Departing Keflavik airport was a bit of a nightmare (allow PLENTY of time if ever you’re there) but only a couple of hours later we began to see islands dotting the ocean (and a submarine!) as we neared the Norwegian coastline.
Bergen is the second largest city in Norway, home to just under 300,000 people and is situated on the west coast in the county of Vestland. Trading in Bergen is thought to have started as early as the 1020s with the city probably founded in about 1070 by King Olav Kyree and it was Norway’s capital until the 13th century.
We were staying in Bergen for two nights before departing on what is known as the Norway in a Nutshell Tour (NIN) – more on that later.
Disembarking the plane the first thing we saw walking through the airport was this sign outside …
It is apparently the result of an art competition and is “… intended to invoke a sense of curiousity and of anticipation of what can be experienced in the region…” – it could also make a tired traveller look twice at their ticket 🤣
We caught the airport bus into the city and it was a relatively short walk to our accommodation in very warm conditions, about 26C! The city was teeming with tourists and locals enjoying the weather and we unpacked quickly in our beautifully spacious apartment (with a much needed washing machine!) and headed out to join them.
Our apartment was in a great location and only about 200 metres from the Fløibanen, Bergen’s famous funicular railway and so we headed that way. Fortunately the queue wasn’t too bad and 15 minutes later we were at the top of (Mt.) Fløyen, 320 m above sea level and offering wonderful views of the city and surrounds laid out below. (featured photo top of page)
We spent some time walking around the top, meeting the resident goats and checking out the souvenir shops but lunch at the wharfside fish market below beckoned.
The Fish Market in Bergen has existed since the 1200s and is a lively (and smelly) meeting spot for locals and tourists alike with a wide range of fresh seafood options as well as some local farm produce such as berries and other fruit.
The choices were eye popping (some literally), cooked in front of you and delicious enjoyed in the sunshine with a water view 😉
Across the water we could see the historic district of Bryggen, a collection of characteristic wooden houses which are a picturesque reminder of the town’s importance as a trading centre in the Middle Ages. Several fires have ravaged the area since then but 62 buildings remain of this former townscape, repaired or rebuilt faithful to their original style and the area is now World Heritage listed.
We wandered through this historic area which included the Rosenkrantz Tower, the Bergenhus Fortress (owned by the Royal Norwegian Navy and housing administrative personnel), the Mariakirken (St. Mary’s Church) and ended up wharfside where several cruise (and other) ships were in residence.
Rain was threatening though and all of a sudden the skies delivered and we were running for cover, exploring over for now. I hit the shops when the weather cleared and bought some new hiking boots as my others had sprung a leak and there were more miles to be walked and then we headed back to pack for a fairly early start the next day.
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So, the Norway in a Nutshell experience basically encompasses travel between Bergen and Oslo or vice versa. It consists of three different modes of transport – bus, ferry and train – which are all forms of public transport that are coordinated to connect with each other in one full day. It is not guided – you complete it as an independent tour following signs and announcements and can stop over at your own discretion anywhere along the way. You can book it very conveniently as a NIN package on some websites but of course there is a surcharge for this. I had booked all of the legs independently on various different transport sites and saved us about $150, now I just hoped I had it all correct 👌
Our first leg was a relatively short train ride from Bergen to Voss – scenic, but we were not on the best side, choose left hand side if you do this although the MANY tunnels negated this for much of the way anyway.
Disembarking at Voss we had a short wait (with dozens of others) for the bus to Gudvangen and once on board settled back to enjoy the ride.
The route includes a detour to the historic Stalheim Hotel which overlooks the Nærøydalen valley and where you have about 20 minutes to get some pics 😉
For me, the road included a few too many bends and my tummy was glad when we reached beautiful Naeroyfjord to join the ferry for the next section.
We then had to queue for about 40 minutes in very warm sunshine with literally hundreds of others, all of us very thankful when the ferry glided silently into the dock.
The Future of the Fjords was the first boat of her kind when she arrived in 2018 – a fully electric, carbon fibre boat designed to allow passengers to enjoy nature to the fullest with no noise and zero emissions. We made a beeline for the top deck which allowed magnificent views but clearly wasn’t designed to ‘seat’ passengers – I guess most of the time the weather is too inclement to linger outside – so we sat literally on the deck on our bums and settled back to enjoy the scenery.
The ferry traverses the UNESCO-listed Nærøyfjord, gliding past towering cliffs, remote villages (some of which still have no road access) and waterfalls tumbling straight into the water. The Nærøyfjord is a narrow fjord so we were never far away from the towering mountains either side and we were so lucky with the weather, a bright blue sky providing the perfect backdrop.
Eventually we made a right hand turn down the Aurlandsfjord, our next destination, Flam, sitting at the end of that. Flam has come under a lot of attention in recent years as a victim of its own popularity. It is a feature on most cruise ship itinerarys and the tiny village is often dealing with thousands of cruise ship passengers and their ships. It is said that air pollution in Flåm during the cruise season is similar to that of a big city 🤔
Fortunately there was only one in residence when we arrived, ironically named “Iona” – the island we had visited weeks ago in Scotland.
We had a short wait here for our next sector, the fast catamaran to Balestrand where we had chosen to break the NIN tour for a couple of nights. We had a quick look through the (very touristy) Flam shops but I was feeling a bit hot and bothered after two hours in the sun so we spent most of the time sitting under a tree on the lawn watching the comings and goings until our vessel arrived. That’s her next to the Iona above.
