Dogs on trains . . .

The Scandic Crown Hotel in Göteborg is huge.  Seven floors and 338 rooms.  So breakfast is a frenetic, noisy affair.  It is surprising to see the number of Swedish families staying here.  We guess that they come in for a weekend in the City.  We had missed out on the pancakes yesterday and were determined to have some this morning.  Got down to the buffet breakfast about 9 am and true to form, plenty of food.  No pancakes.  Doesn't help when there is a male sports team there and some of those 'growing boys' were taking 6 pancakes or more - each!  We could see however that the staff were in the process of refilling and so, waited at a nearby table.  By the time more were delivered there was a queue waiting with 11 people ahead of us.  Thankfully the boys had had theirs and we managed to get two each this time.  Lovely crepe style pancakes, not the stodgier fatter ones.  Maple syrup, cream and jam did the trick!

We had not bought a ticket for Copenhagen as there is a train every hour - even on a Sunday - from Göteborg.  A short walk to the station and Donna goes from the Tourist Office, to the booking Office to the local Pressbyrån convenience store where she was told it was cheapest place to buy them.  Cost us the princely sum of $83.10 for each ticket - for a journey of 3 hours 38 minutes.

It is interesting to journey by train because it allows you to do a few things.  You can watch the scenery and compare how it changes over distances.  You can people watch - and in this instance, also dog watch.  Yep, we were accompanied by six dogs at various points along the journey an in this one carriage alone in this train of 13 carriages!  Once seated with their owners, they were all well behaved, but the gauntlet was thrown down by two as others passed them.  Takes a bit of getting used to.

The land between Göteborg and Copenhagen is flat.  Much of it is under crops, and there are plenty of wind turbines being farmed as well.  We see corn and strawberries, wheat and hay, just-ploughed fields, and others lying fallow.
There is the North Sea coastline, locks and canals and channels.
And dotted right along the coastline there are lots of caravan and camping areas, small hamlets that appear to be holiday homes, parklands and well serviced beach areas - everything that you would expect coastal areas to have.


We cross a bridge that is 8 kms long that crosses the Øresund Strait that is the border between Sweden and Denmark. It's hard to get photos between the pillars, but we manage a few.  And as we near Denmark there is a sight that I've only seen once before in northern Scotland - a sea-bound wind farm.  


Obviously in this area of the Strait, the coastline is well protected - otherwise you would have to question the investment in significant rail infrastructure that hugs the coast - and I mean hugs it.  There are times when there is nothing between the train line and the water other than about a 20 metre strip of sandy grasses.

We needed to be on our wits as this train does not terminate at Copenhagen.  Needn't have worried as there were lots of people getting out here.

The Station is a beautiful piece of engineering with exposed iron beams supporting a predominantly glass domed roof.

It sits across the road from the Tivoli Gardens and our taxi driver insists that even if you do not want to partake of the amusement rides, that it is worth a visit for the gardens.  We'll see.

Our hotel (hostel) is a little way from the railway station - too far to walk with the luggage in tow on cobblestones, but it is very central to much of what we want to see.  Copenhagen is one of those cities where you could spend a year and still not see all that is on offer.  The driver gives us tips on where to eat and see and take tours.  It sure helps to chat to the locals.

And finally, we have access to a full laundry.
We were starting to get sick of recycling our clothes after airing, and of washing smalls in

bathroom sinks. Donna makes four trips to make sure that everything in our suitcases is washed and dried - what a trooper!

So tonight we rest because tomorrow we hit the ground walking again.  It has done my poor feet a world of good having a quieter day today without too much cobblestone pounding.

Ciao.  See you all soon!

Bison, what bison?

After breakfast this morning we checked out of the lovely Hotel Skeppsholmen and ordered a taxi for the railway station.  We have decided to take the train rather than plane between Stockholm and Göteborg (Gothenburg) so that we have a chance to see some of the countryside.  It seems to be quite a big deal to rent a car anywhere in Scandinavia if you want to return the car to a different destination from where you hired it.


Travelling to Göteborg  from Stockholm,we saw a few different kinds of landscapes. 
On our way from the east coast, we enjoy approximately 4 hours of lakes and forests, Swedish small towns and farmlands hastily completing harvesting and tilling before the colder weather sets in.  

We watch the weather close in, pass through a few showers and gloomily watch the dropping temperature.  As we get closer, however, the wind is pushing the clouds quickly past and by the time our journey is over, the rain has cleared.


