Back to nature: Fjords of Norway (1)

Snapshots from Norway

This May, I spent a long weekend exploring the north-west part of Norway, around the Andalsnes and Geiranger area. It was 4 days of essentially driving through picturesque mountains and greenery, trekking the green mountains, taking scenic train rides, boating in the fjords and just enjoying the natural beauty of Norway. The weather was warm and sunny the entire period we were there, which added to our already perfect experience. We covered a lot of ground through all modes of transport, and have got a good feel for what Norway is about. We of course could not explore close to what all this vast country has to offer, but got a good peek into it for sure.

We were there for 4 days and our itinerary was as follows:

Day 0 - Land at Trondheim from London
Day 1 - Travel from Trondheim to Andalsnes by scenic train route. After reaching there, drive to Trollstigen (Troll Road) and Trollveggen (Troll Wall)
Day 2- Drive towards Atlantic Ocean Road in morning and Rampestreken trek to Andalsnes viewpoint in the evening
Day 3 - Drive from Andalsnes to Geiranger, sightseeing on the way. Bike down from Batsnibba to Geiranger and boating in Geiranger fjords in evening.
Day 4 - Boating in Geiranger fjords again in the morning, drive from Geiranger to Alesund. Return flight from Alesund to London

To start with, I had no part to play in planning this vacation. A group of friends were already going and I decided to tag along. I now realise the benefit of letting other people plan trips for you:). Its easier and more comfortable that way. And if their planning is as good as my fellow travellers', there can be nothing better than that!

Trondheim

We started our vacation with a delayed flight to Trondheim which finally landed after midnight. I think that was the only thing in the whole trip which did not go as planned:). Rest was as smooth as it gets. The last part of the flight was over snow covered mountains interspersed with water bodies, which looked pretty from the top.

After we landed, we got to see the midnight sun though, it was quite un-dark when we got out of the airport. We took the local bus to the city centre and also got a discount on the bus ticket, 1 free ticket with 8 tickets bought. So a good start to the trip:). The way to town was all green with mountains and water bodies all around. And the horizon was orange throughout, with light from the sun in multiple hues.

Trondheim canal

Trondheim is a small little town on the North West coast of Norway. We were staying at the Scandic hotel in town which was close to the train station and the cathedral. We could not see anything at night as we were very tired and crashed as soon as we reached the hotel. I did go out for a quick walk around in the morning after breakfast, along the coloured houses next to the canals but couldn't explore enough. I also got a sneak peek from afar of the cathedral but not much after that.

The first day we took the Rauma scenic train to Andalsnes, and then drove around nearby to Trollstigen and Trollveggen. We had an early start from Trondheim, as we had to take an 8 am train. It was a 10 min walk to the local train station and we barely made it, given how late we had slept at night. While leaving the city on the train, I realised that the town was quite spread out and not as small as I assumed. It just looked smaller because its not congested:).

The train we took dropped us at the village of Drombas where we waited an hour for the Rauma scenic train to Andalsnes. The route up to there also felt scenic to me:), we went through green hills with wooden houses and lots of water bodies in between. And then the landscape got dry, with trees with no leaves and still lakes. We then passed by red wooden houses with reindeer horns in front, am guessing all Norwegian houses have those? We also saw some elk (or reindeer?) running along the train on the way but not many.

We had a nice time at the village of Drombas as we had an hour to kill and so walked down the hill to the village, noticing the farmers getting their fields ready for sowing in the summer. There were barely 10 houses there which is the usual for Norwegian country side I would think. But even with the few houses, they had a helipad to help during medical emergencies!

Rauma scenic view

The scenic route was about 1.5 hours one way, the train was very comfortable and had panoramic windows on both sides to take in the views on both sides. The train goes down from 5000 mts to the valley floor at 100 m above sea level along the ride. It slows down when it comes to touristy places but was not slow enough for us to take pictures:). It was more enjoyable just taking in the scenes. As the train took us across lush green mountains and wild yellow flowers; next to the Rauma river and small streams and big waterfalls; through small villages and old historical sites; and over bridges which were feats of engineering to build.

