Final Thoughts On My Holiday 7 July 2013

I thought I would do a short piece about the holiday experience, firstly I need to thank Mykle for all the time and effort he put into helping me to organise the holiday so that I would have the best experience with the time available, I also want to thank Brian again for encouraging me with the holiday and for keeping me company on the way there and the three nights in Copenhagen.

I also want to say thanks to Sue at Ace Travel 2 for her time in helping arrange the holiday. If you have read the start of the blog you will realise that I nearly had to abandon it due to back problems at the very start, which are still creating problems, hopefully the physio will sort them out soon, I so glad though that I persisted with the holiday despite the pain, it is one of those holidays I will remember for a long time.

I really do have to thank Mykle and Jean for all their time and effort, knowledge kindness and company that they provided whilst I was in Norway, you really did make it a memorable holiday for me and showed me places I would never normally have seen on holiday, I only wish there was some way I could show you how grateful I am for everything.

Finally I just want to say thanks to all the people who’ve taken the time to read and comment on the blog, at this moment in time there are no photos because I am still trying to catalogue them, one of the mistakes is not to write down what I am taking photos of and trying to remember after the event the names of all the settings and buildings, made much worse by the fact I took approximately 500 photos whilst away and still missed some opportunities, so shortly I will attempt to put some photos on that will better show what beautiful scenery there was throughout the trip and why it’s such a holiday to remember.

Well photos finally added, hope it makes the Blog a little more enjoyable, have put these below as a teaser

The Trip Home 3 July 2013

Having stayed up late in the hope I would sleep last night, no such luck, so in the end got up had a shower finished packing and had final breakfast, before checking out. Went to station got sandwich and cake for the trip, found seat, there was plenty of room so settled in for a relaxing trip.

Then two couples arrived at the last minute, three settled down very quickly, not sure it was right they took up eight seats in total, they had to pay the conductor, so presumably there was no problem but the man in front of me, decided to speak in a loud voice for the next hour, it would not of been so bad if there had been conversation but the others were busy on their tablets, this did not deter him. He finally got fed up and put his headphones on, well I dont know what he was playing but his head was banging backwards and forwards, I went to get a drink, the conductor was there so I asked if it was ok to move to the next compartment, he said was ok, at long last bliss.

Not so I managed to tip up my cup of tea on three occasions and had to then clean up the floor, before I realized that it was having my headset on was the problem when getting up from my seat

then spent time looking out of the window between trying to update the blog. I forgot to say earlier that yet again the weather was overcast during the trip, also because the train was travelling at speed, as quick as I spotted something I wanted to take a photo it was gone before I could get the photo, it was also hard to take in the scenery, but the ride and comfort was much better than on trains I have been on in the uk.

Finally we arrived at Oslo station, so took Mykles advice and had something to eat, in this case had a McDonald's, generally I have found them to be busy but very clean unfortunately this was not. I then found my way to the airport train, but needed help to solve using the ticket machine, then it was a comfortable ride out to the airport. As usual the process to check in was chaotic, first to a machine then to the baggage drop, it was supposed to be self service but I needed help using the scanner, then off through security and into the main departure lounge that was much less crowded. Eventually an announcement went out to say to go to the gate, did that but we had to stand outside as the door was locked, after about 15 minutes they finally let us in to sit down, there seemed to be a delay and then more people came into the area and created the queue, it seemed very disorganised, eventually we boarded the plane, I slept a lot the way, finally we landed at Gatwick and I went to collect my luggage, it always seems such a long distance from the gate to this area.

