Bergen to Oslo

10.28 am and the train pulls out of Bergen station exactly on time.

This story actually started six months ago, late one night at home in Melbourne when I decided to book and pay for the train tickets online. I was issued with a confirmation number and the dollars were deducted from my bank account. On our arrival in Bergen we went to the rail station, found a ticket machine, keyed in the confirmation number, and out came the tickets for our journey...Vogn 1, Komfort seats 33 & 34. We have a lot to learn about public transport in Oz, and about how to make it easy for passengers.

We gather speed and very soon seem to be far from the city, the ribbons of morning cloud are suspended only meters above the steep sided rocky walls of the numerous fjords that rush by. The water is black, reflecting the cloud cover, and all along the way there are small timber houses that cling to the mountain sides, most painted in the favourite Norwegian colour of rusty brown. The forests are a mix of autumn colours and evergreens, with fast flowing streams flowing between the broader expanses of water in the fjords. At some turns the valleys open up and the snow is visible on the higher peaks and rock faces. Sheep graze on lush green pasture and the sun comes out as we climb higher into the mountains.

The train speeds on, and it's time to eat the lunch that has been carefully purloined from the breakfast bar at our hotel in Bergen...worth a small fortune based on everything we have learned so far about the cost of living in Norway.

The train is now entering and leaving tunnels every few minutes, and the views out the window, when they are available, reveal that the snow is now all around us, and it looks very, very cold. The trees have also disappeared due to the altitude and the cold conditions, and all around is the cold, hard, snow covered rock that surrounds the still numerous lakes and rivers. The views are breathtaking.

The sun comes out, the snow glistens and the water in the myriad small lakes turns a brilliant blue. The birch trees have re-appeared and the rich tapestry of autumn tones is everywhere. Small wooden houses still dot the hillsides - no rhyme or reason as to why they are where they are...there are few towns and the countryside doesn't seem to lend itself to farming or grazing.

Towns appear in the most unlikely places, houses all facing the same way...always towards the water with their backs to the mountains, and all looking much the same...rusty brown. We seem to be at a lower altitude now and the tree cover on the sides of the mountains is quite dense and rich in colour. There is no sign of the earlier snow, just rich green countryside with the ever present lakes and mountains as a back drop and rapidly flowing, rock strewn rivers and streams.

The sun is on the right hand side of the train now as we continue south west towards Oslo. The shadows are deepening and the light is fading. This journey has been remarkable for the fact that we have been travelling beside water nearly all day, and must surely be rated as one of the most scenic rail journeys in the world and could only be made better by more snow. I liked the snow!

It's 5.26 pm and the train pulls into Oslo Central Station precisely on time. I would rather spend seven hours on a train any day rather than fly for the same amount of time...much more relaxing.

D2