09/14/2009
This day was mine and Ruth's birthday! And it turned out to be quite an adventurous one!
The day before, we had purchased tickets for a bus/boat/train tour through the fjords called Norway in a Nutshell. We made breakfast in our apartment and then headed for the train station. Unfortunately, we hadn't realized how far the train station actually was from our apartment and we ended up leaving much later than we should have. This resulted in us making a mad run, a mile or so over cobbled streets, to catch our train. John pushed the stroller with William holding on for dear life (he loved it!) -- I truly don't know how that little stroller made it all that way on those streets but I suspect that it was actually flying most of the time. We were hauling. With just 3 minutes to spare we made it onto the train with only one casualty -- William's little fox blanket must have flown out at some point. I was, and am, still pretty heart-broken over it. Losing that blanket also caused a chain reaction of other, nearly disastrous, events later on in our trip.
But anyway, we made it onto the train and started our beautiful day of Norwegian scenery. The train took us to the town of Voss where we got on a bus. The bus took us up and down steep, incredible mountain roads where we saw waterfalls, lakes, little villages and the most breathtaking scenery I've ever seen in my life -- so far.
The bus dropped us off in Gudvangen where we then got on a boat for the fjord cruise. The views of the fjord were insane. Amazingly beautiful. It was pretty chilly outside so William and I stayed inside while John, Ruth and Eric spend most of the time on the top deck. Will took a nap at one point and I had a great time watching the lovely view by myself -- it was a really wonderful experience.
The boat ride from Gudvangen to Flåm was about two hours long. Once in Flåm we did some souvenir shopping and had lunch before getting on the train that would take us back to Bergen. The train ride was just as beautiful, or more, than the fjord cruise had been and we got to go through lots of tunnels which thrilled William.
When we finally arrived back in Bergen it was dinner time and we went to a pretty restaurant that had been converted from a bank -- thus the name Banco Rotto. There were very pretty chandeliers and we were the only people in the entire restaurant. After a tasty dinner we stopped by Deli de Luca for some birthday dessert and spent the rest of the evening at our apartment.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Day 4 - Bergen, Norway
09/13/2009
Our fourth day of the trip began with a flight from Stavanger to Bergen. The flight was short and sweet and we landed around 10:30am. We easily caught the airport bus which took us right to the center of Bergen at the fish markets. We set off to find our apartment up steep, cobblestone streets hauling all of our luggage and the little stroller that could. The apartment turned out to be on a little tiny street inaccessible to cars which we found after consulting Google maps (which was wrong) and asking several people. We finally found Stolesmaut, the street we were looking for, and walked through the cutest little residential area you've ever seen.
Motz, the owner of the apartment, was a young guy who helped us get our bags settled, pointed out some things on a city map and gave us keys before we took off again to explore the city. Lucky for us, there was a food festival (basically a farmers market) being held just down the hill at the Bryggen (the harbor area). We had a great time trying the cheese and honey and reindeer jerky and fruits and pancakes. We bought apples and cheese to go with dinner and then had polsers for lunch and Softies for dessert (more about those later).
At a hotel very near the harbor there was a crowd of people all in traditional Norwegian dress. A family on our flight that morning had been dressed in costume, also. Apparently they were celebrating a sort of baptism or something. It was really really neat to see their traditional costumes -- they were so beautiful!
Earlier, when we had arrived at the apartment, Eric realized that he had left his iPhone on the bus from the airport. After making some calls he found out that someone had turned in the phone! He ended up having to go back to the airport to retrieve it and was gone for about 2 hours. This was just the first time that we got lucky with nice Norwegians turning in things that we lost!
While Eric was gone we visited a kid clothing/toy/things store where I tried to buy everything and also the tourist office where we learned about an amazing bus/boat/train tour (Norway in a Nutshell) which we decided to take the next day (mine and Ruth's bday!). We also window-shopped at a lot of incredible looking stores which were all, unfortunately, closed because it was Sunday.
