Day Nineteen -June 2

Since we had to be out of the hotel by 11, we decided to have an earlier breakfast then head over to the City Hall to explore that more. We had popped in earlier but it was just before closing time so didn’t get to see much. It was all open today, even the upper rooms, but only until noon, as there is a big maritime shipping conference happening in the city and the opening ceremonies were being held at City Hall. This is one amazing building on the inside. Every possible surface is decorated with artwork, from numerous friezes adorning the walkway into the building to paintings that cover the entire walls to the main floor area, to wall-size tapestries in some of the rooms on the second floor. It is one of the most beautifully appointed buildings I have seen. No wonder this is where they hold the presentation ceremony for the Nobel Peace Prize. I was glad we had made the effort to get back to it.

We returned to the hotel to get organized and take our luggage down to the storage room in the basement of the hotel. This was very handy because it meant that we were free to go and explore more of this beautiful city.

We headed back to the harbour area, this time headed on past the Nobel Peace Centre and further down the harbour into two areas - Aker Brygge and Tjuvholmen. These are more modern, upscale areas with lots of fancy eateries and many newer buildings. We walked down to the end, where we came upon a group of students who must have been taking a life-saving course of some sort because they were practising on CPR dummies and practising throwing life rings into the water. And, of course because they were teenagers, arsing around in the water! Down here is where the Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art is located. Unfortunately for me, not so much for Irv, it is closed on Mondays.

We headed back to the main harbour area to grab a bite before heading over to the Opera House, which I had seen but Irv hadn’t. We also decided to explore the Oslo City Library which is an impressive five storey building and has been deemed the most modern library in Europe. And that is well-deserved praise. It is so well laid out with all sorts of nooks and crannies it doesn’t feel like a traditional library. There is also a large MakerSpace area on one of the floors.

I had read about another sculpture by the same artist as the Fist and Rose and led Irv on what he thought was a wild goose chase to find it. But find it we did. It is a sculpture of five frogmen diving down from steel supporting rods. Turned out it wasn’t far from the Fist and Rose, so I was able to guide us back to Karl Johan’s Gate with no problems. We sat for a bit of a rest before heading back to the hotel to claim our luggage and head back to the National Theatre train station to catch the Fly train out to the airport. We had opted to take a room at the Radisson where we had first stayed when we arrived in Norway. We had grabbed a couple of paninis and some beer and cider and just ate them in our hotel room.

Day Eighteen -June 1

I woke up early as usual so decided I would head out and do some exploring on my own. I had read about a sculpture called Neve og Rose - Fist with Rose and set out to find it. The route took me back down Karl Johan’s Gate where we had strolled the previous night. It was much less lively on a drizzly Sunday morning! I found the sculpture as well as a few other photo- worthy stops - the Oslo Cathedral, the Oslo Spektrum (an indoor concert arena), the statue of Christian IV, some cheeky roosters, and a couple of local trolls. Despite the mizzly weather it was great to be out and about exploring - my fav thing to do on a holiday.

Back to the hotel then out for breakfast in the rain. Tried my first authentic Norwegian hot chocolate. They make it with actual chocolate wafers - your choice of milk or dark - dissolved in steamed milk. So yummy,. It was coming down hard by the time we were done, so opted to dash back to the hotel and wait for a bit to see if the rain would let up. It did so we headed out to catch the bus back out to Bygdoy where we had been yesterday, this time to pay a visit to the Kon Tiki Museum.

This is a museum dedicated to Thor Heyerdahl’s exploits. The museum houses his two crafts - the Kon Tiki and the Ra II. It was in the first that he and a crew of five set sail from Peru to prove that South Americans could have crossed to Pacific Ocean over to Tahiti and possibly colonized it. After 101 days at sea, they reached the Tuamotu Islands and proved their theory right. On his second adventure he sailed an Egyptian papyrus craft across from Morocco to Barbados to prove a similar theory about ancient sea travel. But Heyerdahl was not one to be content with just those accomplishments. He went on to do extensive work on Easter Island, exploring the mysteries behind the moai - the ancient stone heads found there. After learning about Roald Amundsen’s exploits yesterday and Heyerdahl’s today, we were left with great admiration for the adventurous spirit of both these men. I found it interesting that, in Heyerdahl’s case, there was a woman who was very instrumental in the success of his voyages - Gerd Vold Hurum - however it was only recently that her involvement has been made known. Because of course, she was “only a woman”. She was actually the one responsible for getting the Kon Tiki back to Norway to put on display. Thor and crew would have left it stranded on the island!!

Our destination after a quick lunch stop was over to Akershus Castle to take in the last day of the Middelalder (Medieval) Festival. We had discovered this on our first day in Oslo when they were just setting up for the weekend-long event. .Fortunately the rain had stopped so we were able to spend the better part of the afternoon wandering around the grounds of the castle. It is set up so as to replicate what a similar event would have been like in the early days of Oslo’s existence. There are tents of all shapes and sizes pitched throughout the castle’s grounds. Some are stalls for the various artisans selling their wares, others contained demonstrations of craftsmanship such as woodworking and metalwork. Some held amusements, such as board games from days gone by that you could play. And some were lodgings for the participants who chose to remain on the grounds for the whole weekend, much as their predecessors would have done. There are also performances of music and dance and even knights in armour engaging in combat. It was a great way to pass the afternoon.

We were feeling a little tired so opted to stick closer to home for dinner. Found a very nice Italian restaurant only a couple of blocks away and enjoyed a pasta dinner with a good glass of wine.

Day Seventeen - May 31

Today was museum day - two of them!

This was museum day for us - two of them! A pleasant bus ride out to the Bygdøy area where our first stop was the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History aka the Norsk Folkemuseum. This is an open air museum, somewhat akin to Fort Edmonton, which shows how people lived since about the 1600s. There are some 160 historic buildings and you can walk from one part to another on gravelled pathways. The showpiece in the park is the Gol Stave church, similar to the one we saw in Vikoyri. One of only 28 remaining stave churches in the world from over 1000 originally. There are also exhibits inside the buildings surrounding the main square which hold artifacts from the different eras. It is very extensive and would take the better part of a day to fully cover. Since we also wanted to get to the Fram museum, we did not get to visit the whole park.

