Norway in a Nutshell | Winter

I’m back in the studio and full of inspiration after a trip to Norway. I’m slowly going through photographs that I will use to create new collages, and I thought I’d share a little snapshot from the fjords and mountains, as they are some of the most amazing landscapes I’ve ever seen.

I did the Norway in a Nutshell tour, which is a self guided tour travelling on a combination of public transport through Western Norway’s beautiful landscape. You can book all of these tickets independently yourself, but I looked into it and there wasn’t much difference in price - for me it was just easier to have all the tickets sent to me in once place.

You can do the tour from Oslo or Bergen, but having already been to Oslo before, I stayed in Bergen so that I could also enjoy some of the city’s seven mountains.

The route I opted for was a train from Bergen to Voss, bus from Voss to Gudvangen, boat from Gudvangen through the UNESCO-protected Nærøyfjord and Aurlandsfjord to Flåm where you get on the Flåmsbana - one of the world's most beautiful train journeys to Myrdal where you then change for a train back through Voss to Bergen. You can choose which route you take, so you can also do the opposite way to this etc.

The trip takes a whole day and you’re surrounded by beautiful scenery the whole journey. Above is a picture snapped at Voss whilst waiting for the bus, it’s one of Western Norway’s biggest ski resorts, so lots of people were off to the slopes. Once you’re on the bus, (which the locals also use), you travel through Voss itself through to the mountains and Nærøydalen valley, passing snow covered peaks, layers of thick snow and frozen lakes. The bus driver also kindly pointed out an eagle, and not so kindly ;) a recent stone avalanche.

It didn’t snow in Bergen whilst I was there, but as you go further inland, there’s plenty. Although on arrival to Gudvangen, there wasn’t really any on the ground. Gudvangen is a village in Aurland Municipality in Vestland county and is where the boat journey begins. There was just under an hour before the boat arrived, so plenty of time to take in a first glimpse of the breathtaking views of the UNESCO listed Norwegian fjord landscapes, and grab a hot drink at the cafe before setting off. A viking village called Njardarheimr is also located here but wasn’t open, as I think it might be seasonal.

The most stunning reflections of the snow capped fjords in winter (February) - I honestly didn’t know which way to look as you’re completely surrounded by breathtaking scenery. A big thank you to my husband who assisted me in taking photographs, I could have done with eyes in the back of my head!

Norway in a Nuthsell is a sustainable way of exploring Norway and the boat is electric, so was very quiet, but wrapping up warm is essential if you do this trip during winter, as you cruise for two hours through Nærøyfjord and Aurlandsfjord, which branch off of the main Sognefjorden, Norway's longest fjord. I was prepared, knowing that they’d probably be a piercing wind once you got going (which there was), so wore thermals and layers, so I didn’t really feel the cold apart from on my fingers which were freezing despite wearing two pairs of gloves. However, I was committed to getting lots of photographs for my work so only went inside to warm my fingers up quick a couple of times.

At the end of Aurlandsfjord is the village of Flåm (pictured above - imagine living here!), where you get off the boat to board the Flåmsbana and experience the Flåm Railway. There’s a little museum worth popping your head in to see how it was built, quite a feat as it’s twenty kilometers long on steep mountainsides and goes through twenty tunnels alongside beautiful valleys and waterfalls, starting from Flåm at 2m altitude and ending at Myrdal at 866m.

The train itself is nostalgic and very accidentally Wes Anderson with it’s traditional wooden interior. Riding through the Flåmsdalen valley, you take in picturesque views of some of Norway’s charming villages and beautiful nature, passing by Rjoandefossen waterfall and stopping at Kjosfossen station for five minutes to take in the magnificent waterfall which is frozen in winter. In the summer you can see a Huldra (a forest creature in Scandinavian folklore) by the waterfalls perfomed by local actors.

I can see how it’s one of the most scenic train journeys in the world, though I would say the one hour journey goes by pretty quick - some parts are a bit blink and you’ll miss it before you go through a tunnel again, and there was a lot of mist on the mountains, so you couldn’t really see too much in some parts. Personally though, I think it made it very atmospheric and going in what’s considered low season, it wasn’t busy at all with only a few other people in the carriage, so you could stand up going between both sides as the views alternated.

Above is the mountain railway station of Myrdal, where I changed to get the last train of the journey back to Bergen. The station has a cafe and waiting room but it’s worth noting that the cafe is closed during the winter months. The route from Myrdal to Bergen is just over two hours but is also full of impressive scenery.

I can’t recommend doing the Norway in a Nutshell tour enough, especially in winter, the fjords were just something else, and the boat wasn’t busy at all, at some points it was just myself and another guy braving the cold to take pictures. I’m feeling excited to get creating some new prints with the photographs I’ve taken. I’ll share some more pictures from hiking Mount Ulriken and from Mount Fløyen soon.

See prints I’ve created inspired by my trip to Norway: Upon the Mountains, Slow Moving Clouds (Natural), Slow Moving Clouds (Green), Late Winter and Low Golden Light.

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