Lavik to Bergen to Oslo

You simply dont realise the days pass when you are on a vacation. That is exactly how we felt leaving Lavik. We both swore that we would come back and stay here for 2 weeks, when we wanted to get away from the city life. It was that kinda town.

We were to take the ferry across the river to reach the other side of Sognefjord and continue towards Bergen. It was our last stretch of driving. We reached Bergen railway station, dropped our luggage and then needed to return the car. Driving in the city wasnt so easy though. We got quite lost and managed to go in circles many times before we found the place.

Tired and hungry we headed to the Light Rail station. Wait, you can only buy ticket with coins or credit card and it has to have a pin! Sumit tried a few cards and the machine hung. So many of the passengers behind us couldnt get a ticket either. It was only after we had some pizza we were a little upbeat about roaming the city. It was around noon and we had till 11pm before our train.

We saw the city twice and it was only 4pm! We had walked around the city and gone up Mount Floyen, even tried to catch a snooze there. We went to the Brygge, around it. We ended up wasting the rest of the time just sitting at different parts of the city. Coming from Singapore, I am used to public washrooms everywhere, most of them free. It wasnt the case there, you could find a washroom in cafes, if you buy something you could use (they were code locked). So we ended up randomly buying things. Finally at 9pm we decided we had had enuf and went to the train station to wait for our train to Oslo. I only remember Thanking my senses for booking a sleeper cabin, cos we both jus crashed as soon as we entered.

If there had been no announcement of Oslo, we would have just slept longer. Breakfast at the railway station reminded me so much of India. Thankfully our hotel was walking distance from the station, we quickly dumped our luggage and went to get some real food = Apent Bakery ( must try on the lonely planet list). So we walk across town, cross the Royal Palace and pass thru the houses of Ambassadors, trust me you would not regret the walk to find it. Its really tucked away somewhere far from sight because I dont think they want many people to know. They have the most amazing bread and jam. Wait did I mention it was berry season and we were getting fresh jam everywhere. But this place, for the bread lover (that is moi), it was Heaven!!

After stuffing myself with hot bread, yummy jam and a nice cup of chocolate, we went to the Royal Palace. Seems like the ambassadors were visiting the royal family, so there was a parade. We stayed on till the guard changing and then left for the hotel. We had very few things we wanted to do in Oslo, sadly the Ski jump was closed for renovation so we couldnt do that. So we decided to go to the Viking Museum instead that evening. Next morning was to Vigeland park. Sadly though, the museum only opened at 12pm and we dint want to wait. We wanted to go to Hadeland glass factory because we thought it was jus 1 hour away, turns out is twice that and buses were quite infrequent. Nonetheless it was a good decision to go there.

I have never seen glass blowing, so I was super fascinated. You get to understand why wine glasses are so expensive when you see 6 people working on each glass. Its a lot of effort. The vases were beautiful, its truly an art. I was really proud to buy our first true set of wine glasses. Suddenly we realise its time for the bus, which have been so punctual up till now in our trip. We ran around finishing our purchases and getting the VAT rebates done, blah blah.

So we are now really tired from all the running around, we wait at the bus stop for 20 mins only to realise that actually the next bus is supposed to come 1 hour later! Thankfully we found some coffee and hot chilli fries (made from fresh potatoes mind you). Perfect for the weather.

We returned much later than expected and went for Indian food yet again ( Sumit is so fussy about food :P). The excited restaurant owned was all too happy to make the dishes in 'desi' style, hot and spicy. Sigh!

So the next day was Amsterdam, now that deserves a whole post to itself.

Geirangerfjord to Briksdal to Lavik

Norway is expensive but the price we paid for bad breakfast at Geiranger town was jus ridiculous. Since we had a kitchenette, there was no reason to let that repeat. So we head to the grocery store to get some stuff, dump it in the car and start our trek.

You see we had decided to go trekking, because apparently there are many spots where you can take good photos from. We had asked someone at our cabin and she couldnt explain very well but she managed to point us to the right direction. In the town, we found the tourist information office, and decided better to reconfirm. I have no idea why the lady the tourist info gave us a completely different route. We believed her and started walking. We heard waterfall some where, we followed it and saw something that cannot be described. I will jus put a photo up. I think we trespassed into someone's personal grounds cos when we tried to go back we found barricades. To show some signs of summer, you could see small flowers here and there. Sumit started teasing me for taking so many pictures of them.

After a while, we were sure we were not going where wen intended to go. But then, being the optimists that we are, we found a nice rock with a great view and had a picnic lunch. Bread-butter sandwiches with fruit yougurts and apples. Yum!

The walk back seemed a lot faster (maybe because I had stopped taking pictures of the flowers). We managed to reach town by 2pm. We felt it was still early and we could go for a spin, what use of getting a car rite? There was this zig-zag path that Sumit wanted to drive up on. Ofcourse the view from above was splendid.

Once again chef Sumit decided to make dinner, the menu - tomato soup, hard boiled eggs and bread with cream cheese.

