Trip report: Norway 6 – 13 July 2019

[RebelHawk]

Travel party - 5 adults and 2 children

Pre-day - 0

Our travel party consisted of two families arriving from different USA destinations. We all agreed on arriving one day before our scheduled ABD trip to help alleviate any potential for travel delays and the expected jet lag. Through pure luck our flight schedules had us landing within just an hour of one another allowing us to get started on our pre trip day in lock step.



Once arriving at the Bergen airport, we gathered our luggage and headed into the main airport waiting area to meet our ABD arranged pickup. Scanning the waiting area we didn't see that familiar orange Adventures by Disney sign and started to wonder if our driver hadn't arrived yet. After just a moment we noticed that welcoming sign off to the side and headed over to met our driver. After a brief introduction he assisted us with our luggage and guided us to our awaiting shuttle bus. While our he wasn’t very talkative, we weren’t complaining, after a long flight we enjoyed the rolling hills and many tunnels along the highway before reaching the Radisson Blu Royal Hotel. Located on the Bergen Harbor we arrived at the picturesque waterfront seen from so many photos of the second largest Norwegian city.



Exhausted from our flights we checked in and went up to our awaiting room and took some time to freshen up before we met up with our travel companions who arrived shortly.

We met in the hotel lobby and headed out for a short walk around the harbor front before quickly selecting a random restaurant that offered appealing dining options for everyone and our adventure officially began. We tucked in at the Bryggeloftet & Stuette with our party of seven and ordered across the menu with reindeer filets, “pig wings” (really small pork shanks) and steamed mussels. After filling our empty stomachs and enjoying a couple of local Hansa beers we headed back to our room for a much-needed sleep.



Day 1 starts in the morning!

 

[sayhello]

Looking forward to more of your report! This is a trip that has always been in the back of my mind to look at more closely!

Sayhello

 

[DISNEY1975]

Looking forward to your report. Ive been eyeballing this trip for a couple of years.

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

So excited to read this report. Have a great time!!!

 

[RebelHawk]

Day 1 - Bergen

The next morning, we met in the lobby with our small group and enjoyed the included breakfast before heading out to explore Bergen. We wandered around the city in an early morning mist before the city woke on this Saturday morning. Having the quiet city streets to ourselves we strolled through the surrounding neighborhoods away from the tourist area and enjoyed some of the local sites.





Wrapping up our walk just before noon we headed back over to the hotel to meet our Adventures Guides for this trip, Sofia and Oline.



After introductions, a few general questions about the trip and a tip for lunch and we were off again into Bergen. Originally, we were planning on staying in the harbor area for lunch before heading up to the top of mount Floyen on the funicular. However, on Oline’s recommendation we headed directly to the top of Floyen to enjoy the café located there with incredible views from the mountaintop. She further recommended that we go to floyen.no and buy our tickets online and it would save us waiting in any lines at the ticket booth. This turned out to be a fantastic recommendation as the ticket line was quite long. Walking past everyone in line to purchase their ride tickets (ala Fast Pass at Flight of Passage) we whisked by them to join the queue for the ride to the
top.

Before stopping to take in the amazing views we made straight for the aforementioned café.



Set on top of Mt Floyen there are actually three different food options. A bakery that we walked into and noted an assortment of pastries both savory and sweet and we moved onto the next option. “Traditional” hot dogs and other hand held items were available at the next stand we stopped at but after a quick look we headed into the main building that was recommended. With plenty of tables both inside and out we decided to head indoors as it was a bit chilly with a breeze at that elevation and grabbed a table to accommodate our crew. They offered both a grab and pay option as well as a short menu selection, so we ended up with an array of sandwiches, soups, salads and seafood all of which ranged from mediocre to okay. In hindsight I think I would have just grabbed a couple of hot dogs from the outside eatery and enjoyed that amazing view for a few minutes more. Speak of the view, wow, you can take in all of Bergen from this vantage point and I would highly recommend this excursion on your own. The kids loved the playground more than the view and the domesticated goats that wander around the immediate vicinity offered plenty of entertainment while the adults enjoyed a relaxing afternoon.