We pass by a bison farm - yes, bison!  Between Skövde and Göteborg we pass by Bisonfarmen i Gate.  This farm in West Gotaland, (Sweden) has a herd of American bison imported from the U.S. in 2004. Today there are about 125 animals in the herd. They can be seen on guided tours with tractor and prairie wagon. The Farm is located near the Forest of Hökensås. Bison Farm at Gate has 138 acres of pasture divided into seven enclosures. The animals are moved from enclosure to enclosure to meet the needs of new grass. In the wintertime, the animals are fed with hay. At the farm breeding and meat production are the main activities.



Approaching Gothenburg, we pass the two lakes Aspen and Mjörn. They are much larger with lots of small boats anchored around their shores – and are very close to the train tracks!

We also pass a Volvo factory!


Donna reckons that the carpet is a sign that we are in the right place.  The room is certainly rather luxe.  Very nice. Toochilly to go out in the night air, but we will head out nice and early tomorrow to the Haga area - one of the oldest neighbourhoods in Göteborg.

ABBA - Thank You For The Music

Yesterday allowed us to fully re-charge. A day filled with rest and recovery (although Donna who is not used to sitting still for so long felt it).  We spent a few hours having a look at what there is to see and do in Stockholm and finding accommodation.
Everything in Scandinavia is far more expensive than any other place we have travelled, so accommodation doesn't come cheap.  Since we are paying a premium, it might as well be somewhere nice, and central to everything. 


So this morning we headed back from the Raddison to the Stockholm Airport on the free connection bus because this is the easiest way to connect with the public transport system into the centre of Stockholm.  The express train in to Stockholm City is not included in the public transport and at AUD$50 per person, we don't hink it is cheap.  But with the journey cut to 20 minutes as the speed gets up to 190 kph - couldn't quite catch it as the monitor kept changing.highlighted!


At the main station, we go down to the metro station and get a 72 hour all-public-transport pass for the same price as our trip this morning AUD$50 each.  Now, we are set. We know that there is no transport right to the door of our hotel today, so succumb and take a taxi so we can divest ourselves of our luggage.  The taxi driver complains of the amount of roadworks, but we assure him that there is no more than most other cities.  He moans about the Green Party, who hold the balance of power and are influencing the investment in environmentally friendly transport modes that will restrict vehicles in part of the City.  Sorry, just can't agree with him. It was nice to get a couple of photos of the inner city as we were driving to the hotel.  I hope to get clearer shots over the next couple of days.

We finally reach the hotel where we will spend the next couple of days - the stunning Hotel Skeppsholem set just up from the waterfront on the island of Skeppsholem.  The Hotel has a long and colourful history. Originally built in 1699-1702 with the purpose of housing the Royal Marines of Karl XII. Since Sweden’s financial situation of the time was poor, most of the building material came from ruined castles on the countryside. The buildings, known to locals as “The Long Row”, was never used for the soldiers as intended, as most of them never made it home from the wars. They were therefore left uninhabited until 1710, when the city started using them as a hospice for poor people infected with the plague. 

Years later after renovation, the buildings became offices and storehouses for the Navy, and also housing for military employees. The Martial Court was accommodated here too. In the 1900’s most of the space was turned into apartments for Navy staff, mostly officers and their families, and in the 2000’s it was once again adapted to be used as administrative offices. It is fascinating and lovely. We arrive in the sunshine with lots of people sitting in the garden.

Our room is not yet ready, but that is okay as the hotel will gladly hold our luggage.  So off we head down the path and then out along the quayside walkway to the ferry terminal.  We are off to see the ABBA museum that I had booked tickets for while we travelled in to the City on the train this morning.

So, one cannot come to Stockholm and NOT go to the ABBA museum.  Not sure where to start.

For those who know me, I am an ABBA tragic from way back.  I'll never forget the day when a teenage Gen was horrified when she found me singing to Fernando in one of the band's later incarnations.  She didn't know at that time that the band was universal and timeless!

Because we have pre-purchased our tickets, we can skip the line at the door and waltz straight on in.
We end up spending more than 4 hours here.  It is filled with the stories and memorabilia of the individuals and their personal lives before,during and after the ABBA phenomena, the band and their hits and tours, the stage play and the two movies.  It included interactive sections where you could try mixing the songs, auditioning for a supposed opportunity - and no, I am NOT putting that up here, nor the photo shoot of me as the various band members - suffice to say those are the pics that horror movies are based upon!

