May 10, 2010
Changed all our flights around to fly from Bergen into Svolvaer. At airport. Day of flying. Organized photos. In coastal Bodø Lufthavn waiting for the puddle jumper to Svolvaer. Landing in Bodø - snow covered mountains heaving out of ocean. Every place in Norway is more glorious than the last. Two peaks rising from a large mountain look like monks walking single-file, robes covered in snow...
Love the yummy waffle snakes everywhere.
Love the yummy waffle snakes everywhere.
Landed at the top of the world... oh how the Glacier Goddess does leave Heaven in her wake!
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May 9
Trees budding. Budding. Budding.
Bare rock tunnels...and when the Norwegians build tunnels, they mean it
Bridges over cobalt azure cerulean aquamarine sunlit and barely clouded waters
Snow squalls hanging on to the mountain tops...
Daffodils Daffodils Daffodils
Snow covered mountain passes
Snow covered mountain passes
Winding winding round and round roads. Frozen lakes
Peat thatch sod roofs with little trees growing out
Tan bodied black winged birds
White bodied black winged birds
Baby sheeps Old beautifully restored Bonnevilles and the like
Norwegians love hotdogs
Farm houses perched on fjords
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May 8
Train to Bergen.
Travel on the fly is fun but juggling an in flux itinerary, even with a travel agent is tricky. And iPhone travel planning is not highly recommended.
Headed to Bergen then on to the Arctic Circle: the Lofoten Islands and Tromse.
Oslo, beautiful. Cool spring weather. Kind of a cross between New England and Amsterdam. Sidewalk cafes everywhere with pillows and blankets for warmzies. Everyone is beautiful. Yum yum seafood.
Old sailing ships in the harbor. Amazing new opera house - built to walk atop of...
Gardens in not yet quite spring bloom.
Super expensivo and the Norwegians have very different concept of "luxury" travel than I do.. Getting used to the Ikea accommodations.
Taking the long train ride to Bergen - 6 hours to the coast - through hills, towns, maybe mountains.
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The train was Uh.MAZE.ing.
Glacier lakes.
Kite skiers on the glacier.
Up. Up. Uppity high mountain pass...
Followed a giant version of the Kancamagus to the sea...to Bergen.
Delicious dinner of bream. Why, no waiter. I would not like to try the whale. No, not even peppered and smoked. No, why thank you for bringing a dish of whale carpaccio for free as an amuse-bouche, just "because we're Americans", but no, I will not eat it. "When in Rome" stops for me at whale meat. Sundown well after 10pm... It's 10:21 now and still light out...
Bergen's waterfront has a string of kooky, leaning 17th century dwellings decked out in pastels - housing bars, shops and cafes... Stopped for an eve stroll through the grounds of the old fortress, Bergenhus Castle. Delight!