Our second stop, the Fram, was a short bus ride away and is the museum that tells the story of Norwegian polar exploration. It consists of two museums each of which centres around one of the two actual ships that were used in exploring the polar regions. They are each housed in a triangular building and surrounding each of the ships are extensive displays about the exploreres and their expeditions to both the North and South Poles as well as those dedicated to finding the Northwest Passage. The first ship is the Fram, the ship Roald Amundsen took on his trek to the South Pole and the other is the Gjøa, the first ship to navigate the Northwest Passage. It also contains a very comprehensive display about the various pioneers of polar exloration, most notably Roald Amundsen who not only transitted the NW Passage but was also the first to reach the South Pole. There is so much information to take in that I finally got a case of information overload and only took in a small portion of the detailed descriptions. They were very interesting, just more than my little brain was prepared to absorb. Irv, on the other hand was more engaged so probably came away with a lot better understanding of the whole history. There was also an opportunity to experience what it would have been like to fly over the North Pole with Roald Amundsen in one of the two aircraft he took on his aerial expedition there. His aircraft, the Norge, is also displayed at the museum. Experiencing the museum certainly gives one cause to admire the fortitude it took to embark upon these types of explorations in as unforgiving an environment as you can imagine, and without all of the modern equipment and clothing available today. Amundsen’s success came as a result of his willingness to befriend and learn from the Inuit people ways to survive the harsh climate and environment. He also used their knowledge of how to make use of sleds and sled dogs to travel across the rugged and unforgiving land.

On our return to our “home turf”, we decided to check out the big celebration in the park next to the National Theatre. Turns out it was a celebration for Philippine Independence Day and there was lively music, food stalls, craft stalls and a ton of people out in the sunshine dancing and just having a jolly good time.

We again decided to venture further afield for dinner and found ourselves at Bastard Burgers, where a most friendly young man helped us order. The burgers were very good as was the beer and cider that washed them down! Side note: we tried to buy a beer and a cider to take back to our room at the nearby Joker (like 7-11) store but were three minutes too late. They are not allowed to sell liquor after six on Saturday or on Sunday.

We decided it was too early to head back to the hotel, so took a stroll over to Karl Johan’s Gate a very lively area with lots of restaurants and bars. We had sussed out a place to get some good gelato and that was our destination. We knew it must be good when we saw the lineup outside. They have a rule though - due to the delicacy of their cooling system, they ask that there be no more than eight people in the shop at a time. But the gelato was worth waiting for - stracciatella for me and pistachio for Irv. A good way to end another day in Oslo.

Day Sixteen - May 30

This was our first day on our own since arriving in Europe. Pam and Geoff departed this morning for Copenhagen and the rest of their adventure in England and Ireland and Lisbon. We will miss their enjoyable company. It always amazes me that we don’t see them for a year or sometimes years, and yet we pick up right where we left off in our 27 year friendship! We may see them again in the next year or two, as Nicole and Jay are keen to come to Canada for a visit.

In my research of things to see and do in Oslo, what popped up right away was the Vigeland Sculpture Park and Museum, so knowing how much I love sculptures, that was where I chose for us to head today. I had purchased Oslo Passes for us which entitles you to free admission into most of the museums as well as free transportation, so our tram ride out to the park and back was gratis.

The Vigeland Sculpture park is absolutely incredible to see. Gustave Vigeland was a sculptor who lived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and to say he was a prolific artist is tantamount to saying the Pope is a Catholic! He spent time abroad honing his craft in Copenhagen, Berlin, Paris and Florence, then returned to Oslo to continue his remarkable career as a sculptor. His works, some 212 bronze and granite sculptures, are located in a beautiful park in the Frogner area of Oslo. This includes his famous fountain and monolith, two monumental creations within the park. It has to be seen to be believed! We also availed ourselves of the free entry with our Oslo Passes for us to visit the Vigeland Museum, which houses more of his works, including the plaster casts of many of the sculptures in the park. When the city of Oslo decided to demolish Vigeland’s home/studio, he came to an agreement that the city would build him a new home and studio, which would revert back to the city upon his death. It is an incredible collection of his works which fills the entire first floor of the building with nothing but his own oeuvres. Vigeland’s works are primarily human figures which represent the relationships between men and women and with their children, but also works that depict man’s struggle with his own humanity. His figures are all unclothed, so as to render them timeless. Vigeland’s Park and Museum were high on my Oslo bucket list and definitely exceeded my expectations!

Returning to the harbour area, we grabbed a quick bite then headed over to the Nobel Peace Prize Centre. This is a museum dedicated to Alfred Nobel’s legacy of awards to individuals and organizations who have made significant contributions to the world in bringing about peace. It houses displays about Nobel’s life, as an industrialist, inventor and armaments manufacturer who left in his will the legacy of the Nobel Prizes, awarded in a number of different disciplines, including the Peace Prize. The Peace Centre contains a great interactive display of all the past recipients, many of which are well-known. Think Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, the Dalai Lama, Malala Yousafzai, Barak Obama to name but a few. There is another display about the 2024 recipient, an organization in Japan called Nihon Hidankyo formed by a group of survivors from the nuclear bomb attack on Hiroshimi and Nagasaki. Their aim is to eradicate nuclear weapons from the world. Also on display is an example of the actual medal presented to the winner, designed by none other than Gustave Vigeland of sculpture fame.

Next we sauntered over to the Oslo City Hall, which we have passed by several times, but hadn’t yet explored. Unfortunately it was close to closing time, so we didn’t get much more than a peek at the inside. But it is open on the weekend so we will try to get there later. What we did see was very impressive with a grand main hall containing huge murals on all four walls. We did get to witness two bride and grooms who had just gotten married inside.

