First Impressions of The Hermitage - Winter Palace

Help! - How do we find our way to the stairs or lift? Here we are, just through the (internet) voucher exchange process that went very smoothly. We have the map of the layout over three floors, and we want to get to the top floor to see the French Impressionists.There are mobs of people coming hither and thither, but eventually we find a lift, but wouldn't you know - it's out of order! So we keep on trecking for some distance and finally come across another lift in the area that takes right into the heart of the Impressionists. There is a Sisley ot two, a couple of Toulouse-Lautrecs, some Monets (but the largest collection is housed in The Musee Marmottan in Paris), but no Manets, Degas, Morrisot etc. Lots of post impressionists - Matissse, Gaugin, Van Gogh, Pisarro, Seurat though and a large special exhibit of Picasso. Then it's off to The Flemish, Dutch and Italian sections, all the while housed in "over-the-top" palace rooms - makes one wonder why it took the workers so long to revolt - it's quite fankly obscene that so much art was amassed by so few!

Spectacular, Spectacular!

In front of The Church on Spilled Blood (of Czar Alexandr II) - As you can see it's wet (and cold).

The St Petersburg Male Voice Choir performed in the glassed-in Atrium of The Commandant's House at the Saint Peter and Paul Fortress, next to the church where most of the Romanoffs are buried, up until 1918 that is!

Today it was wet and cold, but there is no such thing as bad weather for touring - just bad clothing! Fortunately we are well prepared. We began walking down Nevsky-Prospekt to the Moskovya Train station to check out our departure for Moscow 2 nights from now - where is the left-luggage office? will it be open late enough and from which platform does it depart? There are many overnight sleepers - ours leaves at 11:55 pm (Train #1) which means that we will have a lot of time to fill in before we board. Oh well!

We return to the business of sight-seeing starting at the Kazansky Cathedral right around the corner from our hostel. It's undergoing sandblasting (as is half of St Petersburg - Like Mitterand'sParis "Grand Projects" in the 90s) but as we walk in there is a service in progress - a wedding is taking place. In fact since we have been here we have seen many, many weddings with young brides in beautiful gowns, often strapless in pretty cold weather, big American stretch limousines and visiting all the popular spots for post ceremony photo-shoots. The young women here are beautiful - the seniors not so much! We cross over Nevsky Prospekt again along the banks of the Grivoedova Canal to The Church on the Spilled Blood, the outside of which "blows your socks off", but that is nothing compared to the inside - Out of this world! Next we go around the corner to The Russian Museum where we view room after room of beautiful Russian paintings, as exciting to see as similar collections in Norway and Sweden were not. And we haven't even been to The Hermitage State Museum yet! Then we get tickets for a concert at The Saint Peter and Paul fortress across the Neva. In the process of getting there we take a promenade along the east bank of the Neva, cross over to the South bank and thence to our destination. The concert is by the St Petersburg Male voice choir. This was another "blow your socks off" experience - 16 voices that when singing in unison were perhaps a shade too loud, but when supporting the soloist(s) was just right. There were a counter-tenor, regular tenors, baritone and bass baritone and the most incredible double bass whose range was an octave or two below anything I have ever heard - One of the most enjoyable musical events we have ever experienced. It was now 9:00 pm. and we were somewhat peckish so we walked back across the river to "Zoom", a neat restaurant in a cellar filled with a young academic crowd, where we exceed the average age by over 30 years, but it makes us feel young again, where the food is sooo yummy - better get here early before the Beef Stroganoff is gone!

OK so now it's past our bedtime and we pour ourselves home the two blocks to the hostel - A great day. Tomorrow is our first visit to The Hermitage - can it be any better?

I wish I were the King!

One of many "Meteor" Hydrofoils that ply the waters around here - We've seen them before, on The Danube and in The Greek Isles.

The Grand Cascade of fountains in front of The Grand Palace at The Peterhof about a 30 minute hydrofoil ride fro St Petersburg across The Gulf of Finland

Several months ago we were sitting at home imagining ourselves in Peter The Great's domain, and here we are. We walked down to the Neva and got onboard a Meteor Hydrofoil that sped us down the Gulf of Finland for 30 minutes but back in time to the 18th century - to The Peterhof, to be precise. Peter the Great and his descendants' answer to Versaiiles, and it is! Despite the ravages of WW II, hereabouts referred to as "The Great Patriotic War", not all of the treasures were lost, stolen or damaged. They have done a remarkable job of restoring most of the palace to its former glory. When I say palace I should qualify that - there are several palaces to see, but it was a bitterly cold day, so we "petered out" (excuse the pun) early and headed back to the city, checking out the way to enter The Winter Palace on Tuesday and Wednesday for which we bought tickets before our departure - we were gratified to see no one standing in the pre-paid ticket line, so hopefully that will eliminate several hours wait!

Kultur shock, Kultur shock etc etc !

