Norway : A Birthday surprise

As most of you know, I just turned the big 30. I wasn't anticipating a huge change, and can now confirm that I still look and feel the same, although I did find a grey hair on monday morning. Jackie's surprise to me, which she managed to hide so well and with such joy, was a weekend away to Norway. We flew out to Bergen on friday afternoon, landing at around 9:30ish. After checking into our hotel, we set off into town to explore, and to find something to eat. Christmas shopping was in full swing, and all the shops were open until midnight. We walked around like locals, following the crowd into the most popular restaurant in town, a pizza place called 'Dolly Dimples'. We both had the triple dolly special, which is 3 pieces of (tasty) pizza and a drink.

We were up early, and eating breakfast by 7:30 on saturday. Herring for breakfast might sound a bit strange, but it went down a treat. We caught the 8:40 train for Voss as part of our 'Norway in a Nutshell Tour', which is essentially a chain of transport links between Bergen and Oslo (or vice versa). 5 minutes into the journey, we were told that our train could not travel to Voss, because of the tracks being struck by lightning. After a half an hour wait at the next stop, we were informed that all of the people doing the tour, would be taken to Gundvargen by taxi. These arrived, and off we went, relieved that we were back on track, and quite pleased that we now not only had music, but also a great view out from the 10 seater cab. The drive took around 2 hours, and we passed through some of the most amazing scenery. Norway must have more tunnels than any other country in the world. I know for a fact that they have the longest road tunnel, which is 24.5 km long. The fare, which was paid for by the tour company, was 5000 Krona (£450). At Gundvargen we jumped on a boat, and cruised along the Sognefjord for 2 hours. The scenery was spectacular, with narrow waterways surrounded by steep mountains, and incredibly isolated villages along the way. The boat arrived at Flam, and from there we caught the Flam Railway up to Myrdal. The railway is very famous, mostly for it's amazing location, but also because it climbs the steep Flam valley, at some stages with a gradient of 55 degrees. The trip took around 45 minutes, and by the time we got to Myrdal, the sun had set, and it was pretty chilly. Myrdal is not even a 1 horse town, it's a station, a junction between Bergen, Oslo, and the Sognefjord. We had to wait a couple of hours for our connecting train to Oslo, and were once again tested with a rail replacement service. We finally arrived in Oslo at about 11pm, and we walked the 500m to our hotel.

The Bondenheim turned out to be the best hotel we've stayed in, with huge rooms, and a breakfast buffet that brought tears to my eyes. Our first stop on sunday morning was the National Gallery, and a look at some of Edvard Munch's paintings, his most famous being 'Scream'. We then made our way up onto a mountain overlooking Oslo, where we visited the Holmenkollen Ski Centre and Museum. The Museum was really interesting with all sorts of ski memorabilia, but also a display on Amundsen's polar expedition. Bizarrely, on display, they have one of the dogs (stuffed) that was used in the journey. The ski centre is also the site of a Ski Jump. We caught a lift up the tower, and then walked a couple of flights of stairs to the top. I don't think I would ever be able to get myself down the ramp, but it must be the most amazing feeling, with a huge ampitheatre of people down below you, and a view of Oslo in the distance. We finished off at the Ski Centre by having a go in the ski simulator, which was great. First was the ski jump, and then an olympic downhill experience - I have a new respect for those madmen.

After all the activity and excitement of the day, we were both drooling and desperate for some food. On recommendation from a local, we went to a restaurant called 'the Lofoten', which had a great position on the harbour. Here we tucked into some fresh local seafood and a glass of wine, while watching the last few rays of sunlight fade into the watery horison. With our tanks refueled we made our way up to Vigeland's Park, a beautifully landscaped piece of ground, showing off 200 sculptures by Gustav Vigeland. Our time was unfortunately up, and we made our way to the airport. Thanks to my very special wife, we had experienced a fantastic weekend in a truly unique country. I know for a fact that I will never forget it.