Blogs from Western Norway, Norway, Europe - page 7

August 14, 2019 – Bergen, Norway – Weather: 57°F/14°C, overcast, intermittent rain showers throughout the day – some light while others were torrential, wind 11.4 mph, humidity 76° Located on Norway’s southwest coast Bergen is Norway’s second largest city and is the nation’s largest port. The city lies in a lush green mountain landscape which experiences 280+ days of rain each year. The city rose to prominence in the early 12thcentury due to its dried-cod trade. The old wharf area on the inner harbour is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site and features wooden structures, or long houses, established by the Hanseatic League to carry on their commercial traffic. Today we set out to explore Bergen first by taking a funicular ride that ascended 1,200 feet above sea level to the observation platform on Mt. ... read more

Today I had a good day in Bergen. I toured several sights that I wanted to see and learned some history along the way. First of all, I took the 90-minute tour from the Bryggen Museum which concentrates on the history of the city, especially the period when the town depended on trade with the Hanseatic League in the late Middle Ages. Codfish was the big commodity and one museum had a dried cod hanging from the ceiling. There is also a giant cod statue nearby that doesn’t mind a little rain. Walking around town, I came upon a large monument in the middle of a square that apparently memorializes the town’s Viking and pirate history. At the end of the day I visited the city’s art museum whose paintings feature peaceful landscapes and pastoral scenes. ... read more

Today was a preparation day for one of the highlight days of the tour starting with a 3.5 hr bus journey to the incredible fjord region. Our accommodation for a 2 night stay was a rustic self-catering Norwegian hut at a village near the town of Gudvangen. The setting is beautiful, surrounded by steep cliff walls next to the crystal clear Kjelsfossen waterfall falling from the top of the fjords. Next task was to buy food supplies for two days leaving the afternoon free to walk along the fjord before a casual BBQ dinner. Some doubtful weather was forecast but we woke next day to a bright clear morning and perfectly still conditions for our boat trip up the World Heritage Naeroyfjord. The fjord is 18 kilometres long & incredibly deep yet narrows down to sheer ... read more

Monday was a comfortable travel day with a scenic 6.5 hr train journey linking Norway's two main cities. Starting in a cool grey Oslo morning the train steadily climbed to 1220 mtrs to a sunny alpine day before descending back down to sea level & a cool & dry Bergen. The outlook along the way was of lush valleys, idyllic villages, dramatic mountains and picturesque lakes. The scene then changed to treeless rocky hills with isolated snowy patches at the top and then dense pine forests on the decent. We arrived mid afternoon for a 2 night stop at the Hotel Zander K & headed out immediately for a brief orientation walk around the historic World Heritage listed city. Also in the likelihood of a wet next day (it rains 266 days a year) we took ... read more

Castellano debajo... Dans ce blog, ou vous allez croire qu'on est complètement fous... ou vous allez trouver l'histoire originale... Nous arrivons à Stavanger où nous avons prévu de dormir une nuit de la semaine... laisser en pension dans le camping Pollux, tout seul comme un grand durant trois nuits... et nous débrouiller pour une dernière nuit... L'histoire est née d'une annonce de mariage... Une de mes petites jardinières qui a aujourd'hui plus que l'âge de raison... se marie le 29 juin à Londres !!! elle compte sur notre présence !!! Comme elle est restée tout à fait adorable... on hésite pas à répondre "OUI"... nous serons là... et j'imagine alors le scénario à opérer pour que ce soit possible... Billets d'avions et hôtels sont vite réservés ! Rien n'est réservé dans aucun camping car il y ... read more