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Leuven to Amsterdam

March 2, 2026

gem travel amsterdam, leuven, romey, train, travel Leave a comment

Norway in a Nutshell with Romey

November 27, 2021

gem mountain, photography, travel bus, ferry, fjord, flåm, gudvangen, highest train in the world, myrdal, Norway, Norway in a nutshell, romey, train, voss Leave a comment

This iteration of Norway in a Nutshell was a one day jaunt out of (and back to) Bergen. Things got underway early (around 8:40) at the Bergen train station. The trip went Bergen–>Voss–>Gudvangen–>Flåm–>Myrdal–>Bergen (through Voss). Arrival at home was 6pm.

Of course the day was perfect and the light was beautiful. Even the clouds of Bergen parted temporarily as we departed.

Norway in a nutshell vehicle 2 is a bus. pic.twitter.com/UPXDplAuzw

— noplasticshower (@noplasticshower) November 25, 2021

Norway in a nutshell vehicle 4 is an old train. The flåm train route is one of the best rides on the planet. (Paging @SteveBellovin) pic.twitter.com/Vf3jpQj39E

— noplasticshower (@noplasticshower) November 25, 2021

Here’s how the day went. After a delicious breakfast in Bergen at the Børs hosted by the delightful Dalia, we walked to the plastic-wrapped train station and found our place.

Masked on the train to Voss

It was still early in Voss and the 15 minute connection wait for the bus was uneventful.

Voss station (the blue appears)

The bus to Gudvangen is roomy and nice. But no wifi this time (WTF?!). The trip took about an hour, leaving 45 minutes to have some cocoa and walk around in Gudvangen.

Waterfall from a bus

On the way to Gudvangen

Majestic and way bigger than this picture makes clear

Looking back to Gudvangen

The bridge

The fjord was simply magical

A crystal clear day with little wind left the Fjord a gigantic deep mirror.

The ferry arrives

Since we were touring on off season (and during a pandemic), snacks were harder to come by than on previous Norway in a Nutshell runs. Even the ferry (which usually has a nice snack bar with various food items) was limited to coffee and tea. Bring along some snacks.

The two hour ferry ride is nothing short of stunning.

Pretend Viking boat

The ferry (very upscale)

These days, the ferry (which can comfortably hold 400) is a super modern, quiet boat with lots of room. It is also fast.

Pole position (with a charger)

Just as we departed, some base jumpers blew in from on high. Check out this spectacular landing.

Looking back into the wake

From the bow

Norway

Mountain boat

We called ahead to the Flåm for a pizza from the bakery. This is a good move! The pizza was delicious and it was great to walk in and have a hot pie waiting.

Yum!

Then it was a 3 minute amble over to catch the Flåm–>Myrdal train (one of the steepest inclines in railroad) in an historical vehicle. Here we go.

The climb really is remarkable.

Myrdal here we come (check out the switchbacks)

A short stop at the waterfall is always in order.

Romey takes a picture

Romey also takes a video. (These bits are for Emily.)

And then on to Myrdal with some daylight remaining (remember, the sun sets around 3:30pm in late November).

We made it!

After a few minutes at the top, the train to Bergen arrived. Then it was three hours back, arriving just in time for dinner with friends (including Vemen and Hovard this time).

Last train back

The route

Back home in Bergen.

The Blue Mountains: Katoomba, Australia

December 1, 2018

gem flowers, hiking, mountain, nature, photography, plants australia, blue mountains, day trip, gem, hiking, katoomba, nature, photography, sydney, train, video 2 Comments

A two hour train ride outside of Sydney, you can find the tourist hamlet of Katoomba in the Blue Mountains. Tourists have been coming here since the turn of the century (1900). Katoomba itself reminds me of West Virginia in its old coal town turned bust turned tourist vibe. You can now find hipsters and artists in residence.

We took the train out in the morning and spent several hours walking from the train station to a trailhead, down the cliff face, and back up again.

Highlights on the mountain visit include the three sisters, the giant stairway (976 steps!), waterfalls, and the steepest railroad in Australia.

We started our morning at Sydney central

The two hour train ride is a little long. The tourist center by the train station is well worth a visit. That is where we finalized our plan.

8things cafe. Great food and super service

8things for lunch in katoomba: pork belly ramen https://t.co/9c5hlVDFOT pic.twitter.com/ZFCUYehWjo

— noplasticshower (@noplasticshower) November 30, 2018

Cassiopia coffee (recommended)

We walked from the station to Echo point (2.3 km).

The Echo Point visitors center

This is where we first caught sight of the famed three sisters. Which we saw many times throughout the day.

Three sisters from Echo Point visitor center

Three sisters from the echo point trail

Three sisters from the trail

Three sisters from just above

Honeycomb cave (at the three sisters)

Three sisters from below on the Federal trail

Three sisters from Scenic World gondola

Here’s what happened in between. After honeycomb cave, we entered the giant stairway. Lots of stairs down (976 in fact). Amy did not do them all.

This is an alternative way to get down the stairs (not recommended by our attorney)

Not here

Here

Flowers and bromiliads

Amy

AMY

A tiny fiddlehead against the mountains

Down

Flowers on the mountain

Looking down 500 feet

The blue mountains

Amy contemplates

Cliff hangers

Amy takes the stairs with a monk

Cliff hangers and rare species

Eventually, we entered the rain forrest at the bottom of the cliff.

The giant stairway is well named. It has been there a while.

Rainforest ecology

Amy rounds the bend

Ferns and trail. The rainforest shift is striking

A very big tree indeed

Katoomba Creek falls

After the falls, we were back in what passes as civilization. Scenic world was first contemplated by coal miners. Just take the train thingy up.

And, why not? Try the cable car too.

We walked back from scenic world (another 2.5km). All told we may have hiked around 5 miles. We deserved a beer.

After a long day hiking, it was high time for a beer!

After 3.5 hours walking in a circle from the katoomba station it's time for a beer. The damn paparazzi are stalking me. pic.twitter.com/u0VtkgLdTj

— noplasticshower (@noplasticshower) November 30, 2018

The 2 hour train ride back to Sydney was slightly too long.

Norway in a Nutshell: Bergen in a Leaf

April 27, 2016

gem nature, travel, who knows anna, bergen, bergen in a leaf, boat, cable car, flån, flord, gøran, jackie, Norway, Norway in a nutshell, oslo, train, voss Leave a comment

Norway in a nutshell is a great way to see lots of a gorgeous country. It’s grueling though! We were on trains, boats and buses for 12 hours! Sadly, there is no beer on the boat until May 1st, so all future tourists make sure not to go to Norway in April.

This montage includes all legs of the Norway in a Nutshell trip plus our time spent in Bergen. We were joined by some great Norwegian friends for the last half of the trip. Conversation and laughter abound.

Norway is stunningly beautiful.

OSLO to MYRDAL