I’ve only just Bergen

Actually this was the last stop on our cruise, but the title works, no? Gotta love a pun! 🙂 Bergen is Norway’s second-biggest city, and we were keen to explore!

In Bergen it rains 260 days out of 365, so we were very grateful to have a clear sunny day. Not wanting to take anything for granted, we made a beeline for the Funicular which takes you to the top of the mountain. This is 90 Krone return (about £8.30) which is a lot for a 5 minute journey, but quite reasonable by Norwegian standards! The view was absolutely wonderful with great visibility across the surrounding bays and islands.

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Four Seasons in One Day on the Flam Railway

When we arrived in Flam the next morning, it was raining and a low cloud hung over the village.  It was a spitting image for the land of the long white cloud, New Zealand.

After breakfast we headed straight for the railway station. The Flam Railway is the steepest train in Europe, taking you from sea level to Mountain Peak (almost 900 metres above sea level) in about 40 minutes. It is lauded as being one of the most scenic train rides in the world.

The Olden Days, Norway

Olden was my favourite places we visited in Norway. It is a tiny place, so we decided to go for a walk. I had looked up a route beforehand up to a lake, and it was glorious.

Olden itself is small with a few shops, a petrol station, etc. We were lucky to be there on Constitution Day

Scavengers in Stavenger, Norway

We arrived in Stavenger (which I like to pronounce rhyming with Scavenger) to pouring rain. But that’s fine – we were expecting it; the South West coast of Norway is known to get lots of rainfall. So after a good breakfast we piled on our waterproof coats, trousers, and walking boots (all my other shoes have holes in them – a source of constant amusement and mockery for my BF!) and set off into town!

We actually explored Stavenger in two halves; the old town and the new town. The Old town, or Gamle Stavenger, was the first stop. This is a quaint area of town full of cute white clapboard houses with red rooves.

Norweigen Fjords Cruise

My BF was keen to go again after our last (and first) cruise on the biggest ship in the world, Harmony of the Seas. We considered many and in the end chose a Norwegian Fjords cruise.

I did have to be talked into it, but was convinced, on the basis that this was probably the only way i’d have ever got to see Norway. I had long resigned myself to the fact that we would never go to Norway, on account of the fact that it is so expensive, and there are very few (or no) flights from near where we live.