Trips

Wed., 10/7/15 – Bergen to Oslo

Bergen train station	Work along the line
	At Myrdal it was snowing lightly.  We had 10 minutes to change trains and get on the Flamsbana (Flam Railway).  Unfortunately about 200 Chinese tourists were also getting on.  We had a reserved car so we only put up with them walking through the isles.  The scenery now was even more spectacular.
Along the Flam Railway	The train stopped for a five-minute photo op at a wonderful waterfall, Kjosfossen, that drops 305-feet, sliding over smooth rock.         We pulled into the station at Flam and had a little time to look at souvenirs.  We then had an early lunch of meatballs and potatoes and a small brownie.  Flam is on the longest fjord in Norway and the water goes all the way back to Bergen.  The whole area around Flam is a heritage site for its natural beauty.         We got back on our bus after lunch and started the four-hour ride from Flam to Oslo and more tunnels.  One tunnel is the longest passenger car tunnel in the world.  It is 15.1 miles long.    But we took the scenic route instead to be able to stop at a historic stave church.  On the route we had to pass through a control station but we were not detained.  We were driving through wide river valleys with some houses and farms here and there.  We saw several small orchards, probably all apples.  There were some patches of what looked like carrots.
Kjosfossen Waterfall	Kjosfossen Waterfall
Along the Flam Railway	Along the Flam Railway
Along the Flam Railway	Flam
Gale and a Troll	Lunch
We stopped at the Borgund Stave Church.  It was very cold out.  The church was built in the 1180’s.  The outside is black and looks like it burned, but the color is from pine tar that is poured over the wood to make it waterproof.  The walls may have been constructed on the ground and then raised with poles.  There are carvings around the doors and inside.  On the roof are both crosses and dragons keeping some old religion with the new. There is a medieval soapstone baptismal font.  A 17th c. altarpiece and a 16th c. pulpit were added after the Catholic Church became a Lutheran Church.	Borgund Stave Church
Borgund Stave Church	Borgund Stave Church
Borgund Stave Church	Borgund Stave Church
Borgund Stave Church	On the long drive Eva entertained us with more Ole and Lena jokes, Grieg’s music, and a Disney movie.  She also described lutefisk to us.  Lutefisk is dried cod that has steeped in lye for 10 days.  It is then washed repeatedly to remove any remaining lye and then cooked to a congealed, gluey state and then may be baked.  It is served with a sauce to cover its taste.  Not many people like it!             We drove through landscape that looked like tundra with a few low birch trees and with snow on the peaks.  We were almost at snow level.             As we descended to the east, we finally began to see more evergreen trees like pine and fir and even small patches of logging.  Interspersed with the dark green trees are the yellow leaves of the birches and it looks more like home.  It was a very pretty day.             After checking into the Clarion Royal Christiania Hotel, Eva had arranged for us to eat at Egon, a chain restaurant that is “not too expensive.”  It was dinner “on our own” so we ordered what we wanted and paid the cashier, then waited for the staff to deliver our meals.  As far as expense goes: a bowl of soup was $13, Marge’s chef salad was $22 and my stir-fry was $21.  Wine and beer was $12 to $15.  Norway is another very expensive country.
Thurs., 10/8/15 – Oslo          This morning we went on the city tour that included another walk through the Vigeland Installation (as it is called) at the Frogner Park.  We started with a statue of Abraham Lincoln sent from “Scandi-hovians” living in the US.  It is said that there are more Norwegians living in the US than in Norway.  Vigeland’s theme of the “Circle of Life” is sculpted on a bridge, a fountain, and an obelisk in this park.  There are 200 sculptures and all are nude so as not to be dated by costumes.
Gustav Vigeland	Frogner Park Gates
Vigeland Sculpture	Vigeland Sculpture
Vigeland Sculpture

 

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