Homeward bound!

Last day of our Norwegian trip unfortunately! After breakfast we checked out and headed for Sandefjord Airport Torp to catch our Ryanair flight to Dublin. Along the way we stopped at a very pleasant town called Kongsberg (nothing to do with King Kong!) which boasts an attractive fast flowing river. As we descended from the mountains the trees became bigger and greener – we had the feeling that we were moving from mid-autumn to late summer. It also became a lot warmer rising from 5° to 18 ° by mid afternoon. We had seen signs for a place called “Holmestrand” after arriving a week ago so we diverted there today to see what sort of place it was. It turned out to be a beautiful park area with barbecues and a children’s play park on the shores of Oslofjorden where the water was absolutely crystal clear. A great place for a picnic and swim! Incidentally "holm" means "island "and "strand" means "beach". Presumably Willie's Norse ancestors were island dwellers.
After checking in at the airport we went for a meal at a restaurant there and were amazed at the very poor English spoken by the two assistants – which made ordering somewhat difficult! Our flight left on time at 7pm and at 8pm Dublin time we were back on Irish soil.

Weather:
Variable – Cold and showery to begin with but by lunchtime it had become a beautiful warm sunny afternoon.

30th Wedding Anniversary & Claire hugs a troll!

After breakfast the weather looked promising so we decided to make for the town of Eidfjord which is on the shore of Eidfjorden, a branch of the Hardanger fjord. Unfortunately as we went west the weather worsened – very windy, cold and wet! On the way we stopped at a spectacular waterfall (Voringfoss) with a 400 foot drop. Well, that was Willie’s estimate after throwing a Kr1 coin, timing its descent into the pool below and applying the formula s=ut+ ½at2 remembered from school days in 1968! Claire found the following troll and reckoned he needed a hug!

We also called in at the Hardangervidda Nature Centre where there were lots of interesting exhibits relating to the fauna and flora of the area. There was also a panoramic film which was very beautiful indeed – much of the footage having been captured from a helicopter. There were giant aquaria containing various fish including trout. Willie stroked the head of one of them before it swam off. The visitor centre across the street there was a modern building so we were quite surprised to see a thick growth of grass on the whole roof! (Grass and even bushes growing on roofs in Norway is not uncommon but usually the buildings are old.) When we got to Eidfjord there was quite a gale and a fair bit of rain but despite that the view up the fjord was magnificent.

On the way back we stopped to look at a number of quaint looking small buildings that were the shape of igloos but were covered with grass. They were locked so we couldn’t get in but we wondered who made use of them and when – they were really in the middle of nowhere!

In the evening we had a really nice meal in the Dr Holms restaurant then watched the film “Valkyrie” starring Tom Cruise. This was about the attempt to assassinate Hitler in 1944. A very good film indeed but very sad because so many people were brutally executed after the plot failed.

Weather:

We reckon that the weather in Geilo was probably windy and sunny as that is the way it was when we were leaving and also on our return. Where we went was rather different – a biting cold wind and heavy showers.

Norwegian "liquid sunshine" & a triumph for Claire!

