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| View from the Celebrity Apex; berthed in Flam, Norway Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved |
FLAM IS perhaps one of Norway's most iconic spots. A recreational haven for residents of Scandinavia, there are wonderful camping, hiking, biking, skiing and fishing locations up in the mountains around Flam. Once a tiny little agricultural village deep in the end of the Aurlands Fjord, its scenic and recreational offerings have transformed it in modern years into a primary tourism destination. There are approaching a half million visitors to Flam each year. It is one of the sought after destinations by tourists and particularly by cruise ships. The keystone is probably the Flam scenic railroad, which also serves as part of a transportation hub for other rails and locations in the fjords. Norway considers itself one of the more "green" nations of the world, and in keeping with that philosophy, they impose guidelines and standards for the impact that tourism has on the natural environment. In no industry is this more the case than the cruise ship industry. Over the past few years, we have read that Norway will be banning large cruise ships from the fjords. This is not entirely correct, though they have announced much tighter standards for certain fuel-powered large cruise ships. Originally targeted to begin in 2026, these restrictions would essentially exclude many of the large cruise ships in the cruise industry. When we booked our cruise, it was with this deadline in mind, believing that it would be our last chance to visit the fjords on our favorite Celebrity Cruise ships (or any competitors, for that matter). Shortly after our confirmed booking, they announced that the deadline for newer, stricter, standards would be moved to 2032. But I have not doubt it is coming. Honestly, once we decided to book it, especially with the chance to cruise with Todd and Heather, we wouldn't have changed it for the world. Flam was rainy for the most part, but we were also indoors (on the train, in buildings, etc.) for most of the day.
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| Flam Cruise Port - Flam, Norway Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved |
THE PERMANENT population of Flam is somewhere from 300 - 500 people. Many, if not most, of them today service the tourism trade. There is one very nice resort in the village and then a few very small establishments and campgrounds. There are a couple restaurants that service the entire area. We made reservations in one of the "Viking" restaurants, knowing that with the influx of cruise passengers, it might be hard to get a table.
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| Flam countryside from the Flam Railway - Flam, Norway Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved |
LIKE SO many of the cruise ports these days, there was a certain "Disney" feel. The train platforms were crowded with 100s of passengers waiting to get on board for the approximately 30 minute ride up a steep mountain and through several tunnels on the narrow gauge train. There was a large store at the port/train entrance that was so crowded it reminded me of the Friday after Thanksgiving in a Best Buy Store or the local mall. It was packed full of what I can only characterize as "trinkets" and I have very serious doubts that they were locally made. Putting the commercialism aspect aside, however, there is no doubt that this is one of the most beautiful - and picturesque - places in our world.
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| Flam countryside from the Flam Railway - Flam, Norway Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved |
AND ALSO in spite of commercialism, there are always opportunities for the photographer (though it sometimes requires leaning to isolate compositions). My worst case has always been shooting from a moving vehicle through glass windows. You have to shoot fast and understand that you are going to "waste" a lot of frames as you quickly move past your subject. There is always glare and reflections to deal with through the vehicle windows. But with some patience, it is possible to get some reasonably nice imges. The Flam scenery from the train is beautiful, and the local famers and landowners have accomodated us by painting their homes and buildings in bright colors that stand out in the lush, green landscape. Our day in Flam was a rainy, mainly dreary day. But that also made for clouds and fog, which always ads interest to images, in my view. I got a couple that I liked.
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| Flam Countryside from the Flam Railway - Flam, Norway Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved |
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