Standing on a bridge over the river Neva with The Winter Palace in the background (right)

In front of St Isaac's Cathedral

Well hello from Mother Russia. We touched down at St Petersburg Airport and went on a long taxi past some old Boeing 727 look-alike planes out of service and ended up at a relic of an airport terminal. No problem! Then after clearing immigration we went looking for the airport express bus downtown - no such animal! Instead we had three choices 1) Cab @ 38 Euros (~ 1,400 Roubles) 2) the K-13 minibus @ 24 or 27 Roubles (less than $Can 1) to the nearest Metro Station plus 22 Roubles ride pp into town, or 3) local bus to the Metro (13 roubles (~ 50c Can) - there being no local bus, but still being frugal we opt for the mini-bus. We pile in into this derelict looking mini-bus. I am sitting right behind the driver facing backwards. The doors close. Thus far no one has spoken a word. We set off. One passenger comes up behind the driver and profers a bunch of roubles, passing it forwards. In due course, all the while driving, his hand appears near me with the change and I hand it back to the passenger. Other passengers do the same. I likewise. In due course we stop at various stops, other people get on and the same routine is followed, still while driving! Eventually we reach the Metro Station so we get out, relieved to be unscathed, physically if not mentally. We then descend into the Metro, down some way to the ticket booth and purchase our tokens (22 roubles x 2= 44 Roubles - about Can$ 1.30) put the tokens in the slot and pass onto the escalator and descend forever and ever, it seems, into the bowels of the earth (turns out that the St Petersburg Metro is the deepest in the world) where we end up in this long hall that also seems to go on for ever. We confirm that we are headed to Nevsky (say knee-yevsky) Prospekt, which we are. There are these elevator-like double doors on either side of this long hall - Strange! we think - then there is a "whooshing sound", the doors open and there in front of us is a subway car - so we get in, and start counting the 7 stops to our destination. A nice Russian man, seeing us clutching our map and guide book, makes sure we are on the right track - Spasiba, I say - he smiles, but as he gets off before us he delegates a lady with a little boy to look after us - "Kanada" I say, to explain all! Well, whadya know - we made it to Nevsky Prospekt Metro Station. The subway looks like a throw-back to the turn of the century (I'm talking 19th/20th century here!) A very helpful lady in the City Tourist Info desk at the Airport, besides telling about the buses, also told us to look for "Kanal Griboedova" exit which sets us in the correct direction towards our hostel which we find with no trouble. Here beginneth another adventure that I'll mention another time. In the meantime enjoy a couple of nice photos from our first walkabout - of St Isaac's Cathedral and The Winter Palace of the State Hermitage Museum

Happy Helsinki

The 3T tram that serves as our transport around town.

The Lutheran Cathedral whose Dome dominates the Helsinki landscape

Helsinki Harbour

We arrived in Helsinki from Tallinn on the fast jet boat (at half the price of the slower boat - $Can 20, good deal!) to a series of deluges, but fortunately we were prepared with our rain gear. Yesterday (Friday) we started off with the 3T tram tour that covers most of what we wanted to see. By good fortune there was a city-wide Arts festival on including, mirabile dictu, a performance of Swan Lake that we had hoped might be on in Moscow or St Petersburg, but "striking while the iron was hot" and, casting all frugality aside, we sprung the E60 for the tickets - front row of the dress circle, no less - and it was worth every penny! We also fitted in a visit to The Church in the Rock, lunch in the City Market by the harbour and a trip to the Suomolinnen Fortress - So, a great day. Now off to St Petersburg and blogging in the airport - Incredible, n'est ce pas?!

Hello from Tallinn, Estonia

This morning we arrived in Tallinn after an uneventful ferry trip overnight from Stockholm - on the M/S Baltic Queen - Only minimal "chop" midway through the night as would be expected. A vey upmarket boat, clearly aimed at separating one from one's tourist Kroners, but we resisted the three fancy restaurants, the Casino, Poker games, Karaoke etc, instead saving ourselves for the excellent buffet breakfast. We arrived at 10:00 am and found our Hostel (E45 per night) then set of to tour the Old Town with a "free tour guide" (actually only $20 Can tip) which took 2 hours and gave us a great base for the rest of our stay (till tomorrow am when we sail to Helsinki). Tallinn is very worthwhile and very historic.

Sweden day 3 - Stockholm City Hall and Drottningholm Palace

Today's one of best days we have had weatherwise - 20 degrees plus and not a cloud in the sky. On today's list - The City Hall and the Summer Palace at Drottningholm, a 45 minute boat ride from City Hall -Oh! and we must find a liquor store! Like Norway wine can only be bought at a Govenment monopoly store - here they are called "Systembolaget" - go figure. The nearest one looks as if it may at one time have been a bank. We go in but, instead of going to the shelves and picking your chosen libation, here they display all the available selection in locked glass display cabinets (just like The Crown Jewels), then you take a number, tell the clerk what you want, then he disappears into the back of the store and reappears with your bottle! Strange, is it not!.
Well, having been mightily impressed with the Oslo City Hall, we were prepared for a let-down. Happily that was not the case. Stockholm's City Hall is every bit as impressive, if not even moreso.
Afterward we board the steamer that takes up Lake Malarme to the Drottningholm Palace that is now The Swedish Royal Family's full-time Residence. Sweden's Versailles it's called and (externally) it is.
By 4:00 pm we are ready to call it day - We've been on the road now 19 days and we are beginning to feel the need to slow down a bit - so back to Hostel Castanea for happy hour and supper, do the blog posting, read a bit, then crash!

