The Fjord by Boat

 Sunday, September 6

I was awake again during the night, spending some time on the computer after 1 a.m. Bill also had trouble sleeping and got up for a while. Eventually, I managed to get back to sleep and woke at 5:56 a.m., just ahead of my 6 a.m. alarm.

We had plenty of time before our 9:30 a.m. boat departure. We repacked, tidied up, and headed into town for our usual salmon-and-cheese sandwich to share before boarding.

Bill suggested we get in line early. We followed his advice, boarded the catamaran, stowed our luggage, and made our way to the upper deck.

We had dressed as warmly as we could, but once the boat got underway, the wind chill was substantial. We alternated between standing outside to enjoy the views and going inside to thaw out.

The fjord scenery was extraordinary: towering cliffs, countless waterfalls, and stretches of water framed by steep mountainsides. Whenever the views became especially impressive, the indoor cabin emptied as everyone rushed outside to take photographs.

Incredible views.

One surprise was the number of villages tucked into the landscape. Even in this dramatic terrain, people had found places to live and build communities.

When we arrived at our destination, Gudvangen, we hurried toward the bus. We assumed everyone leaving the boat would be competing for seats, but that turned out not to be the case. Only about ten people seemed to be waiting for the bus.

I thought the bus departed at noon, so I figured I had time to use the restroom next to the bus. I told the driver I was stepping away and started walking. He said something in Norwegian and pointed toward the facilities.

I took care of business and returned just in time to see the bus pulling away.

There was Bill, standing in the bus front window, waving at me.

I could hardly believe it. The driver knew I was going to the restroom, yet the bus was already departing. Fortunately, Bill was on board, and I wasn't about to spend the afternoon searching for another bus to Voss.

Once the bus began climbing uphill, I finally understood where all that waterfall water came from. Up above, there were lakes and reservoirs of natural water feeding the cascades below. Mystery solved.

We arrived in Voss and passed our hotel, the Fleischer's Hotel, on the way into town, making it easy to backtrack and drop off our luggage. Then we went looking for lunch and a beer.

Fleischer's Hotel

This is where we encountered a recurring theme: It's Sunday.

We found a pharmacy. Closed.

We found an Irish pub. Closed.

Across the street, however, was a simple diner. Open! What a revelation. Bill and I each had a beer and split a sausage lunch.

Afterward, we wandered around town. One thing we noticed was how many people wore technical outdoor clothing and carried walking poles, even when navigating ordinary sidewalks. There were plenty of shops selling high-tech trousers and outdoor gear. Norway takes its outdoor lifestyle seriously.

Our hotel room felt like a penthouse suite compared with our cramped accommodation in Flåm. There was actually room to move around.

Later, we walked along the water. Voss was lovely, with glassy conditions on the lake and beautiful homes climbing the surrounding hills. There were no boats out on the water, perhaps because the water temperature was only about 51°F.

We eventually returned to the one place we had found open earlier. Bill asked a passing employee whether we should sit down and wait for service or order inside.

The answer was essentially: “The seats are here. The beers are in there. Figure it out.”

So we did.

We continued walking around town and stopped in a grocery store, where we finally located the beer coolers. Unfortunately, the cooler handles were secured with zip ties.

It's Sunday.

Dinner became a takeaway pizza and a couple of beers from one of the few establishments still operating. We were learning that in Norway, Sunday planning is not optional.

More Fjord and Voss pics here.

A Scenic Train Ride to Flåm via the Fjords

Friday, September 4 

We set iPhone alarms to make sure we got downstairs for the hotel's 6:30 a.m. breakfast. Quite a few other travelers did the same. After breakfast, we returned to the room so I could shower while Bill finished packing. We had plenty of time to walk the two blocks to Oslo Central Station.

Bill spotted our departure on Track 2. I assumed the train wouldn't let passengers board early, but Bill suggested we check anyway. He was right. Boarding was already underway.

