And then there was Flaam,

a small farming community of 350,nestled at the very end of Aurlandsfjord,a tributary of the worlds deepest and at 115 miles longest fjord,Sognefjord.The largest farm,Fretheim,has been handed down from father to son since 1500.The village wooden church [said to be Norway's oldest] dates to 1667.But what Flaam is really famous for is the railway.I have not yet been successful to ride on this technological marvel.When I booked the cruise 3 or so weeks prior to departure,no tickets were available.And that was the case when I took the same cruise with my sister and her husband 4 years ago.There is also an absolutely unmissable "bakeri",[bakery to you and me] where the most delicious pastries can be bought.Flaam,small as it is,has souvenir shops aplenty,there is a railway museum and a factory outlet selling mostly warm clothing.This time I gave a miss to them all.Neither did I drink AKEVITT,the national beverage served in a small glass or tasted their flat bread lefske,nor purchased gravet lax,the cured salmon.But I walked and when I thought my legs could carry me any further, I walked some more.The scenery,oh the scenery.The further from the settlement you go, the more the mountains appear to be ascending from the sea almost vertically.From a distance the tiny village thwarted by the mighty ship.If all the houses on Flaam were placed on the Queen Mary,there would still be some room left.And the weather was glorious.