Sognefjorden

Copenhagen - Bergen - Voss - Flåm - Sognefjorden - Oslo - Stockholm

• Ferrying from Flam to Godvangen is the quickest way to cover the famous fjords of Norway.
• There are treks available on the route but one needs to stay overnight, Aurland being the biggest.
• Countryside Norway almost shuts down after the second weekend of October so plan accordingly.

The famous fjords of Norway awaited me while I was sleeping in Flåm  The next day I checked out of the hostel at 10 and started walking towards Aurland. The 5 miles walk was pleasant with lots of breaks to admire the landscape. The ferry to Godvangen was not scheduled before 3.30 PM and hence I was at leisure.

View of Flam on way to Aurland

Flåm

Copenhagen - Bergen - Voss - Flåm - Sognefjorden - Oslo - Stockholm

This blog would have less to do with Flåm and more to do with how I reached there. When I stepped out from the overnight train from Oslo to Myrdal at 4.45 AM I was in two minds. Either I wait for more than 5 hours and take the famous Flåmbana train or I walk the 15 miles to Flåm. I chose the latter.

At 7 AM I decided that it is enough light to walk on the railway track that would lead me to Flåm. 

Thanks to a local guy whom I met a couple of miles later I learned that the road to Flåm goes the other way. 

I retraced back my steps to find a huge waterfall going down a beautiful ravine just below the railway station. How the hell did I miss that?

The winning  road down to the valley was enough to convince me that I had taken the right decision. The next few hours kept surprising me with elements of nature I had only seen in wallpapers.

The seven hours of trek included hundreds of waterfalls, two tunnels, four wooden bridges, three gorges and a flowing river all along the trek.

I reached Flåm at 2 and immediately checked into the Youth Hostel. I needed a hot water bath. The hostel was beautifully placed between the river and a sky high mountain with Flåm station a couple of minutes away.

I decided to take a stroll later in the evening although my legs were still sore with the seven hour trek. The weather and view was rewarding enough and I ended up sitting at a wooden bench eating chips and drinking a hot cup of coffee.

I even trekked up the hill for a top view of Flåm  With enough pain to bear, I walked straight back to my bed and prepared for a long sleep. I was still not clear about tomorrow's plans.

Helsingor

Trip: Copenhagen > Helsingor > Copenhagen

We reached Helsingor at 4 PM. That may well be enough to tell what we were able to do there. What we managed was visit to a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a couple of miles walk in the windiest of conditions.

Kronborg for upgradation@UNESCO World Heritage site

Munich

Salzburg - Munich

Oktoberfest was the only agenda when we reached Munich  As we arrived at the famous Theresienwiese we realized we were late. The tents were closing down. The girls in bavarian dress were looking amazingly hot - not to forget they were drunk. 

It was late night and we relaxed at the station. An early morning attack was required from us to occupy a better spot in the hanger-size tents that were erected in the Theresienwiese area which is a 15 minute walk from station.

We arrived at one of the tents at 7.30 AM. We were not alone. At least 2000 people were already there making a queue while it rained. The gates opened at 8 and beer was served at 9. By 10 we were clueless as to where we are and decided to walk around. Taking a few snacks we came to ground and decided to go.

As we came on our foot, we moved quickly. The next destination was Dachau. The notorious concentration camp was a source of awe and fear during WW2. The camp was revamped for tourists and had enough reading labels to keep up occupied for a couple of hours.

Our train was scheduled at 7.30 for Copenhagen and hence we decided to take off early. 

Sitting at Munich station was also worthwhile as those girls in bavarian dress at Okcoberfest were in abundant numbers at the station also.