Scandinavian Road Trip--Part 1, Norway

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For my mom’s 60th birthday I decided to take her on a road trip throughout Europe. After some discussion, she decided on three Scandinavian countries—Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. The two weeks that we drove were wonderful, a time where we got to see and experience amazing sights, cities, and attractions, as well as spend some needed quality time with one another. We covered 3090+ km on the roadtrip.



We started the trip in Norway. We spent the first couple of days in Oslo. The first evening we got to know the neighborhood where we were staying, visiting a local shopping center and walking the neighborhood. After a delicious dinner of seafood, we headed back to the hotel early and called it a night. The following day we walked the city. We started out at the central train station. The area outside is nice, with people walking about. From there, we walked down to the Oslo opera, where tourists and locals were walking around, enjoying the views of the city, and taking pictures.



From the opera we headed to Karl Johansgate, a nice area for pedestrian to walk. The street goes from the train station all the way to the palace. The day was beautiful, sunny with few clouds. After checking out some shops and the palace, we headed down to the harbor in Pipervika. After checking out the Nobel Peace Prize museum and city hall, we walked down the trendy pedestrian street to have some lunch. In the mid-afternoon, we took a tour of the Oslo fjords. Though it was a bit cold being out in the fjords, the tour was nice.



The next day we drove to Bergen. The drive was beautiful. The roads were not busy, and the views of the fjords, rivers, and mountain tops were jaw dropping. We had great weather, so everything was clear to see. We decided to take the RV7 route to get to Bergen—we would take the E16 on the way back.



Bergen is beautiful, and mom my decided to stay an extra day in Norway’s second largest city. The whole city is beautifully laid out, and the architecture is amazing. The atmosphere in the harbor and in the center of the city is fun. After, arriving in Bergen, we had an amazing dinner, while watching people enjoying the evening out and about.



Our first full day in Bergen, we went up the funicular on Floyen Mountain. The views of the city from up here are breathtaking. One of the seven mountains that surround Bergen, Floyen provided a great view of Bergen spread throughout the region. Once we got down, we explored the city streets, and enjoyed the afternoon. Another delicious meal in the city center ended the afternoon. In the evening, I got the chance to visit Henrik Ol og Vinstove, a bar in the heart of Bergen. I had a chance to talk to the owner, Johnny, for a while as he explained a bit of the story behind the bar and what his vision of it was. The place plays no music and had 54 beers on tap when I visited. Johnny recommended some great beer that night.



The last day in Bergen we spent getting to explore more of the city. We walked all over, seeing some beautiful streets and buildings. We got to check out Pingvinen and Naboen, two local restaurants and bars.



The drive back to Oslo again was beautiful. The E16 has the world’s longest tunnel. It was kind of cool driving it, a fun experience. We stopped at some villages and towns as the day we drove back was National Day. We went to bed early as we were heading to Stockholm the following day.

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Photos

Oslo
Train Station