Hell
Visitors to central Norway have the unique opportunity to purchase a train ticket to Hell. This is exactly what I did in April 2017.
My trip started in Trondheim, Norway’s fourth most populous city. I ended up having a few more days in the city than I had initially planned. Originally, I was booked to travel on the Hurtigruten from Tromsø to Trondheim. However, the night before my departure, I received news that the Hurtigruten had crashed in far Northeastern Norway, close to the Russian border. I was thus forced to change my plans, flying to Trondheim instead. With a few extra days up my sleeve, it made perfect sense to spend some time visiting Hell.
Located 30 km northeast of Trondheim, Hell is a village with a population of approximately 1,500 people. For about a 1/3 of the year, Hell freezes over, with temperatures dropping as low as −25° celsius. During my time in the village, I came across a shopping mall and petrol station, but not much else.
To the average Norwegian, the word Hell means luck. This is perhaps why the elderly gentleman who I asked to take my photograph at Hell Station seemed somewhat confused. The fact that he did not speak English and appeared to never have used a camera before, further saw me lower my expectations when it came to him capturing a picture of me with the sign. Luckily, my doubts were misguided!
Trondheim
Back in Trondheim, I enjoyed walking through the Bakklandet neighborhood with its small, wooden houses and narrow streets.
The Old Town Bridge, constructed in 1681, was a further highlight, along with the colourful old storehouses which line both sides of the Nidelva River.
Other attractions in the city included the world’s only bicycle lift, Nidaros Cathedral (constructed between 1070 and 1300), Kristiansten Fortress (built in 1681), and Gråkallbanen – the world’s most northern tram line which transported me uphill from the city centre into a forest and recreational area, providing nice views over the city along the way. A trip to the cinema also proved to be an interesting experience when the non-English parts of the film were subtitled in Norwegian and I lost track of what was going on.
The Rauma Railway
On my third day in the city, I travelled by train to Dombås, before riding the famous Rauma Railway between Dombås and Åndalsnes. The train travelled between Norway’s mountains and fjords, passing Trollveggen – Europe’s highest perpendicular mountain wall. In the summer months, sightseeing trains run along this route, with commentary and photo stops at Trollveggen and the Kylling Bridge. However, in April, it was very much a busy commuter train, with its regular passengers barely looking up from their newspapers to enjoy the scenery.
Alighting in Åndalsnes, I caught a coach to Ålesund where I stayed overnight, before returning to Trondheim the following day.
Dombås–Trondheim by Train
In both directions, the train trip between Trondheim and Dombås was much quieter, allowing me to capture some good photos of the snow-covered landscape.