The one I remember though is the 360 degrees turn the train took inside the mountain to land at a place just below where it had entered! I had seen something like this in Banff in Canada but not gone through it. You don’t realise what's happening till you are out of the hill. In the end, we cross the Troll Wall where we would drive later in the day anyways.

Andalsnes

Andalsnes railway station

Once we arrived in Andalsnes, it was bliss. This is the view of the train station, in between high mountains on all sides and the sea coming in as a fjord in between. The snow on the mountains, the green on the hills, the blue of the water and the bright blue sky with the shining sun - all colours were at their resplendent best and this was a standard fare for the rest of our 4 days in the country.

We had rented a car from Hertz (I think) and the car rental served as the local petrol station too. Am guessing given how small the town was, people had to multi-task ;-). We also found two grocery stores nearby itself with convenient opening hours and we were all set for food if we did not find vegetarian options in the town.

View from our villa

We had taken an Airbnb apartment near the village of Isfjorden. It was a 20 mins drive from Andalsnes and a beautiful villa located in the middle of nowhere. It has a picturesque view outside the window, of snow covered mountains with lush green trees in front. There were also lots of ponies and sheep on the way to the accommodation, which felt quite picture perfect. We quickly checked in there and then took off on our explorations.

We first drove up the serpentine Trollstigen road, which goes up one of the famous mountains of the area - the Trollsveggen (or the Troll Wall). It is the tallest rock-face in Europe, and towers 1,000 m above the ground. We had seen the Wall face from the Rauma scenic train and now were driving up the other side.

Trollstigen road

The views while driving up and from the top were quite magnificent. You can see the road zig-zagging all the way up. And picturesque bridges and waterfalls on the way. There was also a lot of snow on top unlike the sunny plains we had left behind. Within 30 mins it had gone from sunny and warm to cool and breezy. We stopped a bit at the viewpoint on top which gives a panoramic view of the road up. We also stocked up our water bottles with fresh water from the streams (it was very fresh and tasted awesome). We kept doing this all along our trip and I am sure we drank more minerals than what the typical bottled water bottle provides:).

After Trollstigen we went back for a quick stop to see the front of the mountain, where we stopped for a short time. It seemed like a popular place for people to camp, under the shadow of the huge mountain. Thereafter we went out looking for food. (One downside of being in Norway in summer was that it was light till 11, so you lose track of time. You can be out till late and not realise how late you are for dinner)

Anyways we were lucky with food our whole time in Norway. Given how small the town was, we were not too hopeful of finding tasty vegetarian food at all. But we got a good surprise when we were served a tasty and hearty Italian meal at the Piccola Mama Rosas in the city centre.

The second day, we all drove to the Atlantic Ocean Road and in the evening did the Rampestreken trek which was the first highlight of the trip for me. Some of our group did more than that though - the two most adventurous ones went for cycling up the Trollstigen. It was a couple of hours and quite tough apparently, but totally worth it. I was happy though to drive around in the car:).

Snapshots of Norway

We had a very tasty home cooked breakfast, and then left for the Atlantic Ocean Road which was about 2 hours drive away from Andalsnes. The drive till there was along the sea and the typical Norwegian drive with magnificent views all along - green lush forests dotted with yellow and purple wild flowers, snow on the mountain peaks, streams and waterfalls on both sides of the road, wooden colourful huts dotting the plains, very few people, fjords every two minutes, crossing them in ferries (Solsnes ferry), bright blue skies and fresh air everywhere. We crossed many tunnels through the mountains also on the way. Every turn in the road felt like a picnic spot. To be honest, it felt so natural after a point that we stopped noticing it also:). But I miss it a lot now when I think back on those 4 days.

Snapshots from Norway

The drive was very comfortable and the road and infrastructure amazing. We jumped from one to another island, driving through Molde and Bolsoya, mostly along the sea. We saw lots of houses all along the way and it felt that the density of population was a lot higher than I would have assumed. But we did not see as many people. It could be because a lot of those houses are vacation cabins and vacant most of the times. Or just that this area of Norway was more densely populated than the others.

