Oslo and Goodbye

Rugged up as it is 1degC and drizzling,  and off to explore a little of Oslo. A great day to visit a museum or two. We walked down to the city hall, about 700m away along streets filled with people making their way to work in every description of coat, gloves, beanies and boots.

It was a great day that didn't start out too brilliantly when I slipped on a step heading to the bus stop and down like a sack of wheat, mud on my knees and rolled onto my bum, mud there too. This is the day I decided to wear my light coloured pants! A bit of skin off one knee, but otherwise fine, and no choice but to spend the day looking a bit of a mess!

With an Oslo pass in hand, it was easy to catch busses, trams, and get into any number of  attractions, a great deal for people here for a day or two. We have always wanted to see the Viking ships museum, an incredible collection of boats built in 800AD or so and used as burial vessels for important people, and discovered during the last hundred years.  The most intact vessel, the Oserberg Ship was much bigger than we had imagined at 21.5m long, and in beautiful condition. The skill and artistry of the builders has to be admired, and the seamanship of the Norwegians must take root from these brave men who sailed far and wide in these shallow ships. They have been beautifully displayed in splendid isolation to allow the viewer to soak in the moment, not surrounded by countless photos and texts and stuffed animals, just the ships, and in other rooms a collection of chests and artefacts found with the them. I was amazed to see a perfect pair of leather boots belonging to a queen buried in one of the ships, they looked like you could slip into them and wear them today.

We also went to the Fram museum, the ship that took so many famous voyages to the Arctic andAntarctic. It was the ship that took Admunsen to be the first man to get to the South Pole, just ahead of Scott. It is harboured in a vast museum that tells the story the Norwegians are rightly proud of. We could walk on the ship, it seems fantastic that you could stand on the very deck used by some of the most famous explorers in history.

Our day ended with a wander through the streets, and we came across an ice rink with a young girl spinning and sliding expertly around in amongst laughing teenagers and a mum and little girl being pushed along and giggling delightedly. What a lovely way to finish the day, and our visit to Norway.

We love Norway, it is a very easy country to travel in, here are a few of my observations of Norway;

• The people are very polite, with a reserved kind of friendliness
• Most people speak English if you ask, and are willing to help you out
• Everything runs like clock work, and I mean everything. No rush or fuss, but every train, plane and automobile, show, meal, museum, etc etc, is right on time, every time.
• It is expensive to us Aussies, $20 for a large (600ml) beer, $11 for a baileys on ice, $20 for a hamburger and chips, $20 for a cab that took us about 1km, $100 for a hamburger and plate of spaghetti from room service one night when we were too tired to go out and $15 each for a glass of red wine with dinner.
• Every where has been so clean, from buses and hotels to walking down the street.
• The beds are always made with two separate doonas which I think is a great idea, I can throw mine on and off without disturbing Max, I might chop ours in half when I get home!
• Fish is served for breakfast, lunch or dinner, or all three. I have loved all the different way fished is served and presented, they certainly must not have a cholesterol problem, well that is unless they eat a lot of their delicious pastries, which are also served for breakfast lunch or dinner.
• Free wifi on busses, trains, in airports hotels and many restaurants, fantastic!
• I was surprised to see beggars in the streets of Oslo, this is because since they joined the 
• European Union the borders have opened up to people a guide described as 'Romanies' and they are the ones who are begging.

All in all, it is a place we both agree was well worth visiting, we have enjoyed it very much, so much scenic beauty, and we have been made to feel so welcome everywhere we have been.

Across Country

A long train ride across country today from Voss to Oslo. Touted as a very scenic trip, we were not so lucky today with a snow storm whiting out the view for the first hour or so to the top of the Mountain range, a brief respite to gaze in awe at peaks and valleys smothered in snow before we were back in the storm. Between that and the tunnels through the mountains the view was non existent for quite a way. It was a dull grey day, but as the train track followed the river and many huge lakes that were frozen over, it was interesting in its own way. I imagine a blue sky and a hit of sunshine would have dramatically altered the view, but we enjoyed the quiet comfort of the train and sliding scenery and arrived in Oslo right on time at 3.45pm, caught a cab and were settled back into our hotel by 4.00pm.