Heading back down to Bergen proper we enjoyed more time around the city just soaking up the delightful atmosphere and grabbed one item I was looking forward too, whale meat. Certainly not the least controversial food item but Norway is one of the few places you can buy this and I wasn’t going to pass it up. After sampling a few options, we ended up picking up whale, reindeer and moose sausage to bring back home.

Now off to our welcome dinner with our new travel companions!

 

[RebelHawk]

Day 2 – Voss and Flåm

Last night we got to meet our adventure families we’ll be spending the next 8 days with. We’re a nice mix of 32 adults and 7 children. This is our first ABD family trip my wife and I have done so we’re looking forward to a slightly different dynamic for this trip than our normal adult only trips. Most of the families arrived that morning rather than the day before and were a little worn with a long day of travel followed by our first social gathering. There was one unfortunate family that even had to deal with flight delays and lost luggage. Our ABD guides quickly sprinkled a little Disney magic and traveled with them over to the local mall to help them pick up some cloths and supplies to hold them over until their suitcase caught up with us.

The next morning we had to have our suitcases outside our rooms by 6:30 and on the bus by 7:15. With enough time to enjoy the breakfast buffet at the hotel again we got a caffeine infusion and boarded the bus for a 1.5 hour drive to our first adventure, white water rafting in Voss. On the way our guides reviewed a little of what we were going to be enjoying and to pass the time on the ride we got some history of Norway, a little about the people and some Q&A for anything anyone wanted to ask about.

Once we arrived in Voss we were walked through the process of putting on our wet suits to keep us warm in the more than chilly water that was fed by glacier run off. Divided into groups we quickly met up with our river guides and we were off for a three-mile Class I – II rapids ride. We had a little excitement and received some more information on the surroundings by our “lost kangaroo” Australian river guide, Glen. Once we reached a calm spot in the river, we had the option of jumping in and floating along the river for a bit. From our boat we had three takers, the 10 year old twins from the family we were traveling with and myself. That first jump into the water was indeed cold enough to take your breath away but after a few moments our bodies adjusted and we enjoyed a nice scenic view from water level. Once the river speed picked back up, we got back in the boat and quickly warmed up with some spirited rowing. After more stunning views we reached the end of our trip and were greeted with hot chocolate, coffee and cookies before we jumped back on our bus and returned to the white water center for some hot showers and changing back into our travel cloths. Lunch was provided and a slideshow of photos taken from along the river by the rafting company were displayed on a screen while we ate.








After leaving we made our way toward our next couple of destinations before we reached Flåm. The first was this amazing water fall that we would quickly discover would be dwarfed by the next one and the next one after that. I can’t overstate how breathtakingly beautiful Norway is.




The final stop of the morning was at Stegenstien. This was an overlook over a glacier valley that we would be spending a bit of time in the next day. To get up to this overlook you have to journey up a single lane road that must accommodate two-way traffic. This required what was called the “Norwegian Shuffle”, if you came to a spot with oncoming traffic someone would have to reverse up or down the mountain a short way to find a widened area so you could pull off and allow traffic to pass. This allicited many a gasp, groan or sharp inhalation of breath when looking out the window of the bus and seeing nothing below you cliff sides. Our full-size tour bus was expertly piloted by Sven who kept us out of trouble negotiating some harrowing turns and mind-boggling narrow roads without so much as leaning a wheel off the paved road. Once we arrived many of our group ventured out on the walk way but not everyone went all the way out to the end. The view of the valley is awe-inspiring and a big draw for many tourists. At one point it felt like when we visited the Louvre in Paris and had to fight our way to the front to see the Mona Lisa, only WAY better.



