Next week :)

My next destination in a week!
*Yippie!!*

And diving with the sharks are on the cards! *Let's just hope I still come home with 2 arms, 2 hands and all of my 10 fingers* :)

Bergen, Norway

This is going to really test my memories... It's been almost a year since I went on this trip and I can barely remember where's what, and what's what! Note to self : Must Must MUST write about it AS SOON AS I CAN!!

All that I could remember was that it took a while to get from Voss to Bergen, which is the 2nd largest city of Norway. The bit about Bergen that I was excited to see was the UNESCO Heritage Bergen Wharf. The beautiful colourful wooden buildings, built so close to each other, so unique when you walk inside. Just so so so pretty!

The old Bergen Wharf (R)

The old Bergen Wharf (L)

We did have a quick tour with a local guide who took us beyond the front of these shops. We went round to the back, and from there, one could observe the unique architecture where they buildings are built really close to each other, some wth jutting bits, but all interconnected with some sort of plank. *If I am making any sense*

Behind the shops

And of course, I love the colours!!

And if I had really want to live here (I just have to find a way to deal with the cold), I suppose I could work here :

:)

The rest of the visit in town was mainly via looking out the windows on the bus. Which is my pet hate as anyone could tell. Looking out a window on a moving vehicle is NOT the way to experience a city! :(. But anyway....

Looking over the Wharf

We also drove by St Marie's Church, which was built in 1130 making it the oldest church in Bergen. The church has been burnt twice and had undergone sigificant reconstructions then. Apparently, it is also close at the moment for renovation works.

St Marie's Church

We then drove to the opposite side of the water to have a greater view of the wharf and it's surrounding.

Just couldn't resist another shot! :P

After that, we made our way towards the city's lookout point, the Floinen Mountain. The mountain is a hot tourist spot, serviced by a funicular cable car known as the Floibanen. There is no need to make reservations for the ride, even if you are travelling as a group. Our guide just walked up to the counter to get tickets, and just like everyone else, we had to join the queue. Same as all the other tour operators.

The Floibanen base station

Waving schoolchildrens :)
*Apotek = ?Pharmarcy*

Boarding the cable car

The good thing about the cable car is that it is almost entirely glass/transparent giving you the great views of Bergen as the train ascends and descends the mountain. Plus, the seats/standing spaces are designed in the way that, even if you were not standing at the side, you would still be able to enjoy the views from looking down the roof of the train.

Soon enough, we were 320 metres above sea level with gorgeous views! :)

Check out the mega cruise ship!

Fascinated with the bridge/road/highway designs

The area is designed with glass fence on the side of the mountain, giving you the perfect view of Bergen. An absolute delight if you enjoy looking down at cities just like yours truly. The only negative part of the whole thing was that it was freezing cold! There is also a souvenir shop at the top that quite a few of the tour members managed to get souvenirs at a bargain. Mum and myself almost bought a 'ship in a bottle' ornament as it was such a bargain! The only reason we didn't get it was because it would have posed as a 'packing 'issue.

Sorry, I can't explain my fascination with colourful houses

After spending about 45minutes at the top, we decided to head down and have a quick walk in the city. I was particularly keen on getting a shot of the local McD. Loveeed that building it was in!

How quaint :D

From there, we caught a quick lunch before heading to the airport to catch a flight out to Copenhagen. To be honest, by the end of this trip, the amount of photos I took has dwindle by a chunk. I was starting to get lazy and I couldn't wait to get home too! Reminder to self : No more packed, and 3-4 weeks holidays with a tour.

Colourful wine bottles

The airport in Bergen was a little confusing. We checked in, went all the way to the gates before finding out that I was unable to do tax refunds as the shops that we had purchased things in wasn't recognized at the counter near the gates. So, a few of us had to actually exit the gate and return back to the check in luggage counter to find the tax refund counter, which is actually located almost outside the airport... How bizarre. I didn't know that there are different tax refund counters for different shops etc.... Anyhow, got my money back. That's all that matter :P

Sognefjord, Flam & Voss

This will definitely be a picture post, as most of the day were spent sightseeing on the famous Sognefjord, which is a branch of the longest fjord in the world, and then followed on by the scenic Flam Train. We started off with the fjord, boarding our ship at Sogndal.

At the 'pier'

The ship that we boarded was really quite big. It had already picked up some other tourist along the way, so it was rather full. I remember it being one of the major fjord lines as it also catered for many other fjord cruises.

Sailing out in the gloomy weather

I wasn't that ecstatic about the cruise I have to say. It was a wet, gloomy, windy morning and all I wanted to do was to lie under the covers in my comfortable bed, and not be blown away by the strong winds of the fjord. But soon, all the moody-ness disappeared when the beautiful scenes appeared and of course, when Mr. Sun decided to come out and play too!

:)

Loving the blue skies

The cruise took about 2-3 hours in total, and I spent bits of it in the enclosed area and bits of it outside whenever I could. The only reason I wasn't spending all of it outside was because of the cold wind! The views were breathtaking!

Houses along the fjord

Don't let the picture fool ya
*it was freezing cold!*

I absolutely loved the calm waters, green hills along the fjord against the clear blue skies. It was marvelous! If only I didn't have to travel so far to actually see it. Come to think of it, I think it is wayyyyy much prettier than Halong :P.

I could go on and on about how beautiful the place can be, but my words and photos just aren't gonna do it justice. One just have to be there to see it!

Flam Railway @ Sognefjord

Next stop was lunch at the Flam Railway Station. Lunch was served at a mock train restaurant, which served reasonable food. And oh, our tour guide brought 'sambal' with him on the trip with us and shared it with us and one of the waitresses had wanted to try some, so we gave her some. The expression on her face said it all - it must have tasted and smelled horrible in her mouth, but she was way too polite to say anything. That poor lady. She did however, come out with a chewing gum the next time we saw her :). Hehehe

Bye bye Sognefjord

We did have a bit of time to spare while waiting for our train to arrive, so we took the opportunity to wander around the station. As predicted, many souvenir shops in the area. But what I liked about it was the colours of the houses/shops. The Norwegians sure choose great colours for their buildings. Not your usual white or off white :P.

Trolls :D
*I think*

And soon it was time to board the train.

The famous Flamsbana

The train runs from Sognefjord all the way to Myrdal, a mountain station about 20km away. The ride takes us on a journey of spectacular scenery of several waterfalls, wonderful ravines and along the way, snowcapped mountains. It is not hard to understand why this train ride is one of the most famous train rides in the world.

While on the train, if heading from Sognefjord to Myrdal, remember to take the seats where the window is to your right. That's the best side :).

The train stops at a big waterfall where tourists are able to get off and take photos. What they don't always tell you is,there is a lady that will appear in the middle of the waterfalls singing. Well, the music is on anyway. It somehows made the waterfall mystical. Truly enjoyable.

Kjosfossen Waterfalls

The singing&dancing lady

And the journey continues...

Loving the snow-capped mountains

And the quaint houses by the tracks

And soon we were at Myrdal

We then continued on our way to Voss, where we spent a night at this gorgeous place called Hotel Hardangerfjord.

On our way to Voss

More scenic routes

The hotel wasn't a huge tall building, but rather, had a widespread compound looking over the fjord. One really have to wander around the compounds to appreciate it. Or at least, we didn't know that it was so beautiful outside till it was just before dinner. Benefits of the sun setting at 10 p.m. meant that we still had time to spent outdoors! :)

Hotel resepsjon :D

And this, THIS is what I meant by the views provided by the hotel!

One word : Breathtaking

More houses by the fjord

Loving it! :)