Norway, May 2008

We returned from our trip to Norway last night. We had a wonderful time and glorious weather during the whole week. The landscape is amazing at this time of year. The waterfalls are huge, because the snow is still melting. And down along the fjords the fruit trees have flowers.

This was the house we stayed in. It used to belong to the owner's parents, and still had a lot of the original furniture and family photos, but also all the modern comfort you expect. The wood burning oven was great and very efficient. There were three bedrooms with together at least 10 beds, ideal for families. We might take my boys next time, I am sure they'd love this house.



There was a raised patio on the front of the house, and this is the view we had from there:



The house had a big garden with many lovely fruit trees and behind the house was a smaller house which was used for storing the firewood. The fjord was just a 2-minute walk down a small driveway. The owners have made a shallow saltwater pool that is connected to the fjord, but warms up very fast in nice weather. It is full of little fish, shrimp, hermit crabs and water snails.



It never got really dark. The next photo shows the rocks opposite our house at 10.30 pm. We could go down and sit by the water at that time, and watch the porpoises swim very close to us. Their puffing and the birds' singing were the only sounds. No traffic noise, no loud music, nothing.



A hiking path started right behind our house, and after 1 hour of steep climbing, you had this view:





On one day we went to a big glacier:



And here are some more photos of fjords and valleys:





We went to visit my friend, whom I hadn't seen in 16 years. It was great to meet his wife and little kids, and their house is wonderful. We did some really nice walks and saw a lot of interesting plants and animals, including a really big adder.

If New Zealand is too far away for you, try Norway instead. Only a short flight from the UK.

Wow! Beautiful photos hun! Im glad you had fun x

WOW what stunning photos!!

Wow wow and more wows...looks amazing :wave:

WOW that looks amazing, great piccys, so glad you had a lovely time

Fantastic, I'd love to go. Is there much to do though if you're not very outdoorsy?

wow:shock:its stunning im so jealous!might have to visit:wave:

Hey Gisela :wave: Fantastic photos, Norway looks amazing - very beautiful.

Awesome pics Gisela... they've certainly whetted my appetite to research Norway for a visit

GemmaH said:

Fantastic, I'd love to go. Is there much to do though if you're not very outdoorsy?

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Oslo and Bergen have some interesting museums and parks. You can do boat trips along the coasts and into the fjords. There are many offers for families, it is a very children friendly country. There are aquariums and wilderness parks. It is not a country for sitting on the beach, getting drunk or going clubbing every night. That's why I like it. The roads can be a bit of a challenge, and it is an expensive country. But not that expensive when you stay in a cottage and do your own cooking. Our 3-bedroom house cost about 300 Pounds for one week, in the summer it costs about 400 Pounds per week. Everything is included, electricity, firewood, towels, linen. And the owner gave us a lot of advice about where to go and what to see.
As I live in a big city, I prefer to have peace and quiet and my own house when on holiday. I also love Sweden, we'll go there for two weeks in August, with my kids.
I am always willing to help if someone wants information about any of the Scandinavian countries and how to find a nice cottage and what to see and do. I am a hobby travel agent.

I've always wanted to visit Norway, I had heard it was beautiful and it clearly is!

It looks like the type of place that would make you healthy just being there! :lol:

Wow fantastic photos. My OH has been to Bergen twice now as his submarine docks there from time to time and he says it lovely over there - but the prices are silly!

ShivyRex said:

Wow fantastic photos. My OH has been to Bergen twice now as his submarine docks there from time to time and he says it lovely over there - but the prices are silly!

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Yes, the petrol is even more expensive than here in the UK, and going to restaurants can cost you a lot, too. Alcohol is very expensive. But we just bought simple food and cooked at home, so it wasn't all that tragic. At least we did not do any serious fishing. Back when I went to Norway with my parents, my dad and I would fish every day, and that meant that we had to eat fish every day, too. It's fresh and yummy, when it is so fresh out of the water, but I am still no big fan of seafood.

WOW, it looks amazing

Nice to have you back though, i have been practising

I was just talking today about how I would like to go to Norway! Your photos are stunning! It looks so beautiful and peaceful.

Joanne26 said:

WOW, it looks amazing

Nice to have you back though, i have been practising

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Ooooh, I only just finished the old game today. The fresh air in Norway seemed to have had a positive effect on my brain.

We flew with SAS from Heathrow to Bergen, via Oslo. But there are also direct flights to Bergen from Gatwick, Stansted and Edinburgh (and maybe other airports in the UK), and a return flight can cost less than 100 Pounds per person. We rented a VW Polo, which cost 260 Pounds for 8 days. If you don't need a big car, then go for a small one, as a lot of the roads are single laned. You need to allow a lot of time to travel between places, as you can't drive very fast, and need to cross the many fjords with ferries. The clouds can get stuck in the inner parts of the fjords, so I prefer to stay close to the outer parts, where you also get the nicest sunsets. You do island hopping and go into the fjords, depending on where the weather is better. Our house was a 3-hour drive north of Bergen.

absolutely beautiful pictures, I would love to go to Norway.
Sallyx

Bavarian Bunny said:

It is not a country for sitting on the beach, getting drunk or going clubbing every night. That's why I like it.

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Thanks for your reply! I'm not into the things you mention either but my OH and eldest son are disabled so can't walk very far, that's why we can't do outdoorsy things . It sounds lovely though. We're not daring to go anywhere other than in the car while the children are so young but I'd love to visit Scandinavia one day .

GemmaH said:

Thanks for your reply! I'm not into the things you mention either but my OH and eldest son are disabled so can't walk very far, that's why we can't do outdoorsy things . It sounds lovely though. We're not daring to go anywhere other than in the car while the children are so young but I'd love to visit Scandinavia one day .

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Scandinavia is also quite a good place for disabled people. There are quite a few cottages that are suitable for wheelchairs, and you can just sit on one of the boats and watch the landscape from there. Many people go around Scandinavia in a motorhome, but I prefer to stay in a house or log cabin, where you have a lot more space. You can drive up to many of the nice places, there is no need to go for long walks. It is much faster to fly over there, and also cheaper, and the airlines are usually quite helpful if you need help with the children etc..
I think my boys were about 1 and 4, when they first went to Sweden, but back then I lived in Germany and we went up by car. I agree that flying with small children can be quite a challenge. There was a baby on the flight to Oslo, who was very cheerful and very loud. The mother was probably quite embarassed, you could hear her say "shhhhhh" a lot, with not much success. :lol:

Fab photo's Gisela, what a beautiful place. You can almost feel how peaceful it is. Would definitely be interested in visiting, it looks so lush and green too. Thanks for posting!