Once everyone had a photo opportunity at the edge of the precipice, we boarded our bus and made the thrilling trip back down to the bottom of the valley and our destination, Fretheim Hotel in Flåm. After unloading from the bus, we were provided our room keys and a little bit of time to freshen up. Before dinner a private tour of the hotel was offered for anyone that wanted to join the group. My wife and I opted for a much-needed nap before meeting everyone for dinner that night.

Our group dinner was held in one of the original ball rooms at the hotel and consisted of many farm to table items from the region. We were in luck as the first berries of the season had come in the week before so desert included many of these as well as some in house made ice cream.



Afterwards it was down to the bar for a night cap and time for bed. We were “gifted” a late wake up the next morning and didn’t have to be ready to go until 8:45AM.

 

[Ron from Michigan]

I'm enjoying your live trip report. Norway looks beautiful. It is one of the countries we have been wanting to visit.

 

[RebelHawk]

Day 3 – Flåm

After a much-needed sleep in this morning we made our way down for breakfast before meeting up with the group for our RIB (Ridged Inflatable Boat) ride through the fjords. We convened the morning with a quick overview of what we were going to for the morning and how to put on the provided gear. We all grabbed a water proof insulated onesie, wool knit hats, wool glove liners with leather outer shells and goggles and preceded to gather with our assigned boat captains.




We set out with our guide, Eric, who started explaining the creations of the fjords, the marine life, activities in the area and a history of Flåm in general. We stopped by one of the local villages that produces 90% of the power in the region via an underground hydro dam that the only visible footprint was a single large industrial door situated in the side of one of the mountains. We then turned down the fjord toward our first stop, the village of Undredal with the smallest stave church in the world.



It didn’t take long before we were thankful for all that gear they provided us. While the air temps were in the low 60’s moving at speed across the water would have left us frozen if we didn’t have it, instead we were all very comfortable. We finally arrived, docked, climbed out of our vehicle for the morning and stripped off all of that warm gear and took in some of the sites of this small village that had a full-time population of about 70 people. A local guide met us and took us through the history of the village before leading us up the tiny stave church which only held 40 people. Well I can say that our tour group of 37 filled it to capacity with our guides. We learned a little more about the church and some of the history around it over the past centuries before getting a little alone time to wander around on our own.



Before lunch we were given a presentation on the making of Brown Cheese. This is a “breakfast” cheese that can be enjoyed any time of the day. This carnalized goat cheese can be found nearly everywhere and is often combined with toast, crackers or any number of fruits. I’ll have to say I tried it with every jam/berry/spread I could find and settled on one part thin wheat bread, one part cloud berries and one part brown cheese, delicious, savory and sweet! Lunch was up next at a fjord side restaurant in town where we enjoyed a few choices of options. I personally went with the Goat Meat Stew with mashed potatoes and vegetables. With a few minutes left before we suited back up, we wandered around and soaked up the sun as it broke through the clouds. Back in the boat we set off to one to explore the fjord and all it’s unadulterated beauty. I mean, we live within 30 minutes of the Appalachian Mountains, have been through the French Alps, Peruvian Andes and Alaskan Fjords and none of them have anything on the raw beauty of Norway.



With one last surprise our Captain Eric nosed the boat into the side of the fjord right next to a beautiful cascading waterfall. We could reach out and catch handfuls of fresh glacier run off for a refreshing drink of pure natural water. We then headed back to Flåm on a fast-paced ride that had us all cheering with excitement. Once we reached the dock, we thanked Eric profusely, shed our gear for the final time and retired to the hotel where we had on our own time for the remainder of the day with dinner on our own. There were many options in Flåm and we elected for the Electric Mini Cars.



The electric cars were tiny two seat (one behind the other) with a GPS that not only provided directions but also spoke alittle about the area as you scooted along. There were three options, a one hour drive around the local village, a two hour drive around the edge of the fjord or a two hour drive up to a “scenic panaroma overlook”. We figured that we just spent the day on the water edge so we elected for the two hour panaramoa “tour”. Once we set off in three cars for the four of us that wanted to go we quickly relaized that we were retracing some familiar roads, the route up to Stegenstien. Yes, the terrifying twisting and turning road up the side of a mountain with massive car crushing buses going the other way and we were going to do in tiny tin can cars! We didn’t hesitate and powered up the mountain mastering the “Norwegian Shuffle” as needed to get through traffic. We reached the top in just under 45 minutes and stopped to take a break and grab some more photos before heading back down the way we came.