There is nothing that is not covered.
The costumes, the props, the newsreels, the platinum records - everything.  From the foursome's childhoods to the current day.
It is a wonderful tribute that allows so many people to re-live their teen years.  And the story of the Australian link to their fame is well

So as the day is drawing to a close, and the weather starting to chill for the night, we head back across the bay to our island and our hotel.
Dinner is served until 10 pm, but with a full hotel, the best we can manage is 6:45 pm.  So we take it.  The restaurant here not only services the hotel, but locals also, and is very well known here.  Restaurant Långa Raden caters to discerning diners (and the bus tour groups lodging here).  The food is typically Swedish with a modern twist.  Donna and I decide that we can only do two courses and opt for a main and dessert.  The food is fabulous.

Mains - Donna
Hängmörad svensk ryggbiff med kryddsmör, tomatsallad och rödvinssky 
Dry aged Swedish sirloin steak, spice butter, tomato salad and red wine jus  
Maria
Köttbullar med potatispuré, pressgurka, lingon och gräddsås  
Meatballs with potato purée, pickled cucumber and lingon berries and cream sauce  

Desserts - Donna
Hallonyoghurtglass med kolabrownie och maränger 
Raspberry and yoghurt ice cream, caramell brownie and meringues
Maria
Vit chokladpastej med citrusmarinerade jordgubbar och smultronsorbet 
White chocolate cake with lemon marinated strawberries and wild strawberry sorbet

Those desserts were 'died and gone to heaven delicious'!
 
Back in the room as we are putting our gear away, Donna comes across the purchases that you can make on the room menu - the smalls you might have forgotten - socks, jocks, nickers and tights (small to extra large- one in each size) - now THAT is class!!
Donna then did a Michael and went out to take some night shots - we will share them tomorrow.

Tomorrow we are heading into the Old Town.

Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god.

Day one of the ' Oh my god's '

Sunday in Oslo is quiet.  If we thought that the centre of town was quiet on other days/nights, this morning was dead. Literally.  Until we got to the railway station about 5 blocks away, we saw the sum total of three people!

The day began with a little scare.  Instead of adding a block to our (read my) walk, we chose to go down the back exit which meant that Donna had to carry the suitcases down a flight of stairs. So far, so good.  Get to the bottom of the stairs and open the heavy exit door, Donna carries the cases out, she is now outside the building and then just before the door closes behind me, we realise that the heavy, huge iron gates - you know the massive ones that you see at the opening of many historic buildings in Europe, were closed and locked with a padlock.  All of them.  On both sides of the building. Its about 07:25 am and the train goes in an hour.  So I jam my foot in the door while Donna checks out the exit. Little scare, not a big one - there is an exit release - phew!!!  Disaster averted.

The road is damp underfoot - it must have rained during the night, but the morning is clear and cool.  Lugging our (getting heavier) suitcases it takes us about 15 minutes to walk to the station and get our bearings.  And, thanks to Murphy's Law, our carriage is the furthest one out.  We finally make the door, lug the suitcases up the steps and find a spot to store them in the luggage vestibule. As we move in to the carriage, we find it filled with the passengers of an Indian tour group AND four of them are in our seats.

One of them wanted an argument, but man, that wasn't going to happen. We stayed firm and it was only a couple of moments before the tour guide came and insisted that the four of them return to their allotted seats.  He took one of the last two and just as the train was due to depart, in rushed the last passenger - Kimberly, a nurse from Venice Beach in California. We hit it off straight away and have made a new friend!

Both Donna and I feel that today really starts the trip of adventure - even though we have now been travelling for a week and seen and experienced some wonderful things. 
Today we are doing a self-guided tour called Norway in a Nutshell.  It involves five legs:

• train Oslo to Myrdal
• scenic train Myrdal to Flam
• boat cruise Flam to Gudvangen
• tour bus Gudvangen to Voss
• train Voss to Bergen.

The train departs Oslo smack on time at 08:25 am. It is not long out of the City Sentrum before we begin to encounter the working day for some, with farmers harvesting cauliflowers in the morning dew.  Its not long before we find ourselves in bucolic scenes from some European folksong.  The streams and rivers are bubbling alongside us in every shade of glacial blue and the open meadows morph into valleys between towering mountains. And yes, we do mean mountains, not the hillmountains we have back home.

And still we have the reach the real Oh. My. God. Scenery. 

We pass by the Geitanosi glacier, near Finse where the snow scenes from Star Wars was filmed - the things you never knew!  Finse is the highest railway station on the entire Norwegian railway system at only 1222 m!  
And pass through tunnels before reaching Myrdal and changing for the the Flåm Line is a 20.2 km long railway line between Myrdal and Flåm in Aurland, Norway. A branch line of the Bergen Line, it runs through the valley of Flåmsdalen and connects the mainline with Sognefjord. The line's elevation difference is 866 meters; it has ten stations, twenty tunnels and one bridge. The steepest incline is 1:18 - and without cogs!