Sweden day 2 - Stockholm Day 2

Today, after preparing our own breakfast (it's Sunday) we walk the couple of blocks to the Nobel Museum which is small, short but very interesting. There actually is a 6th prize awarded each year - for Economics - but it was only initiated in 1968 to celebrate the 300th Anniversary of The Bank of Sweden, whose money pays for the prize. All Nobel Prizes are worth 5 million Swedish Kroner, or about 1.3 million USD.

From there we take the boat over to Skansen, sort of a Stanley Park with recreated old time villages etc. Then a quick trip to the Viking Museum to get some more info for Isla, my 6 year-old grandaughter who is doing a project for school on The Vikings - Good timing Isla! Then it's Happy Hour time - our brains are full! Then dinner and veg (again)

Sweden Day 1 - Stockholm - Gamla Stan

Well, here we are in Stockholm - in the Old Town, Gamla Stan (pr Stawn- rhymes with lawn). It was dark when we arrived after a somewhat confusing exodus from The Central Staion, whence we had come from the Airport by "The Arlanda Express". Nevertheless this is the place to be, in the back streets, not too far from the main sights and within striking distance of the waterbuses that ply the harbour - they call this the Venice of the North, but as Senator Lloyd Bensen might have said to Dan Quayle "I know Venice and ... " We head over to the TI and pick up the Stockholm Card, then back to the (downtown) Palace for the changing of the Guard, complete with Military Band that plays for 30 minutes. Then we head down to the nearby quay and get on one of the "Hop-on, Hop-off" boats included with the Card, to the Vasa Museum - you remember, the big warship that capsized on its maiden voyage in 1628. It's huge! but small compared to Nelson's flagship HMS Victory. Vasa was 61m overall, weighed 1,500 tons and carried 64 cannon, compared to 69m, 3,500 tons and 100 cannon. On the way back it pours torrentially, so we find a neat Bistro near our digs for happy-hour, then eat out in an Italian restaurant. The digs are not what we hoped for - the room is certainly larger than the one in Danhostel, Copenhagen, but there is no en-suite, and no breakfast. Oh well!

Last day in Oslo (and Norway)

Been having some problems with the blog using the cut 'n paste function in MS Word since installing a new Javascript update since when things have gone kerflooey! But, on the other hand I have now discovered how to upload images and video clips to each post, so there will hopefully be better quality daily input.
Today we are up and about early to use up the rest of our Oslo card, so first stop is the Akerhus Fortress, where we quickly tour the fortress, then head down below to the Norwegian Resistance museum to view te atrocities that the Nazis perpetrated in Norway - They surely were kept very busy by those resistance heroes. Next, still at the fortress is a 21-gun salute in honour of the Crown Princess'sbirthday - very noisy up close!. Then we get to see inside the Oslo townhal, including the hal where Barack Obama got his Peace-Prize (of dubious merit methinks!)
Then we head across town to the Norwegian Museum of Art - not worth the effort if you ask me!
What was much more enjoyable was a sudden mimi-concert in the park by the National Theatre put on by two of the maestros taking part in the Oslo Chamber Music festival that was just starting - Arve Tellefsen (violin) and Havard Gimse (piano) - delightful, and if I can figure out the file format for posting video to the blog I will add it later. Then back to our Permalinen hotel to check out (as a post-script we considered this place to hae offered the best value for money in our whole trip!). We head to the Central Station to catch the train to Gardemoen airport for the flight to Stockholm. In the station there is a brass ensemble playing music from West Side Story - cool !

Out and about in Oslo – Day 3

Since two days ago we didn’t activate our Oslo Card until 11:00 am we still have an hour available to use it – In fact we calculate that it has saved us some 360 Nkr each (~ $Can 50). So we have yet to visit Akerhus Fortress and the Norwegian Resistance Museum, both of which we accomplished. Right afterward, in honour of the Crown Princess Merth’s b’day there is a 21-Gun Salute, which we get to witness close-up – well not too close, we were advised – surprisingly loud, with rumbling of the ramparts on which we were standing.
Next we head over to the Palace to watch the changing of the guard, hoping to visit the interior of the City Hall en route, but for some reason it is closed to the public today – perhaps tomorrow. We stop off at the TI again, this time to pickup tickets for the Airport train for tomorrow night (110 Nkr) It’s drizzling now, and a bit “dreich” (Old Scots word – meaning damp and chilly) so we reach the palace, but don’t linger – instead coffee and waffles with jam call us. The rest of the day we are sight-seeing overloaded so we just “veg”. Tomorrow we fly out to Stockholm at 7:30 pm, but before we go we hope to get into City Hall (free), and also visit the National Gallery (also free). TTFN!