For dinner we decided to be a little more adventurous, so hopped the tram to a neighbourhood we had passed on our earlier trip. Found a funky restaurant with street-side table seating called Forest and Brown - the Friendly Bar. I tried a dish called Skagensmørbrød. This is peeled shrimp from Greenland cooked in a traditional Danish way with a kind of dill sauce served on a slice of bread. It was quite yummy.

Ended the day with a walk down by the harbour, an ice cream treat and so ends another day in Oslo.

Day Fifteen - May 29

Our first day in Oslo started at the Viking Planet experience. This is a virtual reality immersion into Viking history that takes you back more than a thousand years to the time when the Vikings were a force to be reckoned with. It has an interactive timeline that shows when and where the Vikings travelled with the aim of conquering those lands. I had no idea they had ventured as far east as Russia, but also into Spain and France. My only knowledge was their raids on Great Britain. There are also 270 degree theatre presentations which reenact aspects of the Viking way of life. Because the Viking Museum, with its actual Viking ships and artifacts is closed for renovations until 2027, there are also interactive displays of the two ships as well as artifacts discovered with them. It’s not the same as seeing the real thing, but it does allow you to get a sense of the Vikings’ expertise in shipbuilding and innovative use of their environment to create what they needed to survive. Also part of the experience is a VR session where you don the headsets and become part of an ambush of a Viking ship from the land. You are virtually on the boat, feeling the movement as the men row and watching the activity from the stern. You find yourself ducking as a bird flies past your head, as well as when the onslaught of fiery arrows begins pelting down on the ship and men fall dead at your feet! You also duck at the end to avoid the attack of one of the marauders as he swings at you with his meaty fist! Another interesting part is a hologram exhibit wherein you experience meeting a significant array of people from the Viking age from all walks of life, presented as if they were appearing live before your eyes. All in all an amazing experience and one not to be missed.

Next goal was to find Christian IV’s glove, a monument to that king who was responsible for re-establishing the city of Oslo after a huge fire destroyed most of the town in 1624. It is literally a giant hand that represents Christian pointing at the place where the rebuilding would begin. The city was named Christiana until 1925 when it reverted back to Oslo.

Since the Akerschus Fortress was nearby with its castle and church, we decided to explore that. Pam and I wandered through the grounds while the boys chose to visit the Resistance Museum. We walked up to explore the castle and church, stopping to take in the memorial to the Norwegian Resistance members who were executed there when the Germans invaded and occupied Norway. We then wandered down to where they were setting up for the Medieval Festival to be held this weekend. It was good fun watching them set up the tents and hang out their wares to be sold during the festivities.

After grabbing a quick bite, the boys decided to head back to the hotel for a quick nap, while Pam and I hoofed it over to the Oslo Opera House. It is a most impressive building on the harbour all glass and concrete with sloping walls that you can climb to get a panoramic view of the harbour. As we walked there we saw people availing themselves of the little floating saunas that you could rent. You take a plunge into the cold waters of the harbour, then duck in to the sauna to warm up before another dive into the frigid waters. Great fun! We also saw people in kayaks who were busy cleaning up the floating debris in the harbour. Also in the harbour, but not debris, is a sculpture called “She Lies” constructed of glass panels and steel supports. It floats on a concrete base tethered to the harbour floor which allows it to turn with the tide and currents. It is based on a painting of an Arctic shipwreck, called “Sea of Ice”.

As we drew closer to the opera house we could make out figures on the façade of the building that look like they are coming through the glass. Turned out it was part of an art installation consisting of four parts. The figures were meant to be dancers and was titled “Moving Still”. The other three parts were somewhat less straightforward. One was a collection of photos of a woman interacting with an apple, the second was a hall of warped mirrors and the third was a display of light shining on the floor and a screen hanging in the middle. My appreciation of modern art is obviously not as finely honed as to perceive the significance of these three!

Back to the hotel to get cleaned up before heading down to the harbour for our three-hour fjord dinner cruise on a sailing ship. It was a little chilly once we got underway, but fortunately we had chosen seats directly under the overhead heaters, so with that and the provided blankets we managed to stay warm. The dinner is an all-you-can-eat shrimp bar with bread and lettuce. It was good but a lot of work shelling those little suckers. Pam does not eat shrimp, so hey provided a hearty bowl of soup for her. It was interesting to see the variety of homes along the fjord, from impressive mansions to small cottages. We sat next to a tableful of people from Bemidji, Minnesota who were over visiting their father/grandfather. Another guy at a table nearby was wearing an Oilers hat and when Geoff and Irv chatted him up, they found out he was from Germany and a big fan of Leon Draisaitl! It was a fun way to spend an evening!

Day Fourteen-May 28

Unfortunately, today was the day we had to pack up and leave this beautiful place. It was hard to leave such a stunning view and such deluxe accommodations! We are so fortunate to have such generous friends as Geoff and Pam who allow us to share the benefits of their home exchange arrangements to stay in such great places.

On the road to Oslo, a six plus hour trip, again through amazing scenery. One stop for coffee in Gol at the same little bakery where we had stopped for coffee on the way up. No drama returning the car and eventually getting the right train from the airport into town. Found the Hotel Vernandi with no problem and checking in was all done on a machine, including activating our own key cards! Who needs humans?!!

Irv and Geoff decided it was beer o’clock, so went down to the bar at the hotel, while Pam and I headed off to suss out a dinner cruise for tomorrow night and find a grocery store. We were successful on both counts and checked out some restaurants on the way back. We opted for a Chinese restaurant about a block away and had a very good meal there.

Not a very exciting day, but then travel days usually aren’t!