Storseisundet Bridge

The Atlantic Ocean Road is about 8 kms, runs from Bud and Kristiansund, and connects multiple small islands through a series of bridges over the sea. This whole drive was spectacular with photo spots every two minutes. I don’t even remember how many places we stopped and how many pictures we would have clicked when we were there. The mountain landscape, the dark blue of the water, the seagulls in the air, the fishes and jellyfishes in the sea, a fresh breeze blowing, the sun shining - and there, life is beautiful:). Norway I think is one of those places where you can sit anywhere in the vast countryside and enjoy just sitting there, staring at the calm and peace around. It was amazing to lie down on one of the rocks at one of the stops, and go to sleep. Nirvana?

Storseisundet bridge

One of the most photographed bridge on this route was the Storseisundet bridge. Just next to it was a cafe where we took a quick snack break. On this trip, we had planned ahead and were carrying enough cash for the trip. But when we tried paying at the cafe in cash, they were quite surprised to see it! Apparently no one uses cash in Norway anymore, even at a remote location:). On our way back to Andalsnes, we also stopped at a fishing village (now converted to a hotel) for some time. It was nice sitting in the sun and spotting fish on the way. It would be great to stay in a remote place like this, wouldn't it?

Viewpoint on the top

Once in Andalsnes, we did the Rampestreken trek up from the City Centre to a view point which has a panoramic view of the valley below. It was a red in difficulty and took about 2.5 hours to go up and come down. The length of the trek was about 2 km in length and a total ascend of 500 mts. There are markings every few 100 mts of height gained which is very helpful:). The path is through forested areas, all the way straight up; you will need to jump over tree roots and stone steps on the way. It was quite a tough trek and took a lot of effort going up.

View from the top

But the viewpoint on top was totally worth it, one of the high point on this trip. Once on top, there is a protrusion out in the open which gives you a 180 degrees view of the Trollstigen road, the fjord, Andalsnes and beyond. It was a mind-blowing view and I loved standing at the place, though I must say it felt a bit scary too! I also realised that Andalsnes was quite an industrial town and had lot of the ugly looking steel buildings. The view from the top though was beautiful in every sense. As I said the trek was totally worth it, but did not stop us complaining all the way on why we had come on such a difficult trek:).

Again we did not realise how late we were, we had started the trek at 7 and finished at 10. By that time, we were all ready to call it a day, cooked a very tasty maggi dinner at our airbnb and crashed soon after.

View from the ferry

The third day again we had an early start: we drove till Geiranger, cycled down a mountain and then went for boating in the fjord (pretty hectic day, but as I said days in Norway are very very long). The drive till Geiranger was again through very picturesque locations. We had to take many ferries on the way, to get from one island to another and not have to drive along the fjords. But by this time as I said, stunning views had become a daily occurrence and no more a novelty:).


Back to nature: Fjords of Norway (2)

Back to nature: Fjords of Norway (2)

Back to nature: Fjords of Norway (1)

Geiranger

First view of Geiranger fjord

Our first view of the Geiranger fjord was from a viewpoint on the way and it looked stunning. To see this huge water body coming in with mountains on both side was very enchanting. And you need to see the ferry coming in the fjord to realise the scale and size of the fjord. And I must say now itself, I totally enjoyed the two days I spent there. Geiranger felt a lot more isolated from the rest of the world, with the only way of coming in through the narrow fjords and not that easy to get out of either. The kind of place you would expect in Lord of the Rings and the likes:).

Closer view of the town and fjord

The town of Geiranger was right at the mouth of the fjord and at a very captivating location. We were staying at the Hotel Geiranger which was right in the middle of the 100 houses in Geiranger:). Just next to the fjord, the local waterfall and the high street of the town:). It is apparently one of the oldest buildings in town. Also apparently the whole town shuts down in winter and most people leave. So this hotel would have been the perfect location of the hotel in Shining;-).There are only 220 actual residents in town, rest are all tourists and people looking to make money off tourists:).