The journey was about 80 mins long, back up Aurlandsfjord and eventually making a left turn into the Sognefjord.
I had booked a self contained apartment in Balestrand which turned out to be a short walk from the dock and and in no time we were sitting on our huge balcony enjoying a cup of tea.
The very warm weather (which we later heard only happens once every five years or so!) had the locals jumping of the small jetty and sunbathing on the boards and I so wished I had my bathers with me. We had travelled with only our backpacks for this part of the trip, sending our main luggage from Bergen to Oslo with a porter service which saved us lugging it on and off various modes of transport and worked really well except I’d never thought to pack my bathers for a mountain fjord stopover LOL
Balestrand was tiny but the dock provided endless entertainment and the mountains a stunning backdrop. It was interesting to watch the small pleasure vessels that docked occasionally, kids and often fur kids had a swim while mum stocked up in the grocery store across the road before they were on their way again.
The historic Kviknes Hotel, dating back to 1752 and owned by the Kvikne family since 1877 is a landmark in town and I had initially booked there but decided to spend the considerable $$$ on something else – it looked beautiful though.
We did a half excursion with local Lars in his RIB vessel (rigid inflatable boat) down an even smaller fjord which was exciting and VERY fast. Finnabotnen at the end is only reachable by boat and was once a thriving boat building community but is now inhabited by a solitary goat farmer. Lars was a great guide and we learned a lot about the history and culture of this part of Norway.
The other highlight of Balestrand was the lovely dinner we had at a tiny Ukrainian restaurant overlooking the fjord, Pearl by Harbor – delicious food and a very entertaining waiter as well as an English couple on the next table that we discussed cricket with at length.
Our short stay over, the next day we boarded the fast ferry back to Flam to connect with our next mode of transport, the Flåmsbana.
The Flam Railway is a spectacular and steep 20 km journey connecting Flam with the mountain station of Myrdal.
Known as one of the world’s most beautiful and scenic railway lines, it ascends 867 meters, traversing dramatic mountain landscapes, numerous tunnels and waterfalls.
The most impressive waterfall is Kjosfossen where it actually stops and passengers can disembark to have a closer look.
This is then followed by a ‘mysterious’ woman with long hair and a red dress emerging from the forest, dancing to a Norwegian folk song.
She is the Huldra, an elusive forest spirit from Norse mythology. According to local folklore, she lures men into the woods to seduce them.
Fortunately Russell didn’t succumb and we climbed aboard for the remainder of the trip to Myrdal.
Myrdal is actually not a village, it is a remote train station that serves as the junction between the Bergen railway (the train route between Oslo and Bergen) and the Flam Railway. It consists of basically the train station and another building which I think is a mountain biking lodge. We waited here a short time before our train to Oslo arrived and we climbed aboard for the last leg of our journey.
The scenery was amazing, in many places there was still ice on the ground, not surprising given that Myrdal sits at 867 m above sea level. (If you do this trip, right hand side of the train.)
We rolled into Oslo a little after 11pm but it was of course still light and we easily found our hotel, the Clarion Oslo, a short walk from the train station.
The next day was forecast to be 30 C in Oslo and our wardrobe was not equipped for such eventualities!
We first visited the impressive Oslo Concert Hall, completed in 2007 after the architectural firm Snohetta won a competition for the design.
The roof of the building angles to ground level, creating a large plaza that invites pedestrians to walk up and enjoy the panoramic views of Oslo which we did. Much of the building is covered in white granite and La Facciata, a white Italian marble and VERY reflective on this sunny day!
It did provide a lovely elevated spot to check out the very busy harbor though where the locals were taking advantage of the unseasonally hot weather.
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A little too hot for us, so deciding that an indoor attraction might better fit the bill we headed to the Munch Museum.
The Munch museum is dedicated to the life and works of Norwegian artist, Edvard Munch (1863 – 1944.)
For those of you not particularly into art and thinking you have never heard of him, you probably have… He is the artist who painted the very famous painting “The Scream” (of which there are several versions) which became even more famous when one version, as well as another painting, were stolen from the museum in 2004 by two armed robbers and not recovered until 2006.
He is somewhat of a tragic figure, his childhood overshadowed by bereavement, illness and the dread of inheriting a mental condition that ran in the family which absolutely shaped his w. To my surprise, I enjoyed the Museum immensely, his story sad but fascinating and his talent undeniable. You can read more here.
You might be able to tell I was I impressed. 🤣
We visited a couple of other exhibitions in the building, interesting but not so memorable and finished off with a surprisingly good lunch in the museum cafe. We passed on The Scream cookies though.
The museum also provided a nice view of the skyline from its roof terrace and the locals who were out enjoying a swim and sunbathe in basically the city centre!
After lunch we found our way to the main shopping strip (very crowded) and eventually to the Oslo Cathedral, more impressive inside than out we thought.
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We were back at the hotel for a relatively early dinner then retired to our room for some reorganisation of our bags. Due to our ‘cheap’ airline’s baggage allowances we weren’t taking all of our luggage with us tomorrow, the Clarion would hold it until we were back in 6 days.
Next stop, the lovely Lofoten Islands.