We wandered down the street tonight for dinner in a Landerheldens Pub, all rustic wood and beer barrels and of course, candle light. A great hamburger and home for an early night. I'm don't know why but the trip today has really tired us out.

Fantastisk

No, I didn't make a spelling mistake in the headline, FANTASTISK is Norwegian for WONDERFUL.  Today we had another day that is so hard to put into words.

We woke to a low blanket smothering the view and thick snow falling softly but swiftly from the heavens. We were concerned as we had a full day sightseeing today along spectacular mountain roads, on a ferry to the end of the longest fjord in Norway, and onto the world famous Flam Railway for the journey back to our hotel.

We rugged up and set off as the snow stopped. The view was enchanting with its fresh coat over an already winter landscape of houses with roofs of enormous snow pancake stacks, fences with just the top of the posts emerging, rivers rushing through meringue that had been whipped and smothered over every still surface and we alighted at the end of the journey just as blue sky began to peep through.

We stood at the end of the fjord and watched a car and passenger ferry create gently rolling ripples on the mirror surface, to arrive, dock and take passengers precisely on time. Our cruise took us between cliffs that plunged into the sea from 1500m above us. Waterfalls frozen mid stream clung to crags, and snow metres thick decorated the landscape like an impossibly beautiful Christmas Card. We sailed past a tiny church built in 1163, part of a small cluster of homes of a village on the shores of the fjord, the mountains looked like something from Lord of the Rings, you could easily imagine dwarves and gold and horrors inside that immense rock. And then the sun broke through and the landscape glowed in a new light.

Our journey ended at the end of the fjord and waiting for us was a small train to take us on the most scenic train ride in the world, The Flam Railway. Twenty kilometres of twisting track rising 866m. Cliffs, mountains, tunnels, rivers, waterfalls, snow, snow and snow.  We stopped in the middle of the track, were allowed off the train onto a small flat walkway beside a huge drop,  we walked in thick soft snow and breathed in the beauty that surrounded us.

Our journey ended when the train pulled up right outside our hotel, we drifted inside, ordered a drink, and sat trying to absorb the wonder of the day.

Norway by Candlelight

Breakfast at the hotel at 8.30am this morning was served in subdued lighting ... corner lamps, uplights at curtains and serving tables, and candles everywhere. The bar this afternoon at 3.30pm, each small table set with fine linen doilies under candles,  candles in wall sconces and above the fireplace, all enhance with the glow of candlelit chandeliers.

Dinner this evening at 7.00pm, a beautiful dining room with elegant decor in timber, glass, guilt framed mirrors and chandeliers, and of course, a new candle lit for each diner as they took their table. It was all elegance and charm from the antique crockery marked with the hotels insignia, through to the crisp linen and beautiful glassware, expert service fine food and a pianist playing e grand piano in the corner of the room. I read a quote once from a woman who said she only looked good in two kinds of light, moon light and candle light. I think she must have been Norwegian.

Norway in a Nutshell

Bergen is an old city, established 1383, and some buildings around the dock area retain their facades, the city centre has a large cobblestone mall with beautiful bronze statues at strategic places... the expected Vikings and explorers celebrating their history ... the unexpected, a bare foot homeless boy leaning up against the steps of an office building, a modern young girl standing casually against a shop entrance. We walked the dock area and then grabbed our bags and walked the 1k to the train station. The walk took us past a high end shopping precinct with beautifully stage windows, but no prices, then into a very quaint market area closed to cars, all cobblestones and old pitch roofed buildings and offering food and wares to tourists, but not too tacky really, quite charming in fact.

Norway in a Nutshell

Here we sit waiting for the train to Voss. Other passengers surround us in the warm cafe drinking hot chocolate ... a grandma with two grand daughters and their backpacks and skis,  young people off to ski for the day, and other tourists of cours

What a train ride. This is the first day of our 3 day 'Norway in a Nutshell' tour. The train is clean and warm, quiet and spacious. 