I then went looking for the shuttle that would take me to the north side of the airport and my hotel, when this arrived it was quite empty, when we arrived I looked for the way out, but by mistake ended up in the posh Sofitel hotel,

eventually I found my way out of there and into the Premier Lodge, there was no reception desk just a bank of machines with staff to assist, I do feel it actually slowed the process down, because if others had the same problems as me then it must have taken much longer to process us all. Eventually I got my room key, joined the mass of people waiting for the lift, when I finally got in the lift would not go up, it seemed yet again we had to scan a card before it would move, eventually sorted that out and got to the floor and my room at last. Heaven the room was bright spacious and even better had Aircon, in the bathroom was a real bath, I run the bath whilst unpacking my clothes, then had a soak, I have decided not to have a meal, so I bought a sandwich and cake and had these while watching TV, the bed was very comfortable so I had an early night.Only one more day before I would finally be home and it would be the end of my adventure

Last Day In Bergen 2 July 2013

Up bright and early today only problem is that weather still overcast, showered went down for breakfast,  made sure this time no problem with table being cleared. Went down spoke receptionist,  she helped work out how to find bus to the aquarium,, so why did I get lost yet again. I finally found the stop just as the bus was pulling away, unlike many british drivers he stopped for me.so off to the aquarium.  When I got there was surprised how busy it was and so many very young children,  not sure they all knew quite where they were or why.

As I arrived one of the staff was feeding some of the fish and showing a range of crabs, they all seemed quite ferocious with their huge claws,

I wandered in and first looked at a range of crocodiles, they were just lay there as if in waiting,

then onto observe different snakes both large and small, oops forgot about the penguins,  there were only a few and a they seemed to do was groom themselves,

maybe I was expecting something like Happy Feet with lots of activity,  then down in the lift to look at the tropical fish, was shocked there was Nemo plus all his family and friends,

I immediately took photos as evidence and sent as a text to my son for advice, I was tempted to rescue them, but for the large shark looking fish in the same tank,  maybe this is a good time to mention I still not heard from my son about this. I continued looking at the various tanks with  whole range of different types and colours. I then went back upstairs just in time for the feeding of the seals, quite a crowd had gathered so it was difficult to take photos as they surfaced then dived down again,  next back to the penguins,  that were so swift and graceful in the water

I was quite interested to find out that apart from some of the tropical fish many were from surrounding waters of Norway

Day Two In Bergen 1 July 2013

Despite the fact my room was very warm I had a reasonable nights sleep,  unfortunately the weather had changed and it was damp outside. Had a refreshing shower got dressed and went down for breakfast.  There was quite a variety of food so tried various combinations,  I wanted another piece of bread so left the table when I came back everything was gone, at first I thought I had gone to the wrong table but no, even the full cup of coffee was gone, so I had to start again, I did consider mentioning it but in the end decided just to finish my meal.

I had found the art museum yesterday but it was closed, I had also decided to look at the aquarium, because it was dull I felt looking at things indoors was a good idea. I read about the Bergen Card which for one payment gave free transport, plus discounts at various venues,  just then the hevens opened, just as well I had my new waterproof coat with me.

I went looking for the tourist office to buy the card then to go to the aquarium, I dont know if it was the rain or what but I just could not find it until I asked a kind local, for some reason I had decided it was an old building whereas it was ultra modern, no wonder I could not find it.

I explained what I was trying to do to the young woman who served me, she sold me the card and gave instructions how to find the bus stop I needed, I was pleased that this time I got it right, so patiently waited and waited, after over half hour the bus arrived, err umm no it was going the other direction,  so I crossed over only to find it was an hourly service and I would have to wait another three quarters of an hour. I decided instead to leave for now and go to the Kode art museum instead as I knew the way.

The museum was in four seperate modern buildings, the exhibits I wanted to see were in 3 and 4, I  went into number 3 first, I was unsure if I was allowed to use my camera so left in locker with my backpack,  I later noticed others using theirs, but did not wish to go back at this point, the main artist featured in this was Munch I did not understand much of his work, preferring that of Dahl and my new favourite Astrup but there were only a few exhibits of his.

I then moved on to number 4 this time remembering my camera,  which was just as well as there was much more of Astrups work, there were others whose paintings I also I enjoyed looking at but did not understand most of the more modern works.

It was whilst I was at the museum that I was reminded of the fact that this element of my holiday was the first when I fid not have regular company, to chat to and discuss what experiences I was having, in fact I felt a little lonely, maybe it will be a good idea in the future to find regular travelling companions to share future holidays with.

