‘Norway is expensive’ is the remark I hear most when I mention my trip to this beautiful Scandinavian country and yes I would agree that £300 Norwegian sweaters and £200 rain coats are expensive but everything is made to such a high standard, it’s all very tempting. I started my own version of ‘Norway in a Nutshell’ in Bergen, the country’s second largest city, known as the “Gateway to the Fjords”. I booked an electric bike tour , a great way to get a feel for the city that was once the capital of Norway. I’m only sorry I didn’t have more time in Bergen as our first stop was the Natural History museum that houses one of the largest collections of taxidermy in the world and it would have been fun to see a stuffed whale.
Our bike trip covered all the historical hot spots, beginning and ending in a beautiful old part of the city with cobbled streets and photo friendly wooden houses. We stopped in front of Bryggen overlooking the waterfront and is one of the reasons that the city of Bergen has been designated a World Heritage City. Hidden behind the shop fronts is an old wooden wharf area with more shops, restaurants and artists that I nearly missed so make sure you don’t ignore the narrow passages that run between the buildings.
Cycling back we went past the fish markets and I would say the outdoor version is slightly more affordable than the indoor one, where prices seem to be extremely high and what is really a tourist trap. Cycling on an electric bike was extremely easy, hills were a doddle and despite my lack of real exertion I still treated myself to a traditional baked bun.
I also found stomach space to enjoy one the World famous Hotdogs and was lucky that a sudden downpour of rain, allowed me to get to the front of what was a long queue. On my bike ride I discovered there was a funicular in Bergen, a cute way to get the overall view of the city and of course, a selfie from the top.
Next morning, I was on the 0800 Norled Ferry to Flam which takes just over five hours to get to Flam, also passing along the 127 mile long Sognefjord, the longest and deepest fjord in Norway. We were sailing on the late King Harald V’s funeral so we stopped for a minutes silence close to a stunning waterfall. There is a cafe on board, plenty of seats, great views and if you don’t mind your hair blowing in your face, going out the deck at the front or back for the views.
On arrival in Flam, I walked past all the tourist shops, expensive again, past the railway station and onto the Flam Sauna , a floating sauna where you dip in the fjord or have a gentle sweat for 90 mins. I would recommend this and as you would expect from one of the deepest fjords in Norway, the water was quite chilly but certainly refreshing.
The Flamsbana railway beckoned and even though I wanted to get an earlier train, I was told it was fully booked. I don’t think that was quite true but because I pre-booked my rail ticket online I wasn’t able to change to a different time which was a bit frustrating. The journey itself, lasting just over an hour is fabulous and there is a little surprise towards the end, when you all get off the train to see an amazing waterfall.
Onto my next train which was the Bergen-Oslo line but I wanted to break my journey at the ski resort of Geilo so that I could see the scenery in all its glory in the morning. I spent the night at Dr Holms Hotel, which is a large hotel overlooking the town and literally minutes from the railway station.
Next day, I caught the early train from Geilo to Oslo, which was about 3 hours, arriving right in the heart of Oslo and only a few minutes walk from my hotel, the new brightly coloured Hobo Oslo. I had signed up to a 90 minute walking tour which again gave me an idea of the layout of what feels like a small city, as we learnt the city has been burnt down many times so there is no ‘old town’ just old brick buildings that survived the fires. We walked past the old restaurant where artist Edward Munch used to hand out, and ended up close to the palace. I walked up there later on my own to see all the flowers from the funeral and unlike Buckingham palace, I could walk up to the front door if I wished.
I ate on Akker Brygge which we were shown on our walking tour, I would describe as lined with ‘concept restaurants’ each serving a different menu but certainly with my choice of ‘The Salmon’ the kitchen team were cooking by numbers. My grilled salmon arrived in minutes and did not look grilled, I was disappointed with this food and would not have been interested to try any of the other places as they all looked the same.
I rounded off my Scandinavian trip with another sauna and swim at Koko Sauna Oslo swimming in the cool waters with views across to the opera house and the Munch museum.