Oslo

Today we drove back to Oslo. Our first stop was Vineland Park, which is the world's largest sculpture park made by a single artist. Most of the pieces are his exploration of the human body. They were really interesting and pretty in their own way. It didn't hurt that it was a gorgeous day to be in the park, sunny and mid-60's. We didn't stay too long but long enough to check out the fountain, the main path lined with statues on both sides, and the strange human pillar at the top of the stairs.

Then we drove into more central Oslo and walked around for a few hours and saw lots of things. We started by walking by the royal palace and then we grabbed lunch along Karl Johans Gate (a popular street). Then we made our way over to the Akershus Fortress which we were able to walk around and explore a bit of it for free, but you have to pay to go actually inside the building itself. From there we went to Aker Brygge which is a cool area along the water with lots of restuarants. Then we went to check out city hall, which is called Rådhuset. Then we drove to Mathallen which was an indoor market type area.

Royal Palace:

Cool fountain along Karl Johans Gate:

At the Fortress;

We're staying at the same airbnb that we did when we first got to Oslo over a week ago so it was nice to know what to expect. After getting settled in we went to grab some dinner. We settled on a kebab place not far from where we were staying. Even though we all ordered the small size they all came out huge! They were really good.

Then tomorrow we go to the airport and fly to Iceland! And we part ways with mom since she goes back home. :( We've had so much fun and I can't believe our Norway time is already at a close! 

Sandnes to Grimstad - Hikes, caves, and forts

We checked out of our airbnb in Sandnes today and headed to Grimstad. This took us along the southern coast of Norway and some more gorgeous scenery.

Our first stop was to hike a trail known as Skrelia. It was beautiful seeing the smooth mountains (as opposed to more jagged like we've been seeing) going into the fjord below. Towards the beginning of the hike there was a tame waterfall just lazily making it's way down the polished mountain side down into the fjord. It looked like you could ride down it like a water slide! There were lots of paths to take which curve around the mountains, fjord, and small little lakes. We followed a trail marked with light blue paint for awhile until we lost it so we just followed it back. It was mostly easy walking over the smooth even rocks.

Then we found a place to eat a quick lunch before continuing on to a viewpoint known as Torjusheigata (there were other names for it as well). We had to climb up lots of steps but the view at the top was pretty spectacular, looking out over the town and into the water where there were lots of boats parked. There was also a cave up towards the top which we explored briefly. It was kinda scary!

We stopped briefly at Møvik Fort which was a fortress built in WWII by the Germans, but we didn't want to pay to enter so we just walked around for a bit. We did get a glimpse of a huge cannon which you can see below. Biggest cannon I've ever seen!

We're staying here in Grimstad just for one night before returning to Oslo tomorrow. I can't believe our Norway time is coming to a close!

Back in time - Renaissance and Swords in Stone

Happy Father's Day, everyone! Especially to my wonderful dad who I miss a lot!

We started off our day with a brisk hike. We attempted to do the Dalsnuten trail but it wasn't exactly what we expected. It was a bit difficult to find the start of the trail as it was through a fence and a field of grazing sheep who looked at us curiously. Then it was mostly following the power lines up the gradual hill. But since it's been rainy here recently the trail was very slick and muddy. Most of it was crawling over and hopping between big rocks which is especially challenging when they are wet. After about 45 min we finally turned around when the trail became too muddy and we didn't want to get our shoes more wet than they already were. So we didn't make it to the top, which we read had great views, but we appreciated the exercise and then headed back down. 

We came back home for lunch and relaxed a bit before heading back out again. We first went to a site called Swords in Rock (Sverd i fjell) which is a monument of 3 bronze swords 10 meters tall and planted into the rock right next to the fjord. The monument is to commemorate the historic Battle of Hafrsfjord which occurred there in 872 and gathered all of Norway under one ruler. It was kinda interesting and it reminded me of Sword in the Stone. But we only stayed there long enough to snap a few pictures. 

Before we left we noticed there was something going on with a lot of tents and people along the water near the monument so we decided to go check it out. It turned out to be some sort of Renaissance festival. We walked around the tents which made it clear that they had been sleeping out there at least for a few days so we're not sure how long it has been going on. Most people were wearing the traditional renaissance clothing and there was the traditional food being served. They also had lots of stuff for sale: jewelry, bows and arrows, hatchets, clothes, sheepskins, etc. It was really fun to just walk around and people watch. We even saw a group of teenagers playing some sort of game where they would each take turns throwing a knife into the ground near the feet of the others! We were a bit nervous watching that!