Day Thirteen - May 27

A rather relaxed day, as we didn’t want Geoff to have to do a lot of driving ahead of our 6+ hour trip tomorrow back to Oslo. That plus the weather was pretty socked in. When I first got up this morning, I could barely see the trees outside, let alone the valley or Vikoyri! It did dissipate a bit and since we had to go into town for some supper grocs, we decided to head out along the coast of the fjord in the opposite direction we had gone the other day. There was a lookout point about 20 km beyond Vikoyri reached by taking a very narrow road that looked more like a one- lane than a two-lane. If you met an oncoming vehicle you had to hope that it wasn’t too big and that there was a bit of a pullover so you could pass each other. We tried to get a few shots of the fjord and the opposite shore, but it was pretty socked in! We did find an interesting little place along another arm of the fjord. It was a little general store cum cafe, but it was the best stocked little store you’d ever want to see. Besides a surprisingly varied array of food, they had everything from wool and crochet hooks to batteries to swim goggles! It was called Fjorden Nærbutikk which loosely translates as Fjord Convenience Store! We drove along a little further but the views did not improve so we decided to head off back to Vikoyri. There was a large cruise ship in port but it wasn’t as crowded as we had expected. Probably by that time passengers had come ashore done and seen what they wanted and went back on the ship, because it was still raining. We grabbed some grocs and headed back to the cottage for lunch.

After lunch, even though it was still raining, Geoff, Pam and I dec8ded to head out and explore the hike we had read about that was not far from the cottage. It was a fairly rocky slog uphill but not as slippery as it looked. We hiked for about half an hour but since it was still coming down and we were all pretty wet, we opted to head back to the cottage. But it did feel good to be out and doing something physical, which has been somewhat lacking on this trip!

We had an afternoon snack of cheese and crackers and tried the sample of the local Gamaloft cheese. It is served on crackers with a sour cream and raspberry jam topping. On its own I was not enamoured of the taste but with the topping it was edible. Another yummy dinner with cheesecake and raspberry chocolate ice cream for dessert. Followed by some packing up for our departure tomorrow.

Day Twelve -May 26

Day Twelve - A trip on the Flåm Railway

This was a definite must-see while we are in this part of the world, but we kept running into roadblocks booking a trip, mainly because we could not pay for the booking online. This was due to the fact that the verification code was sent via SMS or phone, neither of which we could access. Even the friendly young woman at the Vik tourist info couldn’t help us. So we decided to head down there and take our chances on a later trip. Luckily we managed to get tickets, and because it was later in the day, it was cheaper than if we had gone earlier! It was well worth the hassle, as this is one of the most amazing train journeys in the world!

The Flåm Line is a 20.2 km railway between Flåm and Myrdal, running through the valley of Flåmsdalen. Flåm, where we stopped on our way up from Olso, is located on Aurlands fjords, an arm of Sognefjord, the longest fjord in Norway. The elevation difference between Flåm and Myrdal is 866 metres and it passes through ten stations, twenty tunnels and over one bridge. It is primarily a tourist attraction, but it does connect to the Bergen Line, which also goes to Bergen and Oslo. Of the 20 tunnels, 18 were excavated by hand, each metre taking a month!

The scenery is, to use a phrase I have used too many times here, absolutely breath-taking. The requisite waterfalls abound, including a 93 metre one, Kjosfossen. Here you are warned not to fall for the seductive siren song, designed to lure you to your demise. It was challenging to capture the grandeur of the views when you are on a moving train.

One interesting spot was Myrdalsberget, which is part of the Rallarvegen. This is a gravel road which is popular with cyclists, taking you from Haugastøl down to Flåm, a total of 123 km. It is also called the Navvy Road, after the navvies, workers who constructed the railway. Some 20 000 cyclists tackle it every year. At Myrdalsberget there are 21 hairpin turns to traverse. Not for the faint of heart!

Today was also a day in which we experienced many forms of weather! Pouring rain when we went into Vikoyri to seek help at the tourist info, low lying clouds and fog, sunshine, rain and even snow as we drove the road from Vik to Flåm and back!

We had stopped at the Extra grocery store for a shop for dinner and tomorrow’s breakfast, since we knew we would be back late from Flåm. Once home we put together a lovely dinner of salad, fried rice, carrots and pork chops with raspberry chocolate ice cream for dessert, all washed down with the Grand Cru Riesling we had brought with us from Colmar. It was yummy! Taught Geoff and Pam how to play Circular Rummy before we hit the hay.

Day Eleven - May 25

Our intention was to drive down to Flam to take the railway trip from there to Myrdal and back, but we ran into a snag buying tickets on line because I couldn't get the verification code they sent via text. So instead we decided to head over to Bergen, which turned out to be a good choice. Weather wasn't great - pouring rain at some points, slight drizzle for the most part. It's almost a three hour drive but Geoff was keen to do it so off we went. He has been so good about driving - he has done all of it!

Bergen is the second largest city in Norway after Oslo and is situated on the south western part of the country, surrounded by mountains and fjords, and hence its nickname of “City of Seven Mountains”. It was once the capital of Norway until Oslo claimed that honour. Its existence dates back to 1070 and was an important trading centre throughout the centuries following.

The drive down from Vik was, as we have come to expect here, quite breath-taking. Shortly out of Vik you encounter barren, snow-covered hills, which are in sharp contrast to the lush greenness you encounter further on. Waterfalls are in no short supply and our wonderful chauffeur, Geoff, was quite willing to stop so that Pam and I could take whatever shots we deemed necessary.

Once in Bergen we found a car park not far from Brygge, which is the main port area. We found a lovely coffee shop so stopped for a quick coffee and a treat before heading out to explore. The Brygge area is one of the oldest areas and has been rebuilt several times over the centuries due to massive fires that destroyed most of it to some degree. The buildings are interesting in that they were built perpendicular to the harbour, so are long and skinny. In restoring them, the original footprints were retained for the most part, which makes for a very interesting wander.

At Pam and Geoff’s suggestion, we visited the Bergen Museum, which houses an amazing collection of artifacts dating back several centuries, including the actual remains of some of the buildings. It is also impressive in the number of artifacts, from household items to armour to parts of ships to carved runes. Well worth a visit to get a good sense of the history and significance of Bergen.

Our next stop was a stroll through the harbour-side fish market to eye all of the variety of seafood on offer, as well as such delicacies as moose burgers, reindeer hotdogs and whale burgers. We did not partake of any of these.

