22/01/2023
Norway - In my own words and experience, during my visit.
Scandinavia - Currency NOK. Home to indigenous Sami people. Many Troll fables and troll sightingtings to be heard and seen around Norway. Safe country. To work in Norway you must speak Norwegian.
Sandefjord - appox 80km south of Oslo. we got a flight into Sandefjord from Manchester Airport. unfortunately I do not have much to say about our time in Sandefjord as we chose it our location to acclimatise and prepare for our Europe trip. Sandefjord is a small suburban town in Vestfold Norway.
after a few days in Sandefjord we took a 8hr express train to Bergen along the scenic line passing Glassiers, mountains, forests, rivers, lakes and Fjords. We managed to switch to a private carriage on the train so our journey was perfect.
Bergen - highly recommend this stunning city and Municipality on the west coast of Norway.
Fjords - During our stay we took the sightseeing boat Rodne.no Fjord cruise. whom we highly recommend. There is a large yet cosy warm seating area on the lower deck with a cafe serving snacks and hot drinks. The advantage of being onboard a small boat means you can safely get up close to the waterfalls and fjords. The views on route are truly breathtaking. The trip included the most beautiful landscapes we have ever experienced. The trip took approximately 4hrs and was well worth every minute. pictures to follow.
Fish market - after the trip to the fjords we made a stop to fish market on the harbour. where we visited a seafood restaurant and ate one of the best meals we have tasted to date. super pricy however if you are there for a celebration and it falls within your budget it is highly recommended.
Floibanen - a short tram ride up the mountain to see the most outstading views over Bergen. Unfortunately the freezing rain was heavy for our journey. Thankfully this did not effect the views but we missed out on the troll walk around the lakes at the top. We hope to make this trip again during the summer at some point in the future.
Underground gallery, street art. As big fans of real street art this was very much appreciated. Street art is promoted along certain walls in Bergen and is classed as a free street art museum. There are some very talented artists about and the art changed often. It is well worth the walk around to see what you can spot.
Bergen old town - Bryggen Hanseatic wharf became a world heritage site in 1969. operational trading post by Scandinavian and German merchants from 1360. Bryggen boasts a stunning suburban architectural landscape. The historical building are picturesque both internally and externally. A truly wonderful site to see.
From Bergen we took a approx 2.5hr flight up to Tromso.
Tromso whale watching - This was one of the best experiences for us. A dream come true. We booked a boat trip through the Lyngen Alps to Skjervoy area taking approx 6hrs. It is called a silent boat trip as the engines are turned from diesel to electric near the whale watching site, to avoid disruption. The boat is quite small with a cafe bar that serves hot and cold drinks. Plus a delicious soup to warm you after standing outside (optional) on the upper deck to whale watch. The whales Are usually seen up to mid Jan during the winter season. The whales gather in the sea between a group of mountains. Orca's, Minke & Fin whales gather in the area popular for herring fishing. You get to see the whales doing there own thing in there own environment and it really is magical. we managed to spot approx 40 Orca's, a couple of Fin and a mink whale. Our guide advised us, we where lucky we all got to see all three. The trip was busy and is run by a group of marine biologists who filled you with information en route. This was a very popular trip so booking is required Worth every minute of our time.
Tromso is known as the Paris of the north and is the best place in the world to see the northern lights.
We then got on the arctic express bus to Finland approx 8hrs, along the scenic route through kolen mountain and North Pole forests and frozen lakes. This is pretty much one long frozen road with possible moose and reindeer sightings along the route. Temperatures for us en route were around -28 so wrap up warm.
Pictures & Short video clips of our Norway to follow.
Next stop Finland. Update coming soon.