After that we drove to Stavenger and walked along Øvre Holmegate which is a very colorful street as all of the buildings have been painted in bright colors. There are several unique shops and restuarants along the street so wee stopped at a cafe and each got a beer for us to enjoy while we sat on the sunny patio. 

That's all for today!

Fantasy Forest and Pulpit Rock

Another big day today! Our airbnb host is a farmer so he left us with some farm fresh eggs which we scrambled for breakfast with some bacon. Then we packed up and hit the road.

Our first stop was called Eventyrskogen. It was a small hike which took less than an hour and it was set in the forest. It was really unique because they have a ton of troll statues and other similar things set throughout the hike so it's really good for small kids. It also happens to be a great place for Pokemon-Go, which is why I was excited about it. I caught some Pokémon I'd never seen before! It was also just super pretty in there under the trees with the bright green moss everywhere. It was very unique.

After a quick lunch we started our trek to Pulpit Rock (aka Preikestolen). It's said to be a 4-hour return hike but we did it in just over 3 hours (wohoo!). It only had an ending elevation of 350 meters which isn't that bad but there were lots of ups and downs over the ridges so that number is slightly misleading. There were 3 main areas with a lot of steep climbing but most of it was relatively flat and easy so that was nice. The hike was well worth it! At the top is just a huge plateau with a vertical cliff going straight down 604 meters into Lysefjorden. It was absolutely beautiful looking out over the valley and the fjord.

Then we made it to Sandnes where we're staying in a really nice apartment for the next two nights. We made tacos and guac for dinner tonight and now we're just settled in!

Waterfalls to Vikedal

We got to sleep in a bit today and have a leisurely breakfast before checking out of our little cabin. Today the goal was to drive down to Vikedal which was about a 4 hour drive. We went through a lot of long tunnels but in between those we also saw some cool waterfalls. Our first stop though was by a fjord where we stopped at a picnic area for some sandwiches. You really don't have to look very far around here to find a very scenic lunch spot!

Then our first waterfall spot was at Låtefoss. We didn't even know about that one until we just drove by and saw it so we decided to stop. It was a pretty big waterfall which splits and rushes down two sides but then they join back together just before rushing under the bridge that we drove over. You get pretty wet standing on that bridge!

The second one we stopped at was Langfossen, which has been named by several sources to be one of the top ten most beautiful waterfalls in the world! It flows down a mountain before joining into Åkrafjorden. There is also a hike there where one could hike all the way up to the top of the waterfall. We decided to hike up a bit and get some exercise but we turned around when the path became difficult to follow due to rushing water and slippery rocks. We were still able to see some great views over the fjord though.

Then we drove the rest of the way into Vikedal which is a tiny little town. We're staying in a house and we have the entire thing to ourselves! It's about a 5 second walk to the only restaurant in town and 10 seconds to the grocery store, so we were able to get some food and make dinner for ourselves. We made a chicken broccoli cheesy rice dish- yum!

Flåm by foot, train, car, and boat

It was another early morning for us since we decided to ride the 7:30am train. The train was the famous Flåm railway which took us up high to the Myrdal mountain station and then back down to Flåm. It's quoted to be the world's most beautiful train journey, according to Lonely Planet 2014. It also has the steepest unassisted railway climb in the world. It provides some great views of the Norwegian mountain scenery with waterfalls and rivers and mountain farms perched on the steep slopes. It was also a nice thing to do since the weather was a bit chilly and rainy. But looking back we all agreed we didn't think it was necessarily worth the nearly $50/person price tag since we were able to see such incredible views from driving around ourselves. We think the train ride would be better suited to people with kids or otherwise people who don't have a car to go out and explore on their own.

A waterfall the train stopped at for pictures:

We stopped at the bakery once we got back to Flåm. The hot sandwich we got there was delicious! Then we drove up to a nicer viewpoint so we could get a good view of the fjord and the town below. Then went back home for a siesta and to figure out the rest of the day. After lunch, and after the weather cleared a bit, we headed back out again with a plan.

We drove back to Flåm and hiked up to the Brekkefossen waterfall. It took us about an hour to get all the way to the top and it got a bit dicey at times. The path was washed out or blocked or otherwise just difficult to pass in places. It was also very steep in some areas. But we huffed and puffed our way up and it was beautiful! On the way down we also stopped at a couple of other photo stops of the waterfall and they were just as good as the view from the top. Actually the lowest one was probably the best because you could see most of the waterfall and a small pool where it would collect below. There was a lot of petrified wood along the trail which was cool to see. We also kept seeing a lot of poop on the trail and we were curious what animal that was from. So I took a picture and we googled it and we think it was probably bear droppings! The hike was good though and we made it back to our vehicle 2 hours after leaving it.

