Catching up with Old Friends
The beauty of travel is you get to see old friends that you haven’t caught up with in years but it’s like you only met yesterday. Our adventure started off just outside Oslo, where we caught up with an old climbing friend of Tony’s. Over good food and laughter, we reminisced about past escapades of which there were many! and gleaned some excellent travel tips for our onward journey to Bergen, from James, who has been living in Norway for 20 years so had great local knowledge.
Oslo
Our first notable stop was at Oslo’s Vigeland Sculpture Park, an awe-inspiring open-air showcase of more than 200 sculptures by Gustav Vigeland. Walking through this free park, we marvelled at decades of Vigeland’s artistic legacy expressed in granite, bronze, and wrought iron—a perfect blend of art and nature.
An Eventful Mountain Trip
Next, we ventured to Gaustabanen, a unique funicular rail system that starts horizontally into the mountain before ascending sharply to the summit of Mount Gausta. Originally built for military purposes, it now serves as a gateway to some of the most stunning panoramic views of Norway, which unfortunately we were unable to see in the mountain mist! Our trip up took an unexpected turn when the train jolted to a stop, sending Joanne tumbling—resulting in a black eye and some impressive bruising, but thankfully, no serious injuries!
Tranquil Bliss
After our eventful visit to Gaustabanen, we sought some tranquillity at a beautiful campsite on the edge of a fjord. Here, we enjoyed a refreshing early morning swim and a breakfast with views that were simply stunning.
Bergen
As avid bucket-list tickers, Bergen was a must-visit for us, especially after hearing about it from our daughter, Naomi. Known as Europe’s wettest city, it gave rainy Ireland a run for its money during our stay! Thankfully, the skies cleared just in time for us to enjoy a magical sunset ride up Mount Floyen on the funicular (less eventful than our last funicular journey!), complete with stories of charming local trolls.
The World’s Longest Underwater Road Tunnel
Our route from Bergen to Stavanger was an adventure, crossing fjords by bridges, ferries, and tunnels, including the Ryfylke Tunnel—the world’s longest underwater road tunnel. The engineering marvel of this tunnel left us in awe as we drove the 14.4 kilometres beneath the sea.
Stavanger
Initially hesitant about visiting another city, Stavanger turned out to be a highlight of our trip. The colourful streets and the old town of Gamle Stavanger, with its charming white wooden houses, were a joy to explore and a dream for any amateur photographer. We stayed at a campsite to the south of the city to be close to Pulpit Rock which we had in our sights for a hike. Public transport to the city was great with a park and ride bus service, the carpark being in a spectacular location next to the fjord. The bus journey was very reasonably priced too and took us back through the Ryfylke Tunnel.
Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock) & Wild Swims
Our adventure culminated with a hike to the iconic Pulpit Rock (Preikestolen), A fabulous hike of 4.1K to the top takes you to a 604-metre high cliff that hangs out over the stunning Lysefjord.
The hike to Preikestolen is of moderate difficulty. In total, the 8-kilometer hike takes about 4-5 hours (round trip). The trail, has a variety of terrains, including swampland, forests, and stone stairways built by Nepalese sherpas. The views at the top are spectacular.
Tony completed the whole hike in less than 3 hours of course! but Joanne found the ground too tricky for her arthritic hip so just did the first kilometre but still had stunning views. We both enjoyed a swim in Lysefjord after.
Can’t Wait to Return
From city sights to rugged hikes, our Norwegian adventure was a perfect blend of culture and nature, filled with unexpected adventures and unforgettable views. We can’t wait to go back and explore more of this stunning country.
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Happy Travelling
Joanne & Tony
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