oslo

Bergen – pining for the fjords

We took the train direct from Oslo to Bergen, using our Eurail pass, but needed to book seats as well. We decided not to do the Flam alternative route as it seemed very long and somewhat of a tourist trap. The train journey was very comfortable, food and drink available from the cafeteria, including fresh waffles, yoghurt, pizza, sandwiches, beer, coffee, juice etc, there was also a play carriage for kids and everything was clean. The views from the train were stunning; lakes, rivers, mountains, waterfalls, quaint villages, even spotted a glacier. I highly recommend this train trip.

Glacier
Kids playroom

On arrival in Bergen, it was a short walk from the train station to our hotel near the harbour, where all the action is.

Bergen lake
view from our hotel
Bergen waterfront

On our first evening in Bergen, we took the funicular railway to the top of Mount Floyen, with spectacular views over the city and harbour. At the top there is a restaurant and bar, so you can enjoy a drink on the deck overlooking the town below.

Then we decided to walk back down to the town. There are a series of great walking paths from Floyen, we chose the fairly direct route back into the town, through cool lush green forest, over streams via a winding walkway that has a gradual gradient, suitable for all abilities. It was a pleasant way to end a long day, wracking up 17,000 steps, despite having spent several hours sitting on the train.

The next morning we checked out the old town area, with its signature timber buildings painted in strong colours. This is interesting but pretty touristy, with loads of souvenir shops. Later we took a walk to another part of town, away from the busy harbour area, where two cruise ships had docked. We found a local public swimming pool, with suanas and access to the sea. So we went for a swim, had a sauna overlooking the water, then a quick dip in the cold water of the North Sea (17 degrees C), it was a lot of fun and very refreshing on a warm day. On the way back to town we found a small cafe for lunch, then finished up at the waterfront for waffles.

The next day we decided to go for a hike. we took the bus to Flatøy, then set off on the hike to Håøytoppen, with our backpacks containing a picnic lunch and drinks. The walk was supposed to be about 5 kms return, but it was a bit longer than that maybe about 7 kms. Along the way through forest, we saw wildflowers and picked lots of wild blueberries. Parts of the track were easy enough, but other parts were a bit trickier for old folks, but we had our trusty hiking sticks which came in handy on some steep rocky bits. we reached the summit of Håøytoppen, stopped to enjoy our lunch with a view, then headed back to catch the bus back to town. The buses are great, easy to use, very frequent and going to all the places you want. It was a really enjoyable day.

  • heading off
  • fairy dell?
  • on the trail
  • wildflowers
  • blueberries
  • lake
  • troll cave?
  • wildflowers
  • wildflowers
  • stream on the path
  • any fairies here?
  • picnic spot
  • view from summit
  • on top

What do peace, Edvard Munch, Kon Tiki and sculptures have in common? Oslo!

The next day we visited the Nobel Peace Museum, which was amazing. We learnt about the various Peace prize winners over the years, and the history of how it came about. It was a moving and thought provoking place. I was interested to read about the 2023 winner, Narges Mohammadi, and Iranian woman who is in prison for championing women’s rights in Iran.

After that we went on a sailing boat cruise around the Oslo fjord, it was very beautiful, a sunny day, and on the boat we had food and drinks, the table next to us (a work team) drinking several bottles of wine as well as shots and beers – I thought those days were over. 😊

When we returned we took a tram to the Edvard Munch museum (famous for ‘the Scream’), but there were so many other interesting works, including amazing woodcut prints and sculptures. The views from the top of the museum building were spectacular, where you could see people below lounging in the park in the sun on a lawn beach on the harbour. It was a lovely day.

The next day we took the bus to the Kon Tiki Museum and saw the original Kon Tiki raft built and used by Thor Hyerdahl and his crew to cross the Pacific Ocean to Polynesia. It was truly remarkable to see how small the raft was, and how vulnerable they were on that craft for 101 days. This is something that has captivated me since I was very young and first learned about this voyage, so seeing the actual raft was awe inspiring. There was also another raft he used to show that ancient people had crossed the Atlantic, called the Ra II, also very impressive. What an amazing man, who proved that ancient people had crossed the seas in similar craft to trade and meet with others. We then went to the Fram Museum ( all part of the same combined ticket) which was about Amundsen’s expedition to the North and South Poles. It was quite interactive and you could walk around in replicas of the captain’s cabin on the ship. There were heaps of things to engage kids as well. 

Various images of the Kon Tiki raft and one of the RA II made of papyrus.

We took the ferry back to Oslo, then took a tram to Frogner Park and Vigeland Park.

Wow!

This park is just awesome, it is a huge space (45 hectares) with beautiful gardens, paths and water features as well as sculptures. I can’t describe how amazing it was. There are 200+ sculptures by Gustav Vigeland (1869-1943) – all of people. Men, women, children, babies. They represent all facets of human existence, and human bodies in all shapes, ages and configurations. The statues are naked and depict sadness, joy, grief, play, anger, love, compassion, and every other part of the human condition you can imagine. In some cases bodies are intertwined and contorted, in others they are alone seemingly in thought. They are both beautiful and thought provoking. Some are cast in bronze, others are carved in stone. They are all extraordinary, especially the fountain and the monolith. It was a wonderful experience and I recommend anyone coming to Oslo, be sure to go there, and it’s free. You can walk around for hours admiring the sculptures and enjoying the magnificent parklands. Be sure to bring some water to drink if it’s a warm day, as there was nowhere around to buy drinks.

Norway – Oslo 1st day

We took the train from Copenhagen to Oslo, via Malmo and Gothenburg (Sweden). The train was comfortable (2nd class) and we used the first day of our Eurail pass, plus we paid for reserved seats. About half an hour out of Gothenburg that train broke down. The driver managed to get the train into a siding where we waited for the next train, which hitched onto the front of our train and off we went. It was an interesting solution to the problem. As passengers we were only inconvenienced by time, (about 2 hours) we didn’t have to change trains or get on a bus (which is what would have happened in Australia). The train had a café which served good food including pizzas, salads, sandwiches and drinks.

As we arrived late in Oslo, we took a taxi to our hotel which was very expensive (about $75 for a few kms). Our hotel had a tram stop nearby, so we used the trams and buses to get around the city after that. Again, they were easy to use and connected well. The next day we bought a day ticket which allowed us to use all public transport in the main zones, including ferries. We walked down to the waterfront, which was quiet in the morning, there were some nice statues and a big open area near the water where many ferries came and went. We took a random ferry to Nesoddtangen where we then took a bus to the town where we had lunch (scampi linguine) in a really nice little restaurant with a chatty and friendly waiter. The bus and the ferry were in sync. When we returned on the ferry we decided on an ice cream at the water front. I had about 5 licks of mine, when a huge seagull came and stole it! I just laughed. We watched the seagulls and they were basically stalking people who had bought food. It was crazy, they seemed to have a penchant for ice cream. 😊 We later had dinner in a street food place, which was a bit cheaper than the restaurants.