Day Twentythree - Jul 4, 2014
Oslo, NOR to Bergen, NOR
Daily Didactic
We woke at the reasonable hour of 9:00am and hit the Radisson dining room for the "worth it's weight in gold" free breakfast. Things are really spendy in Norway and an all you can eat buffet could save you enough to put a kid through college in the states. Not true, but it's a big deal. We took a quick walk on Karl Johan's Gate (the main tourist drag), but had to be back in time to check out and get to Oslo Central by noon. Today's major activity was the seven hour train ride from Oslo to Bergen. Billed as one of the most beautiful rail trips in the world, we'll give it a legitimacy nod for being wildly scenic and looking a good bit like the best sections of the Alaska Railroad. The trip took us along bays, through rural farmland, up valleys, and across a glacial high point in the mountain village of Finse. It was all really relaxing and (like any great train ride) was like having your living room roll through the scenic outdoors, this time Norwegian style. We dropped back down to sea level and into the clouds on the Bergen side. Bergen is a picturesque little coastal town. Getting in at 7:00, we didn't have any time to explore Bergen beyond the twenty minute walk to our rented flat. The walk was fun, though, and culminated in a really great dinner that our new travel companion Laura had whipped up while we made our way across Norway. We met Laura in Oregon at Todd and Cori's wedding and enjoyed her hospitality in her Copenhagen home two years ago. She will be joining us for Norway and a few days back in Copenhagen, it is really great to see her again. After a marvelous meal and some great companionship we called it a great day.
Today's Photos