Out and about in Oslo - Day 2

It’s overcast but not, as forecast, raining. We have a full slate to use our Oslo Card to full advantage – The Ski Jump and Museum at Holmenkollen; The (Edvard) Munch Museum; The Nobel Peace Museum; and a Guided City Walk. We will cover the city from West to East and back to the centre.
On the way to the Ski jump we are somewhat by the fact that the T-Ban (underground) line is closed for work and we have to complete the journey by bus (shades of the Skytrain anyone?) which unceremoniously dumps us in the midst of road works too. Nevertheless we undaunted intrepid travellers take it in our stride and eventually reach the ski-jump which is so deserted that we wonder if it is open – it is! Turns out that this site of the first ever ski jump competition in the world c. 1898) is hosting the 2011 World championships again so everything is getting an upgrade. There is also a newly opened ski-jump simulator just like pilots train on – it is seen to pitch and yaw so much on the Super Slalom downhill simulation that FG wimps out – too hard on the back muscles! It’s cold and foggy, but we take the elevator to the top of the jump and peer down the ramp into the bowl at the foot that we can barely see. Afterward the museum of ski jumping – The national Norwegian sport that began with some hunters from Telemark jumping off heavily snow clad roofs. In the very first completion there Telemarkers walked off with all the prizes before they passed on their technique to the rest of the world.
Next we reverse our bus and T-Ban trip and head out East to Toyen and the Edvard Munch (Moonk) Museum, that was the site of a barefaced robbery in 2004 when Munch’s two best known works – The Scream and The Madonna – were spirited away, only to be found two years later. It’s hard to get enthused about Munch’s style however, and despite the guides best efforts this was more of an experience than a pleasure – Frankly one has trouble how anyone can get worked up by his work, except in a negative way – perhaps that’s the point!
It’s now pushing 2:00 pm, so we head back into town, to the Nobel Peace Prize Museum – Alfred I Nobel, although a Swede who made his fortune from the manufacture of Dynamite, left the bulk of his fortune to the Nobel Foundation which annually awards Prizes in 5 categories – Physics, Chemistry, Medicine/Physiology, Literature and Peace. The first four are decided on and awarded in Stockholm, whereas for reasons that remain unknown The Peace Prize is decided on by a Norwegian Committee and presented in the Oslo Radhus (City Hall). OK, so can you name the only Canadian ever to have won the Peace Prize, in which year, and for which reason? (Answer below).
It’s now (early) dinner time so we head back to Hotel Permalinen then, suitably recharged, return to the City Hall for the walking tour that, even after 2 days in the city, is very informative. We end up back in Christiana Square right by our hotel sipping wine and people watching. Seems that in the 17th century after the old city of Oslo had burnt down for the 16th or 17th time King Christian decided that the town should be rebuilt at the site of that square, and for good measure he unabashedly renamed the city – Christiana, which name persisted until 1925! The spot in the centre of the square has recently been recognised by a statue of a somewhat poignant forefinger. Then it’s off to bed with our travelling companion on “The Transcontinental” lulling us to dreamland once more!
PS – The only Canadian to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace is Lester B (Mike) Pearson, in 1957, for services to UN Peacekeeping. He had been Minister for External Affairs in the Government of Louis St Laurent, but when “Dief the Chief” was elected he went to the UN where he is regarded as “The Father of UN Peacekeeping” that began with the 1956 Suez Crisis. He got the nickname “Mike” from his flying instructor in WW I, who felt that Lester was too “pansy”-ish!

Out and about in Oslo – Day 1

Breakfast is served in the immaculate cafeteria, after which we catch up on the goings on in the world via the free Wi-Fi connection, then set out for the TI to get an Oslo pass – Because Station TI’s are usually swamped (Oslo’s certainly is/was) we head over to the TI by the Radhus (CityHall). It has rained overnight and the skies are overcast – the forecast is not looking good, with more rain forecast for the rest of our stay here (thus we were fortunate to have had 4 out of 5 fantastic weather days in the Fjords). We arrive at the TI and there is no wait at al. The delightful young woman who responds to our enquiry about the pros and cons of purchasing an Oslo card quickly does the Math for us and Yes it makes sense to get the card for two days during which we will visit the attractions that charge admission, while on the third day we get a transit pass that will allow us to travel between the attractions that have free admission. Smart woman that – she’s “with the programme!” I thought I detected a Manchester accent (call me Professor Higgins), but she confessed that she had never to England – all of her English phonetics she learned from TV!
We head down to the docks and catch a ferry to Bygdoy, where we visit four museums – The Museum of Norwegian Culture, The Polar Ship Fram Museum, The Kon-Tiki Museum, and lastly the Norwegian Maritime. The latter three are a “Tour de Force” of Norwegian Exploration and Maritime prowess – remarkable for such a small nation. Besides Roald Amundsen, who most Brits recall because he beat Captain Robert Scott to the South Pole, we learn of Fridtjof Nansen, explorer turned statesman who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1922 for two of his efforts, notably the repatriation of POWs from Russia after WW1 and his efforts to help Armenians who had risen up against the Turks at the urging of The Allies and got butchered as a result – we are mindful of Turkish government posters that we saw in Bodrum 4 years ago, denying that event, but Turkey’s entry into the Euro-zone continues to be deferred on account of that episode.
In the Kon-Tiki exhibits we visit the story of migration of natives from Easter Island to Polynesia, and reflect on the Maori exhibits that we saw in Auckland and Rotorua earlier this year attesting to the mythical homeland “somewhere in the Pacific”!
At the Maritime Museum we are treated to a Panoramic “Super-Video” in the same format that we encountered in Fjaerland at the Norwegian Glacier Museum, only this time the subject is a flyover down the coast then (c 1900) and now, with glimpses of the current maritime fleet – Those explorers and sailors have not been idle!
So it’s back, via ferry, to Hotel Permalinen for our early, cheapie dinner, then out for our Passagieri – this time to Aker Brygge (Oslo’s version of our Yaletown) then over to Karl Johan’s Gate (Oslo’s version of Copenhagen’s Stroyget) – a pedestrian street stretching from the Central Station to the Royal Palace. All in all a good day.