When left it was still raining quite hard and I was hungry, so looked for somewhere to eat, well when its like that, why not fall back on an old standby and there was McDonald's, but what a different sort of building to usual,

,  so had a meal and drink there, intending to go on to aquarium,  unfortunately the rest had not helped my motivation,  so went back to the hotel to dry off have a shower and a rest.

on the way came across the lake in the centre

Watched some tv then chatted to son on Skype for a while, isent it clever how we can do this, he told me grand daughter has a job, she has been trying for some considerable time so was very pleased for her, he is off to Sweden soon working, so gave advice about how to save money with cost of living being so much higher.

For my evening meal had a couple of sandwiches followed by another giant piece of carrot cake, because I could do, LOL,  went down to bar had a drink of coffee and wrote up blog for today in rough but also spent some time doing another post on here then off to bed watched tv for a while.

The Trip To Bergen And My First Day 30,June 2013

I got up early finished my packing, had breakfast,  felt really sad about leaving this beautiful place and my friends,  but it was time to go so we all set off for the bus (I do struggle because its the best one I have ever been on) seems there is no word for coach in Norwegian,  there was plenty of room on the coach so settled back intending to take photos but we were traveling to fast,  we changed to another bus and it filled up as we traveled. the weather was quite warm, and sunny

We eventually reached the ferry so it was a chance to stretch my legs, use the toilet and have a sandwich, by the time I had done this the ferry was docking, what I had not realized was that I should of been on the coach, oops,  I rushed off after it, fortunately it stopped to pick up other passengers so I was able to board without any embarrassment,  then off again to Bergen, just for a change I slept for much of the way despite the fact the driver seemed  to be going quite fast.

Finally  I arrived at the bus station and thanks to Mykles excellent directions was quickly outside the hotel which was opposite the train station,  it seemed very grand from the outside, even more so when I entered,  the young lady was very pleasant and quickly booked me in.

this photo is typical of the layout of the hotel, I now regret not taking more,

I went to the room it was old worldly and spacious, but a little warm for me despite the fact the windows were open, again no air conditioning,  the bathroom was much better, only problem was the towels were a little worn,   but not worn out, there was also a surprising shortage of storage space,  although there was a refrigerator with a range of drinks to buy, on the table there was a basket with snacks,  when I read the prices they seemed quite expensive, again thats based on English prices, not in Norway which is a rich country, but I was later to find they were not so bad, there was also a decent size safe that took everything including my large camera  and was free. The bed was a double and looked very comfortable,  I unpacked had a shower then changed before my first expedition into the town, the receptionist was very helpful and showed me the route to the harbour and provided me with a map.

When I got to the harbour I noticed the funicular to Floyen, it was bright and sunny so I bought a ticket for my next adventure,  I took photos as we climbed,

when I got out it was well worth the trip with views for miles in every direction of the harbour and sounding area, so many more photos were taken. I decided to walk along one of the tracks through the woodland,  somehow for a change I got lost, eventually found a signpost to put me back on track, it was beginning to cool down so only walked a little further before my trip back down to the harbour.

I did not feel like a large meal so settled on an enormous hot dog and a drink, I also purchased a very large piece of Carrot Cake to take back to my room for later, whilst I was catching up with my blog, I also watched tv for a little, there were tv channels in English with Norwegian sub titles,  I found a film on one which helped me settle, the bed was as comfortable as it looked so off to sleep looking forward to tomorrows new adventures.

Norway and a meeting with Mykle and Jean at last

I rose early finished my packing, had a shower, I had by now got the hang of how not to soak the floor, then went down for breakfast, Brian was worried about the weight of his backpack,  so we checked he was still under the limit, it seems he wanted to take the papers he had collected to read at his leisure,  checked out, got metro to the airport, it was even busier than when we arrived, said cheerio to Brian,  warned him about security,  then went to check in, there were great long queues, but eventually all was sorted, had a wander round the departure area, bought sandwich and a drink for the flight then people watched, what a range of different people and cultures, eventually boarded the plane very pleasant staff,found that the quality of service from Scandinavian airline a pleasant experiance only a short flight, Bergen airport  was tiny compared to the last, picked up luggage,  then outside.

There was Mykle patiently waiting for me, we went for a snack, then got the bus into town, much better seats and ride than those back home,  the town was very pretty to look at as was the backdrop of mountains and fjords.

