Wooden Shoes and Fjords

Click on "Read More" for more text and pics As good fate would have it, upon our return to Arundel from Bergen, Pieter came up with a plan B as the weather had turned to wet and stormy. The Oslo apartment was within a three hour drive and the skies were clear and sunny in the Nation's Capital, and as it turned out, the temperatures were in the mid 20's. We had a good walk about the following morning, exploring the local neighbourhood where, as it turned out, many embassies were located. The architecture of the stately homes and embassies was truly impressive. Our walk took us down towards the water and our destination of the Viking Ship Museum. The Vikings were prominent between 750 and 1050 AD and the museum itself is the home to four Viking ships which were discovered in the early 1900's. They had been preserved primarily because they had been used as coffins to bury nobility along with artifacts which would aid the deceased in the after life. ...

Click on "Read More" for more text and pics. We are headed back to Bergen from whence we started our fjord tour. Boarding our ferry in Aspelund at 01:00 this morning we found our cabins for the 13 hour journey back to Bergen. A spectacular day and a cruise down the western coast is almost a   religious experience as we listen to a live classical piano recital piped in over the ship’s sound system. . The day was filled with anticipation and warm feelings as we cruised the islands and inlets, basking in the sun, drinking a few cold ones and soaking up the northern skies. Back in Bergen and another cultural experience with an organ recital at one of the four main churches that evening, followed the next day with a visit to the Edvard Monk Museum. I don't really enjoy Monk but who am I to critique a world icon. However I was not disappointed as other Norwegian Masters certainly tickled my senses and interest. One of the many things that impress me unconditionally in E...

Click on "Read More" for more text and pics We are so blessed to have this opportunity, but regrettably cursed as the weather, though it has cooperated to a degree, has not allowed us to embrace the shear magnificence of what the fjord region has to offer. We are teased as to what could have been, but never the less, what we were able to experience is pure magic. The forbidden fruit hangs perilously close to the ground but the picking is made more difficult by the temptation to fill the half full glass with more sunshine and blue skies. We are not alone, as evidenced by the numerous cruise ships which sail into the fjords for an up close experience. The Queen Mary and Silver Seas just to name a few. Waterfalls continually cascade down hundreds of meters of hillsides and cliffs into the untold depths of the fjords below. Hair pin turns make the driving perilous should you get too distracted. The oooos and ahhhs keep us on our game and every climb is rewarded with an...

Click on "Read More" for more text and pics Our road trip begins with a 1 1/2 hour trip to Voss where we stopped to take in a spectacular waterfall, then onto a picnic area with a less than spectacular lunch. But hey it wasn't up to Norwegian standards although it was tasty and the setting was as picturesque as you would find anywhere for a roadside picnic area. We had train reservations in Flan for 13:30 so the pressure was on to be on time. No need to worry as we had about 20 minutes to spare when we arrived ready to embark on our 1 hour journey to Mydral. Instead of catching the next train back we opted to hike down a trail to the next station to pick up the following train. Though cloudy and wet at times, the sun did come out for some fabulous panoramic views. Waterfalls are in abundance and not just trickles of streams but torrents of rivers crashing down the mountain side. See my video by clicking on Flam Railroad for a sense of the power these forces produce. ...