Norway: Oslo & Geilo (en route to Bergen)

The canonical "see everything Norway has to offer" stretch involves taking the train from Oslo to Myrdal (which is not even a village, not a soul lives there) and changing there to go to Flåm, then the ferry, then then then.... Bergen. The train Oslo to Myrdal is 6 hrs, so total travel time to Flåm is an entire day and I think this is crazy. 

What we did (to try to take it a bit easier than a rapid sprint across the country): 

• Day 1:  Oslo (walked around in the sun, had tasty falafel, bought supplies for the trip)  (sleep)
  
• Day 2: Train Oslo to Geilo, which is a ski resort that also supports hiking in the summer. 4ish hrs from Oslo by a really pretty train ride.
• Day 3: Train, Train, Ferry. This is the core of the trip.
• Train Geilo to Myrdal.  
• Flåmsbana from Myrdal to Flåm.  
• Fjord Cruise-Ferry from Flåm to Gudvangen (sleep) 
• Day 4: Gudvangen Viking Village, then bus to Voss. Voss cable car up the rainy mountain.
• Day 5: Train Voss to Bergen. Bergen, the rainiest city in Europe.  

Helpful things in Norway: 

• NOK -> USD divide by 10
• Restaurants are NOT cheap, but the quality is very good. 
• 'Public' soap was (outside the airport, actually) all sensitive, was great for my exzema 
• Alcohol is sold by the state monopoly store for anything stronger than weak beer. Strict hours.
• Be prepared for rain.
• If you need sunscreen, bring it with you. All i saw there was super expensive. 

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Oslo: 

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I mostly walked around "Grønland" and Grønerlakke, a lot of which is relatively recent construction, in the last 15 years, which have me the impression that Oslo is like Helsinki but with a clear sharp influx of money. Unlike the UK, the architecture is inviting, the open spaces are there to be used. Sitting, playing, picnicking. 

Met up with a friend from my postdoc years who is Norwegian and been back in Oslo maybe 5 years, walked, got a good recommendation for the best falafel in Oslo, which was dinner with my traveling companion, K. 

In the pictures: the river running through Oslo. Upper right, hard to see, temporary exhibition with statues of swimmers swimming into and out of the opera glass front. Lower left, floating saunas. 

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Oslo -> Geilo, Geilo

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Oslo to Geilo was around 4.5 hrs. Glad we had snacks, food, and a nice view. 

We shared the train with other obvious tourists, who were going to Bergen only to return to Flåm the next day (overshooting, just to come back). 

We stayed at Geilo hotel. Clearly the kind of place that caters more to skiers in the winter. They had a big sauna that we got them to turn on, but the floor was ice-cold and the space big enough for 15+ people.  Checking in and asking about things, the hotel guy was lightly bemused. I don't know how to describe him. Reserved and helpful but I had the impression of good natured bemusement. He found us a spare umbrella from somewhere, which we took on our walk. 

To stretch our feet, we did a little walk around half the lake. Had to to take off our shoes to walk through some water. Invigorating. 

Views from our walk, including (center right) a turf-roofed house and whooper swans (lower right). 

More from our exploration of Geilo, including two very different churches, a giant kick-sled art installation (they're great out on the ice, i've used them in Finland) , and where we had a fancy dinner, at Hallingsteune. Including a glass of wine (I know! the expense! in Norway!), because we were seated in a corner which was liberally covered with all their "best wine list" awards.