Which was perfect timing to catch our 5pm boat ride through the fjords. We went from Flåm, which is at the tip ofAurlandsfjorden, and then back down Nærøyfjord to Gudvangen. The Nærøyfjord is the narrowest fjord in the world and is only 250 meters wide in some parts. Both fjords are branches off of the larger Sognefjord, which is the largest fjord in Norway and second largest in the world. It's also one of the deepest fjords in the world and reaches a depth of 1,300 meters (4,265 ft) below sea level. The whole trip was slightly over 2 hours and it was filled with stunning views. It was well worth the money! Instead of paying twice the price for a return trip we instead booked a shuttle ride on a bus back to Flåm (so I suppose I could add "bus" to my title as well).

We booked both the train and the boat ride through Visit Flåm which seemed to have the most reasonable prices. There were other pricier options for the fjord boat ride. 

Just a reminder- there are more pics in the "Norway" album linked on the right!

Åndalsnes to Flåm- Fjords, mountains, rivers and lakes

Today was a really big day. We got up super early (I was up before 7am, ugh) and we packed up and hit the road. Today's mission was to drive from Åndalsnes down to Flåm. This was quite a drive even if you didn't make any stops, but it was lengthened significantly by our need to stop a zillion times to take pictures since it seemed like every curve in the road brought an even more beautiful sight.

We drove through Trollstigen again, the same place we went yesterday, since it was on our way anyway and honestly it was just so beautiful we wanted another look at it during a different time of day. We were some of the first people there for the day and pulled in right behind a huge bus full of 18-35 year old tourists. So we jumped out of the car and ran to the view point since we wanted to be able to get our pictures without the interference of a bunch of other people. I didn't think it would be possible but it looked even more beautiful today in the morning light. It was more clear than when we saw it yesterday so we were able to see the peaks of the mountains today. We took our pictures quickly and got out of there once the crowd hit. 

We went a little bit and then made an unexpected stop when we saw an interesting area which looked like a big deal since it had a rather large parking lot. We think it was called Gudbrandsjuvet and it was an area where you could stand over a cool waterfall area.

Then we took the Linge-Eidsdal ferry over the Geiranger Fjord. The ferry was fun and gave us ample views of all the mountains surrounding the fjord. We even got to see a dolphin playing!

Once we got to the other side we were greeted with even more beautiful views of Geiranger Fjord. Stopping at Ørnesvingen is a must-do because the views are breathtaking. It's at the top of the fjord looking down onto the town of Geiranger and the water. Then we drove down the side of the mountain and ooh'ed and aah'ed the entire way down. We drove through the town of Geiranger and also stopped at Fossevandring Geiranger and Flydalsjuvet to get some views from the bottom of the fjord.

We continued on our journey which took us through the tops of the mountains and was like a completely different world; it had no trees and still covered in snow. We saw a huge alpine lake which was still largely covered in ice but did have some spots which had melted and the water looked crystal clear. 

After driving a ways further we stopped for a picnic lunch along a lake which acted like a mirror reflecting the mountains above. It was a picture-perfect picnic spot and with a view like that it doesn't even matter what you're eating because life is just good.

We kept going and then took our second ferry over Lustrafjorden. Shortly after that we went through the longest tunnel in the world! We had no idea how long it was, only that it was the longest in the world, so beforehand we took bets on how long we thought it would take. We were all surprised- 20 min and 14 sec! Mom won the bet with a guess of 18 minutes, so we owed her a beer. It was 24km and every 6km they would have a light color change to try to help keep the driver alert. 

Shortly after that we arrived at our place of residence for the next two nights. It's a small cabin right alongside a river. There are several other cabins and a public bathroom/shower area. It's pretty nice and the views are hard to beat. One of the fellow guests works at the Chinese restaurant in town and gave us each a free plate of noodles! 

After settling in and getting some groceries we went into Flåm to check out the local famous brewery, and present mom with her winnings. Ægir brew pub is pretty famous and it lived up to it's name. The beer was good and the ambiance was cool- it had lots of wood with unique wood tables/chairs and there was a huge fireplace in the middle. Surrounding the fireplace was a ring where you could sit in these huge bar stools and drink your beer. On the second level was where they served food but we didn't go up there.

Norway continues to astound us with it's beauty! Tomorrow we are going on one of the Top 10 Scenic Train rides in the world.