Norway in a (cold, wet) nutshell

We’re back on the road after spending the summer at home. This trip is a brief one, only a few weeks.

Except for a short visit to Copenhagen several years ago, we’ve never visited Scandinavia. (George’s visit to Sweden when he was 17 years old doesn’t count.) “Norway in a nutshell” is a tour company’s trademarked name for an introductory tour to some of Norway’s highlights. We copied its itinerary, except booked the trains, boats, buses and hotels ourselves, for about 2/3 the cost.  

Oslo

We arrived in Oslo to grey skies and crisp temperatures. It did not stay dry for long. The next morning we were greeted by heavy rain and winds. Fortunately the rain only lasted a few hours. Our first impressions of the city: clean, safe, compact, pedestrian friendly. Our next impression? Expensive! Residents are quick to point out that Oslo is no longer the most expensive city in the world. We’d hate to have visited when it was. Prices aren’t deterring tourists though. Cruise ships and bus tours were delivering tourists by the thousands, even in the off season.

Oslo is easy to navigate on foot. We walked the city from one end to the other. The picturesque harbour, futuristic Opera House, Royal Palace, Munch Museum, Nobel Peace Centre and the historic centre were all easy walking distance from our apartment. We bussed further afield to the Vigeland Sculpture Park (with 212 sculptures all by the same artist – Gustav Vigeland) and the Norsk Folkmuseum.

Almost riding one of the world’s most scenic train routes

The first leg of our journey was a fast train from Oslo to Myrdal, then the historic Flåm Railway to Flåm. The route is reputedly one of the most scenic in the world. Four hours after leaving Oslo the conductor announced that the line was closed just before Myrdal. We would have to wait in the the tiny, forlorn hamlet of Finse, in blowing snow and 3C. We waited there for 2-3/4 hours. By the time the line opened we had missed our train to Flåm. We had to continue to the next town and take a bus back to Flåm.

We arrived in Flåm in the early evening instead of early afternoon. It was too late for any hikes. There is little else to do. Flåm is a village of only 350 people. It was deserted. We had a terrific home-cooked dinner at the guest house then went to bed early. We awoke to a surprise the next morning. A massive cruise ship with 6,300 passengers was docked outside our guest house. The town was completely overrun with tourists. We had set the morning aside to explore the area. The weather was dreary and hordes of cruise passengers were everywhere, so we stayed at the guesthouse and enjoyed the view over hot cups of coffee.

Nærøyfjord – UNESCO World Heritage Site

You cannot visit Norway without exploring the fjords. We took an afternoon cruise through the Nærøyfjord from Flåm to Gudvangen. We have spectacular coastal scenery in British Columbia but there was something special about the Norwegian fjords. It was amazing to see countless waterfalls rushing down the sheer mountainsides. There are tiny villages tucked into every little bay. Life in those isolated villages must be very peaceful, especially during the long winters.

We finished a long day with bus and train rides from Gudvagen to Bergen.

Europe’s Rainiest City – Bergen

Bergen, on the west coast of Norway, is known as the “heart of the fjords”. It is built alongside fjords and mountains. Although it is Norway’s second largest city, it still has a small town feel. It is a port city but lacks the gritty edge normally associated with ports.

Our apartment was tucked into a narrow cobblestoned lane a couple of blocks from the main centre. We started early our first morning. The streets surrounding our apartment had a few locals heading to work but were otherwise deserted. Then we rounded the corner to Bryggen, the UNESCO-protected historic old port neighbourhood. We suddenly ran into a wall of people. Three large cruise ships were in port, including a 2,300 passenger German ship on a Heavy Metal themed cruise. Bergen’s streets were filled with tough-looking, burned out, hungover metalheads. Quite a contrast to the “golden-agers” from the other two ships!

The historic centre Bryggen is Bergen’s best-known area. Its well-preserved buildings have retained their appearance from the days of the fourteenth century Hanseatic League. We left the crowds behind and explored some of the residential neighbourhoods away from the touristic area. Many of them are just as atmospheric, with colourful preserved houses lining narrow cobblestone streets up and down the hillsides.

Trolljegerproven Mud Race

The most fun was a short ride on the Floibanen funicular to the Floyen mountain peak. The panoramic view over Bergen and the surrounding countryside was impressive enough. What made it fun though was that we happened to be there for the annual Trolljegerproven obstacle race – a mud race – on the peak. We had a good laugh watching the mud-soaked participants pushing and pulling each other over, under and around obstacles to get to the finish line. Instead of sharing the cablecar down with muddy, sweaty, hypothermic athletes we chose to hike the forest trail down to the town. A perfect ending to a crisp fall afternoon.