Had a very good night’s sleep – it is certainly quiet in this hotel – but were rudely awakened by the TV set’s morning alarm going off at 5.30 – which we didn’t set! It was starting to get light even at that time and some of the clouds were a pink colour! Around eight we went for a dip in the swimming pool (or pools – they have two) and tried out the Jacuzzi and steam room. The spa area is really beautiful; the only problem is that the tiles on the changing room floor are NOT non-slip – they are OK when they are dry but turn into a skating rink when wet. Willie came close to a bad fall with possible breaking of his aging hip (does a lot of falling – doesn’t he?). After an excellent breakfast we walked around the hotel noticing the numerous eating areas, bars, ancient skiing equipment, art works, old photographs (including ones of Dr Holm) and stuffed animals and birds – somewhat reminiscent of the Bates motel in “Psycho”! After that we set off in the car to Flåm railway staion – quite a long journey but the scenery along the way was beautiful – we were obviously travelling along routes cut out by ancient glaciers leaving enormous peaks and roadside fjords. Needless to say we also went through many long and dark tunnels - one has to admire the Norwegian resourcefulness in cutting them out. One was actually a downward spiral through the rock! We eventually arrived at Aurlandsfiord which leads into Sognefjord – the longest fjord in Norway. From Flåm we caught the train known as the Flåmsbana which took us up into the mountains, exposing us to wonderful scenery along the way (and lots of tunnels!). After an hour we arrived at Myrdal – over 2000 feet above sea level. One very memorable sight was the 300 foot Kjosfossen waterfall. Passengers were allowed to leave the train to take photographs but thanks to the rain and wind no one stayed outside for long! We spent an hour at Myrdal translating French in a book as it was too wet to do anything else. When we returned to Flåm we went to see the old wooden church – really quite tiny - before returning to the Dr Holms Hotel. In the evening we played ten pin bowling and tied after three games on 279 – Claire got two strikes. She then won on a quick decider as there wasn’t time to play another full game. It was the first time that Claire had ever beaten Willie!


Weather:
A very wet day but largely dried up the evening. Quite cold with temperatures down at times to 5 °C.

Licence lost and found and an unexpected "trip"!

After another fine breakfast we checked out of the Radisson – great hotel but for one thing – the TV set in the room was mounted on the wall beside the bed so that when Willie got out of bed he had a tendency to bang his head or shoulder on it – fortunately neither TV nor he suffered any serious damage! As we left the town we saw some police officers for the first time – we don’t think that the long arm of the law is overworked either in Bodo or Tromso! After boarding the plane, Willie checked his credit cards and was most perturbed to discover that his driving licence wasn’t among them! He got permission to return to leave the plane and retrace his steps to look for it. He was most relieved when there it was lying under a seat in the now empty waiting room. We flew out at 11.25am – ten minutes early and two hours later landed at Oslo’s Gardermoen airport. We then had a long drive in a Toyota Auris hire car to the Dr Holms Hotel in Geilo up in the mountains. We had to watch the speed carefully as the Norwegian police are very strict with people who break the limits by as little as 5 km/h. We saw ominous grey boxes at strategic spots along the way – referred to euphemistically as “automatic traffic control”. Don’t think we broke the law but if we did, we are assured that we will find out about it on the credit card bill! It was 6.25 pm by the time we arrived at the hotel which celebrates it centenary this October. Dr Holm was a Norwegian chest physician who had the hotel built for his TB patients at a time when the only





























teatment was a good diet, exercise and fresh air. It was actually used by the Nazis in their “Lebensborn” programme. It is in a very beautiful setting and the scenery leading up to Geilo where it is situated is stunning. The hotel has a ten pin bowling alley, spa, swimming pool etc so we are looking forward to making good use of them. Willie was looking forward to going into the hotel and saying, “Hi, I’m Dr Holmes” – instead as he went through the door his bag caught on the spring door, he tripped and ended up in an undignified heap on the floor – not quite the entrance he had been hoping for!

Weather:
A very wet morning and early afternoon, but on the way to Geilo the rain stopped, the clouds cleared and we had blue sky, sunshine and an altogether beautiful end to the day.

A Gate Crashed Wedding and a Cable Car.