Having assigned seats didn't guarantee an easy luggage situation. I had to carry my bag to the first cabin and store it there, even though our seats were in the second cabin. Once that was sorted out, we settled in for the first leg of our journey.

The train ride from Oslo toward Myrdal was beautiful. We started beside waterways and gradually turned inland, passing through several distinct landscapes.

Glaciers, seen from train.

At first, there were forests, rolling hills, farmland, and sheep. Bill spotted deer eating in a farmer's garden. The terrain then grew steeper, with deeper valleys and taller trees. Eventually, we reached a high plateau where the vegetation became sparse, with little more than moss and grass growing among the rocks.

After more than four hours, we reached Myrdal and transferred to the next train. We hustled toward the open seating area, only to discover that the next train hadn't arrived yet. When it finally did, passengers leaving the train had to clear out before those of us waiting could board. Then came the familiar travel ritual: everyone trying to get on at once.

Bill managed to find two seats together facing other passengers, a couple from Taiwan. We had hoped to be facing forward, but once the train departed, we discovered we were traveling backward. So much for our educated guess.

The couple were touring Scandinavia, including Stockholm and Copenhagen, much as we were. We had a pleasant conversation, and the gentleman generously gave Bill and me each a packet of Taiwanese tea along with a small packet of nuts and dried fish. Not exactly my usual snack, but it was tasty when we tried it later.

Us, and our Taiwanese friends

Then came the spectacular descent toward Flåm.

The railway followed steep grades through deep valleys, with dramatic views of waterfalls cascading down the mountainsides. The brakes screeched as the train negotiated the descent, making it clear that this was no ordinary railway journey.

We stopped to admire one particularly impressive waterfall. Nearby, performers dressed as sirens danced to recorded music, adding a theatrical touch to the scenery.

The rest of the journey brought more waterfalls, streams, and glimpses of the fjord country. Photographs simply cannot do justice to the scale and beauty of the landscape. We eventually pulled into Flåm, where we could see the boat that would carry us onward in a day and a half.

Once off the train, we had trouble getting Google Maps to cooperate with directions to our accommodation. Bill came up with a better immediate plan: find a place for a beer. We located one, claimed a table, and ordered our drinks while enjoying the continuing sunshine.

Our Taiwanese friends boarded another boat, and we waved goodbye as they departed. Bill and I then walked to the Brekke Gard Apartments & Hostel, where I had booked two separate reservations because the original booking couldn't be extended. I asked Sonia at reception whether the reservations could be combined so we wouldn't have to pack up and move rooms. Unfortunately, that wasn't possible.

Brekke Gard Apartments & Hostel.  Livin' Large.

View of the locals from our hotel room

We settled into our room, which was a little short on amenities but made up for it with instructions on how everything worked. The accommodation was at least a kilometer from town, so we bundled up against the increasingly cool weather and headed out.

On the way, we passed a troll statue. Fortunately, another couple walking by offered to take a photograph of us with it. Every trip needs a troll picture, apparently.

In town, we debated our dinner options before settling on a beer garden. When we first sat down, the sunshine made it feel quite warm. Within minutes, the sun disappeared behind the high ridge, and the temperature dropped noticeably.

We eventually found dinner: reindeer sausage and potatoes, accompanied by another beer. By then, it was cold enough to call it an evening and make the walk back to our accommodation.

Saturday, September 5 — Six Hours to Kill in Flåm

Our sleep was restless, and Bill and I had planned to leave the apartments by 10 a.m. Unfortunately, the accommodation couldn't combine my two reservations, which meant we had to pack up, clean the room, and check out before we could move into our new room later.

But first, a little background.  This hotel had a ‘unique’ checkout requirement (see pic).  And what really bothered me was that this was probably the most expensive hotel cost (per night, except for riverboat) for the trip!