Even though the journey to Myrdal takes 4 hours, the time flies. As we pass Finse we see little huts hunkered down hugging the earth as if to protect themselves from the cold winters. Many have moss and alpine plants including flowers growing on their roof, like a blanket keeping in the warmth. Kimberly is not travelling to Flåm today, but going direct to Bergen so before we leave the train, we exchange contact details and make loose plans to catch up tomorrow in Bergen. 

Crossing the platform takes us to the departure point for the Flåm railway. The Flåm railway is considered to be the world's most beautiful train journey and provides a panorama of some of the wildest and most magnificent mountain scenery in Norway at any time of the year. There are rivers carving their way through deep gorges, waterfalls leaping off steep mountainsides with snow-covered mountain peaks, as well as mountain

farms clinging tenaciously to steep slopes. Down at the bottom, you can enjoy the scenic cultural landscape of the Flåm Valley and admire the beautiful Aurlandsfjord.  On the way, the train makes a stop to allow everyone to get off the train to take photos at the Kjosfossen Falls where the Hulda sang to lure us into the waters of the waterfall. Thankfully no-one succumbed!

We continue our journey down the valleys into Flåm railway station. The scenery is jaw-breakingly beautiful and the camera and our two phones get a massive workout today.  If you want to see more of the photos, then ask us to put on a slide show for you when we get back!

At the end of the line, we have arrived at Flåm harbour. We have a chance to catch a breather here and meet three American sisters travelling together for the first time to visit their grandfather's birthplace near Bergen. We grabbed a coffee and an amazing Pistachio biscuits with chocolate and raisins. Crisp on the outside and chewy inside. It was the size of a bread and butter plate!   Mmmmm.
Here we catch a Fjord cruise on Nærøyfjord with Fjord Norway.  You know those times when you say that you couldn't get the whole vista in one photo?  Well, up close this is what the scenery is like.  Mountains tower over you and dwarf elfin little hamlets and villages with perfectly manicured lawns right to the water's edge, surrounded by untamed brutality of the mountains and thundering waterfalls (nice description Donna). Everywhere you look is another view down another finger of a gorge or a fjord. It really is an oh. my. god. day.


The two hour trip is done all too soon and we dash for a bus that will take us up and over the mountain into Voss. We head out the only road into the Gudvangen harbour and then the coach pauses before the driver turns off the perfectly good double lane road on to the old highway that was the only access until 1981 for traffic in both directions.  This is a very steep mountain pass road with 11 switchbacks immediately one after the other.  The bus creeps down most of it in low gear doing about 10 kph. Which is good for anybody wanting photos of the stunning mountain peaks or waterfalls (if you can get a clear view while staying seated in a seatbelt, and vying for window space with your seat partner. Behind us are the other two buses that met the cruise boat.  If one goes,it is likely that we will all go!

Soon enough, we reach the bottom and rejoin the new highway for the remainder of the trip in to Voss where we clamber over makeshift steel and planking walkways to the train for our last leg of the day. Old Murphy obviously thought he had tortured us enough for one day as on the final train trip down to Bergen we are in the second car.  We are travelling through increasing urban areas, although still manage to go through two ski resorts, one complete with Ski Jump. We pass through a multitude of tunnels and by the way our ears are popping, we are dropping in altitude rapidly. In 90 minutes we reach Bergen arriving right on 9 pm, 13 hours after we left Oslo this morning. A distance of 463.9 km in the most direct route and 7 hours by car.  And do you know, I would not have changed a thing.

The hotel doesn't have a restaurant but we passed the fish markets about a block and a half back so Donna heads out to get some fish and chips. The prawns are tiny, frozen and $65 AUD per kilo.  Crab claws were $100 kg and the king crab,well there wasn't even a price on them and you know the saying that if you have to ask the price you can't afford it. 
Lovely fresh white fish (but quite bland) and chips that the seagulls back home would refuse, but washed down with a bottle of Italian Chardonnay, worked a treat. Was definitely a better $60 spend on the wine than the same cost for the takeaway meal! Meanwhile, Bergen by night looks lovely and everything we have read of the old port area sounds intriguing.  Some exploring early tomorrow, perhaps a catch up with Kimberley before we board the Kong Harald to sail north later in the day. How exciting! 

Oslo - where the Vikings once ruled

All night long, we were lulled with a muted rythmic rumble. Turns out that there is a very regular tram line that runs under our window. They run every 2 minutes during the day and not much less even into the wee hours of the morning.  The triple glazing must be excellent, as we are not disturbed at all. In fact, it is quite soothing.