Eric finally rejoined us and we walked a short ways to ride on the Fløibanen Funicular up to the top of Mount Floyen. The ride was very fun (and of course William was going nuts over it) and the view at the top was beautiful -- overlooking all of Bergen and the harbor. After spending an hour or so at the top enjoying the view, playing at the playground and visiting the gift shop, we rode back down.
Since we had a full apartment with a kitchen we decided to just make dinner rather than go out. Since it was Sunday, though, the large grocery was closed and we had to make-do with what we could find at 7-Eleven! Granted, the 7-Elevens in Scandinavia are much different than they are in the States. They really do have a small selection of real groceries. We got weiners, potatoes and some things for breakfast. We then went to Deli de Luca (convenience store/baked goods/deli) and got a loaf of bread (which I probably ate 75% of single-handedly).
Back at the apartment we cooked our dinner and figured out that we spent as much on all of the groceries for dinner for all 5 of us as it would have cost for one of us to eat out. Yikes! After dinner, cleaning up and messing around online for a bit it was time for bed.
Our fourth day of the trip began with a flight from Stavanger to Bergen. The flight was short and sweet and we landed around 10:30am. We easily caught the airport bus which took us right to the center of Bergen at the fish markets. We set off to find our apartment up steep, cobblestone streets hauling all of our luggage and the little stroller that could. The apartment turned out to be on a little tiny street inaccessible to cars which we found after consulting Google maps (which was wrong) and asking several people. We finally found Stolesmaut, the street we were looking for, and walked through the cutest little residential area you've ever seen.
Motz, the owner of the apartment, was a young guy who helped us get our bags settled, pointed out some things on a city map and gave us keys before we took off again to explore the city. Lucky for us, there was a food festival (basically a farmers market) being held just down the hill at the Bryggen (the harbor area). We had a great time trying the cheese and honey and reindeer jerky and fruits and pancakes. We bought apples and cheese to go with dinner and then had polsers for lunch and Softies for dessert (more about those later).
At a hotel very near the harbor there was a crowd of people all in traditional Norwegian dress. A family on our flight that morning had been dressed in costume, also. Apparently they were celebrating a sort of baptism or something. It was really really neat to see their traditional costumes -- they were so beautiful!
Earlier, when we had arrived at the apartment, Eric realized that he had left his iPhone on the bus from the airport. After making some calls he found out that someone had turned in the phone! He ended up having to go back to the airport to retrieve it and was gone for about 2 hours. This was just the first time that we got lucky with nice Norwegians turning in things that we lost!
While Eric was gone we visited a kid clothing/toy/things store where I tried to buy everything and also the tourist office where we learned about an amazing bus/boat/train tour (Norway in a Nutshell) which we decided to take the next day (mine and Ruth's bday!). We also window-shopped at a lot of incredible looking stores which were all, unfortunately, closed because it was Sunday.
Eric finally rejoined us and we walked a short ways to ride on the Fløibanen Funicular up to the top of Mount Floyen. The ride was very fun (and of course William was going nuts over it) and the view at the top was beautiful -- overlooking all of Bergen and the harbor. After spending an hour or so at the top enjoying the view, playing at the playground and visiting the gift shop, we rode back down.
Since we had a full apartment with a kitchen we decided to just make dinner rather than go out. Since it was Sunday, though, the large grocery was closed and we had to make-do with what we could find at 7-Eleven! Granted, the 7-Elevens in Scandinavia are much different than they are in the States. They really do have a small selection of real groceries. We got weiners, potatoes and some things for breakfast. We then went to Deli de Luca (convenience store/baked goods/deli) and got a loaf of bread (which I probably ate 75% of single-handedly).
Back at the apartment we cooked our dinner and figured out that we spent as much on all of the groceries for dinner for all 5 of us as it would have cost for one of us to eat out. Yikes! After dinner, cleaning up and messing around online for a bit it was time for bed.
Day 1 - Oslo, Norway
09/09/09-09/10/09
We did it! We survived over 13 hours of airplane travel with an almost 2-year-old! I was really nervous about our flights to Oslo but everything went more smoothly than I thought it would. Naps, snacks, airplane books and Little Einsteins on the iPod made it easy -- as did the extra seat we got lucky enough to score for the longest flight from New Jersey to Oslo. Will fell asleep and slept for the night in the extra seat which meant that we could get some sleep, too!