The line travels into the mountains and onto Oslo. We disappear into tunnels for 10 minutes at a time and pop out beside a fjord decorated with snow and ice and tiny boat houses and an occasional village and then we plunge into darkness again. After an hour or so the fjord disappeared and the rushing river that feeds it claimed the scenery.  A tumbling of icy clear water over rocks and around snowy, pine filled islands and of course the higher into the mountains, the deeper the snow, the thicker the ice on the backwaters and the swifter the river became.

 We pulled into Voss, our home for 2 nights. The hotel is adjacent to the train line. It is so lovely, established in 1864, and the old world charm is genuine in the solid timber doors, high ceilings and period furniture and the scent that only lovely clean old places can give. Our room is spacious and our view is beautiful, over a lake and into the mountains. Here is the blurb from the website about this lovely old hotel.

There is something about Fleischer's Hotel. You notice it when you stand outside the tall wooden building, with pointed towers, spires and bay windows in a myriad of Swiss and dragon style. You notice it when you walk into the lobby and see signatures of former greats who have been here before you. When you walk through the hallways and hear history whispering to you. You sit in the dining room, as Emperor Wilhelm of Germany did, so Edvard Grieg did, indeed, so even the Prince of Siam did.

Here came, princes and princesses, kings and queens, princes and emperors. To Voss, after days on end of travel. They traveled by steamer and rail and horse- drawn carriage along the dusty roads. Through sparsely populated rural areas. Over windswept mountain passes.

In the middle of this beautiful but desolate landscape, right in this nothing far off the beaten track , they found someone who could give them what they were used to, which made them feel at home. And that's exactly how we want you to feel it too.

And when you come into your own room, it's the same views over “Vangsvatnet”, the green hills and the mighty “Gråsida” that have always been there.

It was there when Johan Seckman Fleischer, ancestor of the Fleischer family, came to Voss as a judge in the mid -1700s. It was here when Emperor Wilhelm came here, again and again in the 1890s. And it is here for you. Here today. Welcome 

We ventured out to walk along the lakeside and into town but only got a few hundred metres and rain began to fall, so back to the bar. Carved and ornately panelled timber work, soft leather couches covered in animal skins ( we think perhaps reindeer and hope the others were not arctic wolf or some rare animal) ordered a beer and a baileys or two, and spent the next hour or so in front of an open fire, bliss.

Arriving in Bergen

A bleak day, with extremely strong winds heeling the ship to starboard and creating a large swell for us to ride once again between rocky outcrops, tiny islands and a steep and rocky shoreline. The skill of the captain has to be admired, as he has to fight the weather and navigate extremely narrow waterways at times.  I guess he comes from a long line of skilled sailors judging by the beautiful tall ship in dock.

The conditions revealed a rugged beauty, and an admiration too, of the people who build houses at the edge of the sea on solid rock on the only piece of flat land for a mile or so, and then another house appears. The views must be wonderful views from their homes, but most of them bare the full brunt of the whatever the weather can throw at them.

We eventually arrived in Bergen, a large city with every building clinging to a view for miles before the Hurtigruten quay. The harbour is cluttered with old wharf buildings that are now smart hotels with expensive views. Our captain reversed the ship to the quayside, amazing, and then with usual efficiency we collected our bags, boarded a bus and arrived at our hotel. Smart and recently refurbished, we were amazed at the quality of the decor in our room, so many cushions that when we took them off the bed there was nowhere to put them. And the pillow, the biggest in the world, 1m long and 75cm wide and about 50cm thick. All the ingredients for a great night in!

A Fairytale.

Magical was the right word choice for the view, and was a promise of what was to come. I struggle to find the words to describe this afternoon. It seems we went from a postcard into a fairytale.

Firstly the sun broke through, the sky cleared and we sailed through a narrow passage strewn with small rocky islands, some boasting grasses, some with lights or light houses. Between two of these larger rocky outcrops we turned to port and the enchantment began as we entered Kristansund.

