{"id":3753,"date":"2022-09-28T19:11:34","date_gmt":"2022-09-28T19:11:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/?p=3753"},"modified":"2025-12-24T22:27:47","modified_gmt":"2025-12-24T22:27:47","slug":"norwegian-fjords-8-flam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/?p=3753","title":{"rendered":"NORWEGIAN FJORDS 8. FL\u00c5M"},"content":{"rendered":"

[pmb_print_buttons]<\/p>\n

Some of these fjords are pretty long!\u00a0 Sognefjord is no exception.\u00a0 Fl\u00e5m is located a convenient 180 km (112 miles) from open water.\u00a0 This fjord is actually Norway’s longest at 203 km, ahead of Hardanger Fjord (179 km).\u00a0 There is only one longer fjord in the world and that’s Greenland’s Scoresby Sund – measuring in at a sparky 350 km!<\/p>\n

Apparently, Norway has over 1700 named fjords dotted along the 57,000 km-long coastline.\u00a0 It also has 239,057 counted islands – second only to Sweden according to World Atlas – but the question is when is a rock counted as an island?\u00a0 Whatever!\u00a0 Norway has a lot of them!<\/p>\n

So, here we are moored at Fl\u00e5m …<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

… ready to take a ride on the Fl\u00e5m Railway …<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

This railway has been described as one of the most beautiful train journeys in the world and is one of the leading tourist attractions in Norway.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The train runs from the end of Aurlandsfjord, a tributary of the Sognefjord, up to the high mountains at Myrdal station, 867m above sea level.\u00a0 On the way, we had a\u00a0five-minute photo stop at the Kjosfossen waterfall.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Back aboard for the final leg …<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

… to our “waffle-stop” at the Vatnahalsen Hotell.\u00a0 From here the view back down the valley is stunning!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

If you look closely you can see the Fl\u00e5m zip-line (see the orange markers).\u00a0 This will fly you down 305 m of descent at speeds reaching 100 kph.\u00a0 The total length of the wire is 1381 m, the longest zipwire in Norway.\u00a0 There are a number of conditions that would prevent a person taking the ride (for example\u00a0 pregnancy) and just one that is essential – insanity!<\/p>\n

On various trips our guides have been talking about the Norwegian flag.\u00a0 Apparently there are very strict rules governing when it can be flown.\u00a0 While these regulations cover all official properties, almost everyone complies.<\/p>\n

From March to October the flag should be hoisted from 08.00.\u00a0 From November to February it should be hoisted from 09.00. The flag is lowered at sunset, although no later than 21.00, even if sunset is later than that. In the northern counties of Nordland and Troms the flag is flown between 10.00 and 15.00 from November to February.\u00a0 The complications of living in such a long country that extends so far north!<\/p>\n

The flag must be flown on designated “Flagg Dags” of which there are 17 a year.<\/p>\n

There also exist written rules for the proper folding of the flag, for not letting it touch the ground, and in addition the unwritten rule that it should not be worn on the body below the waist.<\/p>\n

Anyway, the reason I got Wikipedia to tell you all of that is that most Norwegians can’t be faffed with all the time changes.\u00a0 Instead they choose to fly an unofficial flag – a Pennant style flag with the same colours …<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

These can fly anywhere, any day, any time!\u00a0 So no 9 o’clock alarms needed.\u00a0 Result!<\/p>\n

So, back on the train, another photostop at the falls, back on board and off we go.\u00a0 Leaving Fl\u00e5m for Stavanger.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

We finally made the Silver Note restaurant this evening.\u00a0 Slightly weird food but with excellent jazz accompaniment.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Note my rocket-like dessert in it’s own volcano-like dish.\u00a0 Like I say a bit weird!\u00a0 But Jakob’s violin playing was again magic.\u00a0 And in the morning, breakfast on the aft deck in Stavanger.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

We are looking forward to two days here … and so can you!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[pmb_print_buttons] Some of these fjords are pretty long!\u00a0 Sognefjord is no exception.\u00a0 Fl\u00e5m is located a convenient 180 km (112 miles) from open water.\u00a0 This fjord is actually Norway’s longest at 203 km, ahead of Hardanger Fjord (179 km).\u00a0 There… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3753","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-norwegian-fjords"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3753","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3753"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3753\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4624,"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3753\/revisions\/4624"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3753"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3753"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3753"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}