The funicular was the next destination to take us up 320 metres to Fløyen for a panoramic view of the harbour and that part of the city. A bonus was that, it being Bergen International Festival time, one of the ways they were promoting the festival was by having local opera singers serenade passengers as the funicular made its way up and down the mountain. We had a lovely young woman with a beautiful voice share her musical talents with us on the way up, and another equally as talented young woman on the way down. The festival is Scandinavia’s largest one for music and performing arts and draws performers from all over.

Since we were becoming a bit peckish, we decided to head back to the fish market and grab a quick bite, which proved to be fish (pollock) and chips. Quite yummy!

Since we (Geoff) still had a bit of a drive back to Vik, we opted to start heading ‘home’, knowing full well that there would be several photo op stops along the way. And of course there were, including a couple of rip roaring waterfalls.

Arrived home safe and sound, had a lovely chicken and salad dinner, a game of Phase Ten and then off to dreamland.

Day Ten- May 24

Exploring Vikoyri

Vikoyri is the village that is about 15 minutes away from our cottage and the closest source of groceries and amenities. It is the administrative centre of Vik, the municipality in which we are located. It lies at the mouth of the Vikja River and on the south shore of the Sognefjorden, about halfway along this longest fjord in Norway. It is a stopping point for cruise ships and there was one in port today when we went in to explore. Fortunately it was just a smaller one, so it wasn’t like the town was overrun with tourists.

There were several things we wanted to take in here, so that’s what occupied this second day in Norway. First stop was the tourist information centre to pick up a map of the town and also a couple of souvenirs. I bought my requisite Christmas ornament (which I had forgotten to buy in Colmar, darn it!)

We had heard about a lookout not far out of town that provided a view of the fjord, so headed out in search of Vangsnes. We found the lookout atop which stands the 10.5 metre statue of Fridtjof, a bygone king who was immortalized in Fridtjof’s Saga . It stands on a 12 metre high plinth. The statue was commissioned by Kaiser Wlihelm II, the same man responsible for the reconstruction of the chateau we had visited in Strasbourg. He was fascinated by Norwegian culture and in particular by the saga of the Viking Fridtjof’s saga. The 14 ton statue was transported to Vangsnes in 15 sections,

Next over to check out the Ostebaren, a popular cafe where we had a quick lunch. It is here that you can buy the local Gamalost or “old cheese”. It is a traditional Norwegian cheese, characterizd by its distinctive, pungent flavour, whose roots go back to the Vikings. It is only made in this village where they produce some 300 tons a year.

Off to the grocery and liquor store to stock up on some more supplies for the next few days, then Pam and I decided to walk over to the Stave church along the pathway that followed the stream through town, while the boys opted to drive there. Before we got to the church we stopped to watch some people planting strawberries, which was an interesting process. They had plowed out long mounds of dirt and lain hoses on them. Then a machine spread a roll of plastic over top of the mound. Other workers would then come along and deposit the plants inside the plastic with the green part sticking out. We spoke at length to the man operating the machine and he told us that most of the workers were from Poland and came back every year to work the strawberry fields.

On then to the Hopperstad Stave church, one of the oldest stave churches dating back to around 1130. Similar churches existed in other parts of Europe but only the Norwegian ones have survived, and of the some 1000 original ones, only 28 still exist. They are built entirely of wood, but because they are built on a stone foundation, the wood doesn’t rot because it makes no contact with the earth. We had a most knowledgeable young man explaining many of the details within the church, including the fact that men and women were segregated to opposite sides, each having their own altar, and that there were no pews because the worshippers stood. A baldachin was a canopy over one of the altars and had painted on the inside pictures from the life of Christ. Amazingly the colours were not faded even though no restoration had been done on them.

From one place of worship to another - off to the Hove Stone church not far from the Stave one. This is one of the oldest stone churches in Norway, dating back to around 1170 and built on the land owned by the Hove family. It is of the Romanesque style and built primarily of soapstone. In 1877 the church was going to be demolished, as the new Vik church had been built. Fortunately a local architect was offered to buy the soapstone and decided instead to restore the building to its former Middle Ages form. We were not able to go inside, but it is apparently most impressive in how he restored it to its former state.

After all that touring around we headed back home to enjoy some relaxing time just enjoying the cottage and its outstanding views. We also did some research into doing a trip on the Flam railway tomorrow.

Day Nine - May 23

A leisurely get-up and a wonderful buffet breakfast at the hotel, then off back to the airport to pick up the hire car for our trip to Vik. A comfy Rav 4 for our 6+ hour drive. The scenery on the way up was quite varied, from lush green rolling hills to snow-covered ones, to barren rocky areas to spectacular valleys, lakes and fjords. There were many “Oh my gosh” and “Unbelievable” and “Holy Dooley” comments as we made our way through the varied terrain. We had an early afternoon stop in a picturesque town for a coffee and treat, then another stop at Flam for a look at the end of the fjord on which the town, Vikoyri, near where we are staying is situated on another arm of the same fjord. The drive on from there to Vik is nothing short of breath-taking! Geoff was very accommodating about stopping for photo ops! We arrived at our home-away-from home just after 6:30 and were totally blown away by the views from there. We can look down the valley and see the town of Vikoyri from the front porch.

The cottage itself is amazing. There are two bedrooms, living room, kitchen and bathroom on the main floor and then two more bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs. It is beautifully appointed and well equipped, so we won’t be lacking for anything for a great stay here!

Drove down to Vikoyri to do some groc shopping then back up to the cottage for an easy pasta dinner. After the long day of travel we were all ready to hit the sack!

Many thanks to Geoff for his expert chauffeuring skills, as he drove all the way from Oslo to Vik with hardly a glitch, thanks to Pam’s great navigating.

Day Eight - May 22

Today was a long travelling day. We had to get from Colmar, back to Strasbourg, then to Frankfurt and finally to Oslo. Talk about a planes, trains and automobiles day - plus a bus!! On the way to Strasbourg we decided to stop at Chateau Haut Koenigsbourg, a medieval castle dating back to the mid 1100s. It passed through many hands and ended up not much more than a collection of ruins until it fell into the hands of the German emperor, Wilhelm II in 1899. Wilhelm was determined to restore the castle to its former glory and hired Bodo Ebhardt, an expert in castle restorations. The work was completed in only 8 years from 1900 to 1908. It is a most impressive structure in itself, but also the furnishings and displays add to the authenticity.

