Norway Fjords/Sweden - Day 10 - Hurtigruten Cruise

During the cruise today there were two stops, I did not do the first one (Urke) as it was rainy, the second one was Alesund which I visited.

The night was a little disturbed but not too much. There was a call about seeing northern lights around 10 pm and I had changed to my pajamas, but I wore my jacket over it and went out, but did not see anything. Some people did see some though. 

Today is a rainy day. Thank God I have some little windows to peep out of my cabin or it will be hard to get any bearing. I think deck 1 is without windows. I am deck 2. I still feel like Jack on Titanic. But with wifi and drinking water - LOL.

The bathroom and the room itself are quite comfortable. There is ample hot water and soap etc. Cabin is designed well for two people. I ate my left over pizza bun and an oatmeal bar for breakfast. Had some mildly warm tea (made from the hot water from the tap - hehe).

Outside is raining, but the scenery is something else. If the clouds were not there, it would have been fantastic. Many islands on the way, small villages on the main land and islands. We were now going through the Hjorundfjord to get to Urke and then we will come back to Alesund. The scenery was just amazing! High mountains, lots of waterfalls, snow topped mountains, and some houses on these islands main land. I think some of these houses are not occupied, but a lot of them at electric power lines. I could see roads and some cars moving along. At one point we some some small whales jumping around....wow! It was hard to capture them on camera, but fun to watch.

Today I think I can really say that I have felt that I have seen the nature of Norway that I had pictured in my head. Although it turned out to be even more beautiful! 

The stop at Urke was at 12:00 pm for two hours but I did not get off to tour. It was raining and I did not have good shoes. I don't think its that exciting to see a small village. Came to my cabin and took a nap. Then ate my fried rice I had gotten packed. It was actually quite good even cold. Went to sit up on the 7th floor, then roamed on the 5th floor. Now we were going through the fjord again to get to Alesund. We got to admire the scenery again and I took more photos. At 4:30 there was a short presentation on Norway and the program for tomorrow. They had a really funny video on Norway! 

Had a cup of coffee and croissant ...had to. I was feeling cold and a bit hungry. Both were okay.

At 6 pm we stopped at Alesund. I was going to take a walk here since it was not raining anymore. Actually it was drizzling a bit but stopped after 10 mins or so. The cruise staff scanned our cards and gave us a map to walk around. It is a small nice town. It's amazing that it is so developed. There are looks of Bergen and modern buildings too. I walked about 15 mins to the city and came back. It was a nice walk. Not too much going on but nice buildings.  There was public transportation, and here also I saw some middle east immigrants, and of course a Thai and Chinese restaurant! It was cold though and since the ground was wet, my shoes and socks were getting a bit wet. I was definitely not ready for winter touring. I really need to buy some waterproof shoes.

Came back by 6:45 pm. We were to stop here till 8 pm as there was also an excursion going on. I spent too much time on X and Threads and YouTube today. I downloaded some podcasts also for my train journey from Trondheim to Oslo. 

At 8:15 pm the crew showed a documentary on northern lights. It gave a nice background and explanation of how they are formed and of course how and where to see them. God willing someday I will see them. I think this time it may not happen. It is a bit early for it and also cloudy.

Not much else to do so I am back in my cabin.

This Hurtigruten cruise is interesting. It is a small ship so it can go through fjords, but it can hold I think about 400 passengers. It is a transport ship also, so it stops at many ports for just 5-10 mins to drop off or pick up goods. It is very comfortable. Staff are all nice. It is expensive though. At this time there are about 300 passengers on board and most of them are above 50 years of age. It seems more like an adults only cruise. Really the major age group is 60-80. Any one who I talk to said, if not now then when? True. And that this is their dream cruise vacation and of course to see Norway. Well, I am glad I got to do it now at my young age of less than 60. There is still more to see in Norway, but I think I have done more here than most people generally do. 

