Bergen - A Nutshell

Breakfast is part of the deal with this hotel and they have scrambled eggs! Then time to get sorted and head off for today's tour - Norway in a Nutshell. It's not actually an organised tour but rather a series of transports to take you to highlights of Norway. The website is a bit confusing and then the tickets arrive and they're also a bit confusing.

I'll just take it one step at a time. First step - get to the train station. What a pretty walk!

And the station is fairly obvious...

Then I ask at information if the train is that one - they must get asked that a lot! It is the right train. I get on and we're off for the next hour. And of course I'm sitting on the wrong side for the pretty stuff so I keep moving across. There's lots of tunnels but there's also lots of this... Stunning! Though my camera isn't showing it to its best, unfortunately.

We arrive in Voss...

..and transfer to the bus for the next segment. The bus has a few people already on it and I can't believe no one has sat in the front seat. So I take it! It's now a 50-minute drive through some amazing scenery along lakes, past mountains and just more pretty...

We go through a long tunnel and come out in a deep valley. I couldn't quite get pictures to show the depth and beauty of it.

Next stop is Gudvangen where we have a pit stop at a gift shop and cafe.

Then it's on to the Lady Elisabeth for a two-hour fjord cruise on the Sognefjord. Mother Nature in all her glory...

There are cute little towns or settlements along the way. Some of them only had the fjord for transport before the roads went in - and that wasn't that long ago...

I have discovered the joy of inserting myself into people's selfies. I have the "look at that!" face. The "ew, what's that smell?" face. And then my regular 'trying to smile at a camera' face - which is guaranteed to be horrid. I'm imagining myself in frames all over the world!

One more...

We arrive at Flam, yet another picturesque spot, to wait for the Flamsbana - the Flam Railway - a railway that is apparently one of Norway's best tourist attractions. And it's easy to see why...

It is spectacular!

We stop for a picture stop at a magnificent waterfall and continue on...

After about 45 minutes we arrive at Myrdal...

..where we wait for another train back to Bergen.

This part of the journey is basically to get back to Bergen and the light is fading. So for the first part, until we get back to Voss I can see and it's gorgeous but it won't photograph from inside the train! And in fact not many of my photos really captured the magnificence of it - give the gist, though. Just a beautiful place.

There is a group of nine very loud Italians who are going to look at their group photo from the train and see me smiling and waving at the back!

Bergen, Norway - a Travel Day

Very early start today - alarm set for 3:30am to be checked out and ready for the shuttle, which had a start time of 4:00 so any time between 4:00 and 4:15. The shuttle takes us to the bus depot and we transfer to the big bus for the 45-minute ride. It's amazing how many people there are at this time! We all have that expressionless, displaced look on our faces. Travel is a necessary evil to get anywhere!

Keflavik Airport is one of the most efficient I've seen! The queue for check in and baggage drop looks really long and daunting but they have plenty of staff on so you barely stand still once you're in the queue - you're to the desk in no time. When I go through the initial gate, the lady asks where I'm from - Australia doesn't have a list on her computer - so it's just 'other'.

Then through the security and that line moves just as well. There is a sign saying the time for security is five minutes but I don't think it even took that long. There are clear signs to say what you can and can't take through, with samples of the potentially offending items - like butter and moisturiser. A big sign listing what you need to do when you get there - have passport and boarding pass out, take off coats, electronic equipment into the baskets, belts off, and so on. Signs to indicate no photography. All the stuff that is obvious but there are always those who still do it wrong. 

It's so well organised and efficient I don't think eight minutes have passed between arriving on the bus and sitting in the cafe with a coffee and a cheese roll!

Still have a bit of time so I make the mistake of going through one if the shops. There I find a fantastic book on Grylla and the Yule Lads - the Icelandic Christmas folklore characters. So now I'm torn - it's $40, do I need it? How much do I want it? Then I thought about getting home and really regretting not getting it and not being able to get it at home. So the purchase is made. It's not a massive amount and it is a great book. And another place where Australia is 'other' - I'm trying to calculate how much in Australian dollars and she says she can do it on her register - but of course AUD is not an option! I have to get the iPad out as I've got an app to do it.

So now it's on to Norway. I could not have had a better week in Iceland. It was just perfect. I would like to come back and do the northern parts. Ingason kept saying to go to Lake Myvatn - where he's from. 

I'm sitting on a plane next to a guy who has decided he's been allocated both his seat and the armrest and a good section of my seat. I will start edging across, reclaiming my space!

Some notes on Iceland -

The Icelanders seem quite surprised that they have become this massive tourist destination and it feels like they're torn between appreciating the economy boost and dismay at the loss of their quiet way of life - the streets are teeming with tourists. Ingason was really curious to know why we all decided to make Iceland our holiday destination.