Once we dropped the car off in Strasbourg, we had the adventure of figuring out the train system for how to get to the bus station where we were to catch our bus to Frankfurt. We were flying Lufthansa which has no flight between the two cities, so includes in your ticket a bus ride between them. We arrived at the main train station in Strasbourg and with the help of a most kind young man who led us all through the station to the tram lines, found the tram to take us to where we thought the bus station was. Fortunately we realized before we caught the tram, that the bus pickup was actually right near the train station. Unfortunately this was AFTER we had bought the tram tickets!

By this time we were feeling in need of some sustenance, so stopped for lunch at a cafe in the train station. Pam and I sussed out the location of the bus stop and we settled in for the wait for the bus. A two hour ride on a very comfortable bus brought us to the Frankfurt airport where we cooled our heels and had a bite to eat until our flight to Oslo.

A smooth flight and we landed in Oslo not long before midnight. A short walk from the airport to the Radisson hotel and four tired puppies hit the hay.

Day Seven - May 21

Another day of exploring Colmar and surrounds. Started off by sussing out La Maison de Têtes, or the House of Heads. Built in 1609, it gets its name from the 106 Heads or grotesque masks that adorn its façade. It once served as a wine house. Next we opted to visit the Unterlinden Museum, an art museum housed in a 13th century former Dominican convent and also a former public bathhouse from the early 1900s. It is a collection of local and international pieces, some traditional,, some very abstract. One piece of interest was a tapestry of Picasso’s ‘Guernica’ which Picasso himself commissioned. We had seen the original in the Museo Reina Sofia in Madrid. It was Picasso’s response to the destruction of the town of Guernica in the northern Basque area of Spain by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy in 1937. Amazing to see it replicated as a tapestry!

Also housed at the Unterlinden is an alterpiece called Isenheim which depicts the tribulations, torture and treachery experienced by Jesus in his final days. It was created between 1512 and 1516.

Geoff and Pam wanted to take a look at the toy museum, so we walked down there with them, just to see a different part of the old town. We opted not to partake, so instead walked back toward the centre as I really wanted to peek into the two churches. Irv chose to wait at the tourist office while I went off to explore. Unfortunately the Dominican church was closed and not open till 3:00, but St.Martin’s was, so I had to be content with that. Built between 1235 and 1365, like most Gothic cathedrals, it is very ornate within, with a beautiful altar area. They had a special display inside depicting Jesus’s last days using doll-like figures.

Met up with Irv, Geoff and Pam near the tourist office and went back to the car to head out for Turckheim, a small village not far out of Colmar. Geoff was interested in visiting the Musée Memorial des Combats de la Poche de Colmar. This is a collection devoted to explaining and honouring what happened during the second world war when Germany had annexed a good portion of this part of Alsace. The museum has an impressive array of artifacts from this successful mission by both French and American troops to free this part of Alsace from German tyranny. Before we tackled the museum, we stopped at a street side cafe and tackled some tarte flambée. Mine was a very yummy one with onions, goat cheese, honey and pine nuts! We got a good look at the town - population less than 5 000, since we got a bit turned around looking for the museum!!

Of course we couldn’t let the day end without doing some wine tasting, so we headed on to Hunawihr and a wine collective whose wines Irv was familiar with. A sampling of their pinot blanc, riesling and pinot gris was so well-received that we bought a bottle of pinot gris to have with our dinner.

We opted again to eat in, so off to the Super U we trotted and with the help of a friendly butcher bought the makings of a chicken curry dinner. A couple of card and dice games and it was another end to a lovely day.

Day Six - May 20

Today was almost a carbon copy of yesterday - explore Colmar in the morning, go wine tasting in the afternoon.. First stop was the Marché Couverte, or covered market down near La Petite Venise. It wasn’t open yesterday so we wanted to make a point of visiting it today. It is much like most markets in Canada - lots of yummy produce, baked goods, meats, cheeses and prepared food. There are no artisanal stalls during the week, but apparently on Thursdays there are stalls outside and perhaps they are of the more artsy/crafty variety.

After the market we strolled down to the main area near the cathedral and sussed out the Chocolate Museum. Well, at least Pam and I did! The boys decided they would just hang out and do more exploring.The museum was very interesting - well laid out, very informative and with a great setup for doing a self-guided tour. We had been to a chocolate factory in Ecuador where they explained how chocolate is harvested and made, but this place went into the historical aspects of chocolate, which I found fascinating. It didn’t hurt that along the way they had dispensers where you could help yourself to as much chocolate as you could handle. Also part of the museum is a display of objects made of chocolate, including a fancy hat, a bust of Louis the IV, clothing and the Statue of Liberty. At the end of the tour you get a cup of hot chocolate, which is actually frothed steaming milk into which you drop the chocolate of your choice and stir till the chocolate is melted. The gift shop has displays of other chocolate sculptures, including a character from Avatar, Indiana Jones, Han Solo and Princess Leia, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards and a replica of a Bugatti race car that took 400 kg of chocolate and some 380 hours to make. While we were there, there were school groups doing the tour, part of which was the opportunity for them to make their own chocolate. Now why didn’t I go on any cool field trips like that when I was teaching?!!

When we met the boys outside, they decided that, since they hadn’t been filling their faces with chocolate, they would like to grab some lunch. So we found a sidewalk cafe where we could get a tapas plate to share.

Back to the flat to regroup before heading out in search of Maison Pierre Sparr, a winery with which Irv was familiar from selling their wines at Vines. Finding the place proved to be an adventure in itself. Our GPS took us to one town where we found a Charles Sparr, but no Pierre. We finally figured out that it was at another location and headed there, only to find out that, no, it was at a different location. We finally did manage to find the right spot and it was well worth the effort.Irv had tried to connect with them through one of the agents he knows in Edmonton, who for some reason was ghosting him so we didn’t have anything set up. However our host, Louise, was most accommodating and gladly poured us samples of nine of their wines. We tasted their regular riesling, sylvaner, pinot blanc, pinot gris and gewürztraminer, as well as some of their grand crus. We purchased a few bottles to consume here and also to take with us to Norway, since we figure there won’t be an abundance of wine available there!