Frozen lake on the top

Anyways, once we checked in, we immediately left for a mountain biking tour that we had booked already. It was the ‘Sky to Fjord Downhill Bike Tour’ with Geiranger Adventure located in the local high street. They took us in vans to the top of the Dalsnibba mountain, gave us the mountain bikes and left us on our own. The place where they dropped us was all snow covered, and there was also a frozen lake on top.

Valley view while cycling down

And then we started cycling down the mountain. This experience was the second high point for me of the trip (the other two were the viewpoint in Andalsnes mentioned above and the boating we did later). Imagine going down a green mountain, fresh breeze blowing on your face, greeted with spectacular views at every turn - of valleys and mountains and waterfalls on the way. And not having to cycle at all, as it was all downhill.

View while cycling down

We just had to control not going down too fast and letting it all finish too fast. I buzzed past the whole distance and just enjoyed the whole feeling it gave me of flying free. I wish the route had been longer. I wish I could have cycled downhill like this for hours, but alas that always takes going up first:(.

Local waterfall

We lazily came down in about an hour, stopping on the way. There was a viewpoint giving a good view of the fjord. And we also passed some wooden huts which were used by agriculturists many years ago. But as I said, it all finished too fast:(

For the evening activity, we split up into two groups. One went for a trek, a beautiful one which takes you behind a waterfall. The second of which I was a part of, had had enough of physical activity the previous day and chose the lazy option of boating. (You can also take the official cruise which takes you along the fjord but as we later realised, the boating is better:) ). We rented a 25 KW speedboat from a hotel about 15-20 mins from our hotel and off we went, the 5 of us. It was a new experience for us to steer the boat ourselves. Initially we rode slowly to each of the waterfalls around (including the famous Seven Sisters one), enjoying the cold brush of air and water splashing on our faces.

And then we discovered speed! Then there was no stopping us. The last half an hour of the rental, we started driving at top speeds and swerving at the last minute to get cheap thrills. We were splashing water on everyone, going too close to the mountains and totally rocking it! It was so much fun that we decided to come back again in the morning:). It also tempted me to get a boating license and take up boating as a hobby, given my love for water anyways:).

The rest of the day we spent in the small pedestrian high street in the town with cute little shops. We had chocolate at the local chocolate place which has the most amazing spread of chocolate options. They were making their own fresh chocolate in their basement factory. There were a couple of troll figures also dotted everywhere (man-made, not real;-) ) and were good photo opportunities:).

Given how small Geiranger was, we were not expecting to find proper food options and went to at least 3 restaurants. Finally we did decide on Olebuda and it turned out to be AWESOME. One of the best gourmet meals I have ever had - the dishes made using a mix of unusual ingredients, were so yummy - one of my most enjoyable meals in the trip. I do think though our loud Indian group did scare away some of the quiet Norwegians who were eating there, but some things can’t be helped, can they:)? If any of you is going to Geiranger, I would recommend definitely eating at Olebusa, even if you are vegetarian. It is totally worth it.

View from Batsnibba point

The fourth and the last day, a couple of us went up the Batsnibba point and to the frozen lake nearby, and then we all went boating again before heading back to Alesund for our flight back. From the top, you can get a grander view of the places around.

Local waterfall and view of fjord

In the morning, I went for a walk along the waterfall path (the town had a huge waterfall flowing through it ) and just enjoyed the walk around. Geiranger is a popular destination among the cruises that come to Norway. So when we woke up in the morning, there were already two huge cruises who had come in that day and were moored in the fjord. And because of that, there were loads more people walking around than the previous day. I earlier thought that the cruises would spoil the view around, but surprisingly they blended in effortlessly with the colours around.

I also learnt that the mountains on both sides of the fjord will at some time break and fall down, as they have cracks in them. Such a happening would trigger a tsunami, therefore scientists track the cracks in the mountains the whole time. Also I noticed a lot of Indians travelling there, which was a surprise for me. I would assume Geiranger is too remote to be on a typical itinerary but clearly was wrong. We also ran into a group of 10 families visiting from Calcutta RBI and staying in our hotel. They were not too impressed by the place though, and thought the rest of Europe was definitely better :D.