We wandered down to to the ship through the market, on the way looking at the live crabs and lobsters in tanks, got to the boat it was large and modern, found seats with a good view, when we set off I said I wanted to take photos, Mykle warned me not to go to the front, as soon a went on deck understood this with the wind, took a series of photos of mountains bridge etc,

the boat called at a number of ports, there was an announcement that we had to change boats, which was done with little fuss,

finally we got to Sogndal.

There waiting for us was Jean who was very welcoming then we set off on our way to our destination Myklebust,  along the way we saw beautiful fjords and lakes,  waterfalls and mountains and even a glacier,

because of my surname Glasser, at school any reference to glaciers always had brought out laughter concerning my name,  at long last here was one of these gigantic areas of ice so large its difficult to describe.

On our trip we stopped at various places to take in the landscape, we even stopped at a toilet in the middle of nowhere as I had mentioned in my other blog, finally we reached Mykle and Jeans home, it was well worth the trip what a stunning location and their home was very attractive also, they explained we were 100 feet above sea level but because of the height of the mountains  and lake it seemed much lower their home was as beautiful inside as out, I unpacked then we sat and chatted before finally going to bed

My Trip To Norway

Hi Folks, as some will be aware, I am off to Denmark then Norway for a holiday this Friday 21 June 2013 until 4 July 20913, it will hopefully be a trip of a lifetime, because I have promised myself that I would get see the Norwegian Fjords, for many years.

It all started with meeting my friend Mykle in London last year and him showing me photos of where he now lives in Norway, also my reading his story of how he moved there and the trip he does each year to come back over to England. This was the inspiration I needed to start planning the trip. I decided that a blog was the easiest way for me to give updates of the adventure rather than endless e mails.

Because I was waiting for an operation until that was carried out and I had the all clear nothing definite could be planned, then next task was to obtain travel insurance, which I eventually resolved, so the idea could start to develop into reality. I had also discussed a holiday with my friend Brian who has featured in previous Blogs and our other friend Alan, we talked about different destinations and in the end settled on Copenhagen, we were going for a week, so we then started working out how to get there and where to stay,

I contacted Which Travel for advice on things to do and see, then contacted my friendly travel agents Sue to ask for her help. It seems that Scandinavia, other than by ship is not listed in most holiday brochures. Unfortunately, Alan decided in the end that he was not going with us so we ended up booking for 4 nights, the first being the summer solstice(longest day) we booked the flight and accommodation and I bought a new lens for my camera to capture all the things I am hoping to see on the trip.

We are also hoping for a trip to Malmo in Sweden to see the bridge between the two countries. Brian will return home after 4 nights and my real adventure will really start I said I was considering visiting Norway and may call to see Mykle and his wife Jean, Mykle kindly offered that I could stay with them when visiting the area that they live in as a result we spent a lot of time through e mail and phone calls trying to work out an itinerary for me, up to this time I did not really know where he was in Norway apart from the fact it was away from the towns and cities, plus that it gets very cold in the winter, eventually we sorted out a trip that would enable me to see some of the best parts and beautiful scenery there, my friend Brian said I may see elk and wolves and possibly beavers, seems he had not done his research that well as Mykle stated this was unlikely, they lived further north.

The trip from Copenhagen, will take me by plane to Bergen where I will be met by Mykle, then boat to Sogndal, from there by car to his home in Myklebust for a few days, then we travel back to Bergen by coach, and I will stay for 3 nights, I then travel from Bergen to Oslo by train which Mykle tells me is quite spectacular, then later that day fly back to London, where as it will be in the evening I will stay before returning home the following day.

Due to uncertainty about the weather I will take a mixture of clothes, I have bought a tablet computer so I can continue to record the trip for the blog, the tablet has been a learning curve for me, but my son spent some time showing me what the various functions are for. I had forgotten how many pieces of paper are needed when travelling independently, as well as medication, transformers for charging devices, and guides, unfortunately over the weekend my back has gone into spasm, so yesterday I saw an osteopath, the pain has not yet abated, if it does not improve before Thursday I will have to go and see GP for strong painkillers, as I am not going to cancel the holiday