Once we got back to the hotel, we stopped for a much-needed adult beverage in the hotel lobby before joining up with Oline and Sofie for an optional “hike” down a path behind the hotel. While not a long walk, portions of it was up some step hills but the guides took it at a very slow pace and stopped to talk about flowers and the significance of some of the trailside features.

That night with dinner on our own we head over to Æ Brewery & Pub. This being the largest of the three eateries in Flåm outside of the hotel I recommend getting reservations before hand if you think you’ll be going. Ask the guides because they mentioned that they don’t take reservations unless you have a larger party. We went in with a party of 7 and got the last non reserved large table and some of the groups that came in behind us had waits of up to an hour. The food was actually really good (I recommend the ribs). After dinner it was back to the hotel bar for one more night cap and then back to bed. The next morning we were heading to Geiranger. Luggage had to be outside the door by 7:15 with a bus departure of 8AM.

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

Sounds like an awesome trip so far. We had a brief few days in Norway but you are so right—it is stunning!

 

[Jess_S]

Great report so far. Your photos are gorgeous, but it made me nervous just reading about your drive up the mountain.

 

[RebelHawk]

Day 4 – Geiranger

***Edit*** Found the mystery actor we saw on the ferry I mentioned in the P.S., Mark Harelik.

Up on time and luggage loaded on the bus we headed out for a long travel day. All in all we spent about five hours on the bus as we moved from Flåm to Geiranger. Sometimes on these trips you just have to “Let it go!”



On the way to Geiranger we made a couple of stops and the first was the iconic Stave Church that so many of us have seen recreated at a smaller scale in the Epcot Norway pavilion. Having walked through the Disney version of this church more times than I can count over the past twenty years on our visits to the parks it was very inspirational to see the real thing in person. Of course ABD arranged for us to enjoy a private tour of the church where we got to hear the history of this long-standing building that so many have drawn inspiration from. After the tour we were able to spend amble time wandering around and taking it all in. After a quick stop at the gift shop, yes even in Norway all tours end at the gift shop, we boarded our bus to continue on toward our next stop. We had to use two ferries to make the crossings, the first only a 10 minute crossing but the second was an hour so we got to spend some time enjoying the scenery.








Tonight was a group dinner at the Union Hotel Restaurant Fjorden after which our immediate group wandered around the areas at the hotel. Tomorrow will be our big hiking day with hikes to three different very promising vantage points so we headed to bed a bit early.

P.S. We saw this guy on our second ferry ride. He looks like an actor we can’t place. Any help?

 

[sayhello]

Man, that first picture from the ferry is just breathtaking!

Can't help you with the star sighting...

Sayhello

 

[puppymom]

LOVING your trip report!!!! Gorgeous pictures!!! We are going next month and your report is so helpful!!!! What do you wear under the wetsuit when river rafting and under the waterproof onesie on the RIB? Never done either, so no ideas what we'll need....

 

[RebelHawk]

Day 5 – Geiranger

This morning we had two different start times, 8:30 if you wanted to hike up to the Westerås Farm (which looked nothing like the city from Game of Thrones by the way) or 9 AM if you wanted to ride the bus up to the farm. About half of our group opted for the hike so we met after a little bit of a sleep in and made for the trail head. From behind the Union Hotel you could see the farm on top of the ridge behind the hotel, straight up above the hotel to be precise. At this point this middle aged pooh sized adult seriously thought about tapping out and waiting on the bus but with the “kind” words of encouragement from my wife and the real support of our guide I figured I would tackle this ascent. In total it was .8 miles and 715 feet of elevation going up the side of the ridge over a 38 minute hike. The fitter members of our group flew up the mountain like nibble goats with some of us lagging a bit behind but with able stops by our guides we were all successful and reached the top with all hands accounted for. From the top you could just see the hotel below.



