Chapter 6: Flåm, Flåm, Thank you Mum
On the shore of Aurlandfjord
07.24.2023 - 07.24.2023 60 °F
View Fjords on paulej4's travel map.
Chapter 06: Flåm
Monday, July 24, 2023
Flåm is a tiny but mightily picturesque village of 350 residents photogenically set on the shore of the Aurlandsfjord. Nearly a half million tourists, B4 and I among them, visit here each year, covid not withstanding. The village of Flåm is a main attraction and is touted as home to the most beautiful 2-hour train ride in the world. Maybe; maybe not.
Mount Vibmesnosi overlooks the area. A stop at the Khosfossen waterfall is worth the trip. When you arrive, a woman clad in red pops out of the forest and dances atop a cliff near the waterfall, expressing the Norwegian folk legend of the Huldra—a spirit that lures men into the woods to seduce them. Her mission is to abscond with the man’s soul to gain her own humanity. I did not experience that while we were here.
Silversea has cheapened the on-board experience by delivering the destination lectures—in this case by Mr. Patrick Cherry—via video tape from the season’s initial voyage in place of “live.” I assume it saves them a good bit of lecture fees. The problem is that when one watches a video tape one expects a certain level of professional narration. In the method deployed here, the expert was aboard a few weeks ago. Mr. Cherry’s stuttering and throat clearing becomes an annoyance rather than how it might have humanized him live on stage. It's an interesting decision by the line and one that I feel devalues passengers on subsequent voyages of the same itinerary.
As an aside, another cheapening, from my perspective, is that if one waits to board the ship before making specialty dining reservations or arranging for that special massage, many venues are already sold out. That is true even if you've paid extra for a larger suite. It seems to me that they ought to save a spot or two for their top-dollar-paying customers who don't frequently visit the Silversea website in the weeks prior to beginning their voyage. I'd recommend: save a few slots. They'll fill up later, no worry about that, and your highest-dollar guests won't fell slighted. After much expression of concern (complaining) reservations for us finally appeared. Silver Sea had best not mess with Paul. His standards are very high. He isn't wrong, Silver Sea is supposed to be the 'A game' in the world of cruise ships. They charge for an A game and they need to deliver it. Pretty much the only one who Paul lets slide some is me.
One of my activities today was appointment #3 with the acupuncture Dr. I'm really wondering if this isn't some kind of Hocus Pocus. Other than being a human pin cushion, i can't tell you that i feel any better yet. To add to the definite Hocus Pocus, she put these tiny mustard seeds in a variety of spots in my ear. Are you rolling your eyeballs yet? Sounds ridiculous I know. However, conferring with 'Dr Google', it seems mustard seeds are believed to help diabetes, psoriasis, inflammation, bacteria, and a slew of other things. Who knew!? Still, the most common uses are all food related. Like I said, Hocus Pocus.
With my acupuncture and mustard seed insanity finished, Paul and I started to enjoy our evening. Canapes and champagne while we dressed for dinner. A lovely intimate meal at the Italian resturant on the ship. We meet Aline and Nick, a young couple for Australia. She took her rings off and set them on the table for the entire dinner. It was too odd, so Paul struck up a conversation and asked why. She doesn't like to wear jewelry - oh well, that was like deflating a ballon. Then to a show, not Broadway but enjoyable none the less. Then over to the bar to hear the jazz pianist and guitar player, and then to the 70's disco party. Lot's to do on a ship. If were at home in KC or Vero, we'd have dinner, watch TV, and be in bed by 10. But on the ship, its a night out on the town. I just thought I would give you a bit of color on our evening.
The aforementioned lecturer, Mr. Cherry points out that Flåm means “little place between the meadows.” He talks of overcrowding. 175 ships visited last year. Since the fjord cruising season is short, that’s a lot of traffic in a small place. The Flåm railway runs from Bergen to Oslo—a trip I suspect is well worth making. The rail line was built over a span of 17 years from 1923 through the great depression until 1941 when World War II was well underway. The work force was remarkably small: 260 men.
The Gulf Stream means Norway is not as cold as I thought it would be—even though it is bisected by the arctic circle. There are virtually no plains so, once one travels inland, you also rise in altitude making it much colder. Along the coast, it seldom snows in winter but there is often a continuous cold drizzle. During July, temperatures run in the mid-sixties during the day, dipping to the low fifties overnight. There is a fifty percent chance of rain every day. Bergen, for example, is the rainiest city in Europe.
Norway itself is small compared to the United States which is thirty times bigger. Norway comes in as slightly smaller than the state of Montana but larger than New Mexico. It is, of course, less populous as well. 5.6 million people live here while 332 million live in the U.S.
Officially the Kingdom of Norway, there is a king (Harald V of the House of Glücksburg) with a prime minister (Jonas Gahr Støre) serving over a parliamentary constitutional monarchy. A unicameral parliament, cabinet and supreme court were established by the 1814 constitution. Norway was neutral during World War I and again during World War II until the Nazis invaded it. It is a founding member of both the United Nations and the North Atlantic Treaty Alliance (NATO) and maintains close ties to but is not a member of the European Union (EU).
King Olav Tryggvason ousted the Vikings in the year 994. Norway enjoyed—or failed to enjoy—a legal relationship with Sweden until 1814 when it adopted its own constitution and ultimately gained independence in 1905.
Immigration is a major political issue as is the problem of maintaining a robust social safety net with a rapidly aging population. Oil and gas are exported while food is imported; less than three percent of the country is devoted to agriculture. 84% of its people live in urban environments. The average age of first-time mothers is almost 30 while women’s life expectancy is 85 while men only live until almost 81. The native population is slowly shrinking as the average number of children born to women is 1.83.
Unemployment runs around 5% (youth unemployment is much higher at 13%) and inflation is holding steady at 3.5%. Norway runs a budget surplus. They export $200 billion and import $140 billion. Hydroelectric facilities produce 92% of their electric needs with wind energy second at 6.4%. They observe a system of one year compulsory military service for both men and women with Norway being the first NATO country to allow women to serve in all combat arms positions.
Some Norwegian words and phrases for us to know include:
Thank you very much – Tusen takk;
You're welcome – Vær så god;
Please– Vær så snill.
We shall stick to English.
Departing Flåm at the end of our day, I am somehow reminded of our Portugal Porto River Cruise with a group of dear friends almost four years back. The fjords have a similar feel as we twist and turn to make our way. Of course, there is no ducking beneath low bridges here. If you're interested in a river cruise blog, here is our sample from July, 2019: https://russraffportugal.travellerspoint.com
