R. Doug Wicker's Blog, page 30

Jewel of the Seas — Norway; Departing Flåm through the Fjords

Fjords leaving Flåm

Jewel of the Seas departed Flåm sometime after 5:00 p.m., according to the timestamps of today’s images. The two fjords we sailed on this departure were Aurlandsfjord, and then Sognefjord. Sognefjord is the deepest and longest among the famously photogenic Norwegian fjords. Today, as well as next Monday and Wednesday, I’ll be highlighting (while giving myself a bit of a break) these fjords by just posting slide shows of this transit from 28 June 2022. Click on any image be...

Jewel of the Seas — Norway; Flåmsbana Myrdal Station back to Flåm

Myrdal Station, Flåmsbana, Norway

Our Flåmsbana train reached Myrdal Station around 11:15 a.m. Ursula and I took the opportunity to step outside our railcar, stretch our legs a bit, enjoy the brisk air at 866 meters/2,841 feet, and take in the scenery. As you can see below, many of our fellow passengers likewise availed themselves of the same opportunity:

Myrdal Station

As you can see from this sign, we’re 21 kilometers/13 miles from Flåm:

Myrdal Station

Reboarding the Flåmsbana for...

Fun Photo Friday — Flåm and Flåmsbana Favorites 2

Statue of Fridtjov overlooking Sognefjord

Norway’s largest and deepest fjord is Sognefjord. At approximately the midpoint of this fjord is the village of Vangsnes, which Jewel of the Seas passed after we departed Flåm for our next destination. Overlooking Vangsnes and Sagnefjord is a giant 74-foot/22.5-meter statue of Fridtjov the Bold. That is the statue you see in the image above. Here are today’s remaing Fun Photo Friday favorites of Flåm and Flåmsbana favorites:

Flåm panorama Flåm br...

Jewel of the Seas — Norway; Flåmsbana stop at Kjosfossen and on to Myrdal Station

The Kjosfossen stop aboard the Flåmsbana

The Flåmsbana stop at Kjosfossen Station lasted perhaps ten minutes or so. There are no residents at this station. It’s merely a tourist stop to allow photos of he magnificent Kjosfossen waterfall. Today I’m going to show you the sights at the waterfall and the areas heading from the waterfall toward Myrdal Station. As with Monday’s article, today’s photos will be captioned with timestamps to give you a sense of the timeline.

Kjosfossen 10:54 a.m....

Jewel of the Seas — Norway; Continuing on the Flåmsbana Railway

Flåmsdalen (Flåm Valley) 10:37 a.m.

Today’s article will start where last Wednesday’s left off and conclude with a stop the train made for photos of the Kjosfossen waterfall. So, without further delay, let us continue the journey to Myrdal Station:

Flåmsdalen (Flåm Valley) 10:43 a.m. Flåmsdalen (Flåm Valley) 10:48 a.m. Flåmsdalen (Flåm Valley) 10:46 a.m. Flåmsdalen (Flåm Valley) 10:48 a.m. Flåmsdalen (Flåm Valley) 10:50 a.m. Our coach on the Flåmsbana Flåmsdalen (Flåm Valley) 1...

Fun Photo Friday — Flåm and Flåmsbana Favorites 1

Sailing out of Flåm; 28 June 2022 at 5:44 p.m.

Today is the first for four Fun Photo Fridays featuring Flåm and Flåmsbana favorites:

Former Flåmsbana railcar Sailing fjords after departing Flåm Flåmsbana turn Flåm Calm

Слава Україні! (Slava Ukraini!)

Jewel of the Seas — Norway; Beginning our Flåmsbana Adventure

Flåmsbana (the Flåm Railway) 10:16 a.m.

Traversing the Flåmsdalen (Flåm Valley) is a real treat. The scenery is breathtaking. Tall mountains line both sides, and picturesque waterfalls draw white ribbons along steep cliffs as they cascade toward the Flåmselvi river. Rather than give a blow-by-blow description of the sights, I’m going to caption the photos below with their time stamps to give you an idea of the timeline for this journey.

Flåmsdalen (Flåm Valley) 10:20 a.m. Flåmsdalen (Flå...

Jewel of the Seas — Norway; Arriving Flåm

Jewel of the Seas arrives to Flåm, Norway — 28 June 2022

This long, long trip began with a transatlantic voyage on 7 May aboard Vision of the Seas. And I’ve been blogging about this trip since 1 August 2022, shortly after our return. Now, five voyages and two side trips later, we’re slowly coming to an end on this extensive travel series. Today I begin a four-part look at our visit to Flåm, Norway. After that there are only two destinations left to cover, and both of those are in Norway.

F...

Fun Photo Friday — 9 Ålesund Favorites 3

“Mina Morska” — Norwegian “sea mine” from World War I

Today’s Fun Photo Friday concludes our look at Ålesund, Norway. Next week I’ll show you another Norwegian destination from 27 June 2022, the city of Flåm and a scenic journey aboard the Flåmsbana (the Flåm Railway). The Flåmsbana is rated by National Geographic as one of Europe’s best train journeys, and beginning next week I’ll show you why. Until then, here’s our final look at Ålesund from 26 June 2022:

What Happens When Your Chute Do...

Jewel of the Seas — Norway; Ålesund — On Nørvøy headed back to Jewel of the Seas

Ålesund street corner across from Ålesund Kirke

With the exception of the photo above, today’s collection of Ålesund images were snapped during our leisurely trek back to the Jewel of the Seas. Some of the sights I’ve already described to you, but today’s images are included for different perspectives or were taken under afternoon conditions. Many of the images are water related. For instance, here’s the light marking the northern entrance to the Ålesundet:

Ålesund, northern entrance

Thi...