The Fjords Day 3💕

If a picture is worth 1000 words than this is all I need to post today!

Worth traveling 4000 miles to see? My answer is YES! Spent a big chunk of today on a ferry on one of the most famous fjords in the world - the Geirangerfjord which is listed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site. And so happy that it wasn’t raining!

Check out the house in the middle of this rock cliff! It’s a little hard to see but I’m guessing their boat is anchored below the house and slightly to the left. If you see the boat go up about two thirds and look a bit to the right. That’s a house! No idea how they get up to it. I can imagine the AirBNB post now. Darling house overlooking one of the most famous fjords in Norway. Must be able to rock climb and rappell to rent this house 😂

We got off the ferry in a cute little village so I decided instead of browsing the souvenir shops I would walk up the hill to the sweet little village. Came to this church and was so touched seeing all the grave stones surrounded with beautiful flowers and plants in front of each marker. And a couple of older individuals planting beautiful flowers in front of some right as I was standing there. Then I remembered when in Oslo taking a city tour and going by a beautiful cemetery right behind the Royal Palace and the guide saying that flowers are one of the most loved things in Norway. When you are invited to dinner at someone’s home the traditional gift to bring is flowers. It’s very important that every grave have flowers or some type of greenery planted in front of it and if someone doesn’t have family close by to do it than the government does it for them. What a lovely tradition and it did make this cemetery a very special place.

On my walk back to the harbor I happened across a local stand that I thought had solved my problem of what to bring back for everyone. A stand that sells local reindeer and whale food items. Done! Even had samples to try. But then I found out that it is illegal to take any whale product outside of Norway. They will be confiscated at the airport so I’m back to square one. No one will be getting whale jerky in their Christmas stocking.

Say hello to the largest Norwegian Troll I’ve seen so far. In smaller sizes they are everywhere doing all kinds of things - holding flags, wearing Viking helmets etc. Quite a bit different than the troll dolls I remember from my childhood. A little scarier but still pretty cute. They are a Norwegian folk tale and supposedly come out when the sun goes down and steal naughty children. Reminds me of the Christmas Elf on the shelf!

We took a harrowing drive up 4800 feet to the top of Dalsnibba Peak. A narrow road with more hairpin turns than I could count. The higher we went the cloudier it became - or I think we were literally up about the clouds. It was pretty cold at the top and we could still see patches of snow that hadn’t melted yet. People like to leave their mark so we saw tons of cairns - the piled up rocks that people build as a memorial that they were there. Lots of waterfalls on the way up and down as well.

When I got back to the little village I’m staying in I decided to take a walk. It’s just so dramatically different from where I live that I am constantly amazed. Right next to the little hotel there is an apple orchard and the apples are looking perfect for harvest. The trees are so much smaller than I’m used to seeing and the apples are so close to the ground - but all absolutely perfect. And on the roadsides they have stands that are strictly on the honor system. They list the price and you put your money in the box. This stand was selling a bag of apples for 25 krone which is $2.50 US and a container of plums for 60 krone which is $6 US. I would have bought the apples but you can get by here with a credit card so I have zero Norwegian currency.

Then I chatted with all the sheep. They were as interested in me as I in them. They would stop eating grass, lift their heads and stare right at me and then start chatting. So cute and so many.

I walked by this darling church and read that the Celtic stone cross is over 1000 years old. Another church surrounded by a cemetery.

And finally a picture of the famous Norwegian brown cheese. I had never heard of it but it is everywhere. The square brown cheese is made from cows milk and the round from goats milk. I’m working up my courage to try it. I believe it is an acquired taste. From what I gather it is high in fat and sugar, but does have protein and other positive attributes. It is from many years ago when Norway was a very poor country (before they discovered they were sitting on all this oil) and so it was the leftovers from the good cheese cooked for a long time so as to make it edible. Doesn’t exactly make me want to run out and buy it but I’m perhaps open to trying a small sliver. I’ll keep you posted. Maybe right alongside some smoked whale😱

Tomorrow leaving this idyllic countryside and heading to Bergen. I’ve heard good things so anxious to see it for myself. It’s never lost on me how lucky I am to be here. Thanks for coming along🥰

The Fjords Day 2

This is my current view from the balcony of my room. Still quite rainy but almost magical with the low clouds. If by chance I wake up tomorrow and it’s a bit sunny it will be spectacular! I still pinch myself that I am here seeing it with my own eyes.

The morning adventure was a ride on the Flåm Railway called the Flåmsbana. It’s a train you can take from Oslo to Bergen but what most people do is take a portion of the train from Flåm to the top of the mountain and then back down to Flåm. The ride takes a little over two hours. Even though it was raining it was beautiful. They have had a lot of rain so it’s as if the mountains have sprung leaks! There are waterfalls everywhere you look. Tall and skinny or shorter and wider. The bottom left is a very long waterfall on the right and the road up to the top with something like 28 switchbacks on the left. Bottom right is a bush or tree with a red berry that was growing everywhere on the mountains.

