Imagine Colorado mountains combined with the Boundary Waters area of Minnesota. That is the closest analogy I can think of to capture the beauty of Norway. Throw in being a far north as Alaska on the summer solstice (longest daylight of the year), and you have the makings of quite a vacation!
The kids last of school was June 16th and we wanted to experience one more European trip before heading back to Minnesota for the summer. Fortunately, our friends the Pemantell's invited us to join them on a trip to Norway. We had been wanting to explore Scandanavia in the summer and take a trip with our friends so this was a perfect match.
We arrived in Norway at around 11pm on Thursday, June 16. It was still light out! Almost an eerie feeling to have so few people/cars out and about when it's still light out. We stayed our first night at the YMCA Hostel in Bergen, Norway. Yes, HOSTEL. Jen and I have never stayed at a hostel, let alone with kids. It turned out great. We had our own room with six twin beds. It was just like staying in a college dorm room. I'm glad I no longer live in a college dorm room...
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| The Pemantell's and Feriancek's (Jen taking photo) |
Friday morning we woke up early to take the train into Fjord country. We booked our transportation through a program called "Norway in a Nutshell" http://www.norwaynutshell.com/en/explore-the-fjords/norway-in-a-nutshell// and geared our trip around seeing the Sognefjord, the largest fjord in Norway http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sognefjord. We departed Bergen for the town of Myrdal where we switched trains to go to the town of Flam. The train from Myrdal to Flam is famous for its scenic decent http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fl%C3%A5m_Line. Unfortunately it was cloudy and rainy on this day, but we were still able to enjoy the trip.
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| A stop at the Waterfall mid-train ride from Myrdal to Flam |
We arrived in Flam and had a few hours to eat, do a small hike, and shop for souveniers before departing on a boat cruise from Flam to Gudvangen via the Sognefjord. Being on the fjord was certainly the highlight. Absolutely amazing. In certain areas of the Fjord the cliffs are over a 1,000 meters high and the water is a 1,000 meters deep (that's over 3,000 feet!).
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| Matthew on the Naeroyfjord |
Hearing the stories about the Viking age and how these towns were settled 700 - 1,000 years ago is quite amazing. I also did not realize the impact the Vikins had throughout Europe during the middle ages http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viking_Age Our lodging for the next three days would be a cabin in Gudvangen, Norway. Perfect. Amazing views right out our front door, a playground for the kids, and hiking trails close by.
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| Fun on the teeter totter |
Our Saturday consisted of exploring Gudvangen and the small village of Bakka (well Gudvangen is small, maybe tiny is more accurate for Bakka). Bakka is located right on the fjord.
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| The hiking kids in Bakka |
The hike to and from Bakka wore us out so the rest of our evening was dinner in the cabin and playing on the playground. Family and friends...best part of the trip.
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| Friends & Family |
Sunday consistent of a bus ride back to flam for our "Fjord Safari!" We dressed up in rain gear and goggles provided to us by the company operating the tour and headed our on a three-hour tour ("a three-hour tour"...think Gilligan's Island) of the Naeroyfjord, a UNESCO recognized historic site (this is the same fjord we toured on Friday and is the fjord on which both Gudvangen and Bakka are located) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N%C3%A6r%C3%B8yfjord. We were in a small boat with a tour guide so we heard much of the history of this area, saw seals that are native to the area, and of course breathtaking scenery.
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| No words are necessary... |
We ended the day with dinner at a micro-brewery in Flam (highlight for Chris and I) and a bus ride back to Gudvangen.
Monday was moving day, one more night in Bergen before heading back to The Netherlands. A bus and train ride got us back to Bergen in time for dinner and an early night to bed.
On Tuesday, we tour the city seeing the old city center of Bryggen http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bryggen, and the Bergenhus fortress... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bergenhus_Fortress and the Bergen fish market...
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| ARM in front of Bryggen waterfront |
Tuesday evening we flew back to The Netherlands to get ready for Jen and the kids to fly back to the US for the summer. Hope to see you then!
John
