Visiting the Vikings : Part 4 - Stavanger, Norway

Mumbai --> Stockholm (via Amsterdam) --> Gothenburg --> Bergen --> Stavanger --> Bergen

--> Stockholm --> Mumbai (via Paris)

We're finally on our way to the last destination on our itinerary - Stavanger. As mentioned in my previous post, we decided to skip the train and try something different for our journey from Bergen to Stavanger. We took the ferry.

Fjordline - a spectacular way to travel between Norway, Denmark & Sweden. 

The Fjordline's eco-friendly ships, the MS Bergensfjord and the MS Stavangerfjord, travel daily form Bergen to Stavanger. The super comfortable & enjoyable voyage lasts for seven hours. On our way to Stavanger, we found ourselves a table on the upper deck from where we could enjoy the exceptionally beautiful view.  

On board, there are restaurants that cater to all tastes. In the Fjord lounge, you can enjoy music & sip on your poison of choice as you take in the view. Since the ships sail in inshore waters for the entire voyage, we were never far from natural landscapes & landmarks. We passed little coastal towns, sailed under the Askoy and Sotra bridges and stood watching Bergen as it disappeared at the horizon as we slowly made our way to Stavanger. 

While we, like many others, sat enjoying a delicious pizza and chilled beer, there were some who spent the entire time lying on deck, making the most of the bright sunshine.

There's always the option of taking the coastal bus to Stavanger (5 hour journey). Tickets for both, the bus and the ship can be booked online. Once on board, I picked up a 'route plan' that was made available to all passengers, and I was highly amused when I saw it :-)

Hee hee!

The City of Stavanger

01 - 03 June, 2018

Getting around

Getting to the City Center from the port takes you a good 30 minutes by bus. Do note, bus tickets are not available on board the bus. We had to download some app and pay online. Both, Sweden & Norway are largely cash-free countries. Best to carry your cash-card wherever you go. 

Once we got to the City Center (stop right outside the bus terminal & train station), we had to walk a few minutes to get to the accommodation we had pre-booked for our stay in Stavanger.

Accommodation

Although, at first, I was a little irked for having to walk uphill to get to our Airbnb accommodation, once I got there and saw the room, all tiredness and irritation flew out the burgundy-curtained window.   https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/14468751

Ours was an attic room, with a large bathroom and two super comfortable beds. The place was clean and the host had, very thoughtfully, provides for water, coffee/tea and an escape ladder, in case of an emergency. What I liked best was that there were many interesting books lined neatly on a shelf in the corner. Sadly, none of them were in English, but I did recognize them by the titles. There were also a few board games kept to one side. 

Only when we stepped out did we realized that the house is less than 5 minutes away from all that's important to see & do in this lovely city that is a fascinating mix of the old and the new. Even the path leading to our airbnb was beautiful.

Exploring Stavanger

Since we were right in the middle of the City Center, we did not see the need to buy a travel card or use the local transport. Since we had planned for a Fjord cruise, we walked down towards Vagen from where began our Fjord Cruise to Lysefjord & Preikestolen. 

The Rodne fjord cruise company also provides the option of a cruise and a hike to Preikestolen (the famous Pulpit Rock), but we didn't have the time for that. More importantly, I was not physically prepared for a two hour trek up a mountain. 

The cruise itself was very enjoyable and we were happy to hear the cruise guide speaking in English as he described the many sights around us like Vagabond's Cave and the exhilarating Lysefjord that ranks among the world's most beautiful fjords.

Vagabond's Cave

Gateway to LyseFjord

We also saw and learnt much about Pulpit Rock  that stood high above us. Luckily, my camera permits me to get a closer look. There were people on Pulpit Rock...and one was actually sitting with his legs dangling over the edge! I would never have the courage to do that!

ooooh! So scary!

For the best part of the cruise that lasts for about 3 hours, we stood on the sundeck which is a good place to enjoy the cool breeze and the spectacular view the Fjords have to offer. On our way back, though, we chose to sit in the boat's sheltered cabin with its many panoramic windows and enjoyed a nice breakfast purchased from the kiosk onboard. 

Back at Vagen, we walked around admiring the architecture and the many restaurants that graced the area. It was quite a crowded Sunday around Strandkaien. 

The Plaza was abuzz with activity and sounds of chatter, laughter and music. There were also a few stalls selling souvenirs and traditional crafts & jewelry. Walking around in the pretty and quaint shopping area, we stopped awhile to enjoy the really loud and vibrant music being belted out by a local rock band as part of the Stavanger Music Festival. 

The people of Sweden & Norway love their trolls

After stopping to buy a few souvenirs, we began our walk back to where we were staying. Another good thing about the location we chose is that our path cuts through the extremely beautiful  Old Town or Gamle Stavanger. This Old Town is said to have 173 small, white, wooden houses from the turn of the 18C.  In fact, Stavanger has received many awards for preserving this piece of history as well as they have. Gamle Stavanger is a popular living area and residents take great pride in keeping their houses picture-perfect at all times. 

For me, walking through Gamle Stavanger was like walking through fairyland or one of those magical wonderlands that you find atop the Faraway Tree.

Eating at Stavanger

Well, there are plenty of great options for eating out at Stavanger, but we tried just one. It was Sushi San and it's right outside the train station. It serves really great sushi :-) 

Home again, home again!

Having come to end of our vacation, we retraced our journey back to Stockholm from where we boarded a flight back to Mumbai, via CDG, Paris. (I'm choosing to ignore the first terrible accommodation at Stockholm) We're now back in Mumbai, a little richer for having traveled and experienced a small slice of the great world beyond ours. 

