This place is pretty awesome. Eidfjord was our 4th stop in Norway on our Holland America cruise. I…read morethink the water fall was one of the biggest attractions here so we decided to purchase tickets for the small black bus that shuttle us here. Tickets were 275 NOK per person so came out to be around 31.86 USD. Bus left at 10am. Took like around 25min to get there from the dock. We had to be on the bus back at 11am. That just left us with only 30min to take photos and look at the scenery. Way too rushed in my opinion but we did it anyway and everyone else did as well. Came with a free coffee. The views are pretty amazing here. The waterfall is not as big as Niagara Falls but the nature and the pristine look of the earths natural beauty was pretty worth the trip up. There are railings that are in place to give you the opportunity to take better photos but please be careful because you might drop your phone by accident and you definitely can't retrieve it. Go on a beautiful sunny day and make sure to savor in God's beautiful creation if you do get a chance to see!

This was a bit of fun but I must puncture the hype. Yes it's stunning scenery but we were ripped…read moreoff at $360 for two off a cruise ship. I've no idea what the price is self organised. It's really not a not very long but it is a slow railway journey up a steep mountain to the Vatnahalsen hotel, a place from another age that's seen better days and were poor hosts; I suppose quaint is the kind word for this tired place. So we wound our way up on a 12 mile journey, climbing up all the time going through 20 various tunnels, viewing deep gorges, waterfalls, rapid rivers and snow capped mountains. We got a mere three stops with one staying put. At one point the train stops at the only double-tracked rail to allow the train going the other way to pass by. At another, it stops to allow us to disembark for 5 minutes to a platform to view an impressive waterfall thundering its way downwards. Small wonder 98% of Norway's electricity is generated by water. Just before the waterfall our, not very talkative yet ever - smiling, guide told the lore of a beautiful enticing woman luring people into the mountains so as we stood at the waterfall loud music started and a red dressed young lady briefly danced high up above us, near the fall. It's just a nice touch. Once we reach the mountain pass station we get off to walk 300 metres up a slope to the hotel for an alleged traditional Norwegian treat (self serve) of waffles, raspberry jam and runny sour cream with flasks of lukewarm lousy coffee and there's a water boiler if self serve tea is preferred. We are just cash cows here. We remained stuck here for about 2 hours - which was much, much too long - for a train to take us back to Flåm (pronounced Flom). I've reviewed the well worn hotel separately. It was cool and raining when we got there (13 July) so the hotel's fast WiFi kept most occupied. I suspect this is a lifeline for this quaint hotel. We spent far longer idling here in this dull place than we did actually on the total train journey but we were sort of glad to go once but cross at being fleeced. If not for the WiFi there's nothing much to do. As we had booked off a ship we had a reserved carriage on the train and a helpful guide to tell us a little bit of history and lead us sheep - like around. Sadly our guide told us very little about this railway for instance we got no information about the war years, as it opened in 1940, nor how much it cost to build and maybe there are no 'fun' or grim facts to share about its construction or 83 years of life. There was a screen to read and a voice but the train was noisy and other passengers chatted loudly to compensate for the train noise. It was way overpriced at £150 each for this trip. This made our 24 mile journey over £6 a mile. The coffee/food offering at the hotel is pretty lousy and needs a re think. Ya pays yer money and ya makes yer choice. Winter on this journey would be a whole other level.

There's some weird things that have happened to me during my adventure here in Europe but nothing…read moreas bizarre as what happened yesterday. During a random hike, at some random place I picked to hike, called Kongevegen (King's road), I was chased down by a rabid herd of goats. I was near the end of my hike towards an old 18th century bridge built next to an old Viking era stone bridge when I heared bells clanging, hundreds it sounded like, and it got louder and louder barreling down the hill towards my location. This trail meanders through forests and open grasslands full of sheep and other farm animals. There are gates that you simply pass through and close behind you but you pass by private property it seems like. Back home somebody would have a shotgun ready to gun you down from stepping into their private property, but not here, I passed by farmers going on about their daily routines and waving to say "Hallo!" Very friendly bunch these Norwegians...but back to the goats...Yes there I was finally making it to the fabled stone bridge and a pack of rabid horned goats ready to mow me down. I quickly ran towards the nearest wooden gate at the end of the bridge and quickly locked it from behind me. The goats dared follow me closer but to no avail...whatever drove these crazy animals to chase me is beyond comprehension - maybe because of what I was wearing? All red.