After the walk, we again went for a boat ride in the fjord but this time could only got a 15 KW boat. And surprisingly, the boating was even better than the previous day (as if it could!). I steered the boat for that hour and loved every moment of it. We were very focussed and rode at top speed out of the fjord. We went up to the town of Hellesylt where we started experiencing the waves from the sea. The first time we encountered them, they were huge and it felt that we could overturn. We had to shut off the engine and still it felt scary!

When we felt that the boat might almost turn over, was when we decided to turn back. I had mastered manoeuvring the boat by then, so did a lot of sharp turns on the way back, splashing water on all of us. It was a fun and exhilarating time for me and I totally loved it. I seriously think I should go boating more often and take up a course to get a licence:).

Snapshots of Norway

The high point was also almost the end of the trip for us. Once back from the boating, it was almost time to head back. Our flight was from Alesund, so we drove towards there taking a couple of ferries on the way. We were quite tired by this time and so slept most of the way. Our flight was from Alesund to Oslo and then back to rainy and cloudy London:).

People

We barely interacted with any Norwegians during our entire stay. The few we met spoke good English, which is always helpful. And we saw lots of immigrants everywhere - apparently, 15% of the population there are immigrants. The population density also felt a lot higher than I would have expected. We barely passed areas which were not inhabited. There were always some houses around (though rarely any people). This was so unlike all my drives in Kashmir and Arunachal - where sometimes for hours you don't see any population.

Eating

We had a good experience eating (even vegetarian food) in Norway, again quite unlike what we had expected. Our first dinner was in the Italian restaurant, Piccola Mama Rosas where the pizza was yum and had a masala to put onto it to add to the spicy flavour. The second meal outside was the cafe on Atlantic Ocean Road which was average. But we had a stock of theplas to keep us going there:).

The third was at Olebuda which was out of this world. And the last was in Systra cafe in a random town, Strojolt on the way to Alesund, which was again tasty. The rest of the time we cooked at home (and loved) the maggi and the masala baked beans.

Accommodation

The hotel at Trondheim, Scandic was located in the city centre next to the canal. But we barely slept there 4 hours, so don’t know much about it. The villa we had rented was pretty and comfortable. And that is where we realised, in Norway, there is light 24 hours of the day. So you need very dark curtains if you want to get any sleep. And lastly, Hotel Geiranger in Geiranger was also perfectly located, right in the middle of the town, with a good view of the fjord from everywhere.

Tips

There are not many tips to give actually, because my friends planned it all and it went so well. Overall, it felt like a comfortable and convenient place to travel. Just one tip I can think of - Norway is very expensive, even more than London (if thats possible!). A pack of crisps costed the equivalent of 7 GBP at the airport. So you should plan on saving money all the way; pre-booking activities and hotels will definitely help.

Driving

Driving was again convenient - great and empty roads, barely any cars and good views to keep you entertained. We had a huge mini bus given there were 9 of us. All in all, fun and convenient.

Map



I felt that Norway is one of the loveliest and close to nature places I have visited, and the calm of Norway would be difficult to find anywhere. I totally loved and enjoyed the trip, and it is definitely a country I would love to come back to.

Glimpses of Chicago, Milan and Chantilly

In April and May this year, I had a couple of very short work trips to some new cities. As is usual with work trips, I did not get much time to explore a lot. But here's putting down what little I saw during those times:).

Chicago

Chicago

I was in Chicago for a couple of days in spring this year. Given I had never been there before, I decided to head out a day earlier and explore it. So I landed at 11am on a Sunday morning, after a long flight from London. Even though it was a business class flight, I was still pretty tired. Am just not a fan of American Airlines I think. And of American politeness for that matter:-). The rudeness hits you the moment you land at the airport. I asked the taxi woman how far the hotel was, and for the next two days never asked a question of a stranger ;-).