Had a lovely breakfast in the Radisson with a great selection of items. Claire went shopping on her own afterwards and was struck by the number of fabric and knitting shops. We suppose that the local women knit and sew the long polar night away! After she came back, we wandered round the streets for a bit and watched some drum majorettes performing while being backed by two bands. The moves of the majorettes were somewhat incoordinated! We then walked along the impressive bridge leading off the main island of Tromso. The Arctic Cathedral – the furthest north such building in Europe, was on the opposite shore. As we arrived we noticed that there was a wedding going on inside – the bride arrived minutes before we did – so we gate crashed and slipped into the back seats which allowed us to capture some quite nice video. The cathedral building is very impressive and modern. Were it not for the wedding, we wouldn't have got inside as it is normally closed on Saturdays at this time of the year.
It was then a short walk to the cable car and a trip up the mountain. We had a short walk at the top but it was very damp and misty so we didn’t go too far. In such conditions our view of Tromso below us wasn’t as good as we might have hoped for. Before going back down in the cable car we had hot apple tart with ice-cream and hot chocolate – marvellous! After our descent we caught a bus into town and visited an art gallery. Interestingly, admission to various galleries and museums is free here. The one we went to was spacious but a lot of wall area was empty – better use could have been made of it! In the evening we ate in the most northern Burger King in Europe and had a walk round the town. We were struck by the number of soldiers doing nothing more than amusing themselves, not just this evening but on other occasions. It is also very surprising that though we saw a few police cars in Oslo we haven’t seen a single police officer in either Bodo or Tromso. It is obviously a very law-abiding society. Even the driving is very sedate and it is extremely rare to see a pedestrian crossing being ignored by motorists. Tromso may be called “The Paris of the North” but driving in the real Paris was never like this!

Weather:

Cloudy and light drizzle all day – cool but certainly not icy cold.

As far north as we're going to get!

Woke to a grey, damp morning after a very comfortable night’s sleep. The Skagen Hotel is certainly quiet! Breakfast was really delicious – eggs, bread, marmalade, honey, pancakes etc with superb taste and flavours - think we would certainly stay here again! Walked down to the bus station after checking out – it was only a couple of hundred yards. It was milder than the previous evening. With the grey clouds and drizzle it felt like an October morning in Ireland – quite homely really! The bus deposited us at the airport in just a few minutes. Norwegian Airways have adopted Ryanair’s system of self check-in and bag drop, which worked well though we needed assistance with using the machine which scanned our travel documentation. Willie found a Kr200 note (about £20) just before going through Security. He handed it to one of the women on Security who looked surprised – possibly she thought for a moment that it was a bribe! Claire happily declared that she was carrying no liquids – forgetting that she had packed her sponge bag in the hand baggage, but the super efficient Norwegian bag scanner soon caught her out – with confiscation of a bottle of water and some hair gel. She was lucky she wasn’t dragged away, kicking and screaming, for interrogation! Our flight for Tromsø departed at 11.50am. The cloud cover was very thick so it was quite some time before we climbed into the sunshine. The journey was short – about forty minutes and the cloud a lot thinner when we reached Tromsø so we had a lovely view of the mountains, forests and lakes in the area. Some of the mountainms were topped by snow with very distinct snow lines everywhere. We got the bus into town – it took us down a very long tunnel and we were surprised to reach a roundabout with four exits – all inside the tunnel! (Someone has said that if Mount Everest was in Norway, the Norwegians would drill a hole through it!) The Radisson Hotel was only a short walk from the terminus and was very plush. At reception they were under the impression that we were staying only one night instead of two but that was easily put right. We deposited our bags in the room and in minutes were back out in town and headed first to a glass blowing studio called "Blaast" where we could watch the work in process.

Blowing a wine glass inside a mould

Two young ladies were working together on producing the most beautiful wine glasses – Willie had never really seen anything like this apart from on TV, though Claire had in Spain. It was amazing to see how it was done. It took easily five minutes to make a single glass and when we were there, two had to be destoyed as the bases cracked at the last stage in the process – very frustrating for the workers! We then walked the short distance to an attraction called “Polaria”. This features polar sea and land life and was fascinating. First we went to see the bearded seals (three of them) being fed. They were swimming in a very deep water pool from which they emerged when the keepers arrived with fish, They were enormous creatures, easily ten feet long and very heavy. They could do tricks and obey instructions and were obviously very intelligent. Then we went to a short film shown on a five screen panorama which was made in the Spitzbergen area. The scenery and wild life shots were absolutrely breathtaking. We were then invited to walk through a a simulated polar landscape complete with polar bear, reindeer

