Bergen to Oslo - Day 15
Well, shoot. This morning we said goodbye to our cruise friends and temporary home away from home. I got one last morning of French toast with strawberries and bananas. It was so good, even after eating it every morning. We ate a pretty good breakfast because we were not sure what would be on the train or train station. When we exited the boat, all the luggage was in a holding area and we had black tags with the #1 on them. Mine is somewhat east to spot because it’s red. Guy’s is black and looks like 90% of all bags in the room. We looked through all the bags and my red luggage was missing. Of course your first thought is that someone picked it up by accident. The workers went to get the supervisor, but in the mean time Guy found his. I know the black tag was on both bags because I put them on myself. After looking up and down each isle, mine definitely wasn’t there. So as we headed to the next section of bags I spotted it by itself by the wall with a yellow #3 tag. How that happened, or why, we have no idea. All if know is that the bag was found and I have clothes to wear for the next few days.
A cab took us to the train station and we were nearly an hour early, but not risking missing this train. Guy explored lunch options to take with us, but nothing tripped his trigger and we had snacks in the bag, worst case scenario. The train boarded about 30 minutes prior to the 7:57 pull away time. Our car was the very first one, which meant the very last one from the engine. Luckily, Guy had already booked our seats and picked ones where we got to look forward. It was the “comfort” car and cost just a few dollars more, but was nicer and a tad bit roomier than the other cars. The car next to ours has a playroom for kids, like McDonalds, where they can crawl through a tube, but minus the balls to jump into. Funny.
As the train pulled away, camera in hand I started snapping photos. The scenery is beautiful but looks similar to what we’ve seen over the past week. There is a gal in front of me with a hot pink shirt and jacket, which is reflecting in the window, so with that and the overhead lights, photo ops will need to be strategic. On the train for about 20 minutes, Guy had already counted 30 tunnels we had gone through. Just as you see a gorgeous view and try to get a picture, you go into a tunnel and when you come out your opportunity was gone. I fought it for awhile, then decided I would just sit back and take it all in, not worrying about the photos. There were a few things that I saw and will forget because I have the worst memory. But for the 7.5 hours of train ride my eyes and mind lived in a fairytale.
We rode along a long fjord for some time and the left hand side of the train (which we are on) had the best view. After about 45 minutes the view shifted so passengers on the right side of the train got the chance to have their cameras pressed against the windows. After leaving the fjord area, we ascended about 3,000 feet to into a snowy area where the landscape looked much like the place where Guy played in the snow. The ground was flatter and rounder with quite a bit of snow still escaping the sun and refusing to fully melt. I could have exited the train and spent a day there, walking around and enjoying these very different surroundings. There was a big glacier in the background and I’m sure must be a destination for hikers and the more adventurous types. There was a hotel there where two buildings were connected by a train car suspended in the air. It was an actual stop, so I got up to get a close-up photo. So funny.
I took a deep breath and squeezed myself into the train’s windowless bathroom and locked myself in. For those who know me, this is a triumph, but on the wall a foot from my face was a big photo of a forrest and I knew that if the lock didn’t work upon exit I could distract myself with the image until help arrived. When I came out, Guy was standing a few seats back with a big smile and a wave for me to join him. He had found a hot chocolate/coffee/latte/cappuccino machine and a stand up bar. We helped ourselves and laughed at the funny little scene. A bonus to being in the “comfort” car I suppose.
The next scene was now a big lake with lots of cabins, homes and hotels around. Clearly a popular fishing area and the lake looked like a giant mirror (with no one on it). Of course today it is raining and the low clouds loom over the top of the mountains, but to be honest, it’s a nice change of scenery from full sun and the clouds give a lovely new feel to the area. The clouds aren’t so low that we feel like we are missing something. The next area over was a ski resort. Now this was a bigger town and had a “French Lick” type of resort that was beautiful with the words BOWLING and SPORTSBAR across the front. Bigger than the name of the resort itself. This would be an interesting place to come back to. In fact, you could leave Bergen, take the train to the snowy area to hike, catch the train the next day to fish in the big lake, catch the train the next day and ski! How about that??
About 4 hours into the trip Guy and I walked four cars ahead to the snack area. They have a menu at each seat and they offer anything from hot dogs, wraps, smoothies and pizza, to meatballs in gravy, Thai chicken and vegetable chili. And that was the daytime menu! So as we approached the food area a mom and daughter from Ohio said they line was WAAAYYY back there and it was SLOW! They felt sorry for the single girl trying to serve everyone, but said in the same breath that they had been quite entertained by it all! After a short visit about Michigan State and Ohio State Universities (where the kids go), we opted not to stand for 45 minutes for a hot dog. Back at our seats we cracked out the snacks and ate peanuts and chocolate and decided that would hold us until Oslo.
The scenery has changed once again and the feel is more of a wet mossy forrest. It’s quite beautiful and makes you wonder what could possibly be next! A large percentage of the folks in the car are sleeping, and I just can’t understand why they would miss this! You can sleep tonight, y’all! So far the colors of the homes and farms are red barns with some yellow houses, but most of the houses were white. We were told that white was the most expensive color of paint (or at least long ago). We did pass one town where all the houses and barns were 75% black. We weren’t sure what that was about, but was different!
