OK... so last entry left me in the centre of the May 17th celebrations in Oslo, Norway.
Well, I found that the crush of the crowd as we neared the Palace (I got to within 2 blocks) was much too much for me (I felt that I was getting way too intimate with the strangers in the crowd) so when I saw the University's front portico I took a side step or 50 out of the mad crowd. In the front courtyard of the University's main entrance was a fully costumed crowd that seemed to be waiting for something and from inside the University building came the melodic sounds of a choir. So I stopped here awhile to enjoy the singing. Then took a shortcut through the University grounds, which I knew well from a couple of days earlier, and made my way over to the main street that paralleled Karl Jensen Blvd. just one block over. From there I walked back towards the train station and passed it on the way home. I arrived back at about 1:30 and the three of us went out into the sunshine of the courtyard to eat a picnic lunch. I had to rush off to get a bus to the train station to catch my train at 4:09 and I was there in plenty of time at 3:30.
The train trip to Bergen on the west coast of Norway, almost due west of Oslo, was truly a once in a lifetime thrill. The train leaves sea level in Oslo heading westward. As the crow flies this seems like a short trip but even the crow may find the climb a bit steep.
Hardangervidda is big, the biggest mountain-plateau in Europe. The eastern part is a vast mountain-plateu, a great flat area where you almost always can see several Kms in all directions. The area east of Sandhaug and south of Ustaoset has a hilly terrain where hiking is easy and weather usually nice. In the north the plains are abruptly broken by the great Hallingskarvet. This mountain, although only a few kilometers wide, is more than 30 kilometers long, reaching from Geilo to Finse. Because it's so high (up to 1930 metres) it's visible far away. Also visible is the glacier of Hardangerjøkulen. As Hallingskarvet, Hardangerjøkulen is easily seen from the train as we were actually travelling just below the top ridge from Geilo to Finse.
The western part of Hardangervidda has mountains and valleys that give the landscape a more diverse character than the eastern part of Vidda. Here and there a steep mountain rises from the rest of the terrain, like the famous Hårteigen (1691m) about which is said - it lies there like a big goat-cheese from the Gods. The elevation here ranges from 1000 - 1400 m above sealevel, but then at Hardangerfjord it suddenly falls down to 0. The mighty valleys here are extraordinaryly beautiful with constrasts, views and waterfalls. I was told this train ride was a must and I now agree.
When the train pulled into the village of Finse it was only about 1/4 full and the platform was packed with over 200 people in full winter ski gear, still wearing their ski boots. When the doors opened the freezing cold air rushed in and so did all those skiers with their gear. When we pulled away from the platform the train was nearly full to capacity with tired, red-faced skiers several of whom were well into the beer and having more. They started getting off in small groups all the way down the other side of the mountains and by the time we arrived in Bergen the train was less than 1/3 full.
Before I left Oslo and while at the May 17th festivities, Lill-Ann contacted a friend in Bergen to find accommodation for me there (I had been having trouble getting in touch with tourism offices because of the big national holiday). What she found was a hostel where she booked a room for me. When I arrived at the hostel by bus, more than an hour after the train arrived, I discovered just how expensive things are here. I was short 100 Nkk for the room. The young guy at the desk took pitty on the old woman at the desk and put me in a dorm room all alone. Toilettes and showers down the hall but a sink in the room. I avoided the long line-up for morning showers by using the large sink to wash my hair and do a "sponge bath".
It was raining in Bergen when I arrived and continued to rain most of the time I was there except for 20 minutes here, 40 minutes there... so it was a cold, wet visit. I walked the 40 minutes down the from the Hostel Montana to the town centre because it was now Sunday and the bus only comes once an hour... I was not willing to sit around waiting. It was a beautiful walk down from the mountain overlooking town and there was almost no traffic anywhere. I locked up my luggage at the train station, checked on a sleeper for my train that night, but the price was too high so I decided to sit up for the night.
