Finse is a railway station situated on the highest pass between Bergen and Oslo at 1222m. The line between Bergen and Oslo wasn't completed till 1909 in a difficult terrain with about 100km in the alpine zone. The highest point is at 1237m.
Now it is hotels and other lodges here and also a research station. A small trail used by cyclists follow the railway. It is very popular and much visited by all kind of people, also families with children.
Last week (16.7.-20.7.2012) I stayed at the research station with other teachers on a alpine geology and ecology course. As you can see from the pics the spring is very late this year - several weeks behind the normal.
The weather was wet and gray the first days but improved. We went to the foot of the Hardangerjøkulen (Hardanger Glacier) a 75sq km glacier where parts of the epic "Star wars" was filmed. (Episode V, the planet Hoth). The glacier has receded the last years. The bedrock is granite overlaid by phylite and gneiss formed by the Caledonian orogeny and several ice ages.
When we investigated the north side of the valley the weather improved much.