One of the largest waterfalls is the Kjosfossen Waterfall with a free fall of 350 feet. The train makes a quick stop so you can get off for pictures. A Norwegian folk song starts to play and a woman with long hair and a red dress appears and starts dancing. It’s the Huldra - an elusive forest spirit from Norse mythology that is said to lure men into the woods to seduce them. You can see her in the bottom picture off to the right. Beware!

From the train and also throughout the beautiful rural countryside you see so many red barns and buildings. That’s a Norwegian tradition because back in the day red paint was cheaper than white so it was used lavishly. It’s quite cheerful. Also very traditional to have the Norwegian flag on your home. If it’s at half mast that means you’re not home and if it’s hoisted that means you’re home. I also read that Norway has an extremely low crime rate because announcing when you’re not home isn’t a great idea in most places. Everything is made of wood because there are so many trees here. I haven’t seen so many cows roaming around since I was in India. We were stopped more than once today because of cows wandering the roads. Also sheep too. Are they like dogs and eventually find their way home? Not sure but I’m going to try and find out.

Another thing often seen here are buildings with sod and plants on their roofs. I inquired and was told it’s a good way to insulate your building. So maybe in places where gardens are limited people could turn their roofs into gardens? An idea coming from a person that knows nothing about growing things. This was a restaurant we stopped at for a late lunch right by a beautiful glacier. Loved their use of skis as a divider. They say Norwegians are born with skis on their feet. Ouch! But they clearly are a very outdoorsy people. They live their lives outside and don’t let weather stop them. That’s me at the glacier. Yes I really am here!

A better picture of the glacier. Top left a little behind a cloud and then at the bottom by the water. The reason the water here in the fjords is such a beautiful green is because of the minerals coming from the glacier. Gorgeous even on a rainy day.

The food in Norway has been excellent. I have definitely seen some things on the menu not typical of the US diet, but the quality of fruits, vegetables and fish has been outstanding. Also really flavorful breads and cheeses. And delicious desserts! I have seen a few things that were a bit of a surprise. In this picture on the far left is smoked whale! I couldn’t bring myself to try it but I’m guessing it doesn’t taste like chicken.

Also not one but two kinds of caviar. Take as much as you want!

That’s it for today. One more day in the fjords tomorrow and then off to Bergen.

The Fjords!

My first view of a Fjord! Worth the wait and so glad the weather cleared a bit for a beautiful view💕

But first a little advertisement for the hotel I stayed at in Oslo. I don’t usually say much about where I’m staying for a number of different reasons - but the Oslo Bristol was a big splurge and I just have to give them a shout out. The hotel is over 100 years old but has been totally modernized while still keeping all the old world charm. It’s in a great location making everything super walkable and the included breakfast is nothing short of spectacular. If I could have fit the amazing coffee machine in my suitcase they would be missing one. So here are a few pics.

Most of today was spent traveling through the mountains to get to the fjords. It was raining a bit for most of the drive but we did see quite a few beautiful waterfalls along the way. They have had a lot of rain recently which does make for more robust waterfalls. We did stop in Borgund to see what is considered to be the best-preserved stave church in Norway. Stave churches date back to around 1100 and originally were over 1000 in Norway. Now there are only 28 remaining, and the one in Borgund is one of the very few that is still in its original location. This church was built in 1180 and entirely made of wood covered in a tar substance to protect the wood.

Top left - the original baptismal font. Top right - ceiling of the church. Bottom left - bell tower outside the church and the oldest in all of Norway. Bottom right - one of the original dragon carvings from the outside of the church, a reproduction on the church exterior currently.

Off now to bed. Tomorrow more fjords!

Oslo Day 8

A jam packed day of sightseeing in Oslo. It was a bit drizzly at times today but not the rain all day that was predicted so I’m calling that a win. And it didn’t make me alter any plans I had so that’s even better. On the bright side the flowers are super vibrant and the grass a bright green.

First stop was at the Fram Museum. This museum holds the 128-foot steam and sail-powered ship that took Ronald Amundsen and Fridtjof Nansen deep into the Arctic and Antarctic further north and south than any vessel had gone before. It’s quite an epic story and I’m pretty sure my mouth was hanging open hearing about it from this guide. You actually get to walk onto the ship and there are video screens all around you simulating what the conditions were for the ship - even seeing polar bears on the ice around the ship. It’s really well done and comparing it to the Vasa which I saw in Stockholm I liked this much better. But this ship sailed in 1903-1906 and the Vasa in 1628 so not really an apples to oranges comparison. My pictures don’t do it justice because it’s huge!

