- Travel on the Rail -

Part 5

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From the top of Aksla

I am in Alesund, where I have been caring about since seeing on the guidebook.

In the morning, after leaving my baggage in a locker in the bus station, I climbed up the rocky mountain Aksla. I hoped a ropeway or something was here, but no machines here so I had to go up the stairs on foot. However, the views spreading under my eyes widely more and more as going up did not let me down. On the top, I had been seeing the scenery with doing nothing on the flat rock. It is the scenery of the fiord all around me. I should have something to drink here to spend the time.

Ticket for the toilet

Just after being impressed deeply with the scenery, I fell down on ice, in spite of wearing snow shoes. With the pain, I wanted to go to a bathroom. As finding the sign of a toilet near the bus station, it was a pay toilet, 5 NOK (about 100 yen).

I caught the bus leaving there at 14:00. Changing to the train at Andalsnes, I came back to Dombas at 18:08.

I am getting on the train for Trondheim here at 19:34. Though the express train "Dovre Sprinten" for Oslo will be come before my train, it is not here yet at 18:13 of the estimated arrival time. I suppose it is because of the snow storm. As hearing that people around me are a little irritated with the announce, I can imagine it is so late, but I cannot understand the details. Anyway, it did not matter to me, I had thought then.

The train for Oslo arrived after a delay of about 40 minutes, and soon left after carrying about 20 people from Dombas.

My train "Dovre Express" arrived as around the timetable, and left. All cars of it are new type. Non-smoking seats and smoking seats are separated by a partition in the middle of the car, which is with a automatic door, and also, each seat is modernized, though it is not so comfortable.

This train will arrive at Tronheim at 22:05, but even at that time, it is still running. Hey, I am going to change to the train for Bodo leaving at 22:50 at Tronheim! I wonder if I can change. However, I was very surprised at the new fast that no poles for electricity were out of the window! This line must have been electrified until Tronheim... I noticed it was running slower than before also. Have we been robbed? Is it the second chance for me to be famous? Looking around me, most of the passengers close their eyes and are praying with prepared. No, they are just sleeping.

Soon, stopping at somewhere like a yard, to my surprise, it moved to the opposite way! Running across the switches for a few minutes, we arrived at some station. It is the terminal, Tronheim station. I still have no idea about if it came there via another line, or other ways?

It is the time when the train I am getting on should have already started, but it was waiting for us at the next platform. This is the rapid train for Bodo that is arranged with only 2nd class cars. Here, Tronheim is located at 200km north from Dombas, and I am going to more northern area by this night train. We left with a delay of about an hour.

I met a group of 2 Japanese men on the train. They told me that they also used that "Dovre Express" and changed to this train. I have not spoken Japanese for long days! I fell into asleep after long talking.

It is still dark out of the window as awoke. The train is running along the fiord, or the river?

Soon, we passed over lat.66.33 N with a whistle, and now, we are in the Arctic Circle. There is desolate scenery, without artificial things, except the railroad.

"Still with a delay?"
"I'm not sure."
Yes, it had much more delay than our expectation.

The three people with me is going on our travel together for a few days. At Fauske we will arrive at 8:48, we are going to change to the bus for Narvik leaving at 9:20, but we are still running for Fauske even at half past nine.

"The bus, only two a day, must be waiting for us, right?"
"Maybe."
But it is just our hope.

Finally, we arrived at Fauske at past 11 o'clock, but the bus was waiting for us as our hope. The two buses for Narvik, full of passengers, left with a delay of about 2 hours.

The bus trip in the Arctic Circle was so nice. The blue sky, rocky mountains with snow, Norwegian forests... We also passed over the fiord by ferry. It was so fast for me to spend 5 hours in the bus. After all, we arrived at Narvik at 16:30, still with a delay of 2 hours.

Narvik station

Narvik. Lat.68.28 N. It has the station located at the most northern edge in the world. I just wanted to come here, and now, I am here. We went to the station at first. It has just a normal station house and a normal platform. In the house, "Certificate for the arrival" or something is sold, but how expensive, 15 NOK, though it is just a paper! I did not buy it.

NSB's train arriving at Narvik

Some train arrived. It is made with just a electric locomotive and a passenger car with a pantograph. I was interested in which country the cars belong to because the border of Sweden is not so far, and it may be NSB's local train.

For tonight's hotel, we are going to stay at the Youth Hostel. The international guidebook of Youth Hostels says that it is closed in the winter season, but we have got the information that it is open.

As opening the door, a friendly and pretty woman welcomed us with a smile. She told us to look at the beautiful sunset out of the window, but we, looking at only her face, replied,
"Yes, yes.",
talking each other,
"How beautiful."

To be continued

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