffic! The roads are really narrow! The route was following the water for stunning views the entire ride. We lucked out with a calm, cloudy (no rain!) day.

There is still snow next to the road, mostly north facing slopes. We saw an otter cross the road heading for the water & a bald eagle launching out of a tree next to us. Unfortunately, things happened too fast for a picture.

The 3 fjords we rode along were small branches off Sognefjord. The road took us down and around each fjord & also through 3 tunnels! Thankfully the tunnels were short as the bike lights didn’t seem to work! It was a great day!

Balestrand has about 1400 permanent residents. It was established in 1850. This is the Kviknes Hotel, built in 1877. The interior is like walking through history. Since the late 1800s, artists have come here for the stunning landscapes & distinctive light.

Many Norwegian artists had connections with Düsseldorf, Germany and ended up in Balestrand. The artists built Dragon style decorated houses during the mid 1800’s. Several of the villas have been restored & refurbished.

We toured the Cider House, a family run cidery in Balestrand. The organic orchard was first established in 1922. We learned lots about apples and the cider making process. There are over 7,500 varieties of apples! The Cider House grows 90 types. The tour concluded with tasting & snacks!!