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See Norway by Train

David Armstrong

Snow piled high enough to reach the rooftops of isolated houses lingers at the highest elevations well into May, turning the mountains of Norway into Candyland, even in springtime.

Seen at a leisurely pace from the popular train that chugs between Norway's capital, Oslo, and the country's second city, Bergen, this rugged heartland is a trove of mountain peaks, mirrored lakes, tumbling rivers, timberlands, remote farms and picturesque train stations, some a century old.

	Flam Valley

NSB -- the Norwegian state railroad -- operates the trains from four to six times a day, with occasional midwinter time-outs for blizzards. A standard ticket costs 600 Norwegian kroner (about $113) each way, but there are many discount deals. The journey takes about seven hours.

Fast it's not, but riding the Oslo-Bergen train is a delightful way to see the country and, combined with return air travel, is both a practical and entertaining journey. Scandinavian Airlines, the region's major carrier, operates frequent, 50-minute flights between the two cities, providing sweeping views from the air to complement the ground-level views from the train.

From Oslo, trains depart from the capital's Central Station, a nondescript but bustling transit hub located downtown next door to the big Radisson SAS Plaza Hotel.

With a population of just 500,000, Oslo is a compact city of parks, museums and casual harborside restaurants.

Bergen is smaller still, with less than half the population of Oslo. Facing the North Sea near Norway's southern tip, it is the country's arts capital and boasts a lovely, historic harbor often frequented by cruise ships. Bergen is a UNESCO world heritage city, thanks mainly to its vintage wooden buildings, and is the gateway to Norway's postcard-perfect fjords.

	In Geilo

Bergen-bound trains take about an hour to clear the suburbs of Oslo on their way west. After that, it's rolling countryside and mountain scenery all the way to Bergen, 285 miles away. Passengers are free to roam, snap photos, occasionally doze on the long journey, pop into the snack car or sink into leather seats before the broad windows in selected carriages. There's even a separate kiddie carriage with toys and a play area for rambunctious small children.

Not everyone goes the distance. The train makes eight stops between Oslo and Bergen, which helps account for its relaxed pace. People hop off and get on at tiny stations with names that could come out of a Norse saga: the fjord-side towns of Flam, Honefoss, Drammen, Gol.

	Along the Route

Gol is one of the most popular Nordic skiing resorts. It's common to see skiers gliding near the tracks or clambering onto the train with their bulky gear.

Good skiing lasts well into spring. A Norway train trip at that time offers vistas of dandelion fields at lower levels, followed by stands of fir trees and birches, then rocky, slippery moraine whitened with patches of snow, and, finally, at the high points, vast and silent snowfields that threaten to swallow the scattered, tiny homesteads.

Visibility can be limited in midwinter, but late winter and spring usually afford splendid views.

If the strength of the train ride is the quality and variety of the views, its weakness is the food. Prices at the snack bar are high -- $6 for a hot dog, $10 for a beer, $4 for barely adequate coffee. Many wised-up Scandinavian passengers pack their own meals, and it's easy to see why.

After calling at Voss, the train makes a rapid descent to the sea, showing off even more terrific views -- this time, of Bergen, with its busy but clean harbor, tidy downtown and houses sprinkled across the city's seven hills. Funiculars and cable cars go up and down the hills, providing aerial overviews. The train terminates at stately Bergen station, in the heart of the city.

The Bryggen waterfront district is the historic core of Bergen, which was founded in 1070. From the SAS Royal Hotel Bryggen, 18th-century wooden houses and balconies overhang a warren of narrow passageways about a two-minute walk away.

Also walkable is the harborside fish market, which thrives on Saturdays. It's not unusual to see a small fishing boat crewed by as few as two people pulling up to the docks with a fresh catch. The plentiful restaurants around the market specialize, logically, in seafood.

At the open-air market, you can find excellent, red-fleshed Atlantic salmon, moose sausage, reindeer sausage and smoked whale meat -- which people who have tried it say is tasty and unexpectedly low in fat. Also unexpectedly, Norway defies its progressive reputation by being one of the few countries to embrace commercial whaling.

Troldhaugen, the home of the composer Edvard Grieg -- a Bergen native and probably Norway's most famous musician -- is a short drive from town. Grieg's lovingly-preserved Victorian home, where he lived and wrote music in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, houses an evocative collection of his personal effects, including Grieg's Steinway piano. An intimate, sod-roofed concert hall, added in 1985, graces the grounds. It's all a fitting tribute to the gifted composer of Peer Gynt, a local boy who made good.

For more information, contact: Innovation Norway, 655 Third Ave., New York, NY 10017; phone 212-885-9700.