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28 April 2023 - Back in Bergen
Disembarkation from the M S Polarlys, was easy and orderly, as we all scattered to the four corners of the world. We were then left with the task of returning to our hotel, the same way we had come 12 days earlier, only this time up hill and carrying substantial excess baggage, and I don't mean in our suitcases.
29 April 2023 - the Marathon
The next morning, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, and fortified by a very hearty breakfast, we went walking through the old residential area of Bergen. The old wooden houses, propping each other up, line the winding, cobblestone streets.
The streets of old Bergen
Unbeknownst to us, our first day back coincided with the Bergen Marathon, not that we had any illusions of competing, but it did add some colour and excitement to the day.
The cheer squad
As chance would have it, hubby's old class mate, Tzippy from Israel, was in Bergen visiting her son, Naveh, who now lives here. Upon returning to our hotel we met up with them and spent most of the afternoon reminiscing about old times on the Kibbutz.
Old friends
Later that day we strolled down to the old wharf area of Bryggen, (the Docks, in Norwegian), an UNESCO listed area.
Old Bryggen
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30 April 2023 - the Bergen to Oslo train
Bergen Railway Station
The train trip from Bergen to Oslo is reportedly one of the most beautiful, and as spring was late arriving, we were rewarded with stunning views as the train traversed picturesque valleys surrounded by snow covered mountains. However it is not one of the easiest to book online.
It took me umpteen attempts to locate the Norwegian Rail booking website. Google sent me to various sites, all linked to some Ninja booking agency that did not allow me to book the heavily discounted senior's fares nor select my own seats. Eventually I found The official Norwegian Rail site. After many more hours I had found a seat plan where I could actually see the layout of the first class carriage and select seats facing forward and without a mullion to disrupt our view. Unfortunately, as we boarded it became blatantly obviously that this was not the carriage, nor the seats I had booked. We were all facing backwards.
The conductor (as in Thomas the Tank Engine)
An hour into our journey the conductor informed us that the first class carriage we had paid for was in to be repaired and this was a standard carriage but, as it was not full, we could relocate to forward facing seats if we liked. I gave it serious consideration for one nanosecond before leaping at the opportunity. He also advised that a complaint could be lodge online for compensation. Ultimately we received a refund worth two thirds of our ticket price. Now that's customer service!
It was snowing as we pulled into the station at the ski resort, Finse, altitude 1222 m, to collect and deposit die-hard skiers. The Norwegian people are big on cross-country skiing. They are said to be born with skis on their feet; an eye-watering concept for any woman.
We learned that one should consider carefully where to park in such terrains.
Though mostly monochromatic, for the first half of the journey, the scenery was breathtaking and broken up with splashes of colour. We spotted these kite-boarders making the most of the blustery conditions on a frozen lake.
Seven and a half hours later we arrived in Oslo, and caught a taxi to our accommodation. Upon entering the foyer I realised that I should have read the fine print. There was no elevator and our apartment was on the 4th floor. Hubby was suitably unimpressed as he lugged, not just his 20kg suitcase, but also my 23kg suitcases, up 4 floors.
Click here to see more images of our train journey
1 May 2023 - Oslo
May Day, May Day!!
Writing the date now, I realise it should have rung bells. May Day! In the tourist information office, which thankfully was open, we discovered that little else in Oslo was.
May Day march
As it was a wet day we bought bus passes and headed to the Fram museum and the Kon-tiki museum , located adjacent.
There is no Norwegian explorer more lauded than Roald Amundsen. On board ship, we had attended lectures on this amazing man and his journeys to the South and North Poles. In Australian schools he is better known as the man who beat Scott to the South Pole
emulating Amundsen
Perhaps lesser known, the Norwegian adverturer, Thor Heyerdahl, was the 20th Century's equivalent of Roald Amundsen. The ships he sailed were just balsa wood and reed rafts yet he navigating across oceans.
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2 May 2023 - the Kindness of Strangers
We arose to a bright sunny day and stopped to buy pastries on our way to catch the number 200 bus to Hønefoss en-route to the Kistefos Museum. Once a wood pulp mill which produced wood pulp used in the European paper industry, established in 1889, the entire site is now a museum with galleries and sculpture park.
The Twist Gallery at Kistefos Museum
Never backward at coming forward, our travel companion, Steve, struck up a conversation with a gentleman, Trond, an ex-merchant mariner, who was standing at the bus stop and happened to live in Hønefoss.
An hour later, as we all alighted at the same stop, Steve, questioned Trond about the best bus to Kistefos, a 20 minute bus ride away. We were aware that the museum was a 1.6 km walk from the township and would take us an additional 20 minutes to walk. Trond confirmed there was no public transport from the village to the museum and, to our surprise, offered to drive us there himself. He said he lived a short distance away and would return with his car to pick us up. 5 minutes later, true to his word, Trond arrived in his Lexus sedan.
The Old Wood Pulping Mill
Upon depositing us right at the entrance to the museum, Trond promptly told us he would return to pick us up at 2:30pm to drive us back to Hønefoss. And like clockwork, at 2:30, there he was. The Norwegian people are some of the nicest people I've met.
Click here to see more images of the Kistefos Museum
The next morning, bright and early, after lugging the suitcases back down 4 flights of stairs and onto the Flybuss, we were winging our way to Iceland. But more about that in the next edition.
Click here to see more images of Norway
Click here to read about our travels in Iceland
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