I had been awake several times during the night. At 4 a.m., I decided to put the time to use and ran a couple of loads of laundry. The communal clothes washer was in another building, and it was creepy walking outside in the 4am darkness. 

Bill and I were both awake before 6 a.m. Eventually, feeling tired, I shut down my computer and headed back toward the bedroom. Bill was also crawling back into bed. I expected my usual hour or so of sleep.

Wrong.

At 9:20 a.m., Bill punched me in the arm and announced that we had a 10 a.m. checkout. We jumped up, showered, packed, and cleaned the room. We made it to the lobby at exactly 10 a.m., only to discover that there was no particular rush after all.

Now we had six hours to kill before we could get into our new room.

We walked into town and stopped for brunch, then continued around the end of the lake, passing four boathouses that also appeared to serve as living quarters. We saw a sauna where people were enjoying the heat before jumping into the water. That certainly seemed like one way to embrace the Norwegian outdoors.

Later, I was feeling a little drowsy while Bill was ready for another beer. We found a place where I ordered coffee, Bill ordered a beer.

We also visited the Flåm Railway Museum, which turned out to be more interesting than I had expected. I had assumed the railway was built strictly to serve tourism. That was wrong. It had originally been constructed for practical transportation and infrastructure purposes; tourism later became an important benefit.

Looking back across the village helped illustrate the point. The railway and its surroundings support the whole community, even if today's shops and restaurants are clearly geared toward the visitors who arrive by train and boat.

Bill and his new friend

Eventually, we returned to claim our new room. It was right next to the previous one and had the same layout. One couldn't help wondering why we couldn't simply have stayed in the original room.

By then, we were ready for another beer, so we returned to our usual spot. This time, we found a corner table indoors. The weather looked threatening, and it seemed wise not to tempt fate.

That turned out to be a good decision. The rain began after we had ordered our drinks and food, and a beautiful rainbow appeared outside.

Dinner was excellent. We split a fish sandwich and a bowl of fish soup, along with another beer. The meal was satisfying without being excessive.

We decided against staying out late. I was back in bed by 8 p.m., which meant I missed sunset entirely. Travel is full of compromises, and sometimes a good night's sleep wins.

More Flam pics here.

The Journey Begins - First Stop: Oslo, Norway

 

Monday, August 31 

Travel day! My flight out of San Diego wasn't scheduled until 5:15 p.m., which gave me the entire day to worry about whether I had finished packing. After several rounds of checking, rearranging, and checking again, I finally declared victory. At some point, you just have to trust that you have everything you need.

My Uber driver was practically at my doorstep within a minute of requesting a ride. He had just dropped someone off in the neighboring cul-de-sac, so getting to the airport was remarkably easy. 

Terminal 2 has been renovated and looks quite nice. My flight was booked through United, although the actual airline was one whose name I couldn't seem to remember. The flight from San Diego to Munich took a little over eleven hours. Fortunately, international flights seem to offer more legroom than I'm accustomed to, which I certainly appreciated. After a few hours in Munich, I boarded another flight for the approximately two-hour-and-ten-minute trip to Oslo. Different aircraft, same mysterious airline.

Both flights were uneventful, which is exactly what you want when traveling internationally.

Oslo Airport made a very good first impression. It was clean, straightforward, and well designed. One interesting difference from traveling in Europe twenty years ago was the absence of the border formalities I might have expected when traveling from Germany to Norway. I simply followed the signs to baggage claim and then onward to the airport tram.

Europe continues to impress me with its public transportation. I purchased my tram pass in advance online and it was valid for up to 90 days – great for travellers that might not make the scheduled arrival.  The tram delivered me to Oslo Central Station, and from there I fired up Google Maps to find my hotel.

That's where I experienced my first travel failure.

I searched for the Carl Johan Hotel and started walking. The route seemed considerably longer than expected, and there was a good reason: several hotels have similar names. My reservation was actually at the Comfort Hotel KarlJohan, which I managed to walk right past while admiring the Irish pub next door. I added at least another six-tenths of a mile to my walk, dragging my luggage along for the ride.