The bus arrived just before we did and with the entire group present we headed a bit farther up to learn about the techniques that the farms use to collect grasses for the winter to feed their herds. By learn about the techniques I mean we were afforded the opportunity to try our hands at swinging a scythe and then gather up our efforts for collection. The entire event was presented as a team challenge and great fun was had by young and old.





Of course, after we finished the fun and games the farm owner showed us how they actually do the larger sections of fields. Personally, I would have signed up for this option.



After the fun and games were finished we headed back to the farm where we gathered to hear a little more about the farm and how it functioned. This allowed everyone a chance to relax a little before heading over to feed the goats, sheep and llamas. Having a bit of a love/hate relationship with the llamas after our Peru trip we left the goats and sheep to the kids and we headed up to try our hand with the larger animals. They were a bit stand offish when we first approached them but with a little feed in our hands we were able to entice them to come up for an up close look. Once all the animals were appeased, we continued out from there on a nice hike down to yet another gorgeous overlook.





This second hike was a about the same distance as the first but most of it was a far gentler slope than our first hike and all but two people in our group opted to join us. With lunch waiting on us back at the farm we didn’t wait long before gathering everyone back together and heading back up. Lunch was another homerun that ABD arranged for us. While we ate, the owner of the farm shared with us the recent history of the farm. Being in his family for over 100 years he explained the ups and down and how the farm survived over the years surviving hard summers and winter avalanches. After lunch we were served an amazing local dish of sour yogurt with cinnamon, sugar, melted butter and raisins. I couldn’t put this heavy but delectable dish down and just as I was reaching the bottom of my bowl my wife leaned over and told me this wasn’t dessert and we had more coming. The take away from this, keep in mind that there is a third hike coming up after lunch and factor that in before eating two desserts with lunch.

After rolling out of the restaurant our groups again split into two groups, the hikers and the bus riders. The final hike of the day was described as more strenuous than the first hike so following Norwegian hiking rule #7, “It is okay to turn around”, I joined the bus riders and skipped this hike. My interpret wife did join the other group and after a fairly serious downhill hike to a one of the many waterfalls in Norway they reached their destination and got to enjoy one of the best views in the world “The Back Side of Water!”.



Of course what goes down must come up. The return hike to the hotel was not for the faint of heart but still manageable if you deciede to set out. Once we all met back up at the hotel a much needed nap was in order followed by dinner on our own. We were provided a list of options in town for dinner and we started the long walk down. While taxis are an option, we tackled the 308 steps to get down to the village. Like in Flåm we didn’t get reservations for dinner and when we arrived we found that many places were filled, so again I’ll say if you are looking to eat at a specific place then make reservations ahead of time. We found room at Café Olé for our group of seven and enjoyed a wonderful meal before heading back up to our hotel where we promptly collapsed.






Tomorrow is our bike ride to a glacier and a fishing option. Meet time in the lobby was 8 AM.

 

[RebelHawk]

LOVING your trip report!!!! Gorgeous pictures!!! We are going next month and your report is so helpful!!!! What do you wear under the wetsuit when river rafting and under the waterproof onesie on the RIB? Never done either, so no ideas what we'll need....

Glad you're enjoying the report. What an amazing country! For the white water rafting we had our swimsuits under the wet suits. On the RIB we had on shorts and shirts. For white water rafting you will get somewhere between damp to soaked depending on the situation. On the RIB the only reason we came close to any water was when we went up to the waterfall. If you don't want to get wet then you can stay a couple of rows back and you'll stay bone dry. The onesies provided were a safety regulation of Norway that any commercial water craft must provide these outfits.

If you have any other questions please let know. Once I get to the end of the day to day I'll sum up with some of my own thoughts about the trip in general. I'll also look at some of the photos the guides took and anything that stands out I'll add them onto the end of this report as well.