Snow covered mountains provided a backdrop for gentle slopes of steep pitched roofs sprinkled with snow, on houses painted rust red or mustard yellow. The conifers that filled the gardens and parks and roadside, were dusted with snow, the waters sparkled in the sunshine and the marinas were filled with yachts and work boats that glistened in the clear light.

Our first sunset lit this beautiful setting with perfect golden light. The whole ship was enchanted, even crew members were on deck taking photos, and the crisp air did not prevent most people venturing outside with their cameras, or just to gaze in wonder.

Undoubtably this is the most picturesque harbour we have entered. We stopped for 20 minutes or so, just long enough to offload supplies for the town and we were on our way again. The last of the sunset turned the sky orange and made this afternoon a fitting finale to a wonderful voyage.

Trondheim

The ship is very comfortable, I don't mean the furnishings, I mean the way it rides the sea. While the fjords are calm you can barely hear the ship and it rides more smoothly than driving a highway, when out in the open sea and the big swell, it seems to effortlessly lift and stabilise the roll so that we have had a very enjoyable journey.

This morning we went on a short sightseeing trip around Trondheim while the ship was in port. a beautiful ancient city settled around 900ad.  King Olaf, the man credited with bringing Norwegian clans together and Christianity to the Vikings, is buried here, and the cathedral is a beautiful building holding his grave and the spiritual heart of Norway.

 

It was a very enjoyable tour of the town, the old heart and ancient stone houses, university, old wharf buildings right on the river and more modern timber homes built with impossibly beautiful views of mountain and harbour,  and quite affordable for a young family starting out in life apparently, at just $1,000,000.00.

We sailed from Trondheim along the fjord in sunshine and our warmest day, reaching 5 degC. Lunch was the usual spread of salmon and other fish, caviar, cold meats, salads, and some warm dishes of fish and meats and vegetables. Desserts always impress and I am a new fan of pannacotta with marinated berries. We have retired to the panorama deck for our last full day of cruising and unfortunately the clouds have rolled in again. It is quiet, everyone around me reading books, studying maps, going through their photos, embroidering, knitting, drinking wine and always looking through the large windows in the hope the sun will reveal itself again. We have had a hour or so of a snow storm, tiny flakes zooming in every direction around the ship. It has passed, and the scene before us is once again a postcard, refreshed with a new coating of pure white, magical against the blue grey sea and sky.

Crossing the Arctic Circle

The clouds were still here when we woke. Rain clouds, sleet clouds, snow clouds. A miserable looking day, but we all settled in optimistically after breakfast hoping for a break. It was a good day to do the washing, a fully automated system here, and it's free, so it was great to get a mundane chore done without missing anything spectacular. We were fortunate enough to watch 6 Norwegian Eagles and a squall of seagulls feeding behind a little fishing boat as we cruised past, they are a  massive bird with a wingspan up to 2.5m.

The highlight today was crossing the Arctic Circle. The rain cleared and a teary sun poked  through for about 30 minutes, perfect timing for us to be out on deck and observe the beautiful steel globe structure that has been erected on the rock that marks the exact line. Of course a little fun was to be had with that and Max took part in a ceremony to mark the occasion where he ended up drinking a spoonful of cod liver oil and won himself an engraved 'silver' spoon as a souvenir.

My lens has broken... Irretrievably, and trying to find a new lens reading Norwegian  websites is pretty difficult if you don't speak the language.  Luckily a fellow photography enthusiast nearby has helped me interpret what I need to know and I should be able to buy a new (and better) lens to replace this one. Hopefully my travel insurance will cover the old lens and will offset the cost a bit when I get home.

The sky cleared for an hour or two to reveal a change in scenery. The Gulf Stream sweeps along this part of the coast and the snow is only to be seen higher up the mountain slopes, grass and trees still with leaves appear on small areas of farmland where people raise sheep. No lights tonight, the clouds are back.  Our last chance tomorrow night, thank goodness we saw them on our first night, how lucky we were.

