If you’ve heard of or been to Flam, Norway then it’s probably because of the railway or as part of the well-trodden Norway in a Nutshell tour that is so popular out of Bergen. I had previously done that tour twice and hence did the Flam Railway twice as well without ever taking the time to check out much of Flam aside from the touristic shops around the port and train station. However, after doing an insider access tour from the Azamara Quest as my shore excursion, I can say that Flam is more than a railway. There are people and there is life…and amazing views too!

While 99% of the ship went on the Flam Railway tour and rightfully so, it is fantastic. Myself and 5 other intrepid cruisers went on the insider access tour that went to two farms.

The first farm was called Li Farm. A lovely woman who was actually born at the farm ran it. We toured around the farm and she basically showed us how she lived and what types of things she did and talked about the town itself. The weather wasn’t great so we went inside and had coffee and snacks. That was my favorite part because it gave us the chance to get to know her a bit and hear what it’s like living so remotely.

While I fully admit, I won’t be moving to Flam anytime soon, I was fascinated by her story and how the town has changed over the decades she’s been in Flam. Luckily she has an awesome dog that follows her everywhere. Just don’t take her seat in the tractor-she gets feisty about stuff like that!

Next we went over to Otternes where it was some of the most scenic scenery in Flam. This was easily the highlight for me of the insider access tour.

The farm itself was like a 150-year history of Flam and it is still in pretty good shape in general and really gives you a feel of what it was like her a century ago. Not too much has changed!

The views from Otternes were outstanding and again, the scenery around the farm was excellent. Almost as excellent as the massive Norwegian meal we had. After the feast, dessert, beer and everything else; I may have to add Norway to my 30 best countries for food list!

The owner of Otternes was a very nice and genuine person and we all enjoyed her hospitality and company and I definitely recommend heading up for a visit if you’re in Flam. Flam is more than a railway after all!

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