The second leg of my Scandinavian odyssey was filled with incredible nature, delicious goat cheese, and some of the nicest people I’ve ever met. A two-hour flight delivered me from Iceland to the western coast of Norway. Landing in Bergen, the second largest city in Norway, it quickly became clear how stunningly beautiful my entire Norwegian trip would be. The rented apartment overlooked the Bergen harbor, strategically placed amongst the fjords. A introductory stroll around the city in the afternoon led to the discovery of a funicular that transports visitors up one of the steep mountainsides surrounding the city. The views from the observation platform were absolutely stunning, especially with the sunset perfectly lighting the city and surrounding fjords.
Exploring the all-wooden Bryggen historical district, we learned all about Bergen’s history as a major Hanseatic League city. A constant dried and salted cod smell still permeated this district, hundreds of years later. The rain started just as we made it to the umbrella-covered outdoor market, where fresh and smoked seafood of every type was served on sandwiches. Salmon, cod, and whale were the most common amongst all the vendors.
The arrival of the afternoon signaled the time to jump in a rental car and start making our way towards the village of Aurslandsfjord. The drive was gorgeous, with small two-laned highways wrapped against the steep walls of the fjords. Finally reaching the small town of Aurlandsvangen and checking into our fjord-side hotel the sun set gently behind the mountains.
One of the best days of the trip was in store for the following day. A drive to the famous village of Flam showed us a more touristy side of fjord country as cruise ships and tour buses frequently stop in this town to give visitors a glimpse of Norway’s natural beauty. Forgoing the traditional boat ride, we elected to board a high-speed zodiac boat for a thrilling three hour tour through three fjords. Dressing into a full body winter suit, gloves, and incredible Russian-style hats, we rapidly left touristy Flam for gorgeous views. The boat’s captain explained traditional Norwegian life, dominated by their natural landscape. Special farming and building techniques allowed Norwegians to establish small settlements in fjords throughout the country.
What happened next was incredible. The zodiac stopped at a small village called Undredal, unloading the group onto a slightly submerged, but mostly floating dock. An old Norwegian man met the group and took us to his dairy/creamery. He explained the long history of Norway’s love of mountain dwelling goats and how they use goat milk to make delicious cheese. After the history lesson, it was time to try the fabled Norwegian goat cheese. Multiple types of white cheese were served with fresh jams and traditional flatbread. Also featured was the brown cheese, a sort of sweet cheese that is made from the byproducts of white goat cheese production. The taste and the texture of the brown cheese was a little weird, but still good. The old man sang us traditional Norwegian folk songs in a deep and sonorous voice before the boat departed for Flam. Dinner and a walk fjordside in Aurlandsvangen was a great cap to the exciting day.
The next day was no less scenic. Starting off in a small farming community (Otternes Bygdetun) sitting above the fjords the sun was out in full force. We met some friendly goats and admired the view. Traveling back to Flam, we grabbed seats on the scenic Flam Railway which was very packed with other tourists. The views from the railway trip to Myrdal, high in the mountains, were good until the clouds closed in.
After the train trip, we pointed our rental car eastward towards Rjukan. The weather at the higher climates was a bit unruly, but the landscape was simply breathtaking. Like the drive from Bergen to Aurlandsvange, all of the roads were two lane highways. The speed limit was extremely low, especially when the roads narrowed to one lane. We discovered some insanely long tunnels along this route as well- one was over 17 kilometers long. Arriving in Rjukan in the afternoon, we caught a glimpse of the impressive Gaustatoppen. This flat-topped mountain is so tall, it’s apparently possible to see one-sixth of Norway from the top. We discovered that the train that’s inside the mountain that takes you to the top was still under renovations, so we changed our plans and drove to Notodden. The city itself was pretty, as it sits right on a lake, but there wasn’t much to see there. Just outside of Notodden sits the incredible Heddal Stave Church, built in the 13th century of all wood.
The next day it was time to check out Oslo. Flowers were blooming, the sun was out, and everyone was in an incredible mood. Tours of the harbor district, castle, and some gorgeous parks left quite an impression. After an unforgettable week in Norway, we headed to Helsinki to understand all the incredible things people were saying about Finland.
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