Postcard Perfect

The forecast gales did not happen. We had smooth waters all day, gliding between sunlit mountains and colourful villages. Max was up early again  - saw a warship go by, and a majestic Norwegian White tailed eagle.

I met a couple of Scottish ladies today, I enjoyed their company as they chatted about Edinburgh and Stirling, two places we enjoyed when we visited Scotland years ago. There are people of all nationalities on board, we are surrounded by languages we cannot understand, and that includes the few Irish people travelling together. We haven't encountered any other Aussies on this trip.

We took a short walk to the Hurtigruten Museum at one of the stops today, all started by one man and a dream, as many great things are. It is a massive business today, and I have to admire the dedicated friendliness, attention to detail and routine, and seamless organisation that makes the trip run so well.

The weather was cold but not freezing, so time out on the upper deck admiring the view was a pleasure, and as evening closed in we ventured down the narrow and spectacular RaftSund. One after the next, ice and snow covered pyramids closed in on the ship, and we slipped by only 20 metres away at times as seemingly dead ends appeared in every direction, and again small houses at the edge of the wilderness surprise you. Every now and then you glimpse part of a road, the main highway that links the country, but it soon disappears into tunnels, an amazing feat of engineering. Stunning scenery, such an easy and pleasant day.

Cruising fjords in winter

Max woke early this morning to a brilliant red sunrise which was soon smothered by a snow storm. I woke late to a snow storm that soon gave way to beautiful soft blue sky and gentle sunshine just in time for our visit to Hammerfest, the most northern town in Europe. People opted for bus tours of the town, but we wanted to go for a stroll and breathe fresh air without the blast of arctic winds that greet us whenever we venture outside on the decks.  The area near the port has a few shops and museums, parks and office buildings.  It is strange for us to be walking in ice and snow, and it was interesting walking along the waterfront and see sturdy fishing vessels ready for sea, and others filled with metres of snow and waiting for better weather.

It is so picturesque cruising these fiords, steep harsh rock peeps through sprinkles of snow that softens the peaks high up as it becomes metres thick, truly like icing on a cake. Tiny villages appear clinging to the small amount of flat land to be had between the mountains and the sea, sometimes just a few houses, other times a substantial town all sharing such a hostile winter environment. They surely are a hardyeople.

Our evening finished with a meal to represent the northern lights,  the potato and wild garlic soup must be the snow storms, the poach salmon and pickled carrot surrounded by a bright green coulis must be the lights the vodka marinated reindeer must represent what everyone does to keep warm, drink and wear reindeer hats,  and the blackberry pana cotta dessert, Maybe that is the bright red dawn of a new day. We retired early again, just can't stay up at the moment, another snow storm has swept in, so no northern lights tonight.

Hurtigruten - aboard MS Finnemarken

Today we begin our travels South along the coast of Norway. We boarded the Hurtigruten ship Finnmarken, and found our room. 529 is a mini suite, small but comfortable, with a small lounge area, desk, comfortable beds and bathroom.  Our cabin is on the port side, so from our windows we see the land and islands sliding by, but the panorama deck is the place to be. A large lounge area with comfortable chairs to relax in front of picture windows and enjoy the scenery. The ship is old but recently refurbished, so very nice to be in. 

We enjoyed a lunch sampling all the foods that seemed unusual to us, like herring in mayonnaise, and pickled herring, and caviar, and smoke char, and smoked halibut, and lots of fresh crunchy salads made primarily with one vegetable and flavourings. We then ventured with binoculars and camera in hand, found some seats at the bow end of the panorama deck and began our search for the Northern lights.  The weather was perfect, clear blue skies became night very early, the sunset at about 3pm, and about 5pm we saw them, shimmering sweeps of emerald green surging towards us from the island strewn horizon. Dim at first then deepening and glowing and sway across the sky... 20 minutes and they were gone. But what magic on our first night on the ship. Jet lag claimed us again and we missed dinner. Sound asleep at 6.30pm.  Max woke, showered and was up by 3am, he is in bed now as I write this, hopefully he has a big afternoon sleep and then a good sleep tonight and can get his head into this time zone.