 

[*WDW*Groupie*]

This trip has never been on my list, but it is now!

We are starting our Nat Geo cruise in Bergen next year. You have given me some great ideas about our pre-days!

Thank you for sharing. The pictures are gorgeous! Looks like you had great weather!

 

[BillK69]

Thank you for this post! This has been very informative. We will be starting this very same adventure on July 16th. May I ask a couple of questions? My wife is dreading getting rained upon, what would you recommend in the way of rain gear? What have you determined is the best method of tipping? I don’t know that we’ll have the same guides, but it mentions some guides take PayPal and this seems preferable to taking a wad of cash. Any insight? Thank you and look forward to more posts.

Bill

 

[RebelHawk]

Day 6 – Geiranger

After a wonderful breakfast at the hotel we circled the wagons and met in the lobby for another day of adventure. This morning we had about a two hour bus ride out to our destination. On the way we made an unplanned stop just because the weather was so perfect, and we passed yet another perfect spot for a phot op. I mean I can’t make this stuff up, it was stunning!





Since this was not on the schedule we only had a few moments to get this visage in focus and snap a couple of shots before we piled back on the bus and continued on the way to our actual destination. Once we arrived at our lake side restaurant/biking/fishing objective we were quickly sorted into groups, half would be going for our bike ride in the morning and net fishing in the afternoon. The other group would do the reverse so we could all enjoy our time without being on top of one another. We were on the morning bike ride so promptly geared up and headed out for a road side tour. Now this was on an open road so we were told we would be riding on an actual road with real traffic, think single lane road and tour buses heading to the same place we were biking. We set out with our fearless tour guide in the lead with someone from the bike facilities bringing up the rear. The first part of the ride wasn’t overly difficult but we did have a couple of uphill stretches but as with all of these strenuous activities we pulled over a couple of times and for a breather and to find out some knowledge about the local area. As we approached our final rest break and official turn around point for the less athletically inclined, we had an unfortunate biking accident. One of our junior adventures took a bit of a spill as he was coming down our final hill and got a few scrapes. True to Disney fashion our tour guide was equipped to handle anything and patched him up and we were back on track. This delay did eat into our tight riding schedule so after stopping at a beautiful spot where we could see one of the many glaciers up on the mountain we were advised that the last leg of the ride would have to be abbreviated. Any non-fast riders were suggested that they should turn around and head back and those that wanted to attempt the last leg up a very steep hill to get a bit closer the glacier would have to do so very swiftly as we were running out of time. Knowing my own limits my wife turned around with me and we headed back to the lodge. Once everyone returned we met back up with our boating counter parts and we enjoyed a very pleasant lunch which consisted of fish from the lake fresh caught or locally sourced reindeer.



During lunch we were told that our bus driver would be taking anyone that wished directly to the glacier vantage point if they cared to go. This meant for those that didn’t care to ride or weren’t able to make the ride to the top had the option to get a bit closer to the glacier for some photo ops. While I certainly would have loved to go line fishing, living near many open bodies of water at home that we can fish in anytime we want we figured we would go ahead and join the bus ride to the top of the mountain. Now don’t get me wrong the view was fantastic but having recently enjoying the Disney Alaskan Cruise and getting really close to Tracey Arms Fjord this was a pretty distant view of a glacier but none the less still impressive. We actually had ample time to explore around the area and since there were no signs warning us away, a few of us we set out on a worn little foot path toward the glacier just to get a little closer. Once we had our fill of the views we jumped on the bus to head back down just as the bike riders finished the ascent.



On the way back to our hotel we stopped for a patch of snow and of course a snowball fight erupted. Brigitte and I scrambled for an out of the way spot and enjoyed the merriment from a safe(ish) spot. After a few minutes we loaded back onto the bus to the Union Hotel where we enjoyed another group dinner. The next morning was time to pack up and head out for our bus and train ride to Oslo.