Unfortunately when we got back, Irv realized he had left his phone there so he and Geoff went back to get it while Pam and I headed back to the market to buy dinner, then to the Super U to pickup a few grocs. A sumptuous dinner of a variety of homemade quiche, salad and a Kugelhopf cake and ice cream for dessert, all washed down with the yummy Pierre Sparr wine. A game of dice ended the evening and our second day in Colmar.

Day Five - March 19

A leisurely day of strolling through Colmar’s old town, followed by a wine tasting. We headed down to the old part of Colmar which is a delightful town in the Alsace region of France. But because of its proximity to the German border there is a very strong influence of that culture as well. Irv had discovered Colmar on our previous trip to France when he came to the Alsace region while my sister and I made acquaintances with our cousins in Annecy. He was familiar with the wines of the region and used Colmar as his base while exploring the vineyards in the area.

Colmar is a delightful town, with both French and German influences abounding. Walking through the town it is hard not to be impressed by the buildings - many of them in the typical German half-timbered style and often colourfully and imaginatively decorated. There are also a couple of Gothic style churches to add to the medieval ambience. We had parked away from the centre of town, so had a good walk down to our destination of ‘La Petite Venise’ - Little Venice. There are two beautiful Gothic churches in the centre of town as well, and on top of one of them we saw a huge stork’s nest complete with stork!

Colmar was the rope in a tug-of-war between France and Germany for many years until it was finally ceded to the French in 1945. This is evident in the mixture of French and German signage throughout the city. One feature of Colmar is the Lauch canal that runs throughout and upon which you can take a leisurely ride in a flat-bottomed wooden boat. We opted to do this and quite enjoyed seeing the place from the water’s perspective. After wandering around a bit more , we decided that lunch was in order so stopped at a street-side cafe to nosh on a local dish - ‘tarte flambée’. This is essentially a very thin crusted pizza-like dish with a variety of choices for toppings. Pam and I opted for the poulet et poivrons, Irv had the Munster and Geoff tried the Chorizo. All very yummy!

At that point we decided we’d best head back to the car to get going out to Turckheim, where we had reservations for a wine tasting at Zind Humbrecht, a winery with which Irv was familiar, having visited it on his last trip, and having sold their product at Vines. Unfortunately when we arrived they said we hadn’t confirmed our reservation, but they were most accommodating and we ended up doing a wonderful tasting with a very knowledgeable and friendly young woman. The winery has an extensive collection of many different wines and we were able to sample five of them - pinot gris, riesling and gewürztraminer. They were all very good and we ended up purchasing a couple of bottles to take back to the flat to enjoy.

We opted to eat in for dinner so Pam, Geoff and I headed over to the local Super U to pick up the makings of a salmon dinner to go with our newly-acquired wine. After that, Pam and I decided to head out to find the monument to Auguste Bartholdi, the man who designed “Liberty Enlightening the World” better know as the Statue of Liberty. It is at the corner of a beautiful park which is also the home of a rather ornate structure which had the more mundane purpose of a water tower.

Back to the flat to prep and then enjoy dinner, and thus ended our first day here in Colmar.

Day Four - March 18

Literally “nothing to write home about”!! Today was a travelling day spent in an airport and a plane. We had an easy leisurely morning but had to be out of the flat by 11:00 and we had gotten an email from Ryan Air saying there may be delays at passport control, so best to arrive early. So we opted to go straight out to the airport - easy peasy on the Metro. But then we spent the better part of the day there - no fun! A late-leaving but otherwise uneventful Ryan Air flight to Strasbourg where we picked up the car - a jazzy little Peugot and headed off to Colmar. A stop on the way at a 24 hour service station to pock up some brekky items and a couple of pizzas to cook at the flat, since there were no places to eat that were open in Colmar.

Found the flat no problem but a glitch - the previous occupants had forgotten to leave the key in the lockbox, so we waited for about 40 minutes while someone else brought a key over. On the upside, I got to practise my French, speaking to a young woman who lived in the building and was rather wondering why these people were standing outside her building with their luggage. She let us in to wait in the lobby. Finally the keys arrived and we got in, cooked our Ristorante pizzas and went to bed. Not the most exciting day of the trip, but then travel days usually aren’t!!

Day Three - March 17

A somewhat more relaxed start to the day, since we didn’t really have anything much planned. Nicole and Jay headed out to explore the city since they’d never been here before. The rest of us had spent several days here on other trips so didn’t feel the need to bust our buns to see it all! First stop was the São Bento train station to check out the azulejos in the main entrance. The building is surrounded by hoarding because they are constructing a new Metro line in the area so it’s quite the dog’s breakfast around the station. Then we basically just had a leisurely stroll over to where the Clerigos Tower is and a stop outside Liveraria Lello, the bookshop made famous as one of JK Rowling’s inspirations for Hogwarts. No way we were going to fight the lineups to get in there, since we’d “been there, done that” on previous trips. Next stop was the Museum of Natural History, which only had two exhibits open but it was free. One exhibit was of an historical chemistry lab and the other was an exhibit of rocks and minerals. Both very interesting.

Hiked down to Rua de Flores, which I had explored extensively on my last visit, as it had lots of street art. There didn’t seem to be as much this time, but there were lots of markets to explore with a plethora of interesting items for sale. Pam found a lovely restaurant down one of the side streets where we stopped for lunch - a yummy quiche and salad for Pam and I and two different Toasts for Geoff and Irv. Had a bit of FOMO after Irv’s was served! A walk back to the flat with two stops on the way - one for a box of pastel de natas - the iconic custard tart of Portugal - and tickets to tonight’s soccer game for the boys.