From Andalsnes to Oslo – The Rauma Railway and the Trollveggen (Troll’s wall)

We are up nice and early on a bright, sunny but windy day. We need to catch the 8:15 am bus to the station quite a long walk away, OK without our rolling backpacks. No need to worry – the bus has been parked outside our abode all night and its driver was “overnatting” in the same place as ourselves. So, after he has his morning smoke we pile aboard (50 kr please). The Rauma train is the station, some distance away having its snout pressure-washed (that’s comforting – nothing worse than having a dirty windshield!) In due course we set off. The first hour delivers all the great sights – The Trollveggen – The Trolls’ wall – the tallest vertical cliff in Europe. Then a series of waterfalls, bridges and a 180 degree turn through the mountainside (tame by Canadian standards – Consider those in the Rockies). For a neat video of the highlights of the trip visit here www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qk2H5VlyDk Eventually we reach Dombas, where we change to a mainline train for the four hour trip into Oslo. Here we encounter the first negatives of our Norwegian journey – They were working on The Permanent Way, causing us to reach our destination 70 minutes late – no problem for us, but had we been getting off at Oslo International Airport at Gardemoen we might have missed our flight - hence, always build some slack into your travel schedule! We eventually arrive at Oslo S (Sentrum) station, where there is mirabile dictu both a TI (in which to get a city map) and a Vinmonopoliet. We have discovered some Vin de Pays de l’Aude (86 kr) which is the cheapest Merlot in the store, that is really very palatable. So, suitable equipped, we head out to our new accommodation in the Hotel Permalinen, originally intended as a reasonable place for military personnel to stay centrally while in Oslo, but now open to all comers. We are very pleasantly surprised by our room, on the top seventh floor with a balcony, sofa, TV, and wonderful bathroom, altho’ like many showers the sill is very shallow and the water doesn’t drain quickly enough, so we have to be careful not to flood the bathroom! No biggie though. The reception clerk tells that since it is after 5:00 pm we have missed dinner – sure enough, from 3:00 to 5:00pm they serve a table d’hôte dinner for, wait for it, only 75kr (~ $10), so we make note of that and plan to forego lunch tomorrow and have an early dinner (bringing our own wine to boot!). Tonight, however, having just spent 3,300 kr ($470) in advance for our accommodation we hit The Golden Arches for take-out food (here in Norway if you take-out your food you only pay VAT of 12% versus 25% if you eat there – small point, but this is after all supposed to be frugal escapade). Tomorrow will be our first full day exploring Oslo so, till then, adieu.

Helter-Skelter around the Fjords and The Trollstigen Highway – A master-class in bus driving!

It’s another beautiful day, with a few “cotton-wool” clouds hanging around below the mountain peaks. There’s a new cruise-ship outside our window – MV Marco Polo – a smaller boat. We head out to the bus stop not far away, and along with the Spanish couple and English teacher we soon get to experience one of the most thrilling bus trips of our lives (235 Nkr/ $34). We quickly encounter a series of hairpin bends heading up the mountain-side each turn affording a better view of the fjord, until we reach the top and the bus pulls over at a viewpoint – we all get out and take our last photos of Geiranger. Next we head over to catch a ferry at Eisdal to Linge, then we head up to the top of Trollstigen (The Trolls ladder), which so far appeared ho-hum. After a 15 minute break here we all pile back in the bus again – then Wow! The scariest ride down the crazy hairpins, with narrow roads to boot and all kinds of scary drivers coming up and around the hairpins to meet us. Full marks to the bus driver for keeping his cool and competently handling the trip – In fact all the drivers we have encountered have been very skilful and very pleasant and helpful to boot. This one went out of his way to drop us off at the HI Hostel where we are staying (750 Nkr inc linen), or as they say here “Overnatting”. Tomorrow it's "The Rauma Railway" trip to Dombas and thence on to Lillehammer and Oslo. Here endeth the Fjord expereience which has been everything we had hoped for. See you in Oslo!