We landed in Oslo, Norway at about 9:30 am. The airport was beautiful -- all glass, vaulted ceilings and light wood. Definitely Scandinavian. We caught the airport express train into the city -- our first experience with the outrageously high prices of things in this country! -- which also gave us our first little taste of what Norwegian culture is like. The train was very quiet. No one was speaking and even though there were television screens on in the train, there was no sound. There were also no advertisements in the train. It was all very refreshing compared to the bombardment of advertising and constant audio everywhere in the States. People even respected the "no cell phones" signs in the part of the train we were in and took their calls outside the compartment. Amazing!
The train ride to the center of Oslo was only about 20 minutes. From there we had about a 10-15 minute walk up Karl Johans Gate to our hotel. We were able to leave our luggage since we were too early to check-in and then immediately went out to hit the sites! We knew we'd have a long day ahead of us trying to catch up to local time (9 hours ahead) so our plan was to stay busy and power-through.
Now here I have to talk about strollers and European streets. I bought this little travel stroller at the last minute before leaving LA (I was originally going to backpack Will around the entire trip - what was I thinking?). I wanted something lightweight and portable as we were trying to pack as light as possible. Well, this stroller is light and portable -- but not so great for cobblestone streets. This stroller, with its small, swively wheels and non-existent shocks, was definitely designed for American sidewalks, pavement and ramped curbs. It's been quite the adventure trying to push this thing over the very cobble-y streets of Norway. Everyone here has these prams with large wheels and shocks and I have definitely wished for one of these guys every day of the trip.
The only advantage to having the small stroller is that when traveling by plane we can push Will all the way up to the door of the plane and then just fold the stroller up and put it in the overhead compartment. I saw a family checking their pram on our most recent flight and it was actually quite an ordeal -- it has to be broken down into two parts, bagged, and then checked like luggage.
So, there have been advantages and disadvantages to this little rickety thing but overall, I'm just glad to have brought anything! The compromise between the big pram and a tiny stroller would actually be our normal stroller we use at home that has larger wheels that can also be locked into a fixed position (so they don't swivel and get stuck in between cobbles). If we ever travel in Europe again with a stroller-aged kid, this is definitely what we'll do.
First on our itinerary was a visit to the Norwegian Folk Museum. It's located on a little piece of land that juts out into the harbor. To get there we had to take a 10-15 minute ferry ride and then a short walk through adorable neighborhoods, which I loved. The Folk Museum is a collection of structures from different time periods and areas of Norway all moved to this one area. It was incredible. The time span of these buildings was from the 1300s up to examples of present-day decor. This museum was a highlight of Oslo for me as I love historical things that represent day-to-day life and any kind of house in general. There was also a Stave church at the museum which was very cool to see. Stave churches are completely wooden and very dark inside -- there are just a couple of small windows to let in any light at all. I'd like to learn more about them.
The next stop for the day was the Viking Ship Museum which was just another short walk away. The museum is quite small but worth going to. The building itself is beautiful and the ships are really cool. There are also several other Viking era artifacts to see there.
After the ferry ride back across the harbor, we had dinner at a hopping but disappointing (to be expected) Tex-Mex restaurant and were definitely ready for bed at about 8:30.
A review of our hotel: The Grand Hotel is beautiful and historic (opened in 1874). The rooms were small but very clean and comfortable (love Scandinavian beds)! The breakfast was amazing, the concierge and desk staff were very nice and helpful and the location could not be beat. The only complaint I have is that our room faced the back of the hotel which also happens to share the street with a bar and the delivery area of the hotel. The first half of our night was spent trying to sleep through loud music and voices and the second half was spent listening to delivery trucks drive in and out. Luckily we had earplugs, which helped a bit, but I would definitely recommend getting a room that is not in the back. It was not the most restful night I've ever had.
This concludes the first day of our grand adventure. Stay tuned for more fun!
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