Tag: Spectacular Scenery

The Flåm Railway – Norway

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By Cheryl L Hosman Dieter

One of the day trips you will not want to miss while in Norway is a ride on the Flåm Railway. Trips can begin/end in Oslo or Bergen with train transfers.

Train on the way to Myrdal Station to catch the Flåmbana

Most tourists take the Flåmbana to reach the town of Aurlandsfjord where they will board a ferry for a trip down the Sognefjord, one of Norways most famous fjords. This is an easy trip from the main train station in Bergen, past rolling hills and lakes galore straight into the town of Voss. From there the train will climb high into the mountains until you reach the Myrdal Station. Here you will exit the train and take a short jaunt over to the Flåm Railway. Keep in mind that this is one of the world’s steepest standard gauge lines in the entire world and with that comes some of the most spectacular scenery you will ever witness.

Entering the train you will be transported back to the golden days of train travel consisting of fine wooden interiors and seats reminiscent of the 1940’s. As you journey towards Aurlandsfjord you will pass through pristine valleys, climb majestic mountaintops, spy quaint villages, pass through twenty tunnels and witness stunning waterfalls too numerous to count. The train makes a short stop at the Kjosfossen Waterfall so the passengers can experience the thundering falls and see the fairy dancer magically appear.

The Flamsbana stopped at Kjosfossen Waterfall. When viewing the waterfall do not leave your personal items aboard the train as there are those who will rifle through your belongings.

Kjosfossen Waterfall

After arriving in Arslandsfjord you will have a chance to visit the Flam Railway Museum. Full of fun facts about the line and those who built it; you can expect to spend about 20 minutes viewing the exhibits. From there you can amble through one of the small tourist shops or catch a bite to eat before either returning the way you came or boarding the ferry for your trip down the fjord.

Aurlandsfjord Train Station

Flam Railway Museum… where there is never an entrance fee

A typical Norwegian lunch at Aurslandfjord

Boat houses at the start of the fjord in Aurslandfjord

The inky waters of the fjord

The guidebooks all recommended the Flam Railway paired with the trip down Sognefjord and I would have to agree that this is one of the best day trips for this part of Norway. Plan to shell out quite a bit of bread on a self-guided combo tour, but hey, it’s a small price for being a tourist in one of the prettiest places in the world.

Ahwhanee Hotel in Yosemite

Posted in Architecture, California, Federal, State and City Parks, Free Site, Historical, Incredible Vistas, Magical Places, Uncategorized, United StatesTagged , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

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One of the great United States Park Service hotels is undoubtedly the Ahwahanee located in Yosemite National Park. Opened in 1927 it is considered to be a masterpiece of U.S. Park Service Rustic architecture and hospitality but it has also served its troops well too. Back during WWII the Ahwahanee served as a rehabilitation hospital for Naval troops with a skiing program put into place to help the soldiers regain their strength. But its greatest honor occurred in 1987 when it became one of the premier destinations on the National Historic Registry.

It really doesn’t matter what season you visit you will always find the service impeccable and the views breathtaking. Yet, if I were planning a vacation here I would avoid the summer when the place is packed and the weather is often uncomfortably hot.  Personally, my favorite time to venture here is in the winter when the Ahwhanee is all decked out for Christmas. Using ornaments and decorations from a bygone era it is step back into history.  And perhaps the most coveted ticket in this neck of the woods is the one to the annual Bracebridge dinner held during the holiday season.  Here fortunate guests travel back to Christmas past, feasting all evening on delicacies and local wines while enjoying entertainment that might have been served up in a manor in the 1600’s. So alluring is the show that people sign up years in advance for a part in the production and famed photographer Ansel Adams was once one of the performers.

One thing I love to do while here is to sign up for the Ahwahnee Tour and History walk. Here hotel experts will fill you in on how the hotel was constructed and you’ll learn interesting Hotel tidbits like the fact that the chairs in the drawing room were made to purposely tip you up towards the windows so you always have an amazing view.

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As you can plainly see the  Ahwahnee Hotel is an amazing place of natural beauty and even if you cannot get reservations you can certainly stop in for a stroll and a cool glass of ice tea. But more importantly, take the time to wander outdoors. Cross over a bridge or two and watch the mist from the waterfalls soar into the sky. And if you are lucky, you might just see some of these beautiful creatures…but don’t get too close… because Momma bear is near and she would be happy to have you for breakfast.

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Finally, one of the biggest disappoints regarding the Ahwahnee is the despicable behavior of the Delaware North corporation which operated this park until it lost its lease bid to a rival company. Unfortunately, this greedy corporation is claiming rights of ownership to the names of all of the buildings in the park and today the Ahwahnee is being renamed after almost 100 years. It is a disgrace and I refuse to refer to this hotel by anything but its original name. In fact, I urge you to join me in a boycott of Delaware North properties and airport concessions. You can also let this malicious corporation know about your displeasure of their name grab of our historic buildings by contacting Victoria Hong Director of Corporate Communications at the corporate headquarters at this email address:vhong@delawarenorth.com