Skyline from Grant Park

After quickly checking in into the W hotel, with a map in hand, I left to explore the downtown area. I first walked towards Grant Park just next to Lake Superior. Surprisingly, it was a sunny and warm day at 23 degrees Celsius even though the next day it snowed! But still it felt cold, because of the winds. Windy City, eh? :-). There were all high-rises around, the typical New York concrete jungle look. I found it too dry and drab for my liking.

Lake Michigan

I walked a bit along the park, taking in the sights of the skyline behind and Lake Michigan on the other. Then I took a detour along the Chicago river and walked towards the city. The walk was very pretty, and scenic in a different way than European cities.

Chicago river walk

There were a couple of boat trips available for tourists. But when I checked, it looked like they only show you the buildings around, talking about their architecture. So I gave it a miss. During my walk, I had already seen most of the buildings around and it did not interest me anymore. I did see a Trump building right in front which is good to know the history about, given the presidential elections coming up;-)! And there were a couple of other old buildings and concrete bridges which made for a pretty picture. Especially the twinkling lights at night were brilliant.

But by then, I got so bored, that I walked into a Macys and shopped a bit:). I could have walked towards the Willis Tower for a view of the city or the Navy Pier but by then I had lost all hopes from Chicago:). Chicago is also famous for its deep dish pizza - which is a cheese filled heavy pizza. Its a must try, though not the most healthiest of options;-).

It looks like the city has mostly buildings and architecture to appreciate, and even though they were definitely impressive, honestly, I found it one of the most boring cities I have ever visited. Maybe less than Orlando, but that's not the right comparison anyways:-). In my view, totally missable if you are a tourist.

Details of the walk




Milan

I was in Milan much longer that usual, for about 5 days. Again given it was a new city, I flew in a day earlier and saw a bit of the city, as when you start work, it never really happens!

Milan Duomo

The downtown of Milan is centred around the Duomo - the huge cathedral in white was constructed over 600 years and hence is quite central to the city. It has a huge square next to it where loads of tourists hang around. We had a view of the cathedral even from our office, so saw a lot of it during the trip:).

Galleria Vittorio Emanuele

I walked through the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele shopping mall towards the Brera area of town. I walked past a statue of Leonardo da Vinci, a couple of small squares to come to Brera. It was a nice hangout place with small roads and loads of small cafes. The restaurant I picked up though wasn’t as great!

View of Duomo from office 

And that's most of what I got to see of Milan during the time I was there. I did explore a lot of restaurants though. The Obika Mozzarella Bar had a beautiful open seating next to the Duomo and many varieties of mozzarella to choose from (!). The Asola was on the top floor of a hotel and had a good view of the city. The Enoteca Ronchi was a small find again next to the Duomo with very tasty food. And the manager was shocked when I and another foreigner asked for butter, olive oil and vinegar for our food! It was a hilarious situation we totally enjoyed. The Osteria de Brera I ate in Brera on the first day was definitely forgettable.

Roman columns

The last dinner, we went to Osteria Delbinari which was located in the canal district of Milan. That was nice too, in the open. While coming back, my colleague took us through some of the sight seeing spots of the city - the place next to the canal where the rich used to wash their clothes, the canal that was built to transfer material for the Duomo, the remnants of a Roman temple columns, Colonne di San Lorenzo from the 2nd century AD, the pillar erected at the place where a doctor was killed because of his suspected involvement in spreading the plague (which he was trying to cure it), and the students district where all the leftists hangout.

It was a good introduction to the cultural and historical aspect of the city even though we were tired at the end of the day and not fully awake:-). But overall, as I said, I did not explore the city much, just got a glimpse of it. The rest for maybe some other time:). (I just realised that the Last Supper is in Milan and I missed it!)


Chantilly Chateau, France

Chateau at Chantilly

I did a short one day training at the Chantilly Chateau, and was impressed. It is located about an hour or so from Paris, in the rural part of France. I have stayed at many old English houses but never a French one. It was definitely different! Again I got no time to explore it but could see it had great grounds around and some fun activities to do. As I said, for sometime later maybe :-).