Norway Fjords/Sweden - Day 9 - Bergen 4

It is time to pack up and check out day. Got ready and had breakfast (same old stuff) and checked out by 9:15 am. Had to store my luggage till evening. The hotel gave me a key for a room on 2nd floor (breakfast room) and I went up there. Mine was the only luggage - hehe.

My boat tour to Mostraumen was at 10 am. They boarded at 9:40ish. Of course I got the window seat. A Spanish family came to sit on my table. The seating was a table with 3 chairs on either side like a booth. Very comfortable. I did not even realize there was an outside area until later. Anyway, the boat departed on time and all scenery from start to finish was beautiful. After about 20-25 mins, the city was left behind and the hills got more wild. There were very few houses - again I am amazed how Norwegians live in so much isolation. The scenery got even better, now the fjords were appearing, high mountains on both sides of the boat and some narrow passageways to get through. I am sure it looks fabulous from the air. On the ground its beautiful but aerially will be best. Saw some waterfalls also. Reached the end of the one way journey and turned around. Except for a few spots where the captain slowed down, coming back was much faster. 

We were back around 1:30 pm. I still had until 4 pm to walk around. Went to the tourist shops again. Saw the Christmas shop. Quite cute, but America has bigger and better ones. One of these days I will have to visit some European country during Christmas. Walked around till 2 pm. Found a Thai place to eat lunch. Their lunch portions were small - just enough, but price was still higher. But what to do in a touristy place. Got them to make a fried rice lunch dish for me to take for tomorrow, as I don't have meals on the boat.

Came back to the hotel and sat until 4 pm. Collected my luggage and walked to the ship. It was about 1 km walk which went by quite fast since the I was enjoying the buildings. 

I checked in at the Hurtigruten terminal and got my cabin (218). We were asked to wait in the lounge where they had some coffee and pastries (always sweet stuff, never any namkeen!). After about 25 mins, we were told to come to conference room for a safety talk. That lasted about 15 mins and then we could board. It was 5 pm, but we could not check in to our rooms until 6 pm. So got on the ship and waited. Then my key did not work, so had to get that changed; my little windows were shut, so got them opened. Now I am good! 

Now with my stuff all in, I can go and explore the ship. It's not a huge ship, quite small actually. Three restaurants and a buffet place and one or two conference rooms. They do have a hot tub, sauna and fitness room. Its a nice ship. But the food items are seriously all non veg. I was thinking of taking this cruise for 11 days, go all up to Tromso and down to Trondheim to come back to Oslo. I could have done it. Of course, my cost would have doubled and also the time. Well...another time. I will see one day of the Norway coastline. 

There was an information session at 7:30 pm. Quite informative, but more for people with 11 days trip. I will be off this ship on Thursday morning. Tomorrow I can go for two coastal trips on my own. 

Then it was time for the ship to leave the dock. Oh...time to say bye to Bergen. It was a nice city. I think I like it better than Oslo. The lights are on now and its pretty sight. I sit down and eat some nuts when this old couple is debating whether to sit on my table. I asked them to join me. They are a 75-72 year old couple from Netherlands. Very nice. Talked to them for 20 mins and then left. I am done for the day. 

It's been a nice day. Looking forward to tomorrow.

Norway Fjords/Sweden - Day 8 - Bergen 3

It was a nice day today also. Little extra I think. I would advise anyone short on time to do three days in Bergen, mine turned out to be 4 with the half day during my arrival day and full day on the departure day.

Breakfast was fine. Yesterday I ate this horrible cracker with pesto on it, which gave me gas and acidity. It took a while before I was feeling fine. So today for breakfast I was not that hungry. The breakfast room was quite empty today, its like all the guests disappeared. Maybe they were here for the weekend.

