Norway, Bergen to Oslo
We managed to fly from Rome to Oslo with no problems, but at that point we found that due to an airport strike, our plane to Bergen has been canceled. We then booked a flight to Stavinger, a city 180 km or so south of Bergen, a distance that we would then cover by bus. There was a quicker ferry option, but as it was late in the day, the last one had already left by the time we arrived. At the information counter at the airport, the lady told us "hurry and get the taxi to the city, you might be able to catch the last bus".
From that point we found the Norwegians to be very helpful people. The taxi driver took us to the bus depot and helped us with the luggage and bus selection. As it turned out, the bus ride was to take some 4 hours (or perhaps even more). The roads were wonderfully picturesque, but at the same time they were windy one-laned highways connecting little islands, which meant that the speed was restricted. There were also 2 ferry crossings on the way, and it became clear that it was no tourist-only route when we saw trucks boarding the ferry with us. Several hours later we finally arrived in Bergen and reached our portside hotel.
Bergen is a charming city. One could stay in the tourist area near the water and completely miss the fact that it is quite a large city with 1/4 million residents, the second largest in Norway in fact. One side of the port area, Bryggen, is in fact a UNESCO heritage site, with many buildings where traders of the Hanseatic league used to do business and live. The view from the top of the Mount Floyen is breathtaking - the fjords are visible often with the white trails left behind by large ships. Back down at ground level we also walked past the fish market. You can buy whale meat there - this is a bit of a sensitive issue for some perhaps. I tried out a small piece of smoked whale flesh, and as expected, it tastes nothing like fish but is rather closer to, say, beef.
One of the most famous short tours of Norway is called "Norway in a Nutshell". It is not a guided tour, but rather a suggested route where the tickets are booked together as a package. The train and especially bus and ferry rides are actually part of the sightseeing, one would miss a lot by falling asleep. One of the highlights is the bus ride down an extremely steep and windy road - the picture tell the story. It is actually a two way road - the buses at the bottom signal to the ones at the top to decide who's going next. The ferry ride along two fjords was also spectacular. Amazingly, on the way into our destination Flam, we saw that a cruise ship can come all the way down the fjord and dock there. Apparently the Queen Elisabeth II has docked there too. The water is clearly very deep.
We stayed one night in Flam and continued on with the train in the afternoon to Myrdal. This was no ordinary train - the Flam Railway was completed in the 1940s, and cover some of the steepest terrain of any railway line, with an objective to replace some extremely steep roads. There used to actually be signs asking the horse rider to walk with the horse to reduce the load for the horse! There is only one track for the majority of the journey, and the trains must course in a defined space in the middle. By the time we arrived at the top, we had snow! On the way to Oslo we shared the train with some cross-country skiers. At 1200 m there were already beautiful snow conditions.
The trip ended with two days in Oslo. We had booked ourselves into the 5 star Grand Hotel, but because they had no rooms remaining they had to put us into two suites worth 5 times the value! The suites were themed, apparently certain celebrities used to stay there. Our room was named after a stage performer, and resembled a museum with many of her costume pieces on the wall. The room of my parents was that of the beer mogul Ringnes, and was decorated with plenty of beer barrels and accessories.
I have missed out on the details of many of the sights that we have visited, you will have to content yourself with looking at the photos. I leave you with a humourous little sketch from a restaurant in Oslo. Here are the rest of the photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lokmanho/sets/72157605268076408/
From that point we found the Norwegians to be very helpful people. The taxi driver took us to the bus depot and helped us with the luggage and bus selection. As it turned out, the bus ride was to take some 4 hours (or perhaps even more). The roads were wonderfully picturesque, but at the same time they were windy one-laned highways connecting little islands, which meant that the speed was restricted. There were also 2 ferry crossings on the way, and it became clear that it was no tourist-only route when we saw trucks boarding the ferry with us. Several hours later we finally arrived in Bergen and reached our portside hotel.Bergen is a charming city. One could stay in the tourist area near the water and completely miss the fact that it is quite a large city with 1/4 million residents, the second largest in Norway in fact. One side of the port area, Bryggen, is in fact a UNESCO heritage site, with many buildings where traders of the Hanseatic league used to do business and live. The view from the top of the Mount Floyen is breathtaking - the fjords are visible often with the white trails left behind by large ships. Back down at ground level we also walked past the fish market. You can buy whale meat there - this is a bit of a sensitive issue for some perhaps. I tried out a small piece of smoked whale flesh, and as expected, it tastes nothing like fish but is rather closer to, say, beef.One of the most famous short tours of Norway is called "Norway in a Nutshell". It is not a guided tour, but rather a suggested route where the tickets are booked together as a package. The train and especially bus and ferry rides are actually part of the sightseeing, one would miss a lot by falling asleep. One of the highlights is the bus ride down an extremely steep and windy road - the picture tell the story. It is actually a two way road - the buses at the bottom signal to the ones at the top to decide who's going next. The ferry ride along two fjords was also spectacular. Amazingly, on the way into our destination Flam, we saw that a cruise ship can come all the way down the fjord and dock there. Apparently the Queen Elisabeth II has docked there too. The water is clearly very deep.We stayed one night in Flam and continued on with the train in the afternoon to Myrdal. This was no ordinary train - the Flam Railway was completed in the 1940s, and cover some of the steepest terrain of any railway line, with an objective to replace some extremely steep roads. There used to actually be signs asking the horse rider to walk with the horse to reduce the load for the horse! There is only one track for the majority of the journey, and the trains must course in a defined space in the middle. By the time we arrived at the top, we had snow! On the way to Oslo we shared the train with some cross-country skiers. At 1200 m there were already beautiful snow conditions.The trip ended with two days in Oslo. We had booked ourselves into the 5 star Grand Hotel, but because they had no rooms remaining they had to put us into two suites worth 5 times the value! The suites were themed, apparently certain celebrities used to stay there. Our room was named after a stage performer, and resembled a museum with many of her costume pieces on the wall. The room of my parents was that of the beer mogul Ringnes, and was decorated with plenty of beer barrels and accessories.I have missed out on the details of many of the sights that we have visited, you will have to content yourself with looking at the photos. I leave you with a humourous little sketch from a restaurant in Oslo. Here are the rest of the photos:http://www.flickr.com/photos/lokmanho/sets/72157605268076408/
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