Favourite 2012 travel photos – Sognefjord, Norway. July 2012
Sognefjord, Norway
Norway
Wandering through Bergen
Bergen is a great town through which to wander. Over the course of our three days there, we took a slower pace than earlier in our trip to take in the sights of this quaint town. Here are some of the more notable things we saw on our stay.
Bryggen – A UNESCO world culture heritage site, this area of Bergen is its oldest, dating back to around the mid 1300s. Due to many fires, there’s a mix of newer and older buildings with some cellars here dating back to the 15th century. Even the reconstructed buildings are faithful to the originals. They are beautiful buildings whose angles (few of which are perfect 90 degrees as you can see) add to the charm:
The price of eating in Norway
I’ve been to a few expensive places in which to travel over the past couple of years (Zurich, I’m looking at you), but nothing really prepared me for the cost of eating in Norway. In other costly cities – Paris, New York, Milan, I’ve had no trouble finding great economical places to eat where I felt I got a taste of the location. Not so in Norway. Seth Kugel, the New York Times “Frugal Traveler” put it best when he recently wrote:
Norway is the extreme Scandinavian case, though — the only country I’ve ever been in where I suffered from constant, low-grade budget anxiety. On the opposite end is Sweden, which, if you come directly from Norway, feels like you’ve entered a 173,300-square-mile Costco.
Traveling is about the memories – being a couple of accountants, we budget for trips so we’re not thinking about money while away. With that planning we saved our travel dollars for the cuisine of Iceland laying ahead in our travels and quickly labeled Norway as a place where we’d live off of grocery store food for a few days. This was our first supper in Bergen, and still clocked in at around $20:
A day trip to remember – Norway’s fjords
The 11th day of our Scandinavian trip had us waking up in quaint Bergen. We selected Bergen as a home base for the ease of a spectacular day trip to explore Norway’s famous fjords – in particular the Nærøyfjord and Aurlandsfjord arms of the Sognefjord.
Despite ominous weather forecasts, as we leave Bergen on a train en route for Voss, the weather is holding and looking positive. Here’s a view out of the train window about 20 minutes outside Bergen:
Bergen. First stop: Fløyen
A little over a week into our Scandinavian adventure, we board a quick flight from Stockholm to Bergen, Norway. It’s a very clear day (something that apparently is a bit of a rarity for Bergen), so we have a wonderful view of the town as we land at the airport about 30 minutes outside the centre. The clear day (and an ominous weather forecast for the rest of our stay in this coastal town) and the view from the plane inspired us to make a beeline to the top of Fløyen mountain. A short funicular ride from virtually the centre of Bergen puts this panoramic view on display:
First reflections on Scandinavia
Fourteen days. Four countries. A multitude of trains, planes, subways, boats and buses. Having returned from an amazing tour of Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Iceland, I’m reflecting on a trip I’ve wanted to make for many years. Sitting in the airport in Reykjavik yesterday afternoon, my love asked me what my favourite part of our trip was. It’s a question to which I’m not sure I can provide an answer. This is a trip that really felt like four smaller voyages wrapped into one. As I sit on my sofa this morning, having been awake for a few hours adjusting to the change in time, I know it was a great trip – my feet are sore, my camera’s memory cards are full, and my spirit is rested.
More reflection and stories coming on the trip over the next few weeks. For now, a picture of what was one of the deciding factors in making Scandinavia the destination this year over a whole host of places on our “must visit” list. Food is always an important part of our adventures and Scandinavia gave my love (who has Celiac disease) a chance to have something she hasn’t been able to have in years – a (gluten free) Big Mac in Stockholm:
Bluenose Traveler 