A little relax and down time at the flat before the boys headed out to the soccer game and Pam and I trotted off to do more exploring in search of a good place to catch the sunset. We headed down to the Dom Luis Bridge that spans the Douro River between Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia, which is known for all of the port houses headquartered there. The bridge is especially renowned because it was designed by a student of Gustave Eiffel, of Paris tower fame. Walking across you get a great view of both cities as well as of the river below. Upon looking over at the huge crowds over on the hillside overlooking the river, we opted not to join the sardine can and instead headed back to the Porto side in search of another recommended lookout, the Midouro da Vitoria. I was surprised when we got there, because it was a place I had discovered and visited a few times on our last trip here! While we were waiting, Jay and Nicole showed up also hoping to get a shot of the sunset. While there I chatted with a young couple, he from Germany, she from Abu Dhabi, who had just come off 30 days on the Camino. We had a great chat about their experience and my limited knowledge of it from when we did three sections of it back on our Spain trip. The sunset proved to be a bit of a bust as the cloud cover rolled in just as the sun was setting. But it did give the buildings in Gaia a nice orange glow.

After that we hoofed it back to the flat where the boys were sitting on the stoop with beer in hand, as they had got back from the game earlier than we had arrived. They didn’t suffer, having paid a visit to the chichi barbershop next door with the bar and pool table in the back! Pam and I had paid a visit to the grocery store earlier in the afternoon and whipped up a tasty chicken pesto pasta, which we enjoyed with a glass of wine followed by finishing up the bottle of port we’d bought at Quinto do Portal on our tour. A great end to a lovely day in Porto.

Day Two - March 16

An early get-up to head down to where we were to meet for our Douro tour. Luckily only about a ten minute walk from the apartment. Irv and I had done a Douro tour when we were here our first time, but it involved a train ride and then a boat trip. This one was a bus tour with a short boat trip in a replica port boat. On the way up we stopped in a beautiful little town called Amarante for a quick look around. Our guide had told us the story of Sao Gonçalo, a 12th century monk who gained a reputation as somewhat of a matchmaker. Somehow from this reputation arose the tradition of ‘bolos de São Gonçalo’ or ‘doces fálicos’- phallic sweets. These are cakes, somewhat like an éclair, which are shaped like erect penises complete with testicles and filled with a custard. They are very tasty but you can imagine the commentary that accompanies their consumption!

After that little diversion we were back on the bus and headed for the Douro Valley. The scenery along the way was just as spectacular as we remembered it. Kilometre after kilometre of lush hillsides replete with grapevines. Not too far past Regua we hopped onto a replica of a port barge which were used to transport the port from the Douro to the port houses in the city of Porto. We spent about an hour on the river floating past the vineyards, many with their names on huge signs in the fields. It is fascinating to see how efficiently they use the land to produce their crops of grapes. After the boat ride we headed up out of the valley to a lovely restaurant to enjoy a lunch of salad and a cod dish which was a mixture of cod, french fries and egg that was very tasty, washed down with a bottle of very nice red. At lunch we got to talking with some of the other people -an interesting mix of Americans, Aussies, Irish and fellow Canadians from Calgary. Once back on the bus it was noticeably louder, fuelled by the consumption of some of the fruits of the Douro’s fields!! On then to Quinto do Portal where we were given a tour of the facility and samples of their white, red, and of course, port. It was a more subdued crew that rode back to porto, many who took the opportunity for a little shut-eye, ourselves included!

Geoff, Pam, Irv and I headed back to the apartment whilc Nicole and Jay went off to acquire their Camino passports. After we part company on Sunday, they are heading off to do part of the Camino before rejoining Pam and Geoff for the UK portion of their trip.

The four of us decided we would go down and check out the market next door, which turned out to be a good way to spend the time. It is a huge space filled with vendors of everything imaginable, food wise. The typical fruits and veggies, meats and cheeses, but also wine, spices, sweets, olives, mushrooms, all sorts of seafood, lots of tins of sardines (including chocolate ones), And the best part - you can buy a glass of wine - or in our case, a bottle - and wander around sipping while you shop!How civilized is that? Wonder if I could convince the Old Strathcona market to adopt this idea? We also introduced Pam and Geoff to ginja, a sweet cherry-like liqueur made from ginja berries and served in a little chocolate cup. Yummy!!

One stall we came upon was where they prepared pasta for you. We decided that would be a great dinner, so we each ordered our choice of pasta, sauce and then they put it together inside a cheese wheel. Back to the apartment to enjoy our meal-to-go with some good wine and a glass of port to finish it off.

Day One - March14/15

A very bumpy flight to Calgary - lots of turbulence, but we got there safe and sound. Not too long a layover and we were on board our flight to Frankfurt. Arrived there with no drama, but not much sleep either. Just in time for a marathon trek through the airport to get to our gate for the flight to Porto. Glad we had lots of time in between flights because besides the long trek, there were long lineups to get through security again and then to get into the gate area. Fortunately had time to grab a quick panini, but turned out we had more time than we thought because our flight was about half an hour late leaving. But we eventually arrived in Porto, as did our luggage. Always good when that happens. Grabbed the Metro into town and when we exited the underground, who was there waiting at the top but Geoff! Pam had had the other exit covered as well so they could lead us to the apartment which was just a short hop from the Metro. Off to Villa Bolhao a lovely 3 bedroom place that Nicole and Jay, Geoff’s sister and BIL, had rented. It is in a great location, right next to the Bolhao Market. Irv knew Nicole from when he stayed with her during the Olympics in Sydney but hadn’t met Jay and I knew either of them. But like typical Aussies, we hit it off right away!

Got settled in to the digs then off in search of some place to eat. Found a great place not far from the apartment. Pam and I tried a local dish - Franschesina - a sandwich made with layers of beef and ham over which sliced cheese is melted by pouring over a hot tomato and beer sauce. It was very yummy but very filling. Irv enjoyed the grilled grouper. Back to the apartment for a short catchup and then to bed to try and catch up on some sleep.

Off to Europe

We are off to Europe to explore a bit of Porto, the wines of Alsace and the fjords of Norway with our Aussie friends, Geoff and Pam Hadwen.