Spent the day in Bergen mostly in the oldest part of the city called Bryggens. It is almost suspended in time at about 1650. I visited the Bryggens Museum of Archeology (built around the partial ruins of the original settlement dating back to the 1300s), the churchyard of Mariakirken (St Mary's Church) where there are still the original untouched graves of many prominent citizens and clergy. Then to the Schotstuene which is a 17th century house where the Hanseatic Merchants met and drank under the guise of business. A beautifully preserved place, furniture and all. Then to the Hanseatic Museum. This fascinating timber and log building illustrates the lifestyle and working environment of the Hanseatic Merchants of the 17th and 18th centuries. It has been lovingly preserved, including the original decoratively painted plank walls, furniture, stoves, lamps, floorboards, doors, beds, offices and artifacts. I loved this accurately displayed glimpse into the Norwegian past. The rooms were open for everyone to walk through, with most artifacts seemingly unprotected. You could open trunks to look at the contents, open drawers and bed doors. The most precious items such as the original ledger books and quill pens were usually behind a small cord with a "do not touch" sign as the chairs had small cords to make sitting down difficult.
The Theta Museum was closed although, according to all the other museums it was due to open at 2:00pm, so I visited a shop of Medieval & Viking reproductions of jewelery, clothing, books, prints, and other arts and crafts. I bought earrings. I was there about 1 1/2 or 2 hours talking with a very knowledgable fellow who works there. He is one of the craftsmen who sells his work there as well... reproductions of clay work relief tiles, and other clay architectural features.
I spent the evening in the cinema watching a movie, The Hours, an excellent flick. Go see it when you can. After the movie I had supper at a nice restaurant called the Egon and went to the train station. The train was quite crowded but the talkative man sitting next to me took the hint and went to sit in another seat once the train got under way. I wrote a little, read a little then fell asleep and slept off and on for about 6 hours. We arrived about 30 minutes early in Oslo which gave me the extra time I needed to find the WC, freshen up in the sink, change my clothes, find a breakfast snack and get to the train.
An explanation is in order here... throughout the Scandinavian countries when you go to the public toilettes (WC) you must pay for the priveledge, they are rarely free. So, they have large cubicles with a sink to wash up in and room for your luggage. This is true almost everywhere but especially in places like train and bus stations, aiports and subway terminals. The train and bus stations often offer showers with fresh towels for an additional fee. I never used the public showers. You can also pay for a sauna and massage on just about every street corner too... yes these are legitimate places that people use regularly. Almost every hotel in Finland has a sauna included in you room price. I enjoyed a morning sauna at my hotel in Helsinki.
So, back to the train in Oslo and onto the train to Copenhagan with a scheduled train change in Göteberg. They had a problem with the trains and we ended up on an ancient, noisey, uncomfortable thing. I had a nice young German woman sitting next to me to talk to for awhile before retreating to the writing in my journal. When we arrived in a place called Uddevalla they unloaded the entire train into busses and sent us on a 75 minute ride to the bus terminal in Göteberg. Remeber what I said about train & bus station toilettes... I was now in Seden with no swedish money, a line up at the exchange of about 35 people and just as many at the 2 Bankomats. With only about 10 minutes to locate my train departure platform in the building next door there was no time to wait in line. So far I'm unimpressed. So to add insult to injury the joke of the day was that when we arrived at the train platform for the next train there was a lineup of buses waiting for us beside the end platform. So onto buses for the next 2 hours to get to Malmö. But we arrived late and were quickly hustled across the tracks to the train platform and into the waiting train which took off immediately for Copenhagen. I immediately ran to the WC. They are free on the trains. At least this train was fast and comfortable.
Upon arrival in Copenhagan my first priority was to find accommodation. A nice young computer geek that I met at the end of the ride (he had been keeping company with the German girl I had been sitting next to earlier) suggested I wait with him for his father who gave a good recommendation. I took his suggestion and went to the nearby DGI Hotel. The rooms there were too pricey for me so the desk clerk sent me to their affiliate just a 5 minute walk along the road ("tell them Denis sent you") where the desk clerk mumbled a very good price while at the same time jotting the number on a scrap of paper. DGI wanted 990Dkk/night while the same room at Hotel Centrum was only 550Dkk(cdn$120)/night, breakfast included. That may sound expensive but in Copenhagen it's cheap but the rooms are extremely clean, nice, comfortable, with all the usual amenities plus free internet access and free use of the DGI health, sports and fitness centre including the spa.
I was too tired when I arrived to do anything but fall into bed. The next morning the touring began with the Danish National Museum.
But I must stop here. It's getting late and I need sleep. Marike, my hostess, will be home in a few minutes and I want to be off the computer so we can visit and make our plans for tomorrow and touring the countryside. More tomorrow night, maybe.
Posted by gailene at May 28, 2003 02:45 PM