Days 4-5 Balestrand

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We arrived around 4pm in Balestrand after our long travel day on 2 trains and the fjord ferry. Balestrand is a small town (pop 1600), mid-way through the Sognefjord. The Balestrand Hotel was highly recommended by a guy we met at Norway day, and also by Rick Steves. The owners of the Balestrand hotel have 2 kids that go to Cal. They will visit I-House when the spend their winters in CA.
We splurged on a traditional Norwegian dinner buffet at the fancy Kviknes Hotel. It reminded us of the Wawona hotel in Yosemite. On our 2nd day it was so warm we sunbathed by the fjord. Kirsten actually got a sunburn! We didn't think we needed to bring sunscreen to Scandinavia, but we are doing like the locals and taking in the sun when it is shining.
We loved taking strolls in this town and getting to know some of the locals. There are lots of artists and it felt like Tiburon. It was a nice relaxing break between the bigger cities of Oslo and Bergen. I spotted what I thought was a dolphin, but it was a Minke whale, which swims through the fjords.

Day 4: Train to Myrdal & Flam, Fjord ferry to Balestrand

We caught a 6:30 am train from Oslo to Myrdal. Rick Steves said its the most spectacular train ride in northern Europe and we can see why. It crosses Norways mountain range, first through woods, farms and lakes, then windswept glaciers as it climbs up to its peak at 4266 ft. At this Alaskan latitude it is far above the tree line. This electric train goes through 18 miles of snow sheds, tunnels and bridges.

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At Myrdal we transferred to the Flambsana railway, a 12 mile drop that descends from 2800 feet to sea level at the fjord town of Flam. 55 minutes through 20 tunnels, passing by waterfalls. The train stopped at a large waterfall and let everyone come out to get close and take photos. Legend has it that a maiden hides behind the waterfall, and sure enough, we saw one appear through the mist dancing to mystical music that suddenly began as the crowd drew close.

Flam had a giant P&O line cruise ship in port, so it dwarfed the tiny harbor. We had a nice lunch at a micro brew pub built to look like a stave church. We boarded a ferry to Balestrand and enjoyed seeing the Sognefjord and waterfalls.

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Oslo Day 3: Nobel Peace Center, City Hall, The Scream & The Opera

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While Kirsten did her own walkabout in Oslo, Mitch and I decided to check out the Nobel Peace scene. First we to went to the Nobel Peace Center museum, which has exhibits of all the Peace Prize winners and a history of Alfred Nobel's* life. They had interactive displays, artwork and the current exhibit on Obama. Next we went to the Oslo City Hall where the Nobel peace prize ceremony takes place. This is where the winner addresses the audience, with the Norwegian royalty sitting front and center, including Haakon Magnus, the crown prince of Norway who lived at I-House Berkeley. The interior of City Hall has big colorful frescos of life in Norway and some with full-on nudity- something you would never see in civic buildings in America.

Then we went to the National Gallery where we saw J.C. Dahl's artwork of landscapes in the naturalist style. The highlight was an exhibit of Edvard Munch's (1863 - 1944) artwork, Norway's famous and troubled painter who pioneered the expressionist style using lurid colors and wavy lines to "express" inner turmoil and angst of the modern world. We couldnt take photos inside, so I did my best scream near a poster of "The Scream" outside of the gallery.
We enjoyed a local Ringnes beer at the lively Scotsman pub, and had a nice dinner at our hotel. Then we went to the Oslo Opera, built in 2008. This is probably the most amazing building we have ever been in, or on top of. There is a sloping plaza that allows people to walk up the sides and onto the roof. Its all white marble, and in the afternoon sun it was quite bright on our eyes, even with dark sunglasses. Inside had beautiful acrhitectural design, with vertical wood slats rising up around the central stairway and lots of light from all the windows. It sits right on the waterfront, and at the top you can see a great view of the Oslo fjord, and the big HolmenKollen ski jump.

*A pacifist at heart and an inventor by nature, Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel invented dynamite. However, the invention that he thought would end all wars was seen by many others as an extremely deadly product. In 1888, when Alfred's brother Ludvig died, a French newspaper mistakenly ran an obituary for Alfred which called him the "merchant of death."

Not wanting to go down in history with such a horrible epitaph, Nobel created a will that soon shocked his relatives and established the now famous Nobel Prizes.