and penguins and emerged under the deep water pool so that we could see the seals swimming above us – so fast and agile in the water. There were tanks of fish including baby cod, one of which Willie caught in his hand .(Was he allowed to do that? Probably not!) There were also some king crabs which were originally introduced into the Bering Sea from the Pacific and are now spreading rapidly down the coast of Norway causing some enviromental concern. They can grow as much as two metres across. The crab fishermen aren’t complaining – they are getting fifty euro a kilogram for them but conventional fishermen are less than pleased as their nets are being damaged by the creatures. Before leaving we found a slide in the form of a flume for the use of children but we both went down it when no one was looking – it was amazingly fast. (Yes, two big kids!)
In the evening we went for a meal at a Thai restaurant - - very nice but pricy. We decided not to spend £30 or more on wine there! Sadly, it was cloudy so there was no chance of seeing the Aurora Borealis.

A day in Oslo - then Arctic Circle crossed!

Wednesday 16th
Up at 8.10 even though the alarm went at 7.30! Breakfast was very nice though a bit strange to be eating (delicious) fried potatoes at that hour of the morning. Left our bags at the hotel and went down to the waterfront on the tram – quite dear at about £3.50 each for a ten minute (if even) journey. The big clock (? Town hall) there was playing Handel’s “See the Conquering Hero comes” (“Thine be the Glory”). Handel wrote it to welcome home the Duke of Cumberland, the English General who massacred the Scots at the Battle of Culloden.

Images from the town square - wonder why President Roosevelt is there?
We found the Akershus Slott castle which dates from the middle ages. The Visitor Centre there suggests that Norway did a lot of fighting with its neighbours centuries ago! There are lots of old cannons, a Koi carp pond in the grounds with crystal clear water (wish our pond was like that!) and armed sentries

Claire with a sentry she took a shine to!
because the army still uses it. We came upon a memorial to Norwegians who were executed by the Nazis and beside it was the Resistance Museum which looked quite small but there was so much inside that it took a long time to go round. Norway suffered terribly in WW2 as evidenced by all that we saw there. It was particularly interesting to see the ingenuity with which banned items were concealed from German eyes or smuggled under their noses. There was a microscope set up which was pointed at a microdot the size of a pin’s head. The magnified view allowed us to clearly read the document contained on the dot. Amazing technology for the time. We had a delicious lunch (smoked salmon for Willie and chèvre chaud for Claire – French for “hot goat” but is actually goat’s cheese) at a pavement café on Christiana Torv bathed in warm sunshine. Then we walked back to the hotel to collect our bags before going to the railway station. When we got on the Trondheim train (a seven and half hour journey ahead) we found two people in our reserved seats but we soon got them moved on!

So, as we leave Oslo – what are our impressions?
1. An expensive city. Whatever you are buying – expect to pay almost double what you would in the UK.
2. The city is beautiful, sitting at the head of Oslofjord and surrounded by wooded hills. The streets bustle with trams and buses yet the traffic seems moderate for a city of its size. The architecture is a mixture of old and new and historic events seem hidden around every corner!
3. If you expect it to be full of blond, blue-eyed latter day Vikings forget it! About a third to half the people on the streets appear to be of foreign extraction – African, Indian etc and a fair number are in Islamic dress.
4. The climate mid-September is very similar to that of the UK even though the Arctic Circle is only a few hundred miles north and the days are only a little shorter.
Time passed surprisingly quickly on the train, which arrived in Trondheim on time and we boarded the sleeper to Bodo which departed at 11.35pm. We were due to cross the Arctic Circle around 6-7am and to arrive in Bodo after 9am. The cabin had two single bunks and was very small but the beds were full length and very comfortable.

Weather:
A very pleasant day - lots of warm sunshine! As we approached Trondheim, however it was raining slightly.