Next a visit to Vigeland Park. This is really the pride and joy of the people of Oslo. The park contains a lifetime of work by Norway’s greatest sculptor Gustav Vigeland. He designed 192 bronze and granite statue groupings - 600 figures in all that are all about the cycle of life. It’s spectacular and set in a pristine park and the figures almost brought me to tears. Totally free and open to everyone so don’t miss it.

Next stop City Hall. In Scandinavian capitals City Halls are very important because democracy and the running of the town to make the city good for all the citizens is extremely important. This beautiful building was started in 1931 but not finished until 1950 due to WWII. It’s very detailed both on the inside and the outside telling the story of the history of Norway through statues and murals.

The Nobel Peace Center is in Oslo as well. The ceremony takes place in the main central hall of City Hall (the other Nobel prizes are given out in Stockholm) but this is a museum totally dedicated to the works of the Peace Prize winners. I didn’t go in but I know that the curved bench in front of it is designed in that way so that when people sit on it they have to sit next to each other. There is an inscription below the bench from Nelson Mandela that says “The best weapon is to sit down and talk.”

I spent a couple of hours at the beautiful new National Museum. A brand new very modern building that just opened in the past 2 years. Much larger I was told than the old museum and really wonderful. As I mentioned yesterday Edvard Munch is from Norway and has a separate museum recently opened here - but I knew the National Museum had a fairly large collection of his work including his most famous painting done in 1895 “The Scream”. So since I only had time for one decided to go with the National Museum and I’m so glad I did. So many great artists featured and also a big section of Scandinavian furniture and design. Also a fantastic fashion exhibit of gorgeous dresses dating back to the 1930’s to current years with gowns from the two most recent Queens of Norway and various celebrities gowns they wore to the Met Gala and the Cannes Film festival. Also the very first Monet painting that was ever purchased. Who knew it went to Norway!

I happened across this familiar face while walking. Hello Mr President! A statute to Franklin D. Roosevelt to thank him for the help the US gave to Norway during WWII.

My dinner tonight was at a place I’ve walked by a few times close to the water. Café Skansen got good reviews so I had a lovely dinner of cod, potatoes, asparagus and radishes in a cream sauce. It seems everything comes in a cream sauce but it’s delicious. I ate every bite😋

So many pretty boats in the harbor. Actually it’s the Oslo fjord but tomorrow I’m heading into the mountains for hopefully great views of the fjords. I’m super excited and can’t wait to see in person what I’ve seen in pictures so often. Fingers crossed the weather holds up. On to the fjords!

Oslo Day 7

Country number 3 - Norway! Most of today was getting from Stockholm to Oslo. Hotel to airport - wait for two hours - then fly to Oslo - then to hotel. The airport in Stockholm was awesome. A very modern or ultra modern security checkin where you don’t need to take anything out of your luggage or take your shoes off - and they don’t have TSA pre-check so it’s for everyone. All in all a very pleasant experience. And the flight was only a little more than an hour.

Oslo is the largest city in Norway, but it’s quite a bit smaller than Stockholm. The central part of the city is very walkable, and a wonderful mix of old and very modern and new. Norway is a very wealthy country - one reason being they have lots of desirable natural resources - like oil. They are not a member of the EU by choice. They have more to lose than gain by joining the EU, but they do participate in some ways. Considered to be one of the most beautiful countries in the world due to their mountains and fjords - which I am planning to see! Praying the weather cooperates.

After checking into my hotel I took my usual get my bearings walk around, with a few specific destinations in mind. First up the Oslo Opera House. It was built in 2008 and is right on the water angling up to a roof that you can walk right up onto from the outside.

Of course I had to walk up to the top and see the wonderful views of the water and the downtown area. These are pictures taken from the top. The bottom right is the Munch Museum - the only Norwegian painter to have a serious impact on European art . You know him because he did The Scream - something I think at some point we can all relate to. It’s a brand new very modern building that just opened in I believe 2020. If it rains tomorrow I may find myself going there.

I walked by their Parliament building built in 1866. Norway has a King but he is really just a figurehead. The country is run by Parliament and a Prime Minister.

Speaking of the King I headed to the Royal Palace next. Completed in 1849 it is very impressive and while you can’t enter except certain times of the year when tours are available, you can walk right up to the front door. It is surrounded by gorgeous gardens which are open to everyone to enjoy and because it was a beautiful day lots of people doing just that. Including me.

I exited out the back of the palace grounds and walked through a gorgeous neighborhood behind the palace. I think that’s where the people that own the oil live. It reminded me a little of Vienna which is also so beautiful.

I needed to eat so had some delicious fish at a very quaint local restaurant called Gamle Raadhus. I think it was cod with mashed potatoes and asparagus. Not for sure but for sure it was delicious. That’s it for today. I have a good plan for tomorrow but hoping the predicted rain either doesn’t happen or is light. No matter what it will be a great day🤗