Leaving from Stockholm

That's all for this summer.

Pics by Misha.

Visiting the Vikings : Part 3 - Bergen, Norway.

Mumbai --> Stockholm (via Amsterdam) --> Gothenburg --> Bergen --> Stavanger --> Bergen

--> Stockholm --> Mumbai (via Paris)

So, let's pick up where we left off. After exploring Gothenberg, we took a train to Oslo from where we boarded the train to our next destination, Bergen. 

On the train to Bergen

The journey to Bergen from Oslo takes a good seven hours, during which one can visit the cafe on board or, do what I did and compete with a little Frenchman in a bid to get the most pics' of the passing countryside. I'm not sure what he got, but here are some of what I managed to capture.

Beautiful, isn't it? The way the landscape changes..........

The City of Bergen

May 31 - June 01 // 03 - 04 June, 2018

Bergen, like Gothenberg is a city you'll best enjoy walking around. Of course there's the public transport, but everything about this city says 'walk'. See for yourself -

Our Accommodation

When in Bergen, we stayed at  https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/16505734

It's more like a hostel with about rooms labeled alphabetically, two bathrooms and a shared kitchen. Rooms are rather small, but comfortable and fairly clean. The location is very close to the bus-stand and is about a five-minute walk from the city center. The Airbnb rooms are on the second floor and there isn't any elevator so if you aren't travelling light you're in trouble. 

We were in Room D. It came equipped with a little refrigerator, tea-table, a dresser & a pull-out bed. Not five-star material, but still good.

Norway is called the Land of the Midnight Sun, and once you get here you understand why. The sky is always a shade of blue and the sun is always peeping over the horizon at all times. By 3 am, the sunlight is streaming in through the windows almost as bright as noon in Mumbai.

The Norwegian sky at 10 pm 

The Norwegian sky at 1am

Exploring Bergen

It's great fun walking around Bergen, the gateway to the Fjords of Norway. Right at the center is the Lille Lungegardsvannet, a beautiful lake surrounded by a park in which people sat reading a book, sun bathing or simply enjoying the sun. 

This one time, a street musician stood in the shade of the trees, spreading sweet music all around. Because Bergen is a fairly quiet city, the sound of music is heard loud and clear  right across the lake. One of the musicians began playing a very familiar tune on the saxophone. I can't quite remember now what it was, but, hearing the familiar tune, I began singing along softly as I walked along. And almost everyone I passed by was humming the same tune. We didn't know each other & we definitely did not speak the same language, but we're singing the same song. That made me realize how music can transcend borders and unite people. Lovely!

A good place to explore and spend a day is by the Hanseatic Wharf, and Bryggen, one of Bergen's main attractions and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Bryggen was ravaged by many fires, especially that in 1702 that reduced the entire place to ashes. The area was rebuilt on the foundations that have been there since the 12C which means that Bryggen has remain practically unchanged for centuries. 

Strolling through the narrow alleyways is like stepping back into time. 

Here, you will find many restaurants, ice-cream shops and shops selling traditional gifts and crafts...like these strange looking dolls I saw 

Since everything is as it was centuries ago, you won't be surprised to find that all the structures are made entirely of wood. Now that I think of it, I didn't pay attention whether smoking was permitted anywhere in Bryggen, given that everything around you is highly inflammable. All those centuries ago, Bryggen must have been a very cold place to live in for lack of a fireplace. 

Moving a few steps away from Bryggen, we next booked tickets for the Floibanen, a funicular railway that connects the city center to Floyfijellit, the peak of Mount Floyen. If you ever decide to follow our footsteps, do make sure you sit right in front so you can enjoy an undisturbed view of the city as you move up/down the mountain. 

Spending time atop Mt. Floyen is a big hit with the tourists. At the peak, you have a restaurant, a wonderful play area for children,  serene mountain walks and goats. 

Floyen is also the best place to go if you want some magnificent views of the city. Sadly for us, it was a sunny day when we stood atop Mt.Floyen, squinting at the sun. 

Walking back down the mountain, we spent some time watching the goings on at the Hanseatic Wharf. Here, there are plenty of fancy sea-food restaurants and also street counters displaying fresh fish and serving the yummiest looking food. 

We then spent the rest of the evening exploring the many stores and beautiful buildings in the city center. 

Eating in Bergen

Our very first meal at Bergen was at a restaurant called Ma Ma Thai. As you might have surely guessed by the name, they serve Thai food and sitting there by the large window overlooking the lake, we feasted on Fried Hot and Sour Pork and Rice. I was too hungry to take pictures of the food, so here's a picture of the view from our table. 

Another great place we dined at was Royk BBQ. Great ambiance & great food. Here's what we ate - a BBQ Burger (that was my husband's lunch) and a Mac & Cheese for me.......followed by a Bourbon Creme Brulee with Cinnamon ice-cream. For me.

Breakfast was at Espresso House as it serves the best coffee in Sweden. Of course, we also ordered a few other delicious goodies as well :-)

Moving on

If, like us, you have time to spare between checking out of the room and travel, it's safe to keep your bags in any of the luggage lockers available at the nearby train or bus station. That leaves you free to explore some more without having to carry or drag your bags behind you. Lockers are available in three sizes - small, medium & large. We had two bags, so settled for a medium locker.

We made the best of the time we had in Bergen and it was now time to move on. For this part of our travels we decided to skip the train and try another mode of transport that can only be best enjoyed here. So, I leave you here and shall meet you soon as we begin our journey towards our next & last destination.

Pics by Misha