Oslo Day 2: Vigeland Sculpture park, Viking Museum

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It was a sunny and warm Saturday and the streets in our area were full of costumed teenagers dressed up for a Japanese Anime festival. We decided to do a Hop-On Hop Off bus tour of the city to get a good overview of Oslo. We spent some time at Frogner Park to see all the famous sculptures of Gustav Vigeland (1869-1943). The unique sculpture park is Gustav Vigeland's lifework with more than 200 sculptures in bronze, granite and wrought iron. Vigeland was also in charge of the design and architechtural layout of the park. More about park. It was very warm - around mid 70s so the locals were sunbathing on the grass wearing next to nothing.
Kirsten stayed to go to the Vigeland museum, and Mitch and I hopped on the bus and hopped off at the Viking Ship museum at Bygdøy. It had 3 viking ships that were excavated from burial mounds. Intricate wood carvings and other artifacts. More info.
We continued the tour then met back at the hotel for dinner and went out for a long walk around the city. We had drinks at an outdoor bistro near an area where they were showing the US vs. Ghana World Cup game on a huge screen. While we were sad the US didn't win, its very cool for Africa that Ghana will advance. Many people were celebrating the victory.

Oslo Day 1: Exploring, Aker Brygge & Pride party

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We arrived in Oslo around noon on Fri. June 26. Groggy and jet lagged but happy to be here. It was about 66 degrees and partly cloudy. Took the fast train "Flytoget" from the airport to Oslo's central station. Walked about 4 blocks to our hotel, Clarion Folketeateret. Checked in early, showered and took the essential 3 hour nap to minimize jet lag. The hotel is rated #1 on Tripadvisor, and we can see why. It opened Oct. 2009 and has a modern posh feel. Not only is the breakfast included and an evening buffet with the traditional salmon, salads, breads and a hot entree, there offer free waffles at 3pm. Free and fast wifi throughout the hotel and free capuccino machine in the lobby.

After a satisfying dinner we walked down to the main street, Karl Johan's Gate, which is pedestrianized, full of shops, outdoor cafes, hotels and restaurants. Walked to the Royal Palace and went to the top of the Radisson Blu hotel for drinks in their bar that boasts the best view of Oslo. We tried different akavits and had a great time and enjoyed the view. Skal! We walked down to the waterfront around 9:30 pm and it was still very light outside. Aker Brygge zone is lively and full of restaurants with outdoor seating and views of the harbor. The TGIFs had the Spain-Chile match on big screens and people were partying.Viva Espana! We stumbled upon a fun gay pride festival that had great dj and an Ab Fab bar serving cocktails with Absolut vodka. We couldnt believe we were here in Oslo, dancing to house music across from City Hall and the waterfront. Went home around 11:30 and it was just starting to get dark. What a great way to start our trip in this great city! Photos will be posted soon.

Itinerary (somewhat flexible) CHANGE OF ROUTE - FLY FROM BERGEN TO COPENHAGEN

Fri, Jun 25 10:40am Arrive Oslo Clarion Folketeateret
Sat, Jun 26 Clarion Folketeateret
Sun, Jun 27 Clarion Folketeateret
Mon, Jun 28 Train to Myrdal & Flam, Balestrand Hotel
Tue, Jun 29 Balestrand Hotel
Wed, Jun 30 Express boat to Bergen
Thu, Jul 1 Bergen
Fri, Jul 2 Bergen
Sat, Jul 3 Bergen
Sun, Jul 4 Bergen 8:25 pm flight to Copenhagen, Denmark
Mon, Jul 5 Copenhagen
Tue, Jul 6 Copenhagen
Wed, Jul 7 Copenhagen
Thu, Jul 8 Copenhagen JAZZ FEST!!!
Fri, Jul 9 Copenhagen
Sat, Jul 10 Copenhagen
Sun, Jul 11 Copenhagen WATCH THE WORLD CUP!!!
Night ferry or train to Stockholm
Mon, Jul 12 Stockholm
Tue, Jul 13 Stockholm
Wed, Jul 14 Stockholm
Thu, Jul 15 Train to Hedemora - 2hrs north of Stockholm
Fri, Jul 16 Vera's lake house in Dalarna for a few days
Sat, Jul 17 Vera's lake house in Dalarna for a few days
Sun, Jul 18 Stockholm
Mon, Jul 19 6:50am Leave Stockholm