On to Oslo

Yesterday I left Bergen at noon, and took the train to Norway's capital, Oslo, for the final portion of my journey.  It is a long train ride... seven hours... but the scenery is quite impressive.
  
However,for a number of reasons, I did not take that many photos.

1.  The weather was mostly cloudy. 
2.  The train constantly passes through tunnels and, on the high plateau, snow sheds that make photography frustrating.  Just as I am about to snap a picture, we enter a tunnel.
3.  Some of the best scenery was best seen from the other side of the train.  (If you ever take the train from Bergen to Oslo, book a ticket for the right side of the train.)
4.  Perhaps most importantly, I think that after nearly three weeks in Switzerland and Norway, I am suffering from "scenery overload".  I'm just not as inclined to pull out my camera to take a picture.

But here are a few photos from the train ride...

 The train climbs in elevation and passes through a treeless, tundra-like plateau.

We then descend back to the pine forests and farmland heading toward Oslo.

Finally in early evening, I arrived in Oslo

Now it is time for me to begin my exploration of Norway's capital and biggest city.

My Last Day in Bergen

Yesterday morning I left Balestrand on the passenger boat, and by noon I was back in Bergen.  The sun was actually out when the boat entered the harbor!

 A rare view of Bergen in the sun!

But true to form, within a couple hours the sky clouded over, and later in the day it rained.

After I got settled into my hotel, I met my cousin Hans Peter downtown.  We took a bus to an outdoor museum called Gamle Bergen (Old Bergen).  A number of old houses and shops have been gathered together here to recreate life in Bergen in the 19th century and early 20th century.  The homes have period furnishings, and the stores and workshops have merchandise and equipment from the era.  In some buildings museum employees play the part of residents of that time.  For example, in one store, the "shopkeeper" told us about the new product that had just arrived from America... Coca Cola!

 

After our visit to the museum, we went to what is probably the city's most popular tourist attraction...the funicular train which climbs 1000 feet to the top of Mount Floyen.  

We had put this off when I was previously in Bergen because the weather was bad, and the mountaintop was often shrouded in clouds.  Today's weather was not perfect, (there were a few sprinkles of rain while we were at the top), but we had a clear view of the entire city.

And of course it was necessary that we take each others picture while at the top.

We walked down the mountain... good exercise since I knew that I would be eating too much once I was at Hans Peter's house.

As before, I was enveloped by warmth and hospitality at the home of Hans Peter and his family.  A bottle of wine was opened before dinner, and another during dinner.  I'm really not used to drinking much wine, so by the end of the evening I was a little bit light-headed.

"I hope I can make it back to my hotel at the end of the evening!"

Hans Peter was going to prepare a very traditional Swiss dish called "rosti".  It is very much like our hash browns.  It consists of shredded potatoes, fried in butter and oil, and served like a round fritter.

Sophia and Alexander were put to work peeling the potatoes.

Hans Peter had never made "rosti" before, but it came out perfectly.

Meanwhile, Larissa was making a dish typical of Zurich... strips of beef with onions and mushrooms with a creamy gravy.  (The gravy was really good ladled over the "rosti".  

  

It was another great meal of traditional Swiss food.

We sat and talked until after midnight.  I hated to leave, but I had to get back to the hotel.  After many hugs and promises to see each other again, I said farewell to my Swiss family in Norway.

 

On to the Final Leg

This will be a quick post... no time to upload photos right now.

Yesterday I had a pleasant, four hour boat ride from Balestrand to Bergen.  The sun was actually shining when I arrived in Bergen, but within a couple hours the clouds had settled in, and later in the day there were a few sprinkles.

In the afternoon, I got together with my cousin Hans Peter, and we did a bit of sightseeing in the city.  We then went back to his place, and I had another lovely evening (and another tasty supper of traditional Swiss cooking) with him and his family.  I didn't leave until 1:00 A.M.
It was sad to say good bye to them; I will truly miss them.
 
At noon today, I take the train for Norway's capital, Oslo... the last leg of this trip. 

Go Take a Hike!

I wasn't sure how I was going to spend yesterday, my last day in Balestrand.  The weather forecasts, depending on whom you believed, called for either rain or for cloudy skies.  After the three beautifully sunny days that I had enjoyed here, I would not have been upset if it had rained.  But I was hoping that the weather would be decent and that I could do a bit of hiking along the trails above the town. 

When I woke up, I saw that it had rained during the night.  However the morning looked somewhat promising with a dramatic mix of clouds and sunlight over the fjord.

By 11:00 it seemed that we were not going to get any more rain, so I grabbed my backpack (with my rain poncho inside, just in case) and a map of the trails and set out from the hotel.  I enjoy walking, but I would not call myself an expert hiker by any means.  I have done a few hikes in national parks in the U.S., in the Alps in Switzerland, and up the Tepozteco in Mexico.  None of them were exceptionally long or difficult.  

To get to the trails, I had to zig-zag my way on the residential streets that climb the hill behind Balestrand.

At the edge of town I reached the Nature Trail.  It was an easy path with a very gentle incline.

   
At frequent intervals there were signs (written in several languages) describing the trees and wildlife of the forest.

I think that this lovely wildflower is foxglove.

It's obvious that rainfall is plentiful here.   Look at the moss and the mushrooms covering this tree trunk.

