HIGHLIGHTS OF OUR SCANDINAVIAN TOUR: BERGEN, NORWAY DAY 4 (Last day of the tour)

 Hello everyone.

If you read my previous post, you would remember that yesterday we left Oslo on a  Norway in a Nutshell ® tour and arrived in Bergen, Norwegian's second-largest city after Oslo known as "a gateway to the fjord".  

It is the our last stop and also a last day of our Scandinavian Tour so we wanted to see and learn as much of this city as possible.  If you missed any of  my previous posts, you will find them here.

This morning we are meeting a local tour guide who will take us on a walking tour of the historic centre of Bergen so we could experience first-hand the beauty and storied past of this city.  

This famous Bergen Cathedral is dedicated to Saint Olaf, and dates back to as early as 1181.  Its tower is a prominent medieval feature and can be seen from far away.

The tour started with a short walk toward Bryggen, the medieval part of the city listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site featuring colourful wooden buildings along the old wharf.  Some of them are now occupied by workshops, cafes and other interesting stores.  

Walking along these narrow streets with wooden façades felt like going back in time.

The tour ended near historic Kjøpmannstuen (the Merchant's House) where we said goodbye to our very knowledgeable local tour guide and together with our tour hostess, Zdenka, took a short walk to Floibanen funicular which would take us to the top of Mount Floyen .

It is one of the one of the "seven city mountains" that surround the city centre of Bergen.  It's highest point is 400 meters and the Floibanen funicular goes almost to the the top but stops at 320 m. From this viewpoint, we got a stunning panoramic view over the city of Bergen and the surrounding fjords.  

Over the years Floibanen has cemented its position as Bergen's most popular tourist attraction which we witnessed with our own eyes.  The edge of the viewing platform was absolutely packed with people and it was very difficult to take a photo with a full view of the city below.

It was around midday and since we had no group activities except the farewell dinner, the afternoon was left for us to explore the city on our own.  There were few lunch options available on Mount Floyen but it was so busy with tourists and we all know that the food here like everywhere else in the world would be very ordinary.  So with this in mind, we headed to the funicular to take us back to the city. 

 We started thinking about lunch but were not sure where to go so we just kept on walking hoping to find a place that would attract our attention.  Meanwhile we came across this cute little house that is actually called "the little red house".  We didn't know anything about it back then, it's just looked so pretty and charming but when we got back and I looked it up, turns out this traditional wooden Norwegian house nestled in a steep historic hillside lane is a famous viral photo spot.

We continued walking downhill towards the city centre when we spotted a bright yellow sign hanging over an iconic Trekroneren hot dog stand.  Trekroneren translates Three Crowns or three krone which was famously the price charged for the wiener sausage when the new owner took over in 1978.  However, it first opened its doors back in 1946 and has become a major food attraction for tourists and locals alike for high quality and exotic sausages such as lamb, reindeer and wild game options paired with toppings like lingonberry jam and crispy onions.

There were a lot of tourists milling around but the queue moved really fast and soon we were holding our hotdogs.  I tried reindeer meat before and found it rather dry and too gamey for my palette so we opted for something more traditional and ordered lamb sausages with the lingonberry jam and crispy onions.

There were no tables but we managed to score two milk crates to sit on and tucked in.  The sausages tasted delicious, the onion rings were as crispy as promised, the bread rolls were freshly baked and the lingonberry jam was a spot-on condiment to cut through the richness of the lamb and balance the sweetness of the onions. 

Our hotel was just a few blocks away and it didn't take us too long to find our way back stopping here and there to take in the beat of the city, it's people and the way they live.

We wanted to re-repack our bags and be ready for next morning's early check out and flight from Bergen to Oslo and from Oslo to Sydney.  The packing didn't take long and soon we were out at reception waiting for our fellow travelers to go out for our farewell dinner.  We had a lovely time reminiscing about our trip, sharing stories and swapping up our phone numbers and Instagram handles.

Here is a group photo of all of us.  The woman between my husband and myself is our tour hostess Zdenka to whom we are very grateful for her kindness, willingness to help in a difficult situation, her excessive knowledge of this part of the world that she was so keen to share with us.  We enjoyed being in the company with our fellow travelers and forges some new freindships.  We have never travelled with a group before and were slightly apprehensive of being in close proximity with other people for a long period of time but we needn't worry, it was a perfect match.

