-
Photos
Archives
Categories
- Beginnings (6)
- Development (6)
- Diary (9)
- Family (3)
- HTML/CSS (1)
- Human Being (1)
- Implications (2)
- Industry (3)
- Life (60)
- Philosophy (27)
- Politics (6)
- Pop culture (7)
- Thoughts (8)
- Travel (48)
- Web (6)
-
Norway Part II
- del.ico.us
- digg this!
- Last edited: 6:28, Aug 30 2007
- Skip to comments (7)
Mountain, mountain, tree, lake, tree, tree, tree, mountain, lake, farmhouse, lake, mountain, tree, farmhouse, lake, mountain, ooh fjord, mountain, tree, lake, tree, rock, mountain, ooh another fjord, lake…
So did I mention that Norway was expensive? Oh yes that’s right I did. So then what reason could one possibly have for going to a country that will bleeds the bank account dry? I’m trying to remember, it was a long time ago don’t you know… oh that’s right: Norway is spectaculary beautiful! Travelling through Norway is like a 360 degreee jaw dropping postcard. Universal Studios would love to build a simulator with even one drop of Norway’s natural aesthetic.
The plane flight from Newcastle in England to Bergen, the second largest city in Norway, descended over a ‘coast of islands’ that dwarfs the Bay of Islands. Not quite as sunny; it was summer but anyone following European weather will be aware that the North has been flooded and the South has been burnt to a crisp. Somewhere in the middle of France was nice I think. After spending a couple of (stressful) days in Bergen planning where were going to go we hopped on a train and stepped into Norway. The first tour was called ‘Norway in a Nutshell’ and epitomised Norwegian planning and scenery. The trip used public transport for each leg: a train from Bergen to Voss, a bus from Voss to Gudvangen, a ferry from Gudvangen through a fjord to Flam, a scenic train from Flam to Myrdal and then another train from Myrdal to Oslo - all in one day, phew! We saw waterfalls, steep mountain passes, snow, mountain lakes, sheer cliffs dropping into icy water, haunted singing mountain spirits.
Out the window of the commuter train from Myrdal to Oslo was the most spectacular scenery, mountain lakes glinting in the sun with snow all around. The only other time I had seen this was climbing in Nelson Lakes National Park to Lake Angelis in the snow. Lauren and I pressed both our noses and our camera lenses against the glass, struck by the natural beauty. We would look around the cabin at the other travellers were sleeping, yawning, reading, picking their noses or looking anywhere but out the window. Strange I thought, missing all of this scenery.
Oslo was a surprise: it is quite a boring city. I had anticipated European capitals were all large, London, Berlin, Paris, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Oslo, Madrid etcetera etcetera. Oslo has only five hundred thousand inhabitants and the country isn’t that populous, having the same number of people as New Zealand. With a quiet temperament, a lack of major attractions, a ridiculous price tag and Oslo was one to spend a day and leave.
The next stop was the beautiful and remote Lofoten Islands beyond the Arctic Circle. The train ride up took 16 hours so we rented a cabin and slept our way to the north. Again the scenery was beautiful the whole way up: mountain lakes, secluded farmsteads and hamlets, waterfalls, towering hills and rocks. There is no shortage of prime real estate, every location has a fantastic view.
The Lofoten Islands are a set of remote fishing islands that look like giant dragons teeth thrusting out of the North Sea. Even a passing geologist we met had no idea why the islands were so jagged compared to the mainland. We were again confronted with very expensive accommodation (NZ$150 for a room with two single bunk beds), but when we stayed at the small town of A we lucked in and got a double room for NZ$50 a night! 
A Norwegian bargain. From A we did several day walks and saw some amazing scenery: a boat ride on a fjord, wind swept beaches and even a pod of Orca trapped by the changing tide. In summer the midnight sun can be seen from the islands, where the sun never quite makes the horizon. Lauren and I were a month too late but it still never got dark. It is the eeriest thing to wake up at 2am and for it to still be light outside.
From Lofoten we overnight trained back down to Andalsnes and Geiranger, touristy towns on beautiful fjords. You will never guess… the scenery was absolutely stunning. Fjords, very steep mountain passes, glaciers and waterfalls. In Geiranger we rented seakayaks on the still water. The only danger was from the waves caused by the multitudes of boats and cruise ships coming and going. Geiranger is so busy from cruise ships that an itinerary is printed for each year detailing which ships are going to be in the fjord and their size.
The final destination was the Rondane National park for an up close taste of the beautiful scenery. The night before heading into the park we stayed at Otta in private accommodation which was straight out of Willy Wonker and the Chocolate factory. No colour coordination or sense of taste or the outside world, we seriously feared for our lives.
Tramping in Norway is something else, people who walk here are either novices or city slickers, or hard core die hard trampers. There is no hut system like in New Zealand where you rock up, cook your food, sleep, don’t wash for a week and get mucked in. Instead people either wander into the wilderness with a tent (the die hard variety) or stay at what Norwegians call “huts”. These huts cost NZ$40 a night to stay at, and have running hot water for showers, a restaurant and sell alcohol. Of course they have electric lighting, and even provide bedding in the dorms. Not what we were expecting. Our two attempts at day walks were both hampered by cloud hugging the mountain peaks, although we did make it to a summit on the second day in an eerie cocoon of silence with vertical drop offs into misty infinity.
Rondane was our last stop in Norway, bring on Stockholm. The people are friendly and speak impeccable English, and country is beautiful if a bit overwhelming in the end. The price really put a downer on things, holidays are about spending money and enjoying yourself, not pinching every last dollar (kroner) because if you are not careful you will spend NZ$35 on a baked potato in a restaurant. If you do go to Norway, take a tour to the northern islands of Svalbard. There you will see midnight sun, polar bears, whales and glaciers and spend time on an icebreaker. The rest of Norway is nice, but only if you are made of money.
teen anal cum asian shemale teen bisexuals black Tgirl big tits hot celebrity Adult dating tutorial PS2 Wireless Carriers Shop free porn buy viagra online online pharmacy cialis soft tabs compare levitra and levitra herbal cialis reviews cheapest viagra uk free porn hairy castro huge dick creampie Hot Black Girls Sex videos sexy big tits jump up down bounce busty melons fucking free full porn shemale free porn tits Mature movies generic xanax india purchase generic oxazepam buy cialis on line tenuate on line generic zyban online pharmacy Atehexal diazepam and woman lorazepam on line uk cheap valium find herbal klipal substitute rx pills tramadol money order ed pharmacy viagra cheap buy levitra on line