Pictures from flaamsbana.no.

One of the most famous attractions in the fjords is the 20km train ride from Flam to Myrdal. We boarded the train Saturday morning for this trip, then switched trains in Myrdal to continue on to Oslo.

This section of the train track climbs ~2600 feet in 12 miles (1:18 gradient) and is touted as an engineering marvel. It took 20 years to complete and has 20 tunnels (some tunnels sprial in and out of the mountain), one bridge, and four water tunnels. The train crosses the river in the Flam Valley three times -- but there is only one bridge. The water tunnels are used to divert the water through the mountain to allow the train to cross.

We enjoyed the 50 minute ride with scenic views of the Flam valley, the mountain farms, and waterfalls. Once we switched trains and were on our way to Oslo, the landscape changed drastically as we entered the highland plateau Hardangervidda. The land was fairly stark and still completely encapsulated in snow and ice. Surprisingly we saw houses up there -- I'm guessing some of the buildings were mountain huts for cross country skiing in the winter and hiking in the summer.