Strömstad

We've seen Norway and a bit of Denmark. It seemed like we should end with a taste of Sweden. So we picked up a rental car at the Oslo airport and drove south, just over the border, to Strömstad, a holiday town by the sea. 

We are staying right in the oldest part of town, which is super convenient and charming. This is a view of down the street from our balcony. 

Strömstad is the jumping off point for the Koster Islands. We took the ferry out to the islands and back again. The winds and waves were high - it was exciting! Maybe some day we'll come back and get off to explore the Koster islands. 

Vitlycke museum - rock carvings
This morning we drove south to see the iron age rock carvings, dating from 2000 to 200 BCE. They're just right out in fields, though historians have colored in the images to make them easier to see. The museum brought the time period to life with stories about what life might have been like for a family at that time. We walked just across the road to see these carvings. 

Town Hall
The day we arrived, we had a terrible time finding the entrance to our Airbnb. We were tired, it was starting to rain, and we couldn't find the right door. A passing stranger helped us out - and then offered to give us a tour of Town Hall. We went over today, and Jimmy dropped everything at work to give us a most wonderful tour of the building, as well as discussions of the town. It was really neat. We climbed up to the top above the clock tower. Thank you again, Jimmy!

View from the top

Tomorrow morning we start the long journey home!

GoNordic MiniCruise

You might think we'd have had enough of ships, but not so! I discovered that GoNordic runs a ferry from Oslo to Copenhagen, and turns it into a "mini-cruise" when you book two days in a row (so they don't have to deep clean those cabins in between). So mom and I boarded the Nordic Pearl for two nights of accomodation for the price of one night in Oslo, with a bonus day in Copenhagen, a new city and country for me!

It was fun. The Nordic Pearl is a lot larger than either the Hurtigruten Kong Harald or the Northlink Hjatland, the two overnight ferries we have done before. Here's a picture of the Nordic Pearl next to the Hurtigruten Trollfjord, which is itself twice as big as the Hurtigruten Kong Harald. In other words - the Nordic Pearl felt big. 

Our cabin was not big - pretty standard Northlink size. Very adequate. I might not need the window anymore (it helps with sea sickness) but it's sure nice. 

Mizucon Norway
The surprise was the passengers. So far, the Norwegians we'd seen have been a drab bunch. Black, brown, and other dark colors. With our purple raincoat, and my neon yellow rain pants - we stand out. But when we got to the waiting room to board the Nordic Pearl - that all changed. Pink, purple and red hair. Bright clothes. People greeting each other enthusiastically. The passenger with the 6' white angel wings and three swords. On board, there were pirates and maids and super heroes. You name the costume - we probably saw it. I finally asked someone in a fairly understated costume - and found out that we were in the middle of a con! It's held right on the boat - it's probably cheaper than regular hotel rooms - and how cool! No pictures - it didn't feel appropriate. 

Journey
Traveling south we could see land on both sides - it was a lot like the west of Norway - but a lot greener. 

Copenhagen
We got 6 hours in Copenhagen. At first, with the cold wind, gray skies, and rain, we weren't sure we'd make it. But in the end we had a lovely day. Mom got the open faced Scandanavian sandwich she wanted, and I got a lovely plate of spring rolls. And there were SO many bicycles. And bike carts. And strollers. We had to be careful to stay on the pedestrian sidewalk and not the bicycle trail. 

Journey North
The trip back north was a bit quieter, but still lovely. We slept great in our snug little cabin. 

When we got back, we took a truly miserable walk in the pouring rain with all of our stuff - but you see that I'm still smiling when we got to the airport! I was able to carry almost all of our stuff in my frame pack and one big suitcase, so mom only had to carry her daypack. 

Saunas and Wild Swimming

Scandanavians are serious about their saunas. There was a sauna on our Hurtigruten ship - free to use anytime. But it got more creative when we got to Oslo. In the harbor, there were several flotillas of funny little houseboats. We finally realized that they were saunas. They were very individualistic - so we have no idea how one chooses which one. When we passed by, there was an almost overwhelming smell of wood smoke. 

And then I spotted this craft wandering around the harbor. A sauna boat! They added a motor to the back, and presto-chango - it's a sauna boat! 

In Stromstad, later in our trip, we spotted this odd looking contraption on the water. Turns out it's a swimming spot. I assume the three or four sides create a protected spot in the center for swimming in the cold ocean. 

I have not swum in the ocean on this trip - but I did wade in the harbor in Oslo!

Oslo

I used to think that Oslo was location on the sea, in the bump in between Sweden and Norway. In fact, it is quite a bit further up a very long fjord - the yellow star in the photo below. 

Sørenga
In Oslo, we stayed in the Sørenga neighborhood, an old container dock that has been recently transformed into aparentments and recreation space. It was lovely. 

We arrived by train Monday evening, tired after our exciting rail journey. It supposed to be a 15 minute walk from the train station to our apartment, but with our ill and slow walkers, and carrying all of our stuff, it was more. But it was gorgeous.

In the daylight, it was still delightful. This is the swimming beach at the end of the peninsula, and shot of the whole area that I took later. 

The next morning, I walked Wendy and Meg across the causeway to the train station in the rain. They headed home earlier since Meg had to be at work. Mom and I get another week of vacation!

The next day, we took a nice long walk - also in the rain. We stopped to watch a woman feeding the razorbills - but not the seagulls. She dropped fish into the water while using a rake to ward off the seagulls. The razorbills were willing to dive for the fish. We don't know why she was doing this, but it was fun to watch.

We walked down Karl Johan, the main street, and got a glimpse of the Norwegian palace - and saw a few other things as well. 

Bergen Railway

With such a short visit to Bergen, Meg and I raced outside in the morning for an extra walk in the gorgeous sunshine. 

Bergen Express
The train journey from Bergen to Oslo is supposed to be one of the best rail journeys in the world. It takes 7 hours to go from the west coast of Norway up and over the mountains to the capitol, Oslo. I agree - it's pretty great. It went from fjord to mountain lakes (and a mountain glacier!) to fall colors and farm fields.