Mom and I stayed in Dublin for 3 nights before heading to Norway. While still in Ireland we had one last dinner at Deryk and Isobel's (so Mom could meet them, and I could say goodbye), went on a day tour to the Cliffs of Moher and many other things along the way, and went on another, more relaxing, day tour to Glendaloch and Kilkenny.
The next morning we headed to the airport to fly to Oslo. The city itself was surprisingly beautiful and but Mom and I both wanted to get out to the country because really, that's why we came. We took the train to Voss which is an incredibly gorgeous place: set on a lake, surrounded by mountains. Every morning we woke up to a glass-like lake that reflected the scenery around us...not a bad way to start a day. Mom and I fell in love with the town and ended up staying there for the rest of our nights in Norway except one. We spent one day exploring the area around Voss and hiked into a gorge and then up (and I mean up) a never ending trail that seemed to go nowhere. It was nice to be out in nature...real nature not commercialized or touristy nature.
The next day we did 'Norway in a Nutshell' which is an organized tour you buy a ticket for. But it's self led, so there's no 'following the red umbrella' business that some tours seem to be. We took the train up to Myrdal (900 meters above sea level) and then the Flamsbana railway down to the town of Flam which is at sea level. From Flam we took the a fjord boat tour through two parts of the Sognefjord to Gudvangen and then a bus back to Voss. Along the way there was part of the road, built by hand about a hundred years ago that had 16 hairpin turns in it. The bus driver explained that he had use engine retarder breaks and use 1st gear (speed limit was 15 km/h) because if not, the breaks would most likely go.
The next day we took the train to Bergen. It was a really relaxing day of meandering around and exploring the city. We walked amongst the UNESCO World Heritage section of Bergen called Bryggen enjoyed our Norwegian-smoked-salmon-from-the-fish-market lunch at a sunny picnic table. At the fish market we also tried a small bit of smoked whale. I am pacifying my nagging conscience by telling myself that it was only a small bit (p.s. if you're curious, it had the texture of roast beef, while tasting like salmon-y-chicken-y liver). After a leisurely lunch we took the Funicular up to see a view of Bergen and the sea and then hiked back down.
Our last full day in the Voss area was my favorite of the whole trip. We took a train to Finse which is 1222 m above sea level, and only accessible by train. It is located at the top of the mountains and was incredibly beautiful. We rented cross country skis and began the arduous journey to a cabin about 5 km away. This does not sound like much, I know, and we didn't think it would be either, but it was uphill almost all the way and the skis we had were not waxed. So we used skins (carpet/felt strips you stick on to the bottom of your skis for uphills) the whole time which gave us traction, but no sliding. But we made it up there (after peeling off all of our layers)and sat outside to enjoy another picnic lunch which included smoked salmon. The journey back was much more fun since it was downhill. There were a couple minor crashes but mostly just a lot of laughter. It was just a really great day...really fun. And full of memories.
We said goodbye to our home in Voss regretfully and took a bus to Lillehammer, home of the 1994 Winter Olympic Games. Our hostel was exceptionally posh (and expensive) with fresh cut flowers, lit candles, etc. On our search for a grocery store we happened upon a fashion show which we found the inspiration for Mom's mother of the bride dress (see picture below, it's the pink one on the left, pink rain boots included...Anne, you're ok with that right??) The next morning, after exploring the city a bit more and heading up to Olympic Park, we took the train to the Airport. We said our goodbyes and Mom headed off to Amsterdam and I waited to fly to Rygge, Latvia until 9:00 that night. I spent the night at the airport and then flew the Istanbul the next morning.
As cities go, Istanbul is pretty beautiful. Last night was really relaxed and I just had supper (FREE) and smoked shisha (cappucino flavoured and more importantly, FREE)on the roof with other people from the hostel. I spent time with a Calgarian man today and we went to the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and took a boat trip down the Bospherous to a fishing village on the Asian side of Istanbul. It was nice to have the company, I'm kind of surprised he offered to hang out with me but he is also traveling alone until he and his wife are to meet up in Iran to travel together. So the company was welcome.
So things are going well. I like Turkey a lot so far. I hope everyone is well!
Love,
Kate
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