Less than two hours from our arrival to Oslo, the scenery changed again looking more like the rolling hills of the Nashville Tennessee area. Lovely but not as majestic. The area became more populated as well, with farm ground. We’ve gone from 3,000 feet down to nearly sea level. It did become less pretty, but still fun to look at. Guy decided to try the food car again and came back with a Pepsi and a ham and cheese sandwich. I had a bit and it was quite good.
We passed through the Vikersund/Geithus area/towns (Guy google-earthed us) and there were some serious ski jumps (snowless of course)...and a serious river. And then, as you would expect, less than one hour from the largest city in Norway you begin to see the usual. Graffiti, scrap yards, and big buildings all on top of each other. We knew we were getting close. The complete opposite of our trip so far. Guy and I were talking today and usually it takes several visits to a large city before we can say we like it or don’t like it. But so far it is as we expected. A very big and busy city.
Arriving at Oslo train terminal, we exited the building and headed out in search of our hotel. We knew it was close and didn’t dare ask a cab to take us one block. The problem is coming out of the station and knowing which direction to go. Guy pinged us on his phone and even with road construction sending us the long way around, the walk was short and pulling our bags was no big deal as we were at the hotel within 10 minutes. Checked into our room, we quickly discovered air conditioning was not a thing really, so we opened windows and went to the “Power” store and bought a small fan. No biggie. We needed it for noise anyway. It was like 10 bucks and runs off a USB. We’ll be sticking it in our bag to take home.
It took Guy a few minutes to orient himself directionally, but as usual, Christoper Columbus charted us a path to the King of Norway’s residence. But as we walked there we went down a huge pedestrian shopping street and looked into the stores. Once we got to the King’s house (we haven’t received our dinner invitation yet) we watched the changing of the guards and it was quite formal. After a few photos and videos we headed back to the hotel to decide what we wanted to do for dinner. Even tho we had been sitting all day, we’d been up since 5:45 and were pretty tired. Earlier upon check-in, we were told that breakfast and a light dinner are included. So we thought we’d check it out and if unhappy we’d just go next door to the Italian restaurant that actually looked a bit nicer than how we were dressed. But alas! The spread was quite something. Fresh breads on a cutting board with butter. Then some kind of “beef stroganoff” (although in a red sauce), which was served with rice. Then a pasta salad, greek salad, cold cuts, cheeses, fruit and homemade jelly options. Dude, we were set. And it was quite delicious. We were a little “eh” with the hotel, but it just got a whole lot better. Our little server told us that breakfast is all homemade as well and the look on her face leaves us with great anticipation for morning!
That’s about all for today. We look forward to tomorrow’s forecast of full sun and only one day away from the longest day of the year, which means it won’t ever get dark here. ;)
A cab took us to the train station and we were nearly an hour early, but not risking missing this train. Guy explored lunch options to take with us, but nothing tripped his trigger and we had snacks in the bag, worst case scenario. The train boarded about 30 minutes prior to the 7:57 pull away time. Our car was the very first one, which meant the very last one from the engine. Luckily, Guy had already booked our seats and picked ones where we got to look forward. It was the “comfort” car and cost just a few dollars more, but was nicer and a tad bit roomier than the other cars. The car next to ours has a playroom for kids, like McDonalds, where they can crawl through a tube, but minus the balls to jump into. Funny.
As the train pulled away, camera in hand I started snapping photos. The scenery is beautiful but looks similar to what we’ve seen over the past week. There is a gal in front of me with a hot pink shirt and jacket, which is reflecting in the window, so with that and the overhead lights, photo ops will need to be strategic. On the train for about 20 minutes, Guy had already counted 30 tunnels we had gone through. Just as you see a gorgeous view and try to get a picture, you go into a tunnel and when you come out your opportunity was gone. I fought it for awhile, then decided I would just sit back and take it all in, not worrying about the photos. There were a few things that I saw and will forget because I have the worst memory. But for the 7.5 hours of train ride my eyes and mind lived in a fairytale.
We rode along a long fjord for some time and the left hand side of the train (which we are on) had the best view. After about 45 minutes the view shifted so passengers on the right side of the train got the chance to have their cameras pressed against the windows. After leaving the fjord area, we ascended about 3,000 feet to into a snowy area where the landscape looked much like the place where Guy played in the snow. The ground was flatter and rounder with quite a bit of snow still escaping the sun and refusing to fully melt. I could have exited the train and spent a day there, walking around and enjoying these very different surroundings. There was a big glacier in the background and I’m sure must be a destination for hikers and the more adventurous types. There was a hotel there where two buildings were connected by a train car suspended in the air. It was an actual stop, so I got up to get a close-up photo. So funny.
I took a deep breath and squeezed myself into the train’s windowless bathroom and locked myself in. For those who know me, this is a triumph, but on the wall a foot from my face was a big photo of a forrest and I knew that if the lock didn’t work upon exit I could distract myself with the image until help arrived. When I came out, Guy was standing a few seats back with a big smile and a wave for me to join him. He had found a hot chocolate/coffee/latte/cappuccino machine and a stand up bar. We helped ourselves and laughed at the funny little scene. A bonus to being in the “comfort” car I suppose.
