Finding our way to Flam

 Friday, August 28, 2026

The king of Norway, Harald V, died this morning at age 89.  He has been in the hospital the past week, and our guide yesterday said they were expecting him to recover, so when we heard the news this morning, it was a bit of a surprise. All of the flags are at half mast.

We are headed to the city of Flam (pronounced Floum).  The a is one of those special characters with a circle above.  I haven't figured out how to type it on the computer.   Å. 

Yesterday I mentioned the unbelievable number of tunnels we went through--well today we went through 38 tunnels...no kidding!  

It was fun to see what would pop out at the end!

I kept track of the tunnel distances--it totaled 47.85 km. Almost half of our 119 km trip today was through tunnels! But that didn't keep the stunning scenery away.

Along the route, we stopped at the Dale Factory (pronounced Dahl-Eh) for a tour.  This is the company that knits all of the cool outfits for the Norwegian teams in the world ski championships and Olympics!  What a fun place to visit.  And guess what...you can buy sweaters too!

The "museum room" shows sweaters from over the years, including the actual sweater worn by the last Norwegian female to win a gold medal in the ski jump.

The Company was founded in 1879 as a sheep farm, making and spinning their own yarn. 

Everything was hand-knit until 1967 when machine knitting began.  In the mid-80's computers were introduced, and now much of the work is automated. 

It takes anywhere from 20 - 40 minutes to generate the pieces for one sweater!  

All of the sweater pieces are produced in the factory that we visited, but many of the pieces are bundled and shipped to Poland where assembly is completed.  (Labor costs are more affordable.)

Each piece is ironed to make it easier to work with in assembly.

 The assembly area uses special machines to piece the sweater together.  It is detailed work to ensure that the stitching perfectly matches at the seams.  Watching this guy work made you realize why these sweaters cost so much!

Dale had planned to announce the new line for the season this weekend, but delayed due to the death of the king.

What a unique and fascinating tour.  And, yes, I bought a sweater!

On the way to Flam we stopped by the Tvinde waterfall, but this one wasn't quite as impressive as the last.  They say the falls are best with the spring thaw when the water rushes down from the mountain snow melt.

When we finally got to the Flam Campground, our luck with the weather wore out, and it began to rain, just in time for our trip on the historic Flamsbana railroad.

But the rain didn't dampen our spirits or the experience.  This railroad was built in 1923-40.  It is one of the steepest railway lines, and quite an engineering feat.  There are about 20 tunnels and most were dug by hand.

The views were still spectacular!  The camera just can't capture what the eye can see.  It is truly nature's majesty!

One of my favorites is the Rallar Road--a cycle route.  Imagine taking your bike on this winding road down the mountain!  And what a fantastic view.

I'd love to talk to some of the folks that live here to find out what life is like as a local.  The houses and farms are so remote, but look very peaceful.

More exploring tomorrow!