I am ready to go to see the Fantof Stave Church. I have take two buses and then a take a 5 min walk to see it. I was there about 10:30 which is time it opens. It was in the middle of the forest, I guess for preservation sake. Apparently the original had burned down so this was a replica and also it was not in its original location. The design of this church is unique - it looks quite Viking. There are dragons on the top design. The interior is quite simple. It took all of 10 mins to see the church. Now I have to get back - another 30 mins. But first tummy is making strange noises. I need to go. Google told me to take 20 and then 6 from the next stop. Luckily, at the next stop is a KIWI (grocery store). I thought I would see if they have a restroom. They do, but not public, but the manager unlocks it for me. So nice. God bless her. 

I took the tram #6 back to the hotel. It is only 12 pm. I had some tea. 

It is time to go up the Floibanen funicular. It was a nice ride up. It is not so cloudy today, although colder than yesterday (I am wearing my warm jacket today). It is not that high but the view is amazing. I can see my hotel! And of course the whole city that I have been walking for the past 2 days. Lovely! Lots of photos later, I walked around, there were goats (monitored by the staff, of course). There was a huge play area for children, lots of things to climb and swing on. 

It was time to eat something. Got a pizza bun from the cafe. Enjoyed the view while eating. 

Time to walk some more. There was a huge troll, of course I have to take a photo! Walked towards the troll forest. The forest is quite interesting, lots of moss and roots exposed. It is kind of the forest I would imagine in the fairy tales I used to read in my childhood. The troll area was fun too. They had made models of many trolls, with names. Fun! After that it was the gift shop. Nope, nothing to buy.

That's it. Its only 4 pm and I am done. Walking back to the harbor I got some Greek salad to eat. I just need some vegetables. What I really wanted was some hot soup, but there is no guarantee that it will be vegetarian, so I am opting for salad. Came to my room and ate. It was good but only tomatoes and cucumbers as veggies. Barely had any green peppers and onions and no lettuce. Lots of feta cheese. It was ok. I finished it all. 

I have to figure out what to take on the cruise as they don't have any food. I will be on board for two days. They do have eating places on board though. I will get some bread tomorrow. Hopefully all will work out. 

Went out to do some gift shopping. Don't need to buy anything but wanted to get something for a couple of friends. Things are quite expensive. That's it, shopping done. I am finished with the day at 5:30 pm. No need to roam around the streets, they are all the same now. 

I guess 4 days are okay if you want to do all the things I did. Everything kind of closes at 6 pm, so there is not much one can do in the evening except walk around. 

PS: Time in Norway is written as military time everywhere.

Norway Fjords/Sweden - Day 7 - Bergen 2

Today was a great day! No need to get up early as everything opens at 10 am and its going to be cloudy. Looking outside to the Bergen city view is fantastic, although the top part is covered in clouds, it still looks good. I decided to go to the Ulriken later this afternoon as the clouds might clear up in the afternoon. Today I am going to do the museum and fort.

Breakfast was good. They had a good variety: fried eggs, boiled eggs, croissants, bread, fruits, waffles etc etc etc. I took my time with it as I wanted to try out the waffles - they were so so...they are not the crispy kind made in US, more like pancakes in shape of waffles. Coffee was good. 

Left before 10 am to walk around the old part of the city. Its less crowded today. I think yesterday a cruise was in the harbor so everyone from there was in Bergen. 

Went to the museum first. It is interesting that Europeans like to preserve their 600 year old history but have burned down cultural places that they have occupied and are still doing in many places by converting people to Christianity. There was not much except how the Brygge was burned and built again and again. Saw it all in about 1 hr.

The fort was an active place today as they have the Renaissance Festival there today. Again, they keep their culture alive but kill off other cultures. Anyway....fort really is nothing great, it's simple in design and small. This can be all seen in less than an hour, but it took longer for me because of the festival. It turns out that Germans were successful businessmen in Bergen.

