Welcome to the most relaxing seven hours and 14 minutes that you will ever spend on YouTube. There are no gimmicks or frills, just a peaceful and scenic train ride from Bergen to Oslo, with occasional stops and announcements from the conductor.
This train journey, "Bergensbanen minutt for minutt," comes to us from Norway's Slow TV, which has redefined the idea of television as relaxation. Its broadcasts include 12 hours of knitting, 24 hours of lecturing, and a 134-hour boat ride.
Around 1.2 million Norwegians tuned in when the train trip first aired on TV in 2009. Though Slow TV hasn't yet officially reached the U.S., we might be moving in that direction. Recently, a mysterious filmmaker uploaded several hours of footage from the operator's chair of different NYC subway trains. Though more urban and less prolonged, these videos are equally mesmerizing.
Every day we track down a Video Wonder: an audiovisual offering that delights, inspires, and entertains. Have you encountered a video we should feature? Email ella@atlasobscura.com.