PS.  Back in February in the middle of our Australian summer, out of the blue I received a phone call from Zdenka.  She and her boyfriend were in Australia on a surfing tour and were in Sydney for a couple of days and wanted to meet with us.  We were happy to see them and asked them to join us for dinner dinner at our local pub overlooking iconic Bondi Beach.  Where else?

On this happy note, I conclude my narrative about our Scandinavian tour.  Apologies for taking too long to finish but as we all know sometimes the things step in the way that require your time and attention.

Until then

Anna

xoxoxo

PS  If you like what you learn about this part of the world, please do not hesitate to ask me any questions, I will be very happy to help

HIGHLIGHTS OF OUR SCANDINAVIAN TOUR: FLAM AND FJORDS (NORWAY IN A NUTSHELL ®) DAY 3

G'day my dear readers, hope you are all well

As you might recall, last night we travelled from Oslo to Flam as part of our Norway in a Nutshell® train journey.  If you missed my last post, you can read about it here.  

Today is penultimate day of our Scandinavian tour and we were feeling a bit sad.  To make the things worse, it was raining when we woke up.  Our morning was free so it was up to us how to spend it.  

There is a lot to do in Flam and surrounds:  there are short and long walking tracks depending on your fitness, mountain hikes and boat rides.  One activity that many people come here for is taking a scenic fjord cruise.   The fjord is a long narrow sea inlet with steep cliffs cut by the glacier and filled with ocean water.  Apart from Norway, you can find them in Alaska, Chile and our southern neighbour, New Zealand

As for our group, it was on our afternoon itinerary and we all were hoping that the rain would stop by then.

While some people chose walking or hiking despite the damp weather, my husband and I had no desire to do anything like it, we were happy just hanging there waiting for the rain to stop.  Our tour guide seeing us milling aimlessly, suggested that we go to Stegastein Viewpoint .

There was a shuttle bus that was taking people up there and back every 90 minutes that should give us enough time to see it and be back in time for the boat cruise.  Luckily for us, by the time the bus returned from the previous tour, the rain had stopped and the sky cleared up enough to see far and wide.  

It took us about 30 minutes to get to the top up the steep mountain hairpin bends that took my breath away a few times but the driver was very skillful and had a nice sense of humor that helped us to relax and enjoy the ride.

Once we reached the top and aligted from the bus, we were almost swept away by the very strong and cold wind.  Luckily for us, the walk from the bus stop to the platform was very short and once we reached the end of it, we were protected by the thick sheet of glass which is installed at the angle allowing you to lean on it to get the view underneath.

This viewing platform rises 650 meters above the Aurlandsfjord and offers unrivaled panoramic views over the fjord.  The structure is made of concrete and extends out 30 meters from the mountainside, enabling you to see further up the surrounding landscapes, including the fjord and surrounding mountains.  

\

This is the picture of the public toilet I took from the viewing platform.  It has probably one of the most breathtaking views in the world.

Each group is allocated about 30 minutes to be on the platform that was more then enough to take pictures, enjoy the view and appreciate the wild beauty of Mother Nature.

On our return to Flam, we climbed on board the awaiting boat that would sail us deep into the Aurlandfjord to continue our Norway in a Nutshell tour.  All the vessels that offer cruises along the fjords are very modern and designed to maximize the sightseeing experience.  They all fully electric with no noise or emission disrupting the atmosphere the piece and tranquility.  

Our boat had three decks, each furnished with comfortable chairs, tables and benches with the huge windows all along each side so no matter where you chose to be, you will get an uninterrupted view of the scenery unfolding in front of you. 

Although the air on the water was rather fresh, we went outside to watch Flam disappearing from our view and soon it was just us and the magnificent fjords.

From time to time we saw small farms clinging to the steep mountainsides.

The boat took us all along the  fjord, the narrowest fjord in Europe and UNESCO World Heritage protected site all the way to end of the fjord to Gudvangen, a popular tourist destination where we took some photos of the the Nærøydalen Valley while waiting for the bus to take us to Voss where we would board a third and the last train of our NORWAY IN A NUTSHELL® journey that will bring us to our final destination, Bergen.

That is all for now.  Stay tuned for the finale.

Until then,

Anna

xoxoxo