Thursday 17th
Woke to a cloudy morning with some light drizzle. We’d had a terrific night’s sleep – a great way to travel! The train got into Bodø station at 9.10 and we walked to the Skagen Hotel as it was only about half a mile away. Fortunately we were able to get into our room right away. It was very spacious and comfortable. We soon headed into town and got something to eat at Subway – like McDonald’s it gets everywhere! We then caught the bus to the city’s aviation museum where we spent quite a few hours. It is divided into two sections – one devoted to civilian flight going back to the first balloons and the other to military aviation. It was really interesting and they have a really good selection of old aircraft – both real and replica. It was actually surprisingly quiet - at one point there was no one else in the enormous military hall but ourselves! There are flight simulators there which cost Kr150 for two (about £15) but there was no one on the cash desk so it is a case of “some other time”! Hoped to visit the cathedral

on the way back but it had closed 45 minutes before we got there – some other time! Went for a meal to a restaurant in the evening – very nice but for one thing – the strawberries tasted of garlic – a Norwegian specialty perhaps? Had a walk round town later – a very quiet place at night!

Weather:
Cloudy with a bit of drizzle sometimes. Rather colder than Oslo!

Arrived safely in Oslo!

Got away from home at 10.40am and had a smooth trip to Dublin. Claire had quite a bad cold but fortunately with little systemic disturbance. This was something that was kindly passed on to her by Willie who had had a similar infection the week before. Parked in the “Quick Park” which is rather more sophisticated than it used to be! It very helpfully now tells you which row to head to in order to find spaces – a far cry from Belfast City Airport! Got through security with a lot less hassle than in Belfast or London. Hoped to have a pub lunch in the airport but service was so slow that we voted with our feet and walked over to Burger King – lovely! Boarded our Ryanair flight to Sandefjord Airport Torp (known in Ryanair circles as “Oslo”!) after 3pm and by 3.40 we were away. Two hours later we were flying over the land of Willie’s Viking ancestors! The Norwegian country side looked lovely from the air – hills, valleys, fjords, lakes, forests and fields. Boarded the Torp Express bus for Oslo – a one-and-a-half hour journey. We hadn’t travelled far before we saw signs for a place called “Holmestrand” – Willie’s forefathers certainly left their mark on the country! It was getting dark around 8pm. (Norway is one hour ahead of BST) When we arrived at the bus station we were unsure how to use the trams so we walked to the hotel (Best Western Anker) which just took about ten minutes. The hotel looked a bit run down from the inside but the room was excellent – and it had free Wi-fi! The receptionist recommended a local bar “Café Sara” as a good place to get a light meal. Well, the meals we ordered (described on the menu as “small”) were pretty substantial and absolutely delicious. We ordered cider and were surprised to be given PEAR cider – not normally exactly Willie’s favourite drink but it was gorgeous. The brand name was “Somersby” - made by the Carlsberg Group and only available in Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Belgium.

Weather:
Fairly warm and cloudy in Ireland with sunny spells. Cloudless evening when we arrived with the sun still in the sky. Just gorgeous! Noticeably cooler than in Ireland in daylight but night-time temperature in Oslo was similar to that back home (thanks to the Gulf Stream).

Just one week to go

Went out today and bought a lot of warm clothing in Dunnes, as Tromsø (the furthest North we are travelling) is 200 miles or so above the Arctic Circle. This evening I checked the weather for Tromsø for the first time. Quite surprised to find that the current maximum day time temperature is around 10-13 degrees C - and not much less at night! Apparently the Gulf Stream keeps it warmer than it would otherwise be. So it isn't much different from the weather here in Northern Ireland. Anyone want to buy some good unused thermal clothing?