Day off in Geiranger

Today the rain has gone and it’s mostly sunny and warm. After breakfast we wander around the water-front taking in our new surroundings. We have planned a day off, and having heard of an outfit that runs downhill mountain-rides “From Sky to Fjord” – we find the store – it has several flat screens showing the highlights of the trip – only problem is – there’s no one here! We give them an hour to show, but nothing doing – so, thwarted again, we turn our attention elsewhere. To a walk around the fjord, then we see the Hurtigruten Ferry hove into sight. Originally we had thought of taking the Hurtigruten boat overnight from Bergen to Alesund and into the Geirangerfjord as today’s arrival has done, but alas, we considered the cost to be prohibitive (~ Can$ 450 vs $85 - that yesterday’s journey saved us, not to mention the extra fare back to Bergen from Balestrand that would have been necessary).
We set out up above the town to the Hotel Union for some “refreshment” – we pause in the churchyard of the Geiranger Kircke, noting the large numbers of the Marak family buried here – We are staying at Marak Hyttle. The view is stupendous from here - We bid goodbye to the Hurtigruten Steamer as it reverses its course, and we head on up the hill. The hotel seems quiet, and we reflect that we have seen very few Brits or North Americans, and even Australians are notably conspicuous by their absence this year! Back down the hill to our cabin, and some time to get lost in our books and listen to several editions of “The Trans-Continental” that pertain to our trip. [The Transcontinental was the longest running radio programme on CBC Radio. Hosted by Otto Lowy for 22 years it was a weekly musical journey through various Countries and Cities in Europe, very well researched and inimitably hosted, providing added value to our experience – 2 programmes, for instance, were solely dedicated to the life and music of Edvard Grieg]
Tomorrow we head out by bus again - this time for Andalsnes via The Trollstigen Highway

The Road less travelled – From Balestrand to Geiranger

Today begins with another early breakfast to allow us to catch the 8:05 am ferry (216 Nkr pp) to Fjaerland up another beautiful fjord, heading to the Jostredal Glacier which is the largest on the continent of Europe. We dock at Mundal (Fjaerland is actually the name given to a group of hamlets) Mundal is famous for two things –1) Its collection of second-hand book stores, and 2) it’s the ancestral home of a recent (30 yrs recent) Vice-President of the USA (answer below) who recently opened the extension to the Norwegian Glacier Museum that is situated nearby at the southern end of the glacier, dominating the skyline at the end of the ferry trip.
We have been a bit apprehensive regarding our onward travel from here by bus that involves four changes. Turns out that we needn’t have been. The first trip (28 Nkr) takes only 4km to the museum, where there is a (coincidental?) wait of 2 hours till the next bus arrives, We therefore take the bait and visit the museum which is excellent and should be on every would be Al Gore’s to do list (No the V-P isn’t Gore). There is an excellent 5-screen wrap-around movie of the glacier, a la Cinerama/Cyclorama of years gone-by.
We head out to the bus-stop in a drizzle, and meet a young couple from Central Spain who, it turns out, are headed to Geiranger like ourselves by buses and ferry – they have a bus-schedule book that a bus-driver gave them. It contains details of our route that are correct, whereas the info that I had downloaded from the internet was incorrect! No biggie though – our departure and arrival times are correct. We stop next to change buses in Skei (Shkay) for a few minutes, meet an English elementary teacher also headed to Geiranger who joins our group, and we all catch the next bus to Stryn (pr Streen) on the Nordfjord. These two trips take us around the Glacier with magnificent views that, since we aren’t doing the driving, we can really enjoy. We pay 48 Nkr (pp) to Skei, then (Nkr 166 pp) to Hellesylt (Helly-Silt). Our Spanish friends actually pay on board by credit-card! Is Norway functional or what? In Stryn we make the last bus change for the trip to Hellesylt arriving there with half an hour to wait for the Geirangerfjord ferry – a public ferry that nevertheless has an ongoing commentary in eight languages (130 Nkr pp). The trip is excellent, although since it’s the fifth boat trip in as many days perhaps some of the “wow” factor was missing – You can suffer from Fjord overload you know! Total cost for the day’s travel = 592 Nkr, or about Can$ 85. We arrive in Geiranger around 6.25 pm uncertain of our accommodation’s whereabouts – and, of course, the TI is closed – now why would they do that in high season, when a lot of visitors are coming in on that ferry and some, like our English teacher, had yet to find accommodation? We wander into an internet cafe and ask a waitress if she knows of Marak Hyttel – Yes, she says, taking us over to the window, pointing – “It’s right there!” – and so it was. Even better there was a grocery store on the way, where we filled up with supplies that will allow us to eat in. Only problem is that, like Balestrand, there is no VinMonopoliet, so Norway ain’t that functional after all! Not a bad day – Off to bed in our cabin.
Oh yes! Who was the American V-P? Think back to Jimmy Carter’s veep – Walter Fritz Mondale (or Mundal as was).