   

From the Nature Trail, you can then continue on to the hiking trails which climb higher.  I chose one which would give me some panoramic viewpoints.  The trail became more difficult... rougher and in some places steeper.  It was, however, very well marked.

  
Here we see Balestrand far below.

The Esefjord is a pretty little fjord that branches off of the Sognefjord right next to Balestrand .  (The only thing that detracts from the view here are the electric power lines which cross the fjord.)

I hiked a little over an hour and had reached an elevation of over 1200 feet.  I was going to continue on to the next viewpoint, however I came to a level section that passed through a mountain meadow.  The path was mainly mud, and I decided that this old geezer had enough for one day.  I headed back down.   I may be huffing and puffing on the climb up, but for me the descent is more difficult.  I am not very sure-footed, and it seems like I am constantly "applying the brakes" to keep from losing control.  On one steep and slippery patch of trail, I almost fell, but I made it back to the hotel safely.

This morning I leave Balestrand.  I truly enjoyed my stay here, and I hope one day to return.

     

Coming Back for Rudolph's Cousin

I wrote about the reindeer stew which I had for dinner a few nights ago.  The restaurant where I ate was an interesting little place called Pilgrim.  It is owned by an English painter by the name of Arthur Adamson and his wife Bjorg Bjoberg, a Norwegian watercolorist.  Their art gallery is adjacent to the restaurant.

Last night I went back to Pilgrim for supper.  This time the special was "elg" stew.  I had assumed that "elg" was the Norwegian word for elk... but then I looked at the picture and thought, "that's a moose, not an elk."  I double-checked on the internet, and, yes, "elg" means moose.

The moose stew was also very tasty.  I do think that I prefer the reindeer stew.  The moose meat is a bit chewy. 

I can now say that I have eaten two things in Norway that I had never eaten before... reindeer and moose! 

POSTSCRIPT - This evening I went back to the Pilgrim again for supper.  This time I ordered Norwegian meatballs... another very tasty meal.  The meatballs are made from pork and ox.  The flavor is unique... it's like a cross between meatballs and sausages.

I had a very nice conversation with the co-owner Bjorg.  She said that since I had been to her restaurant 3 out of my 4 nights in Balestrand, dessert was on the house.  She also gave me a couple of cards featuring her original artwork.  I told her that I do a painting each year to use for my Christmas cards.  I got her address and told that I would send her one.

What a pleasant ending to my stay in Balestrand! 

Another Boat Ride, Another Fjord

Yesterday was another gloriously sunny day on the Sognefjord.  A blanket of mist hung over the water, but that burned off by noon.

I had purchased a ticket to take a half-day boat excursion up the Fjaelandsfjord, one of the many smaller fjords which branch off of the Sognefjord.  At noon we left Balestrand behind.

The Fjaerlandsfjord appeared wilder, and more rugged, with fewer farms and villages than some of the other fjords.

As on the other fjords, there are numerous waterfalls tumbling down the steep sides.

I thought to myself, any one of these waterfalls would be a major tourist attraction if located in the United States.  But here in Norway it's just another waterfall.

Look at the cabin at the bottom, and then at the height of this waterfall.

More scenery along the Fjaerlandsfjord...

At the end of the Fjaerlandsfjord several tongues of the Jostendal Glacier are visible.  The Jostendal Glacier is the largest in Europe, but with global warming, it is receding at an alarming rate.  

The boat docks at the village of Fjaerland and stays there for almost two hours.

You can buy a ticket to take a bus excursion that will take you to the Norwegian Glacier Museum and up to an observation point to see one of retreating tongues.  According to travel writer Rick Steves, the museum is overpriced.  He writes that "with global warming, glacier excursions like this become more sad than majestic," and he wonders "how long they will be able to bill this as a glacier visit." 

So I opted not to take the tour.  I stayed in the village, had some lunch, and took some pictures.

On the boat ride back to Balestrand, I talked with someone who had gone on the excursion.  She said that is was beautiful, but much too rushed.  Whether or not I made the right choice, it was still a beautiful trip with more glorious scenery.

Smorgasbord

In his guidebook, travel writer Rick Steves recommends that anyone staying overnight in Balestrand should splurge and have the smorgasbord at the grand old Kviknes Hotel.  He says that it is one of the best in Scandinavia.  (Technically, "smorgasbord" is a Swedish word, but this kind of buffet is found throughout the Scandinavian countries.)

So, last night I went to the Kviknes for supper.  The dining room is certainly elegant and has a wonderful view of the fjord.  

The selection of food on the food is enormous.  Even I, notorious as a big eater, would never be able to sample everything.  This being Scandinavia, the emphasis was more on fish and seafood  than on meat.  Seafood is not my favorite, but I took a bit of salmon poached in wine, salmon and goat cheese rolled up in a pancake, trout and smoked halibut.  The only thing I disliked was the smoked halibut.  I'm glad that I had tried reindeer the previous night, because surprisingly there was none on the buffet.

The bill for one person was around $70 US.  Was it worth it?  I really don't think so.  Although most everything was tasty, I wasn't in ecstasy over the food.  The one dish that stands out in my mind as really delicious was the potato stew.  (I guess I'm just the sort of person that likes peasant cooking!)  I don't regret having gone there, but I prefer the homey little place where I had reindeer.