Fort

Ulriken

From there it was time to go to my cable ride. Took 16E tram from near the fort to the hospital stop. From there it was about 1 km walk up the hill to the Ulriken cable location (Ulriken is the mountain name). I already have the ticket so went in and within minutes the cable car came and we were off on the slow ascend. It was lovely going up, but as we neared the top, the clouds came and the view was all gone. Bummer! I still walked around the top a bit. There was a restroom and water fountain (first I have seen in Norway). 

I decided to get a snack at the Ulriken bakery. Of course everything is overpriced. I tried ordering from the table through the QR code, but got stuck at the payment part as it is only via bank. So after all the work, I still had to come to the cashier to order my hot cocoa and fries (both are listed under kids menu - LOL). I had to carry them myself to the table as I did not have a table number. No problem. There were a LOT of fries. I took my time eating and drinking as I was waiting for the clouds to clear up. They never did. Well...at 3 pm I had had enough. I walked around, took some more photos and then decided to leave.

I took the number 5 bus to the big park (Festplassen) near the central station that I had seen yesterday on my way. There were fewer people there today - maybe because it is not sunny. The garden near the lake (Lille Lungegardsvannet) is really beautiful, so many flowers are planted there. There are also rose gardens around there. There are two art museums and and theater around this location. It is really nice to see people around all the time. I walked around from the backways to get back to my hotel. Came across some nice houses and paths and statues. Found the oldest building that did business in Bergen. No one is visiting it...so sad. I did though :-)

I am back on the Bergen harbor. There is not much else to do today, so made my way back to the hotel. Its about 5 pm. I enjoyed tea and the view from my hotel. Made my plan for tomorrow. There was a fire alarm in the hotel, went downstairs, but I don't think it was anything serious. 

Anyway...I am done for the day. Time to turn in and enjoy the evening from my room. Tomorrow will be another great day.

TIP: Better to get the Bergen card and take public transport to go to Ulriken. One gets to see the city also and bus pass is included in the card.

Norway Fjords/Sweden - Day 6 - Bergen 1

Not much to do in the morning as I have done all I could do in Flam. Got up around 8 am, looked outside and it was all cloudy, more than yesterday. Breakfast was the same, boring, bread and eggs. The pancake was not worth trying and the hash browns had a strange smell and were dry and hard. For such a big hotel their breakfast sure sucks, especially for vegetarians. Nothing much to do until 11 am when I have to check out. Outside is gloomy.

Went to the bus stand at 11am. The bus came at 11:35 am but was indicating the wrong destination. Had to ask the driver and she finally corrected it and made it to Voss. I had seen the bus yesterday so I knew it was the same number. Anyway, the bus ride was nice. There were so many tunnels but when we were out, it was really pretty. Huge mountains, mountain rivers and so many waterfalls. The scenery changed slowly to less mountains and and more farm area. Now there were lakes also. Its sunny but the clouds were still low and look really cool.

As we reached Voss around 1 pm, the driver said that the train to Bergen was cancelled and that we would have to take the bus standing next to ours to Bergen and it would leave in 10 mins. Well...no time to use the restroom then. Bus left on time at 2 pm and reached the bus station in Bergen around 4 pm. The ride was nice but a little repetitive. I was listening to my podcasts all the way and kind of got a bit sleepy also. I was expecting the bus to drop us off at the train station but we went to the bus station which is a litter farther from my hotel. So now I have to walk even more. I was prepared for the 12 min walk and now it is about 17. Well, that's okay. I managed the one mile walk. Thank God for the phone maps! It was a nice walk, it was sunny and so many people were out.

My room in Scandic Torget hotel is excellent. I am on the 6th floor and facing the historical UNESCO site. It is just awesome. I am feeling really good. 

First thing to do is to walk out to the visitor's center. It is cool outside, just perfect temperature and sunny! I bought the 48 hr Bergen card and tickets to the cable car and funicular and one fjord tour for Tuesday morning.  I am now set to enjoy my time. 