Eventually, I figured it out. Lesson learned: make sure you have the exact hotel name before setting off!

After checking into my tiny room and taking a quick shower, I headed out in search of food and a pint. I was tired and hungry, which isn't exactly the ideal combination when trying to decide where to eat. I spotted an Irish pub and another restaurant that looked considerably more upscale. The pub won.

The Dubliner turned out to be an interesting place, with several rooms at different levels. You definitely had to watch your step, but the atmosphere made up for it. I ordered bangers and mash, only to discover they couldn't provide it. Fish and chips became the substitute.

The best part of the pub was the music. In the back room, musicians seemed welcome to join in with fiddles, flutes, and other instruments. It had the feel of an informal gathering where anyone with the right instrument and the inclination could participate. A great atmosphere!

I struck up a conversation with a fellow from Chicago who offered suggestions for things to see around Oslo. I had already researched most of the attractions he mentioned, so I assured him I wasn't being dismissive; I simply had a list of my own. Conversations with the bartenders in both the front and back rooms rounded out the evening.

By about 9 p.m., the combination of travel fatigue, food, and beer had caught up with me. I headed back to the hotel, hoping for a good night's sleep.

That hope didn't last long. After going to bed around 10 p.m., I woke up at 2 a.m. The hotel room's lighting controls were confusing, but I eventually sorted them out. Around 3 a.m., I went downstairs for coffee and met Maria at the front desk. She was a heavy-metal and thrash-music fan, and we bonded over our shared love of music, even if our preferred styles weren't necessarily the same.

One hotel observation: Maria mentioned that all the bathrooms had heated tiles, which must be wonderful during the winter months. However, a bathroom mat would be a welcome addition. Heated tiles are nice; slipping on a wet floor is not!

Wednesday, September 2 — Oslo at Its Best

The weather forecast called for drizzle and temperatures in the low 50s. Instead, Oslo greeted me with cool morning air, clouds that gradually gave way to abundant sunshine, and temperatures that made walking around the city a pleasure.

I spent the early morning exploring the city on foot. There was plenty of waterfront and near-waterfront high-rise housing, much of it featuring balconies, along with restaurants, coffee shops, and all the amenities you'd expect in expensive residential neighborhoods.

For a national capital, Oslo felt remarkably pleasant. There was some graffiti, but not much, and public artwork seemed to be scattered throughout the city. I also noticed very few dogs, which suited me just fine. I saw only one Vespa-style scooter but plenty of bicycles and electric bikes.

A note for my packing list: bring a small flask for water next time. It might come in handy on those long days of exploring!

Later, Bill texted to say he had arrived at Oslo Airport. I was already heading toward the Central Station to investigate the shops and familiarize myself with the place.

I also wanted to make sure we understood where to catch our train on Friday.  I couldn't find our departure listed on the station board, but some helpful staff members wearing “gilet jaune” reassured me that the train information would appear closer to departure time. I showed them the ticket in my Vy app, and they confirmed everything was in order.

Then Bill arrived and we walked back to the hotel together. I pointed out a few things along the way, but it soon became apparent that he was running on fumes. Understandable, considering his travel day. Once we reached the room, he sat down and began taking off his shoes. That was my signal that he was done for the moment!

I left him to recover and headed off to the Oslo Opera House.

What an unusual building! It’s broad, sloping granite surfaces invite visitors to walk right up onto the roof, providing wonderful views of the city and waterfront. Of course, they also invite visitors to trip, twist an ankle, or take an unfortunate tumble. I couldn't help wondering how often someone had to be carried away in an ambulance!

Eventually, I returned to the hotel. I was sitting downstairs when Bill texted to say he was awake and getting into the shower. Our timing was perfect.