Maybe as a result of the above, maybe it's the nature but they are not the friendliest of people. They're really polite and helpful but not overly effusive. The tour people are the exception - Ingason, Marteinn and Johan were great.

At all the stops on the bus trips, there were counters set up for drivers and guides with hot meals for them. This works for both sides - the drivers and guides are looked after and they are more likely to keep coming back. It's a nice touch though.

Icelanders have really cheap utilities - there is an abundance of water (the best water I've ever had). And electricity is cheap because of all the geothermal plants.

When you use an ATM, it recognises that you are English speaking and converts from Icelandic to English. As do the shop staff as soon as you look confused when they speak Icelandic to you. Very ignores side really.

I know a lot of Australians who have been to Iceland of late but I didn't see many at all. And Ingason and Johan hadn't seen very few.

At one of the stops, Guy Sebastian's Eurovision song played on the radio - was great to hear!

Here's a map of Iceland. Reykjavik is on the right. Our tour went to the bottom right - to Jokulsarlon...

Some Icelandic words -

Foss is waterfall

Jokull is glacier

Lon is river

Kirkja is church

Vic is bay

Stigur is lane or street

Takid kort is take card out of machine after it has depleted your account some more.

We land in Norway and I've stepped into the land of the beautiful people! Oh, my goodness - they're all beautiful!

Collect my bags and then through to the domestic terminal. They all assume I'm Norwegian until I gesture that I have no idea what they're saying. I don't think they're mistaking me for the beautiful people, just assuming that everyone is local!

I've got a couple of hours to wait. When I booked this flight, I wanted to make sure I had enough time to land, clear customs, get my bag, get to domestic, check in and board. And as I've said many times, better two hours too early than one minute late!

So I wander around, have a coffee, get some Norwegian krona, try and get the wifi to work (can't) and wait. I do get the wifi to work about 15 minutes before boarding.

It might be an airport thing or just coincidence but I've noticed some 'rude' behaviour. Is that the word?? When I was walking to ask at the airline counter if I could move my flight time up a bit (worth an ask but I'm not paying to change it), I could hear footsteps behind me. As I was almost at the counter, the footsteps started running and the woman ran in front of me to be the next one served.

Then as I was walking into the loos, a woman came out of one, it was a very narrow area and there was an impasse. I stepped aside with a smile to let her through and she just walked past without acknowledging my presence, let alone a thank you. A guy hit me as he was walking down the aisle on the plane swinging his arms. Another guy manoeuvred himself past me in the line to board the plane. None of these are much but when they all came within an hour, it was a bit noticeable. Never mind, might just be one of those days.

The flight to Bergen is 35 minutes - up, serve the coffee, clear the rubbish, down. When we were flying to Oslo earlier, they have the map with the plane flying on it, showing the flight path. It was a bit sad to see us go over Bergen to Oslo when I was just having to go back again!

Hilarious signs for the ladies room. I wonder if you have to be this desperate to use them!

Outside to find the shuttle bus and it seems for his announcement that it wasn't one that dropped you at your hotel, but one that stopped at four or five set stops and you find your way from there. Thankfully the bus wifi was working so I could look up the directions. But he told me a different stop than the one I had looked up. I must have looked a bit lost coz he took the time to draw on a map where we were and where I was going.

Bergen is a lovely town - all hills with homes dotted up and down. Some shots on the way...

 It was the same as I had looked up, just from the opposite direction. I recognised the address...

Do we state the obvious and ask if the partner street is nearby?

The hotel is fabulous and I love my little attic room!

I wanted to take a quick walk down to the waterfront area, Bryggen, before dark...

Some of the buildings have a distinct lean. I found one along the way for dinner before heading back for an earlish night. A lovely restaurant with a lovely meal, including a traditional apple/cream/crumble delight.

It was an early start this morning and it's going to be a big day tomorrow!

Travel days...

Reykjavik - a Relaxing Day

A more relaxed day today, which is not a bad thing after this week! I was dozing with the TV on at 8am when there was a knock at the door. I didn't realise it was my door at first, didn't pay much attention, but then room service walked in. Even though they must have see me, they still wandered into the bathroom and collected the clean towels. After she left, I sat up and when she and another came in again, it was so weird I ended up apologising to them and saying I'd be out soon. I realised later that was stupid! I think tonight I'll be hanging the 'do not disturb' for the first time ever. It's also the first hitel I've seen without an internal lock or a chain - coz I always use those.

After I came outside, I realised I was staying in one of the beautiful buildings I had seen on the CityWalk. We had, in fact, sat inside for a bit of the tour, away from the street noises outside. It's in the old part of town, with the corrugated iron buildings.

I'm so glad I did the CityWalk - I know where I'm going and I know a bit about the things I'm passing!

I went for a walk up the Main Street where the Hotel Fron was. I had taken an early morning walk the other day and went past the open door of a bakery in full flight. It smelt amazing. Thought I might go there for breakfast - the Sandholt Bakari. Had a scrumptious Danish and latte!