There are many tourists around. The Brygge area is very cool looking and I enjoyed my walk. Went through some tourists shops, all things are expensive. I don't need anything but I want to take some small thing...a magnet? hehe.

Bergen Brygge

Came back to the hotel at 6 pm, had a nice cup of tea. Left at 7 pm to enjoy the sunset and another round of walk. Went behind some buildings this time. Its all nice. Picked up some snacks at Rema1000 (grocery store) next door. I love these stores, they are small and with fewer choices. I should be set for the next 2-3 days. 

I will have to get some food for the cruise time as they don't have food included in the trip. Weird!! 

All in all good day! 

Norway Fjords/Sweden - Day 5 - Flam 2

Today will be a great day! I am looking forward to my boat tour around Nærøyfjord and Stegastein tour, which is fjord viewing tour. Woke up at 7:30 to see outside and clouds had settled into the fjord in Flam. It looked really nice. Today I had tea in the room and time to have tea, so I had some and then got ready. No rush for breakfast as it is available till 10 am and my first tour is at 10:50 am.

I went for a short walk to see the clouds on the fjords. What I did not realize is that I would see them more even at 11 am in my boat tour. Anyway, it looks really pretty in Flam. Breakfast was quite a spread, so many things to eat but so little for me. Bread was a bit boring. Boiled eggs, scrambled eggs....same old stuff. There was a lot of meat stuff. Salads were there...why? There were many different kinds of milk alternatives, lots of jams and some cheeses (I tried the Norwegian brown cheese - meh). There was pancake which looked like a crepe, and hash brown! Thank god for potatoes. I had a bit of everything. Did not like the brown cheese, pancakes were hard, hash browns had a strange flavor. For all the huge spread, the food was not that great for a vegetarian.

Went for a little walk before the boat tour. A lot of shops are open and there are a lot of people around now. 

At 10:30 am I went to the RIB boat tour place and they dressed us up in water proof clothes and gave us goggles, and life jackets. The clouds had settled in a lot so there was some discussion that we go to the end of the fjord by the RIB boat (which is a fast motor boat on inflated rubber), and come back by bus in case the boat is going slow due to invisibility in the fog/clouds. We did go a little slow, I did not mind it. Took a lot of photos. It was kind of spooky going through the clouds on the water. There were many many waterfalls, some really small villages, one of just one person! He was taking care of the few houses there so no one forgets that they existed. There was another one of 17 people! Norwegians really like their isolation. They seemed to have what they need there - goat milk, farms and meat. For the rest they have boats to get around and get stuff. I would have loved to see the inside of their house. Each little village had their church. They are big on Christianity here.

By the time we reached the end of the fjords, it had cleared up a lot so the view was quite good. But the guys did not want to bring us back on the boats because they had lost a lot of time riding slow. The bus drive was a short 10 min drive from Gundvangen and mostly through a tunnel. 

I had some time before the Stegastein tour at 2:30 pm so went to the rail museum. It is always interesting to see how they made these kinds of challenging railways. Lots of great engineers, hard working men and horses and of course money.

The Stegastein tour left on time at 2:30, there were only 5 of us. The drive was a pretty 30 min on the mountain to get to the top point. The road is only one lane, occasionally there is some space provided so if another vehicle is coming from the other side, one can kind of be on side. The Stegastein point is really pretty. It overlooks the Aurlandsfjord. It may be a bit overrated but its okay if you are not doing any other tour. This view can be seen from the road too. The clouds are all gone now. (Apparently the tour that went in the morning did not get a good view because of the clouds).

30 min drive back and we are back in Flam. There are fewer people at this time in Flam than morning. I think the trains were coming in, the ferry from Bergen came in, so a lot of day visitors were there. It is now about 4 pm - perfect time for lunch. I had some pizza. Ate  half and kept half for tomorrow. Had to walk back to the hotel to keep the pizza in the room. Now all my evening is free. 

