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BERGEN
RAILWAY
RATED AS THE
WORLD'S FINEST RAILWAY JOURNEYS!
Bergensbanen tops a list of the finest railway journeys in
the world. Chicago Tribune's travel journalist Gary Warner
has written "A travel editor's best
of the rails". He often travels by train and has made his
evaluation by thorough
researching railway stretches,
looking at everything from technology and speed to scenery and comfort, and NSB
comes
out on top of the list. "This is very gratifying", says Arne
Wam, head of communication at NSB. He is quick
to point out that
this is not the first time that Bergensbanen has won
international recognition.
In a survey a few years back Bergensbanen was rated as the most
exciting railway journey, says Wam.
Gary Warner's list:
1. Bergensbanen: The Norwegian train is the highest main line
rail route between two cities in Europe. Breathtaking
scenic
spur line from Myrdal to Flåm.
2. Indian-Pacific (Sydney - Perth)3. Vienna-Venezia
4. Eurostar (London - Paris)
The Bergen Line
This line connects the two most important cities in Norway, Oslo
and Bergen, and the train journey "over the roof of
Norway" is
an experience in a class of its own. The Bergen Line is a unique
experience on Northern Europe's highest
railway. One of the greatest
challenges for the Bergen Line is the harsh and unpredictable
weather. The line is
exposed to deep low-pressure centers
from the west, which can mean strong winds and heavy snow for
part of the
year. Keeping the railway open
demands great effort and technical expertise. Skilled workers,
effective equipment,
tunnels and snow tunnels currently
make the Bergen Line one of the safest and most comfortable ways
of traveling
between Oslo and Bergen. This line is recognized as being one of the top 20 railway experiences in
the world.
Interesting stops along the Bergen Line:
Oslo
is situated by the Oslo fjord and with its approx 470,000
inhabitants is the smallest capital city in Scandinavia. The
city
is surrounded by marvelous areas for
recreation, and of several green parks in the centre the
Vigeland (Frogner) Park
is the most popular. In summer, the
streets are bursting musicians and cafés. You can also take a
boat trip on the fjord
either during the day or on a nice
summer evening. The city pulsates with culture and music, and
Oslo features many
exceptional events in winter.
Gol
at a height of 207 m, is where the Bergen line really
starts its ascent into the mountains, climbing more than 1100
meters over a
distance of less than 100 kilometers. Gol is a farming community
with a population of 2000 inhabitants,
and it is with an emphasis on dairy
farming and extensive use of alpine pastures.
Geilo
is an important traffic junction, with a considerable iron
and metal goods industry (knives, scythes, tools, etc.) as well
as a manufacturing center of sports
articles and souvenirs. Geilo, with a population of 2000 is one
of the largest winter
sports centers in Northern Europe, with a multitude of hotels, chair
lifts and ski tows, floodlit cross-country ski trails,
alpine slopes, several snowboard
parks and Trollpark for children..
Ustaoset
is one of Norway's largest holiday cabin «town-ships» with about
700 chalets and log cabins scattered about the
mountainside. The
mountain ridge of Hallingskarvet dominates the scene along the
stretch of track.
Finse
at a height of 1222 m, Finse is the highest station on the
Bergen line. One of the lines most exposed stretches between
Finse and Hallingskeid is now enclosed in a 10.3 km long tunnel.
This is the longest high mountain stretch among the
railways in
Europe and it is a very nice area for hiking in the mountains,
either by foot or on skis.
Myrdal
is the beginning and end station of the Flåm Railway.
At Myrdal, the Flåm valley plunges towards the Aurland fjord.
During this wonderful journey, with breathtaking panoramic views
between the tunnels, the train goes into a spiral
tunnel inside
the mountain to cope with the change in elevation of 865 m along
a mere 20 km of track.
Voss
is a charming rural town with a population of almost 6000 which
is also famous for its excellent cross-country and alpine
skiing. The cableway "Hangursbanen" running 200 m from Voss
station is 1,1 km long and has a change in elevation of
570 m in
only 4 minutes. Voss is situated in the heart of fjord country
and has preserved its many traditions dating back
some 3000
years when it became a farming community. Today it is a modern
village with app 6000 inhabitants, well
known for its ski
resort.
Bergen
was one of the great Hanseatic ports - founded in 1070.
The city now has a population of more than 210,000, all of
whom are equally proud of its old
traditions and distinctive character. The people of Bergen are
fiercely proud of their
city, and rightly so. Although
"only" the second largest city in Norway, Bergen is the capital
of Western Norway, also
called "the gateway to the fjords"
and definitely one of Norway's most beautiful port cities.
Bergen was selected one
of the European cities of culture in the year 2000.
The city is surrounded by seven mountains, which is the
reason for its rain statistics. Bergen is a major city with old
world charm and atmosphere, wooden
houses and narrow alleyways, a busy harbour and a whiff of sea
salt in the air.
The history of
Bergen is linked to the medieval Hanseatic League of merchants,
dating from the Hansa trader's
settlement in 1360. Bergen is
especially colorful in spring when the parks and gardens are in
full bloom. You will find a
lot of things to do and see in this
lovely city.
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Norway in a Nutshell Tour
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