Did a bit of googling while breakfasting and came across this - had to see what it was about...

A museum of penises! The phallological museum! Very odd. It's just a collection from all sorts of animals - whales, giraffes, zebras, down to the smaller species - rats, raccoons, etc. 

There is a room with bits and pieces of information plus signed letters from men promising to 'donate' after they die. Very odd exhibition! But one that if it's there, you sort of have to see it...

Onto the nicer stuff - I walked to Hallgrimskirkja to have a look inside. It wasn't open when I went the other day - at 7:30!! It's beautiful inside...

There was a guy playing the organ - massive organ pipes and it provided quite an atmosphere with the music.

You can see him on the right.

There's a gift shop (of course!) where you can buy a ticket to take the lift up to the top floor. Despite my fear of heights, I thought I'd better do it. The guy at the tickets took my money then handed the ticket to a disabled man to hand to me - very sweet. 

It's an odd setup as the lift itself is not in the same room as the ticket desk. I did hear a couple of people say there was no one watching, they could just go up anyway. Seems a bit wrong in a church.

Up to the eighth floor, takes a while, and you come out where the clock faces are - four, one on each side...

..then you go up the stairs to the lookouts. It's very enclosed so you don't feel that you're up high - great for us scaredy cats! 

And the view is amazing...

For lunch, I'm trying to find another of the vegetarian restaurants (I had eaten at Glo on the first night - really good lasagne and salad). I found Gardurinn...

..and it's like a home kitchen run by mom and pop. They have one main and one soup, a different one each day. Today's main was spelt and spinach lasagne, so I had that - good thing I like lasagne.

On the way back to the hotel, I pop into a bookshop - I want to get the Jon Gnarr (pronounced K-narr, the woman corrected me) autobiography on running for mayor with no experience at all - Marteinn had talked about him. They didn't know what I was trying to ask for so I said I would come back with the proper name and author.

Came back and sat for a bit, googled the book details and headed out again. I went first to the Harpa to have a proper look inside in the daylight, what an amazing building it is! There's a lovely statue out the front...

And the inside is amazing!

The bookstore doesn't have the book in English. It does have it in German but I'd like to read it now, not in a year when I've learned German. So I head back down to try and find it. Nice view of the church and a typical street...

..and the street sign...

I find the book, and a calendar and a 'Wiking' too!

Then back to the hotel to book my shuttle for tomorrow morning and to get sorted because I'm going to the Blue Lagoon hot springs! Not really my thing, but you sort of have to do hot springs in Iceland.

It's a 30-minute bus trip there, out through Grindavik - which was one of the places I had wanted to see and now I am! It's a lava field again - this whole island is either lava field or glacier! The landscape has all been created by the fire and ice.

We get there and there's a lot of people, a bit of a queue before checking in. You get a wristband that you swipe in, swipe an empty locker to put your things in. If you buy anything, you swipe it and then pay on the way out, where you swipe as you leave.

The girl asked if I needed a towel (at a cost) or a bathrobe (at a cost). No to both. She asked if I had a hair tie because, "You don't want your hair in the water, it dries it out". I don't have one. They will sell me one. I say, "Don't worry." And she's quite concerned about the possibility of my hair drying out. What she doesn't realise is I don't care.

Then into change - thankfully there are private changing rooms! Then you have to shower and wash your hair - again private showers. There is a queue for the private ones while the open ones are fairly empty - so lots of tourists, not many locals.

Then into the springs. It's raining and it's getting dark but the springs are all lit up and pale blue. It's nice and warm. There's a swim-up bar where you can swipe your wristband and get a drink. Lots of people with drinks. They also sell plastic ziplock bags for your mobile phone - they are squeezing every buck!

There are two girls going around with bowls of stuff that they are giving to people. I ask them what it is and they tell me the first is a cleanser and the second is moisturiser. They gloop it out with a spatula and you put it on, leave for 5-10 minutes then rinse it off. So I do both - if I'm going to do this, I'm going to do it fully! 

Obviously you can't take a camera in - not without their plastic ziplock bag - so here's a photo of the brochure...

So I sort of paddle about for a while, the ground is a combination of sand and solid - bit odd. The temperature is warm but there are degrees of warmth as you move around. It's nice and I'm glad I did it but I came in on the 5:00 time slot and was back on the bus by 6:10. It was nice but I just don't really see the point. They did supply plastic bags that you could put your wet stuff in - I'm surprised they didn't charge for it!

On the way out...

So that was the hot springs - a perfect way to finish my sensational week in Iceland. 

Back on the bus and it takes a while as they drop people off at the various hotels. Finally back at mine and I stop for a small dinner of two entrees - mushroom soup and then deep fried Camembert with plum sauce - delicious and so very good for you! Back to pack...