After finding the statue of Franklin Roosevelt overlooking the harbor just beneath the Akershus Castle, I was beginning to get a little hungry, so I made my way to a café suggested by one of my guide books. I ate dinner on a patio at my umbrella covered table while it poured rain all around me. I couldn’t believe that as I finished eating, the rain cleared right up and the sun came out in time for my walk back over to Akershus Castle. I wandered around the castle grounds for a while before getting back to the hotel and hitting the sack.
The next morning, I was to catch my Nutshell train to Myrdal just before 11. I got up a bit early, ate my breakfast at the hotel, and walked to the tunnelbanen (metro/subway) to get to Vigeland Park, where I saw the “larger than life” sculptures of Gustav Vigeland in a backdrop of blue sky and sunshine. I got back to the hotel just in time to pick up my bag, check out and make my way back to the train station.
The first leg of the Nutshell tour was the train from Oslo to Myrdal. It was about 5 hours, and the scenery was gorgeous. There was snow on many of the mountain peaks, and I couldn’t believe it since it was pretty warm – about 70-75 degrees. I so enjoyed the train ride, listening to my ipod and staring out the window at such amazing views – I couldn’t imagine it getting better, but it did.
At the Myrdal station, I transferred to the Flamsbana Railway, a smaller train that took me to Flam. The Flamsbana Railway is one of the most scenic train rides in Europe. The windows on the train open for great photo opportunities along the ride. The train even stopped at the Kjosfossen Waterfall so that everyone could take 5 minutes for photos. While we were stopped, two ladies in medieval dresses came out of a ruined building halfway up the falls and walked around in the spray while new age type music played. It was amazing.
Arriving in Flam, my overnight stopping point, I made a quick stop at the tourist office for a hiking map and checked into my hotel. It was about 6 when I went for a quick bite to eat in the town before starting my hike. I walked up to an old farming area high on a hill and continued on a path along the river and near the train tracks. It was such a relaxing walk and I got tons of photos of the fields and waterfalls in the area. I returned to my hotel at about 9 and reviewed the rest of the suggested hikes and made a choice for the next morning, then turned in for the night. Thank God for thick curtains. In Norway, it barely gets dark – especially on the longest day of the year!
After a good breakfast at the hotel the next morning, I hiked about 6 km up to the 17th century farming village of Otternes Bygdetun. The views of the fjord were breathtaking from the sky-high vantage point of the little village. The climb up the hill, which was pretty brutal, was totally worth it. I hoofed it 6 km back into town, picked up my bag and checked out of my hotel.
I had lunch in a small café by the train station, and headed for the next leg of the Nutshell tour – the fjord boat cruise from Flam to Gudvangen. This was the highlight of the trip. The cruise took just over two hours, and it was peaceful and beautiful, and a once in a lifetime experience.
The next leg of the Nutshell was a bus ride from Gudvangen to Voss. The bus driver told us he would drive us on “the old road” around hairpin turns and very steep inclines toward Voss. We drove about five minutes down the road and stopped in some traffic. After a minute or two, the drive came back over the loud speaker announcing that rocks had been exploded into the road, and it would take half an hour to clean it up, which meant we wouldn’t be able to take the old road. He let us get out and walk around near the bus (I stayed seated) and to our great surprise, the mess was cleared after only about 10 minutes. Everyone on the bus clapped when he announced we would be able to take the old road after all. The ride was amazing, and I got to Voss in time to jump on the train back to Oslo.
After a long, five-hour train ride back to Oslo, I got to my hotel close to 11 on Monday night. I checked in, and ended up in a nicer room since they had lost my reservation. I opened the windows and settled into bed, then ended up needing to close most of the windows to avoid being kept awake all night by screaming seagulls flying around outside the hotel.
On Tuesday morning I took the tunnelbanen to the Munch Museum and spent the rest of the day wandering Oslo’s streets and walking down Karl Johan’s Gate to the palace. I rested in the palace gardens and had a quick lunch before getting the bus back to the airport. A great trip to Norway!!
No comments:
Post a Comment