One adventure I knew we must have was a trip to Norway. My motherland as Chris likes to refer to it. Norway is in fact, where my ancestors are from. We took the leap, booking tickets over the Memorial Day holiday weekend. I initially found a glacier walk, which I thought would be a once in a lifetime type experience, but once details were hammered out, it was not possible. Apparently, Bergen experienced a late spring this year, so trails were not well worn yet, making it less safe for our small children.
I also wanted to do a fjord cruise of some kind. I did not have the time necessary to really plan this trip well. If I were to go again, I'd book the Norway in a Nutshell tour over a 3-4 day spread, traveling to one village, spending the night there then moving on to the next the following day. We had thought we'd do the entire tour in a single day. Thankfully, we wised up when we booked tickets and opted for a shorter tour--3.5 hours at 1500 NOK. The cruise was absolutely beautiful. The waterfalls were plentiful, the fjords were massive. It was an amazing experience. The boat stopped to collect some fresh water from a waterfall. The girls thought spring water was tasty.
A highlight for me was wandering around the village itself. Seeing the little ones wearing their rain gear--rain pants, coat and hat, just like the fisherman wear, was adorable. The fishing market was quaint and exciting. Fisherman go out to catch in the early morning, bringing back their bounty to sell. They'll cook it right there for you. I tried some whale. It was much tougher than I expected, but delicious.
We rode the funicular up to the top of a mountain, hiked through the forest a bit and played on the playground. I believe the ride was 215 NOK for our family. The hike was interesting. Just as our girls were beginning to complain, we spotted a sign someone had posted on a tree. It read that baby dinosaurs still exist in the forest. Chris and I played this up, spotting a den, dinosaur food, hearing footsteps. The girls love the mystery and bought it hook, line and sinker.
The final day was rainy. We opted to take the light rail (70 NOK) each way to the Children's Science Museum--Vilvite. Tickets cost 465 NOK and it was money well spent. The girls had a blast. It was perfect for their ages, while Gavin would have been much too young to enjoy. All descriptions were written in Norwegian and English, so we could fully understand and participate.
Food in Norway was extremely costly. We paid 260 NOK for a pizza, which equals $33.84. I paid $7 for a solo cup full of fresh cherries just to give another example. Chris and I came to the understand that locals must simply not eat out much. Who could afford to? Our saving grace was the hotel I chose included a buffet breakfast in the room price. We loaded up each morning--fish (Claire insisted we try), eggs, sausage, breads, yogurt, etc. A perfect mix of local menu and international cuisine.
We stayed at the Radisson Blu Norge. Our room was $781 for 3 nights and included wifi, breakfast, pool, and was steps away from the airport shuttle stop. It was also located a couple of minutes from the fish market/city center, which was perfect!
All in all our trip was lovely. We found Norway to be clean and well kept. It was picturesque on every measure. The city of Bergen was beautiful, but costly ;) The weather was the one thing I could do without--cold, windy and rainy. The temperature was mid 50's, but it felt much colder with the wind/rain combination. It would be tough to become accustomed to that.
I also wanted to do a fjord cruise of some kind. I did not have the time necessary to really plan this trip well. If I were to go again, I'd book the Norway in a Nutshell tour over a 3-4 day spread, traveling to one village, spending the night there then moving on to the next the following day. We had thought we'd do the entire tour in a single day. Thankfully, we wised up when we booked tickets and opted for a shorter tour--3.5 hours at 1500 NOK. The cruise was absolutely beautiful. The waterfalls were plentiful, the fjords were massive. It was an amazing experience. The boat stopped to collect some fresh water from a waterfall. The girls thought spring water was tasty.
A highlight for me was wandering around the village itself. Seeing the little ones wearing their rain gear--rain pants, coat and hat, just like the fisherman wear, was adorable. The fishing market was quaint and exciting. Fisherman go out to catch in the early morning, bringing back their bounty to sell. They'll cook it right there for you. I tried some whale. It was much tougher than I expected, but delicious.
We rode the funicular up to the top of a mountain, hiked through the forest a bit and played on the playground. I believe the ride was 215 NOK for our family. The hike was interesting. Just as our girls were beginning to complain, we spotted a sign someone had posted on a tree. It read that baby dinosaurs still exist in the forest. Chris and I played this up, spotting a den, dinosaur food, hearing footsteps. The girls love the mystery and bought it hook, line and sinker.
The final day was rainy. We opted to take the light rail (70 NOK) each way to the Children's Science Museum--Vilvite. Tickets cost 465 NOK and it was money well spent. The girls had a blast. It was perfect for their ages, while Gavin would have been much too young to enjoy. All descriptions were written in Norwegian and English, so we could fully understand and participate.
Food in Norway was extremely costly. We paid 260 NOK for a pizza, which equals $33.84. I paid $7 for a solo cup full of fresh cherries just to give another example. Chris and I came to the understand that locals must simply not eat out much. Who could afford to? Our saving grace was the hotel I chose included a buffet breakfast in the room price. We loaded up each morning--fish (Claire insisted we try), eggs, sausage, breads, yogurt, etc. A perfect mix of local menu and international cuisine.
We stayed at the Radisson Blu Norge. Our room was $781 for 3 nights and included wifi, breakfast, pool, and was steps away from the airport shuttle stop. It was also located a couple of minutes from the fish market/city center, which was perfect!
All in all our trip was lovely. We found Norway to be clean and well kept. It was picturesque on every measure. The city of Bergen was beautiful, but costly ;) The weather was the one thing I could do without--cold, windy and rainy. The temperature was mid 50's, but it felt much colder with the wind/rain combination. It would be tough to become accustomed to that.
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