Info on Tromsø as taken from Wikipedia is:

Climate
Tromsø has a reputation in Norway for getting a lot of snow in the winter, although this varies a lot from one year to the next. The all-time record was set 29 April 1997, when the meteorological station on top of Tromsøya recorded 240 centimetres (94.5 in) of snow. The lowest temperature ever recorded is −18.4 °C (−1 °F), and the January average is a mere −4 °C (24.8 °F). This is due to the warming effects of the North Atlantic Current, an extension of the Gulf Stream. The proximity to the sea moderates temperatures; Sommarøy, on the west coast of Kvaløya, has January average of −1.9 °C (29 °F). Summer is rather cool, with a 24 July-hour average of 12 °C (53.6 °F); daytime temperatures are usually slightly warmer, but vary from 9 °C (48.2 °F) to 25 °C (77.0 °F). The summer of 1972, which is the warmest in the record, had a mean temperature of 12.9 °C (55.2 °F) and the highest temperature reached was 30 °C (86.0 °F) ([1]). The warmest year on record is 2005, with a mean temperature of 4.38 °C (39.88 °F), compared to the current annual average of about 3.5 °C (38.3 °F).[16]


Light and darkness
The midnight sun is above the northern horizon from about 18 May to 26 July, although the mountains in the north block the view to the midnight sun a few days, meaning that one can see the sun from about 21 May to 21 July. Due to Tromsø's position near the top of the globe, twilight is longer, meaning there is no real darkness between late April and mid August.

The sun remains below the horizon from about 26 November to 15 January, but due to the mountains the sun is absent from the center from 21 November to 21 January. The return of the sun is an occasion for celebration. Due to the twilight, there is some daylight for a couple of hours even around midwinter, often with beautiful bluish light. The nights shorten quickly, and by 21 February the sun is above the horizon from 07:45 to 16:10, and 1 April from 05:50 to 19:50 (summertime).

The combination of snow cover and sunshine often creates intense light conditions from late February until the snow melts in the lowland (usually late April), and sunglasses are essential when skiing. Because of these diametrically different light conditions in winter, Norwegians often divide it into two seasons: Mørketid (the dark time) and Seinvinter (late winter).

Tromsø is in the middle of the Aurora Borealis (northern lights) zone, and is in fact one of the best places in the world to observe this phenomenon. Because of the planet's rotation, Tromsø moves into the aurora zone around 6 pm, and moves out again around midnight. Due to the light, no aurora is visible between late April and mid August.

Wish I'd read all this before today's shopping trip!

Just about five weeks to go...

My wife Claire and I will have been married 30 years on 22nd September 2009 and to celebrate, we plan to go to Norway for a week and cross the Arctic circle when we are there. Our hope is to see the Aurora Borealis as we will be up north at the Autumn Equinox and just before the long polar night which lasts about five months. We are inspired by Joanna Lumley who did a really lovely programme, "Joanna Lumley in the Land of the Northern Lights" on BBC TV some time ago about her own trip to northern Norway to see the Aurora. Her view was very moving and worked wonders for the Norwegian tourist industry!

On 15th September we will be flying from Dublin to what Ryanair calls Oslo, but in keeping with that airline's tradition is nowhere near Oslo - it's actually at a place called Torp! After a night in the city we then move on by train to Trondheim and there change onto the sleeper to Bodø. It is on this leg that we cross the Arctic Circle sometime in the early hours of the morning.

We will spend a night in Bodø before flying even further north to Tromsø on the 18th. It is there that we might see the Aurora. On the 20th we fly to Oslo (main airport this time!) We are hiring a car there to take us to Geilo where we will be staying in a lovely mountain refuge - called the Dr Holms Hotel. Appropriate as, to use my title, I am Dr Holmes (Viking ancestors, you know)! (Dr Holm was a Norwegian chest physician who opened the hotel in 1909 for his patients at a time when there was no useful medication for tuberculosis and the only treatment was fresh air and a good diet. During the German occupation it was used by the Nazis in their Lebensborn programme.)

On the 23rd we leave Norway to return to Ireland.

I plan to set up a website soon to cover our experiences in "the land of the midnight sun" so watch this space! All being well, I hope to publish our holiday diary on a daily basis there as our holiday progresses.