out where a pay phone was and walked there. I couldn't get it to work. So I decided to go to Useit, because they let you use the phone there. Laurie and I walked up there. We were also hoping to be able to use the internet. I was able to do both.
Laurie and I went back to our room, spread all our information on the table, and planned our week. One thing that we tried to plan was a way to get to a Jazz Festival in Molde. It was a week long festival. We had to take trains and buses, which would be an all day affair. The thing was I couldn't find a bus that would get us there for the train. We needed it. We gave up the idea.
It was about 8:00 before we finished. I felt good about what we planned. Not too hectic, but we were keeping busy. Tomorrow we are planning to take the train and end up in Bergen. We were going to spend three nights away from Oslo. We didn't want our big packs, so we took very little. I only packed my raincoat, pack cover, fleece, sleeping bag in a fleece bag, cup, books, hygiene stuff, water bottle, and towel in my little pack. It's great going light. We were going to put our bags in storage at the hostel.
We cooked dinner in our room. I then read for a bit and went to bed about 11:00. Time goes real fast. I never notice it because it is so light out.
July 16, 2003
We checked out of the hostel about 6:30 and walked down to the train station. Today was a day for trains, ferrries, buses, and plenty of beautiful scenery.
We took the 8:11 train to Myrdal. It was a little more than a five hour train ride. I read and enjoyed the scenery. The type of landscape changes from riding along streams with white water, lakes, and waterfalls, to snow capped mountains. The railroad is 300 miles and it goes from sea level to 4266 feet. The train goes under miles of snow slids, over 300 bridges, and through 200 tunnels.
We met the people in our carriage that were also from the states. One couple was from Massachusetts and another from Indiana.
We got off in Myrdal and took the Flan train. It was a neat train. It seemed old fashion, but I just don't know if it is new and just made to look old. The train goes down a very steep railway with beautiful glimpses of waterfalls and the valley below. The train drops 2800 feet in 50 minutes. There were lots of tunnels that we went through so it restricted our sights. The railway is only 12 miles, but it takes one hour. The train goes pretty slow and also makes stops. One stop was at the Flan waterfall that was incredible. It wasn't very long, but wide. There were woman up on the rocks that dance to music up there as a show. We could feel the spray from the waterfalls about 25 feet away. We even asked to get pretty close to it. Actually the spray felt good because the train was very warm.
From Flan we caught a ferry that goes to Gudvangen. The ferry goes through the Sognefjord which is Norway's longest and deepest fjord. In some places the rock walls go straight up more than 1000 meters. We also went through the narrowest fjord of Norway called the Naeroy fjord. The ferry ride was about two hours. The ferry dropped us off in Gudvangen and we caught the bus to Voss. That bus ride was very steep with hairpin turns. We stopped at this hostel and took pictures of the view below.
We arrived in Voss and then we were off on the train again. This took us to Bergen and we arrived there about 8:30. After checking in to the hostel, Laurie and I looked for something to eat. We went down by the harbor and saw the most beautiful sky. The colors were amazing with blues and pinks.
I think Norway is very beautiful and would consider coming back here.
I, also wanted to mention that today was a record for Norway. It was the hottest day in 100 years. It was 94 degrees. I know it has been hotter at home. I just haven't been use to this heat. For the most part we have had warm days and not real hot days.
I, also want to say that I am so grateful that most of the people speak English and they speak it very well. I thought some people were American because their English didn't have an accent. I just can't imagine what it would be like if they didn't speak English. I am glad they picked English as a second language in many European countries. I feel pretty ignorant because I can only speak one language. People in Europe can speak so many languages.
July 17, 2003
I took my time getting up this morning. I really enjoy having a leisurely morning. Laurie and I didn't have much of a plan for today.
The first thing we did was go to the library. They have free internet. I needed to get information about places to stay coming up. Since I don't have a lot of time on the computer I don't write people. So don't feel like I spend time writing everyone else but you.
From the library, we went to the Floibanen Funicular. This is a train car. It goes up to Mount Floyen. It is pretty steep and the ride is fast. The top of Mount Floyen is about 1000 feet, but we started at sea level. From the top there are terrific views of Bergen harbour and other bodies of water in the distance.
At the top there are various walks you can do. Before we walked, we sat in a pine forest where the ground was soft and the air was cool and had lunch. It has been real hot today. We took a walk and when we got to a spot where we spotted a large cairn above we decided to go.. It was a great little walk. It actually felt good to be walking. We walked a measley 700 feet up to the cairn. The views were beautiful.
We are lucky to have had two good days of weather. Laurie read that Bergen rains 215 days a year. After hearing that, I didn't mind the heat.
We walked all the way to the bottom without the trans. It was a nice walk because I could look at the houses nestled in the hills. The homeowners have great views of the harbour.