 

[RebelHawk]

Day 7 – Oslo

Getting up early and getting our bags outside room we headed down for our final breakfast at this hotel. This was going to be a full day of travel as we had a two-hour bus ride down the mountain toward the train station followed by a four-hour train ride across Norway. During the ride the guides came by to give us our departure information as well as some guidance on what to do since we had a post day in Oslo.



I know I haven’t really mentioned this before but there was very little downtime on any of our long bus rides. Between Norway/Disney trivia one ride (our team won by the way), “scavenger” hunt for items we had on us physically (we also won that one thanks to bonus points from a Disney tattoo I have), Watching Frozen (I mean this was almost a requirement) or learning history or a little Norwegian we were never bored on these trips. For the long train ride we pretty much took over the first class train cart and between the kids entertaining everyone to an impromptu poker game (I would have never thought to pack poker chips myself) we had fun the entire time. Once we arrived in Oslo we transferred to another bus which took us to the hotel. With some Disney magic we never even had to touch our luggage as they transported that on our bus to Oslo so we wouldn’t have to deal with that on the train. We had a few hours on our own before our farewell dinner that night so Brigitte and I set out explore a little of the city. The Hotel Continental is very central to the city. The palace was right up the hill from the hotel, hang a left and you’re at Akershus Castle on the water front, which was the inspiration for the restaurant in the Norway Pavilion at Epcot and there was plenty of shopping if the mood struck.





With plenty of time to freshen up we headed back to the hotel to get ready for our farewell dinner. We were guided into one of their ballrooms that could have been taken right from a turn of the century novel with such attention to detail on every component of the walls, floors and ceiling we tucked into our last meal as a group. Once we were finished eating we had another cultural surprise, a dance troupe from the local museum came in to perform some local dances and play some historical music. Afterwards was a slide show from photos taken by our guides from our trip. Watching the presentation, it didn’t feel like we had just started this trip a week ago but all things must come to an end. Not quite ready to say goodbye a few of us convened in the lobby bar for one more farewell. Tomorrow we have a post day booked so wake up is whenever we darn well felt like, we felt like meeting in the lobby at 9:30.

 

[RebelHawk]

Day 8 – Oslo

Our little traveling group of 7 had a hearty breakfast this morning before setting out. Following our guides suggestions, we bought the Oslo Pass at the hotel concierge and downloaded the Ruter Reise app on our iPhones. Between the two we were able to navigate all public transportation and hoop on any public bus, tram, subway or boat to get around town and into all the museums we went to for no additional cost. We made our way to the Viking Ship Museum first thing that morning trying to beat the local traffic as there were many beaches nearby. Since we knew we might be fighting lots of local traffic we had the hotel call us some cabs to come pick us up. A short fifteen minute ride and we were there. Another cool experience seeing Nordic treasures rescued from the ground. After a little over an hour we headed back out and across Oslo to the Sculpture Park for a leisurely stroll as we took in sculptures from a commissioned artist by the government.





We grabbed a tram right outside of the park and shortly found ourselves back down by the water front. The previous afternoon we spotted a slightly out of the way outdoor café and since the weather was another picturesque day we walked over Café Skansen for a wonderful lunch.



We had one final stop for the afternoon at the Munch Museum to see The Scream as well as other artwork by Munch.



We decided to walk back to the hotel and after a little shopping and an ice cream stop we headed up to our room to freshen up before going back out to dinner. We unintentionally ended up doing a bit of an Irish pub crawl this night starting a Paddy’s for a pint before moving to The Lannister (again not at all Game of Thrones) and then the Old Irish Pub before moving around the corner to grab a proper dinner. This was our final day so we bid a sad farewell to our dear friends and made it an early night since we had to get up at 5:30 AM to make our ABD ride to the airport.

If anyone has any questions please let me know and I’ll be happy to answer to the best of my abilities. I’ll also come back and post the ABD guide photos as relevant once they have been uploaded so we can access them.

Farewell from Brigitte and myself.