We had to leave early the next morning, we were driving to Briksdalbreen glacier and we had to reach by 10am. Although google promised us 2 hours, there was a feeling that it would take longer. We were right to leave early, and I was right to let Sumit drive. The highways were at places were 'hidden' by low lying clouds and then kept getting narrow. As soon as we hit the country road, there was only one lane for two way traffic, so one had to be careful. Also there were no sign posts on the country roads. So we were not sure if we were lost. But in front of us we saw this huge glacier (we dino that was where we were going until later), so we decided if we really were lost we will jus get as close as possible to the glacier in front of us and take it from there.

Finally we reached Briksdal glacier. Now we were supposed to go on a glacier safari, which involved (from the pictures) going around the glacier lake in a raft. I expected it to be a very relaxing sorta, easy activity. We were driven up most of the way till the glacier lake and walked up the rest. If at any point till now we had felt Norway was cold, we were about to experience the worse. The wind was so strong, it kept pushing us. There was a German couple who joined wit us and our guide. We managed to get the raft in the water, then we were told we had to row against the current and wind!. So we huffed and puffed, rowed till our arms hurt, only to see we had hardly moved. The current was taking us away much faster than we could row. After about, I am guessing, 20 mins ( what felt like eternity), we were pushed onto shore. We decided to make another attempt. It would seem for a minute that the wind stopped blowing, but that was just a cruel joke being played on us. We just went some distance and anchored on one side, took fotos, asked questions to the guide. Tried one last time to go closer to the glacier, we managed to make it close.

The trek back was slow and tiring. Coffee was badly needed to wake my senses. My feet were numb inside my shoes. We met many chirpy people walkin up to the glacier, all greeting us with the widest smile. I wasnt sure if they would smile on their way back. Anyways, we had managed to finish the whole experience much earlier than anticipated. For my efforts I decided a treat was due, double chocolate chip muffin, Europe size!

We only had the last stretch of drive, 3 hours to Lavik left. We had decided we wouldnt stop for fotos. Seriously you cant help it when the whole damn country is so freaking beautiful! But half way thru I was too tired. We had packed lunch, which we had on the way, so we didnt really have to stop much. We reached Lavik around 5pm.

Lavik Fjord Hotell, family owned, straight out of an Dutch novel. It was like a boutique hotel with its own view of Sognefjord. The dutchman behind the counter was more than excited to help us with our room and also made us some hot drinks. There was a lovely bookcase just outside our room and an arm chair. I felt the only thing missing was a glass of wine, but since we were driving, we din want to risk it (Norway has very strict laws on drink driving). Evening dinner was specially made for us, hot spinach tortellini with salad on the side. We couldnt have asked for more.

Norway -- Trondheim - to Geiranger

Sumit was supposed arrive on the 2nd day of the conference and I wanted to attend some really interesting presentations. So I gave him detailed instructions (much to his amusement) on how to get to the hotel. I wrote notes and left in the room, repeating myself. Anyhow, it was good to have him there, I was beyond excited.

Trondheim used to be the capital city of Norway like ages ago. But it would be more apt to say that it is a quintessential town, or just bigger than a village. We just ended up aimlessly walking around the city. We found a lovely spot in the middle of the city to have some beer before heading off for a lovely Thai dinner.

I had planned the Cathedral for the next morning, determined to show Sumit at least part of what I experienced. Even I got a chance to see the intricate details a little closely while he was doing his whole photography thingie.

Funny side story: Seems like that day there was some sorta marathon going on. The weather was around 8 degrees and I was wearing at least 3 layers. I understand that people get over that kind of weather and are able to walk around in t-shirt and jeans, I get it. But I dont get how people can run a marathon in that weather wearing nothing but little paper, covering their essentials!

So Sumit goes to get our rented car while I head to the conference. Now he had gone thru great pains (and spent quite a bit) in getting his International License done in India and sent to Abu Dhabi, etc. He was disappointed when the lady at the car rental did not even ask for it. Plus our friend is used to driving manual cars with right side steering. We had booked an automatic and Norway was left hand drive. I can only imagine what he must have gone thru getting the car to the city. God know how many rules he violated.

In all the excitement of the car, Sumit forgot to have lunch. For someone who has a delicate stomach, he has very poor eating habits. So in my attempt to make it up, I suggest we look for an Indian restaurant and have simple daal-rice. I am really thankful that so many Indians migrated to Europe for exactly this reason, there are Indian restaurants everywhere!! Norwegian portions are huge plus rice and salad are free with the daal. Even though I ate quite a bit, more than half the food remained. So we decided to request it to be packed, hoping that Sumit would feel up to eating later.

The next morning was the first day of our drive. We had a 6 hour drive to Geirangefjord. I was expecting that with delays and stuff it will easily be like 9 hours. So we decided to have a good breakfast and carry the daal-rice from the previous day, just in case we were hungry along the way. One good thing was since it was summer time, daylight was there from 5am to 9pm.

As soon as started driving out of Trondheim, we saw mountains, some snow covered, glaciers. Everything was beautiful around us. We kept stopping to take pictures. Road signs were very easy to follow, high ways were well marked and even though we had GPS, we never really used it much. It was a little crazy at times because I had never driven on mountains before, and there were many blind turns. We stopped half way, very proud of how much distance we had covered, to have lunch in the town of Oppdal. A good 7 hours after we had left Trondheim, we reached Geirangerfjord. Until about an hour before that I was very confidently driving. As soon as we hit the hairpin bends, I gave up. Plus the roads were getting very narrow and scary for me.