The next scene was now a big lake with lots of cabins, homes and hotels around. Clearly a popular fishing area and the lake looked like a giant mirror (with no one on it). Of course today it is raining and the low clouds loom over the top of the mountains, but to be honest, it’s a nice change of scenery from full sun and the clouds give a lovely new feel to the area. The clouds aren’t so low that we feel like we are missing something. The next area over was a ski resort. Now this was a bigger town and had a “French Lick” type of resort that was beautiful with the words BOWLING and SPORTSBAR across the front. Bigger than the name of the resort itself. This would be an interesting place to come back to. In fact, you could leave Bergen, take the train to the snowy area to hike, catch the train the next day to fish in the big lake, catch the train the next day and ski! How about that??
About 4 hours into the trip Guy and I walked four cars ahead to the snack area. They have a menu at each seat and they offer anything from hot dogs, wraps, smoothies and pizza, to meatballs in gravy, Thai chicken and vegetable chili. And that was the daytime menu! So as we approached the food area a mom and daughter from Ohio said they line was WAAAYYY back there and it was SLOW! They felt sorry for the single girl trying to serve everyone, but said in the same breath that they had been quite entertained by it all! After a short visit about Michigan State and Ohio State Universities (where the kids go), we opted not to stand for 45 minutes for a hot dog. Back at our seats we cracked out the snacks and ate peanuts and chocolate and decided that would hold us until Oslo.
The scenery has changed once again and the feel is more of a wet mossy forrest. It’s quite beautiful and makes you wonder what could possibly be next! A large percentage of the folks in the car are sleeping, and I just can’t understand why they would miss this! You can sleep tonight, y’all! So far the colors of the homes and farms are red barns with some yellow houses, but most of the houses were white. We were told that white was the most expensive color of paint (or at least long ago). We did pass one town where all the houses and barns were 75% black. We weren’t sure what that was about, but was different!
Less than two hours from our arrival to Oslo, the scenery changed again looking more like the rolling hills of the Nashville Tennessee area. Lovely but not as majestic. The area became more populated as well, with farm ground. We’ve gone from 3,000 feet down to nearly sea level. It did become less pretty, but still fun to look at. Guy decided to try the food car again and came back with a Pepsi and a ham and cheese sandwich. I had a bit and it was quite good.
We passed through the Vikersund/Geithus area/towns (Guy google-earthed us) and there were some serious ski jumps (snowless of course)...and a serious river. And then, as you would expect, less than one hour from the largest city in Norway you begin to see the usual. Graffiti, scrap yards, and big buildings all on top of each other. We knew we were getting close. The complete opposite of our trip so far. Guy and I were talking today and usually it takes several visits to a large city before we can say we like it or don’t like it. But so far it is as we expected. A very big and busy city.
Arriving at Oslo train terminal, we exited the building and headed out in search of our hotel. We knew it was close and didn’t dare ask a cab to take us one block. The problem is coming out of the station and knowing which direction to go. Guy pinged us on his phone and even with road construction sending us the long way around, the walk was short and pulling our bags was no big deal as we were at the hotel within 10 minutes. Checked into our room, we quickly discovered air conditioning was not a thing really, so we opened windows and went to the “Power” store and bought a small fan. No biggie. We needed it for noise anyway. It was like 10 bucks and runs off a USB. We’ll be sticking it in our bag to take home.
It took Guy a few minutes to orient himself directionally, but as usual, Christoper Columbus charted us a path to the King of Norway’s residence. But as we walked there we went down a huge pedestrian shopping street and looked into the stores. Once we got to the King’s house (we haven’t received our dinner invitation yet) we watched the changing of the guards and it was quite formal. After a few photos and videos we headed back to the hotel to decide what we wanted to do for dinner. Even tho we had been sitting all day, we’d been up since 5:45 and were pretty tired. Earlier upon check-in, we were told that breakfast and a light dinner are included. So we thought we’d check it out and if unhappy we’d just go next door to the Italian restaurant that actually looked a bit nicer than how we were dressed. But alas! The spread was quite something. Fresh breads on a cutting board with butter. Then some kind of “beef stroganoff” (although in a red sauce), which was served with rice. Then a pasta salad, greek salad, cold cuts, cheeses, fruit and homemade jelly options. Dude, we were set. And it was quite delicious. We were a little “eh” with the hotel, but it just got a whole lot better. Our little server told us that breakfast is all homemade as well and the look on her face leaves us with great anticipation for morning!
That’s about all for today. We look forward to tomorrow’s forecast of full sun and only one day away from the longest day of the year, which means it won’t ever get dark here. ;)
For SURE thought the first paragraph was going to end with "and so I had to purchase all new wolly Nordic sweaters to wear since my luggage went to Canada," and while I'm happy your bags were there, I'm a little disappointed at this lost opportunity. :-) Gotta love a train ride!! People watching AND mountain watching!! Crossing my fingers that the king remembers his invite for tomorrow's dinner....
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