I went back for a walk to the fjord. Not much going on from Flam there. Another walk recommended was along the train tracks. So did that one - it was nice. I walked up to a place where I could see a beautiful waterfall. On the way back sat near the Flam river for while and just enjoyed the sound. It is a very shallow flowing river with fresh water from the glaciers and strangely green in color. Really pretty.

Came back to the center of Flam and went to the Coop for snacks. Decided against it as it might be more expensive, but wanted to try out some chocolate. They had them in the bins, so you can mix and match, which I did and it was not that expensive (about 1.25$ for about 10 small pieces). I tried some and yes they are good! I may go back tomorrow and get some more.

That is it. It is about 6 pm and Flam is like a ghost town. No one is around. I came back to my room, had some tea and that's it! That was my lovely day.

I should mention that I did see a lot of little places to stay around here. I am not sure how it works that you rent them, but they are there. My hotel, Freitheim, is an expensive hotel. I am just enjoying it this time because I don't know when I will be this free with my money :-) 

It was cold here in the morning. I am glad I wore my warm jacket to the boat tour and it is cold again in the evening. Except for the bit in the morning with the clouds, the whole day has been sunny and just perfect.

TIP: I would recommend doing both the tours in the afternoon once weather is cleared up.

Norway Fjords/Sweden - Day 4 to Flam

Today was a lazy day. I am to take the train to Myrdal and change trains to go to Flam. The train is at 12 pm so I have all morning to rest or pack...whatever. The only thing I don't want to do today is walk to see the city. I have seen things close by already and I will be back again, so better to just rest. Although I will say, I slept really well last night.

Breakfast was still the same boring, except for one change, croissants instead of carrot cake! I can handle that. After breakfast was packing. Made sure I got everything. Then time for a little nap :-) Left the hotel at 11 am to walk to the station and get on the train. The station is just amazing. It is a shopping mall, coffee places and so much more in one place. There are about 10 platforms, easily accessible from the central point. Mine was 3. The location of car number I am to sit are already written on the platform so I go there...its the last one! The train is there at 11:30 am and I find my seat, sadly not the window seat. 

Train left on time, initially underground, and then came up later. Two stations later my window seat was taken up by another passenger, a middle aged man. The scenery got better as we got near Mrydal, the mountains got bigger, river was flowing next to the train, there were some waterfalls and some lakes. It all reminded me of Montana. Darn the person sitting next to me. He saw me taking pictures but did not exchange seats. At Nese, I saw some glaciers, so close! It is the highest point of the train. We have gone from green forests to strange green looking rocky hills with beautiful water bodies and some fast flowing waters. If only I was sitting at the window I would have taken so many more photos.

At Myrdal I change trains to the Flam train. I sat in the 2nd car but I would recommend sitting maybe in the 3rd one. The one hour train ride was nice, but half of it was in the tunnel. The other half was definitely pretty - deep valleys, pretty villages, really high waterfalls....jut beautiful. No fjords here. Just as I was getting comfortable Flam arrived! It is microvillage. I can see my hotel (Fretheim Hotel) from the train. Got off and checked into the hotel. Nice big hotel, expensive. The room has tea/coffee at least. I really need a cup. I had my remaining puris for lunch and then a granola bar. All I need is a cup of tea. My room is facing the front and I can see the train station and the town. I love it! Feels luxurious.

But first I want to go out and checkout the little village. The fjord looks really cool from here. Walked around to the little shopping area and food kiosks. Everything was closed but I think I know where to eat lunch tomorrow. The visitor center is closed but the Mall of Norway is open. There is so much stuff there but I don't know what to get for me or anyone else. Just walked out empty handed. Will think about it tomorrow. 

Fretheim Hotel

Flam

Its 7:30 pm now. Came back to the hotel, made some tea and am ready to relax. I am still feeling the rocking from the train ride :-)

TIP: The Flam railway windows are quite dirty, better to sit in the seats where windows can open half way for better photos.