Got back to our room last night after a walk around the fortress to find a clothes tornado had hit our room. We had new roommates, two young Asian girls (l'm guessing 18-22). They're clothes & paraphernalia were all over the room. When we walked in they moved their stuff to their side of the room (they saw our suitcases, they had to know we were returning). It actually did not bother me since I had already packed to leave and did not need the room - I just thought it was funny. I did have to laugh when they went to bed before us (hah, we are not old).
Left this morning for Balestrand on the Sognerfjord, after a train ride from Oslo to Myrdal, an old-fashioned train ride to Flam (pronouced "flome"), and a boat ride on the Sognerfjord. The train ride was fun. Three of the 12 window in each car could be lowered part way. I had the only one on my side of the train. We pretty much stood the whole hour, and when anything exciting happened on my side, I let everyone know they were welcome to use the window to take a picture (it was a better picture than through the window). I noticed another group doing the same thing in the back on the other side. The third couple sat at their window, seldom taking a picture and looking out the bottom. If anyone came over to take a picture, they would not say anything, but neither did they move to let us in or made us feel welcome - what a waste old the "good" window. I feel like I got to know most of the others. Like the whole car was part of a party, and the one family just sat in a corner. As you can tell, I was really bothered by it, but to me, we all are likely to do this only once, and everyone deserves a chance to get good pictures. Besides, it made it fun.
On the train, I talked for a while with an older couple from Dallas. They travel often (they're part of a travel club). I asked them their favorite place (I do this all the time with people who travel frequently). They mentioned New Zealand and Hawaii.
Later on the boat, I met a woman from Australia, whose husband is from Croatia, and son is living in The Netherlands and applying for citizenship (talk about cosmopolitan). We spent most of the boat trip talking and snapping pictures.
The view both from the train and boat was fantastic – lots of snowcapped mountains, waterfalls from the melting snow, quaint towns, etc. We stopped on the train for 10 minutes at a waterfall that almost soaked us (reminded me of "cave of the winds" at Niagara falls, but not as large. You had to rush a picture, jump in the train to dry your camera your, then attempt another picture.
We are staying in Balestrand, about halfway through the Sognerfjord. The town is not that big, but I think I heard 12,000 people live hear. After dinner, walked around the town (and I mean, literally around the town). It was about 4 km. There is an old church right in front of our hotel, some Viking burial mounds (all you see are two small hills), and a few old “traditional houses” (which means a Swiss-style house with dragon decorations on the house-their self-proclaimed attempt to create a Norwegian-style of house). We also stopped at a small, stone beach. It was covered with mussels - I've never seen so many on the beach.
Well that’s it for now. Hope to visit the glacier tomorrow. Will try to email again, but finding an Internet that works with Time-Warner is tough. I may have to switch to AOL.
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