Well Oslo is a bit of a surprise. Brunch this morning is fabulous coffee (oh, how I have missed you) and the lightest, plumpest cinnamon scrolls that look like a double carrick knot. Its cool but not cold and without any breeze.  As we sit enjoying our food, we here sirens and then a protest march in the near distance.  Great. Not. I guess that being a little on edge is becoming the new norm for travellers. Don't worry. Not close enough to cause any concern.

The public transport is amazing. This morning Donna got out the guide book and spent an hour or so cross referencing the transport map and the locational map to identify which trams and buses would get us to places such as the Opera House, the main railway station and the Vikingskipsene - our major destination for today.
And before we go any further, I just want to note that Donna has absolutely NO sense of direction.  Google maps sending us the long way around or not (as it does), she still has no natural sense of direction. Thankfully, I do! And thankfully Donna is a whiz at working out the connections.

We pick up the bus outside our building.  This is the former main Post Office - a beautiful building that covers an entire city block, it now houses apartments, shops, offices etc.  The bus stop is on one stage of the block and the tram stop on the other side of the building. So the bus stop is at the front door and the tram at the back!  On to Bus no 30 we head out. 
We have not been able to find out how or where to buy a ticket and are hoping that we can buy them on the bus. And yes we can, but only with cash, which I had bought prior to leaving Australia. But the bus driver could not make the change needed and so told us to sit directly behind him in case an inspector got on.  Everyone just boards the buses, you do not need to show your ticket, there is no tapping and I am guessing that there would be plenty of locals who ride the transport for free, taking a chance on not seeing an inspector who can demand to see your paper ticket or your electronic ticket on your phone.

A 21 minute bus trip through part of the historic areas, past a number of the embassies and consulates and through (obviously well-to-do) residential areas and eventually into some rural settings, takes us up into one of the ridges and finally to the Vikingskipsene. You can recognise it by all tourist buses parked outside! And yet there are not too many people here.  As we go in, once Donna has divested herself of her backpack and bought our entry tickets at a very reasonable AUD $33 for the two of us, we learn that this morning there were three cruise ship groups in and they had to hold people waiting outside because the museum had reached capacity.

THIS is a museum and a half.  The building is quite austere, painted all white inside.  This allows the pitch-black of the Viking ships to stand out in stark contrast. Each of the three main ships is housed in a wing off the small foyer, entry desk and souvenir shop.
They are mind-blowing!

Obviously restored, these three boats were only discovered in the 20th century. But all were built in the first century AD. The level of detail and care taken with construction and decoration of not only these main vessels, but all the artefacts found buried with them talk of the pride of the Vikings. 

As we learn more about our earliest ancestors, we learn more of the prowess and skill they had. 
No longer can we believe anything that we knew of the barbaric thugs we knew of as children.  These are sophisticated people with complex class structures and a true sense of adventure.  We sit through a really well done visual presentation of Viking history that showed the peoples they had dealt with across the globe as well as highlighting the natural features of their home lands.  I comment to Donna, that I wonder who was that first brave person who thought to build a boat and launch into the treacherous northern waters. I would have had heart attack after heart attack if it were me in one of the slight (looking) boats as it tossed and heaved in the swell depicted.


The Norwegians are obviously proud of their Viking heritage - and rightly so!!

Our wander back in history done, we catch yet another bus where the driver cannot make the change (and yet it appears to be a common event as we were not the only tourists to be caught out). We quiz him on where to buy the tickets and he says online (been there, tried that one unsuccessfully) or many shops such as 7-eleven - yes, the same chain as at home!  (Small world). We make our way down to the very modern Opera House and nearby find the main tourist office and the Olso Sentralstasion and in the harbour close to the Opera House are two enormous cruise ships. 


While there, Donna went in to the tourist office to purchase bus tickets for tomorrow and we see some unique art pieces. The 'trees' are found in the children's play area and the 'foot' sculpture (which looks totally different in side view as the space between the toes and the body of the foot is open) is on the concourse.

Tickets bought, we head turn for the apartment searching as we go for a restaurant and find ourselves at the Cafe Cathedral in front of the Cathedral where we order Baked Salmon - Fresh Norwegian salmon with fennel salad with dill, orange and apple.  Served with potatoes, asparagus and white wine sauce and (the best ever) Fish Soup - Our famous creamy fish soup with shrimps, salmon and vegetables. Served with bread.

Finished with a cheese plate, a pinot grigio and pear cider. Oh what a night, and a meal.

Another day dawns soon and bed beckons.  Chat soon all.