Norway was amazing! Spontaneity and adventure defined the trip – although for a start, we nearly didn’t make it to the plane. Frustrated and weary, we couldn’t say a single consoling word to the other until we were at Schipol airport, and ran, like running for our lives, to the departure gate. And well, depart we did!
Oslo:
From Karl Johans Gate to Holmenkollen. Holmenkollen is a famous ski jump area in Oslo. Unfortunately we missed the ski jump competition because we arrived one day too early.
At the harbor Aker Brygge, we were hoping for some superior Norwegian salmon. Nope, no salmon because March isn’t the season for sun soaked fish.
I found Vigeland Sculpture Park, one of the main attractions, to be extremely disturbing. The sculptures evoked images of suffering, brutality, and the oppressiveness of patriarchy. One interesting note from Wikipedia – recently, an anonymous critic affixed strips of black paper over every exposed private parts of the sculptures. Obviously they were removed by the time I was there. Oh, the full grandeur of private parts!
Bergen:
Traveling to Bergen was a hectic, and really, puzzling, experience. We wanted to buy tickets for the Bergen line but the ticket seller was so anal about our student cards that we moved on to Norway bussekpress. To our delight, they were selling discounted bus fares. When it was time to get on the bus, we were informed that the route to Bergen was cancelled due to bad weather. Heads hung low, we thought of taking a bus to another city instead. Just as we were about to board, Sherilyn decided to tell our sob story to the driver. At that point, I was thinking “oh god…no…” And then, the driver pointed out that the bus just next to his was going to Bergen and at a much lower price than Norway bussekpress or the Bergen line. Okay so we took the bus, slept through the night, and reached Bergen in the morning.
At Bergen, we climbed Mt Ulriken and this was a most exciting and spectacular achievement.
We started off slow and easy, then more rocks, a running stream, steeper slopes and treacherous paths; the distance between where we were and the top of the mountain seemed impossibly far
We met this lady, Anne Kristin, on the way. She was god-sent! Extremely friendly, she offered to guide us along to the top of the mountain. Such kindness and readiness to extend a helping hand are characteristic of Norwegians…or at least from most of the people we’ve talked to or asked directions.
The view from the peak was unbelievable.
Ipod: even in the mountains
Myrdahl & Flam:
We missed the fjord tours, so we decided to hop on the train going from Bergen to Myrdahl, and from Myrdahl to Flam. It's true that the scenic trail would have been much more appealing in the summer when you can actually distinguish the colors of nature. Still, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves passing through the snow capped mountains. The entire landscape was massive, and could not be adequately captured in photographs. But we try.
Flam
We camped out in the Myrdahl train station, waiting for the 1am train back to Oslo. Because Norway is so costly, we wanted to save money on accommodation. We would take midnight trains or buses, arrive in the next city in the morning and be ready to start the day afresh. It was insane (not to mention the fact that we weren't in the most hygienic state)! But fun and exhilarating!
Killing time, playing in the snow, performing cartwheels, and amusing myself with the self-timer.
We had a lasagne party last night. Top this off with salad, curry, and spicy chicken...