“In a nutshell” – Bergen to Myrdal, Flam and Balestrand

For those on a tight travel schedule who want to see the highlights of Norway, a trip on the Oslo-Bergen railway with a side-trip from Myrdal down the Flamsbana railway (returning to the main railway line via the Naerofjord, Gudvansen and Voss) is highly recommended. We are fortunate to have time enough to head north overland the next day though. We depart Bergen station around 1030 am, arriving in Myrdal around 1:00pm. It’s just a railway station in the middle of nowhere. 30 mins later we are on the steep 20 km descent through 20 tunnels in 6 km passing rushing waterfalls, beautiful valleys etc, until we reach Flam (pr Flomm). Here we catch a fast ferry (110 Nkr pp) to the crossroads of the Sognefjord – Balestrand. Our accommodation (790 Nkr per couple) is in an HI Hostel that was once a lovely hotel. Our room has a view “to die for”, balcony overlooking the mouths of several fjords, and full bathroom with heated floor! What more could we ask for! After dinner we take our daily constitutional “passageri” around the village and retire to bed in blissful peace and quiet. We were fortunate to experience all of today in warm sunshine that magnified the experience.

Norway 3 - To Bergen from Stavanger by fastboat

This morning we are up early and packed by 6:15, our host provided an early breakfast and we are at the correct dock in good time for the Tide (teed-uh) fast boat. As we board the crew-member points a digital recorder at us and asks us to give our name and destination – no ticket display – “The best view is upstairs” says the crewman – nice touch! It turns out that 10 years ago one of these boats hit a submersed reef and went down in a hurry with several lives lost, and no one knew who exactly was on board! After we are settled we are joined by a local man who is on his way to a Rock concert (Iron Maiden)that is being held in the open air in Bergen tonight – we strike up a conversation. He is a chemical engineer employed with a company engaged in manufacture of fluids used in deep-sea drilling, so we enhance our newly gained knowledge of the petroleum business, and along the way get “the skinny” on the BP disaster.
Getting back to Stavanger for a moment, we rate it very high in excitement factor and value for money. We’d love to spend more time here and the vicinity. Our B&B rated 5-stars in our estimation – we really liked the “Waffles at Nine” where we meet our fellow travellers.
We find our B&B easily, a hop and a skip from the town centre, check in and set about exploring. Bergen is every bit as appealing as Stavanger. We take in a piano recital at Troldhaugen, home of Edvard Greig, and naturally there are several of Greig's lyric pieces on the programme.
Gottago catch the train now, to Myrdal and the Flamsbana ralway, then boat trhrough the Sognefjord to overnight in Balestrand. Not certain when or where the next post will be. TTFN

Hello from Norway 2

The Petroleum Museum in Stavanger

Heading from Stavanger to the Lysefjord

We had an uneventful flight here, caught the bus downtown and walked the few blocks uphill to our B&B - Stavanger B&B, naturellement! Good news, whereas The Copenhagen hostel was a disappointment this accommodation was everything we expected. Large room, great staff and breakast.
This morning we rose early after a full night of peace and quiet, all set to catch the boat over to Tau, then take the bus to the foot of the trail leading to Priestollen (Pulpit Rock) which was the impetus for this whole trip. Well, "the best laid plans of mice and men sometimes go agley", and this was one of those times. There we were sitting at the tour boat dock waiting for our boat with 20 mins to spare. Unfortunately we were at the wrong dock, and by the time we found that out we could only stand and watch the 8:00 am ferry to Tau pull out of the other dock - next boat was an hour and a half later, and since there was a strong chance of rain later in the day (wrong as it turned out) we preferred to do the less active tourist thing and headed back to the tour boat for a 3 hour trip to Lysefjord that turned out to be excellent, gave us much more exposure to the fjord than plan A would have, and also allowed us the opportunity of visiting the Norwegian Petroleum Museum, where we had an excellent overview of the activities of the last 60 years that put Stavanger firmly on the map - Imagine - it was not until 1971 that North Sea Oil began to flow!

Hello from Norway

Yesterday (Monday) was travel day - We said goodbye to Copenhagen, with mixed feelings - while we enjoyed the City, we had trouble getting a good night's sleep, and the Hostel was not up to many that we have experienced.
Also we were surprised, and disappointed, to see so many young Danes smoking. That being the case one has to wonder when their National Health Tzars will "lower the boom". On the plus sise there are few cars in the City, but loads and loads of cyclists - Disincentment can work, it seems. Oh, yes - and Gasoline costs 12 Kr ($Can 2) per litre. The minimum wage is ~ $17.00 per hour, so no need to tip!
Lastly, we have finally found an airport with very comfotable seats for those waiting a few hours - That Kastrup, CPH!

Day 4 – Vehicles of Pillage and Plunder – The Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde

It is raining today, heavily – so no cycling. Instead a 30 min train ride to Denmark’s roots, both Viking and Royal in the neat little town of Roskilde, at the foot of Roskildefjord. You would think that the local bus would be timed to meet the arriving train, but no such luck – the next bus comes 40 minutes later, so we head off on foot in the pouring rain, eschewing the local cab-rank – this is after all a frugal holiday (thanks Frugal Janet). The museum is centred around 5 Viking craft of varying size that around 1050 AD were “scuttled” in the neck of the fjord to thwart any incoming other Vikings, such as those dastardly Norwegians! They were discovered in the early ‘60s and pieced together on modern steel frames, much like piecing together a modern exploded Jumbo Jet. Anyway, a pleasant way to spend a rainy day before returning to town and a prolonged “Happy-hour”. Tomorrow it’s on to Stavanger and 11 days in Norway.