We checked into our cute log cabin, which I fell in love with. I was so glad that we din decide to take a hotel room. It was so much more comfy. There was a living room with a dining table and a kitchenette, a bedroom and a lovely balcony where you could sit (if you could stand the cold) and watch the view. Since it was still bright, we decided to rent a motor boat and go explore the fjord. Don't know if it was a good idea or not. We certainly werent dressed for the cold. As soon as we hit the water, I was nervous because you suddenly realise how tiny you are in midst of huge majestic mountains which seem to be so tall, all around. Within few minutes, we had left civilisation. It was kinda surreal to be there, there was so much nature and beauty all around us. It was also kinda scary that if anything was to happen, no one would even know (except maybe the guy we rented the boat from). By the time we came back my teeth were chattering and I couldnt feel my fingers.

So what better way to end the day then to have hot hot soup and pasta, all courtesy of chef Sumit. I was too cold to move. We sat there watching Harry Potter on my chotu, with view of the fjords outside.

Norway -- Trondheim

For nearly 3 months I have been planning my return to Abu Dhabi along with my trip to Norway. It started in April when my boss asked me to submit for a conference there. When it came thru he was a real darling and let me register for it. Sumit had already promised to come if I got thru. He was sweet enuf to suggest that we could do a trip to Europe if this din come thru. Someone up there must ve really been happy with me. The office got my tickets sorted and even the Danish embassy kindly gave me 13 months of visa. I chose KLM over SQ, after my last few SQ flight to and from Abu Dhabi I couldnt stand to sit thru 20 hours of bad service or being told, ' " sorry I cannot give you a banana" even though I am holding a whole basket full of it in front of your face'. I loved the service in KLM the last time I had been to Europe.

After much discussion and debate on what to do, where to go, how to go, planning and re-planning, I had my itinerary and hotel bookings ready. The much awaited day finally came. I rushed thru office and chased my boss to give me feedback for my presentation. Went home and repacked all my things into a different suitcase and rushed to the airport. I was flying to Amsterdam and then connecting to Trondheim from there. I was thankful to the good food and service all the way. First Impressions: Trondheim airport was smaller than even Indore airport!

Nearly everyone at the airport seemed to be talking about the conference I was going to. Like a typical Indian my radar beeped, I just heard someone speak in Marathi. Small world. The ride to the city was shorter than I expected. The bus driver was super kind, he not only got down to unload my suitcase (which wasnt even very heavy) but also patiently told me how I could walk to my hotel from the stop. (In a few days I realised that nearly everyone there was super nice.)

I had booked in this cute hotel not far from the city centre. As soon I saw my bed I wanted to crash and forget all about working on my presentation (which btw I kept postponing to later ...the whole week). Thank God, it suddenly struck me I forgot to get a converter plug. I quickly rushed out to get that. I spent the next hour walking, in the freaking cold, nearly all of Trondheim in search of a converter plug and some food. When I got back to my room, I simply crashed. Screw the presentation, I couldnt keep my eyes open anymore.

Next day I asked for directions and started walking towards my conference venue. I was told it would take only 10 minutes, for what was a good 30 minutes away. Apparently summer never came to Norway because of the snow storm and stuff, so it was still cold because of that. I think regardless I would have still become numb. Thankfully I had 10 toes and 10 fingers when I got back..I counted.

Presentation went better than I realised. Although the conference wasnt so fun, because most of the Profs had decided to come instead of students, so the interaction for me was a lot less than I expected. It was so cool when they gave out lunch bags with a sandwich and muffin and a drink. Normally in Singapore I wouldn't have found much veg food, so I took my bag back and politely told them to take the sandwich away. Instead he asked me if I preferred a veg sandwich!

The highlight of the day was that the municipality of Trondheim was hosting a concert at the Nidaros Cathedral followed by tapas dinner nearby. Whenever I had opened "must-see" list of Trondheim, this was on the top. But not until I actually saw it that I understood why. I love churches in Europe and have been to a few, but this one was HUGE! and Beautiful! and the details were so intricate! I could go on. We were given some background about the cathedral and information which I forgot most of. The organ concert was however unforgettable. I am normally not someone who gets all religious and stuff, and dont appreciate much music. The first half was played on the regular church organ, it was very serene. The second half was played on the main organ, which was installed in 1930s. We were taken by surprise when it started. Its hard to describe how beautiful it was. It bounced off the walls. If your shut your eyes you could SEE the music, as if you have been transported to some really divine dimension. When the music stopped, there was pin drop silence before people realised that they should applaud. No one spoke when we left the cathedral except for the occasional sniffle of someone who was moved by the music.

I was happy that all thru dinner I was stopped and told how my presentation was excellent or how our work is so interesting. I was very proud and very sad. After working on this project for all these years, getting appreciation for it is truly satisfying. Its so sad that my journey in the project is coming to an end, I wont be there to see the manifestation of the promises I made regarding the design.