After he cleaned up, we headed back to the Opera House together. The views were well worth a second visit, and I was able to demonstrate my concerns about the potential ankle-breakers and skull-fracture hazards.

We continued walking around the waterfront, eventually discovering the fortress I had spotted earlier from another vantage point. By then, we had earned a break, so we found a place for a pint and decided to split a burger. An oversized beer and half a burger each turned out to be an excellent dinner.

We then walked back toward the hotel along Karl Johans Gate, the main boulevard leading to the Royal Palace. Initially, we had been looking for something resembling a ceremonial arch, like the entrances to Chinatowns in many American cities. We eventually learned that gate means street in Norwegian. No arch required!

We also noticed numerous flags flying at half-mast and what appeared to be preparations for a significant event. Large, shallow planters had been positioned along the boulevard, adding to the sense that something important was about to happen.

I noticed many pedestrians had bought flowers.  I thought, how nice of them to bring flowers home.

At sunset, we were at the Royal Palace and had the opportunity to watch the ceremonial lowering of the flags.

The road leading up to the palace was lined with flagpoles, each attended by two guards. One observation: the guards appeared to be in their late teens or very early twenties. At precisely sunset, someone blew a whistle, and the flags came down in unison.

Karl Johans "Gate" with flags at half-mast.

Once their flag was lowered, the guards roughly rolled it up and stood motionless, waiting until the last flag had been brought down. At the sound of another whistle, they unrolled their flags and carefully folded them. Once finished, they again stood motionless until everyone had completed the task. Another whistle and they marched up the hill.

After allowing a considerable gap, we followed them toward the palace.

That's when we began to understand what was happening. We learned that Norway's King Harald V had recently died and that the palace was serving as the setting for the mourning ceremonies. The following Wednesday, a parade was scheduled to accompany the king to his final resting place.

Remember the pedestrians with flowers?  Everyone was bringing flowers as tribute to their King.  The palace and its grounds were beautifully decorated with an extraordinary number of flowers.

Tributes and Flowers at the Palace

View from the Palace, to Karl Johans "Gate"

It was quite something to witness. What had started as an evening stroll had turned into an unexpected opportunity to observe an important Norwegian ceremonial tradition.

Thursday, September 3 — Art, History, and Old Oslo

The next day was devoted to a visit to the National Museum of Norway. The primary objective was to see Edvard Munch's The Scream. Bucket-list item accomplished!

The museum was amazingly empty, which meant we could spend as much time as we wanted standing in front of this priceless masterpiece. The museum had an interesting collection of European art. Recognizing that it couldn't acquire original works by all the great European masters, the museum had commissioned artists to create copies of important masterpieces. One of the paintings we saw had been produced by an assistant of Leonardo da Vinci. They even had a version of the Mona Lisa. Another interesting piece was an interpretation of Rodin's sculpture The Gates of Hell.

It was one of those museums where you could easily spend an entire day and still not cover everything.

In the afternoon, we set off on a long but very pleasant walk. The weather was terrific: sunny and about 68 degrees. Our destination was Damstredet and Telthusbakken, two streets known for their traditional Norwegian architecture and historic wooden houses.

What a contrast to the modern waterfront buildings! These streets offered a glimpse of what older Oslo must have looked like, with charming houses, traditional architecture, and a much different feel from the newer parts of the city. Well worth the walk.

We stopped along the way for a beer and split a poke bowl before heading back to the hotel. By then, we had accumulated enough walking miles to justify a one-hour nap. Sometimes a little afternoon downtime is just what the travel doctor ordered.

That evening, we returned to the Royal Palace for the second night's viewing of the ceremonial flag-lowering at sunset. Having witnessed the ceremony the previous evening, we knew a little more about what to expect, but it was still fascinating to watch.

Remember the large shallow planters?  Almost all were adorned with flowers!

Afterward, we headed to The Whiskey Bar for a nightcap. A fitting way to close out another full day in Oslo!

More Oslo pics here.