Day 3 More on Copenhagen

Doll`s house`` in Christianshaven

Tivoli gardens, opened in the mid 1800s, modelled on the Vauxhall Gardens in Battersea, London

Our abode is only a few blocks walk from The National Museum that has recently been renovated and is free! So we take in the prehistoric display as it pertained to Denmark. Then a walk across town (15 minutes – small town) to the Round Tower for panoramic views of the City. We stop for refreshments en route to Christianshavn, site of a squatter’s encampment in the 60’s, now a somewhat gentrified collection of garden-shed sized houses with beautiful gardens. In the evening we get some Italian takeout – Cannelloni alla Romana – that we wash down with our boxed Chilean Merlot, and read ourselves to sleep with our e-readers (more on those some other time!)

Day 2 - Out and about in Copenhagen

The new Copenhagen Opera House donated by Maersk Shipping, a Danish Container ship giant.

Pastor Grundtvig - the man most responsible for the enlightened Danish philosophy way of life.

In our other European travels we have always enjoyed guided walking tours – the Mother and Father of them all being Terry Brewer’s ten hour marathon around central East and West Berlin! The book tells us that there is 90 min walk conducted by a latter-day Hans Christian Andersen, so we sign up for that and get a strong flavour of what modern Denmark is all about – paying lots of tax (52% Income tax, 25% VAT and 180% tax on new cars) but receiving lots of benefits in return, and along the way being regarded as the world’s happiest population – not so dusty! We encounter a Toronto Dermatologist and his wife who are at the end of their vacation – they brought their own (hybrid) bikes and rented a car plus bike rack and have been all over Denmark “hub ‘n spoking”, just the two of them – sounds like fun. They encourage us to head out of the city by train one day and pick up bikes locally and do our thing – perhaps we will!
Lunch finds us in a pub scoffing Tuborg and three smorrebrod (open-face sandwiches) Then a siesta, before heading over to Tivoli for the evening.

Day 1 - Arrival in Copenhagen

Nothing untoward to report. Bus and RAV line to the airport, and on the other end Bus 5A from Kastrup airport into town. Total cost $9.50 pp – Now that’s frugal. In between we enjoyed business class on Lufthansa via Frankfurt. I read somewhere that Lufthansa’s business class “sucked”, but that wasn’t our experience – true, they don’t have the pods/cocoons that some other airlines have, but for me that is a plus. And that Icelandic volcano wasn’t spewing any ash, which had been a concern. So, all in all, a great flight.
It has been 46 years since I was last in Copenhagen, and my memories of that visit are few and far between. Everything then revolved around the Townhall square (Radhusplassen) and Tivoli – that hasn’t changed.
We checked into our chosen abode – Danhostel Downtown – and realised our mistake. This place has seen a lot better days, but the room is passable. Stacked beds, shower-room that includes sink and WC – in effect the room is the shower, about the size of a plane toilet! We’ve been this route before! There is another Danhostel not far away that opened a few years back. It’s a high-rise and looks much more to our style – Oh, well!
It takes us all of 5 minutes to get over our disappointment – it’s now 6:30 pm on Thurs August 5th, so we head out to explore – first place = the Strogjet (Stroy-yet) the main pedestrian drag running West to East through town. We find a nice square for a beer/wine and order up a club-sandwich between two that hits the spot then, suitably jet-lagged, we hit the sack – just one problem – outside our room are two outdoor bars that serve into the wee small hours, followed by early arrival of the garbage truck, pressure washer for the sidewalk etc, etc. However, earplugs and half an Immovane took care of all that!
Welcome back to frugal travel!

Only 3 days till we depart

Sunday, 1st August, 2010
Since the last post all of our onward travel has been completed, where necessary. By air from Copenhagen to Stavanger then fast ferry from Stavanger to Bergen. By train from Bergen to Myrdal - down the Flamsbana to Flom. Ferry to Balestrand, then ferry the next morning to Fjaerland, bus to Hellesylt, ferry to Geiranger. Bus over the Trollstiggen Highway to Andalsnes. We take the Rauma Railroad to Dombas (check out the U-Tube clip of this part) and onto Oslo. Air to Stockholm; ferry to Talinn thence to Helsinki. Then by air to St Petersburg (sometimes flying just fits the schedule better). Finally we take the overnight sleeper to Moscow. The railway bookings were done through Rail Europe, and needed the tickets to be couriered to us once the train schedules were confirmed, whereas everything else was done by e-tickets!
The accommodations are a mixture of Hostels in the cities and Balestrand, and B&Bs elsewhere.
So D-day is almost at hand. All the weeks of planning are about to bear fruit, hopefully. Today I e-mailed reconfirmation of all our accommodation bookings. The packing is done. All the technology is set to go (e-readers (2), video camera, still camera, netbook computer and cell-phone (for emergencies only) plus all the several differing chargers and cables). But, remember the old adage "Prepare for the worst, hope for the best, but expect the unexpected!". See you in Scandinavia!