Norway In A Nutshell Part II

Hurtigruten is often called the worlds most beautiful sea voyage, and we'd have to say it really was!

The route of our Norway in a Nutshell Tour

We boarded in Trondheim for an overnight voyage to Bergen on the 1000 passenger ship, Midnatsol, and were more impressed with the ship than we originally had thought.  We thought it was going to be more like a "cargo" ship with room and board for passengers.   It was a really nice cruise ship, minus our small claustrophobic inside cabin, as well as a working cargo ship.   It was only 9 floors, our cabin was on the 4th but we spent most our time during the 28 hour trip on the 8th and 9th decks or panorama lounges.   It was relaxing and beautiful.   I managed to read an entire novel from the ships library while on board. It was a mindless, chick book but a fun way to pass time taking breaks to admire the scenery.  We were far north, about the same latitude as Fairbanks, Alaska.   Needless to say there was a whole lot of light and beautiful scenery to look at as we made our way through the Fjords down the coast.   We finally tried to get some sleep around midnight when we were at the Ålesund port but the noise from the unloading cargo from the floor below and the rocking and rolling of the boat kept me up most the night, thank goodness CSI was on TV.  Dave was up around 6:00 for our stop in the Måloy Fjord.   We had to be out of our cabin by 10:00 and didn't disembark till 2:30 in Bergen so we had a few hours of more lovely scenery, reading and Internet surfing.   The boat was equipped with Wi-Fi so thank you to all who played WWF keeping me occupied!   It was a fast, expensive, way to see the Fjords, but well worth it.  The  pictures really don't do it any justice but have fun scrolling through them!

Once off the ship, we walked to our hotel which was located across the harbor from the famous Bryggen Wharf.  Bergen seemed to be going through quite a bit of construction, as did much of Norway.  We only had what was left of the afternoon and evening in Bergen so we grabbed a city map and did a bit of an on-foot tour of Norway's second largest city.  Our hotel was located centrally so we were able to walk easily around the city. 

The very first buildings in Bergen were alongside the harbor called Bryggen.  Bryggen has been the nerve center of the city for hundreds of years and the silhouette of its ancient gables is perhaps the most familiar image in all of Norway.  In 1360 the Hansas - a German guild of merchants - set up one of their import/export offices on Bryggen and dominated trade for the next 400 years and it is now on UNESCO's World Heritage List.

It was a really lovely harbor.  We walked through the smelly but famous fish market on the wharf.  We visited the Bergenhus Fortress which dates back to 1240 and is located in the entrance of the Bergen Harbor.  Ice cream shops were abundant along the harbor so of course we had to sample some.  We continued a big loop around the city, admiring the different architecture, churches and statues before going back to the hotel to figure out our dinner plans.  It wasn't going to be a late night since neither of us hardly slept on the boat and the beds were sooooo comfortable at the hotel that I'm surprised we actually made it back out but we did manage.  We found a nice quiet restaurant to sample some of the local beer and DH had a Rudolph Burger - well actually it was reindeer meat - but I liked to call it Rudolph.  I stuck with the safe Caesar salad :)  It was surely the right place to indulge in seafood or whale for that matter but after all our adventures I still haven't gotten any more brave at trying new foods!

Bergen was an "ok" city for us.  Granted we didn't give it much time but we didn't feel there was too much there that interested us.  It is conveniently located for a day trip from a Fjord cruise ship and quite beautifully nestled amongst the surrounding mountains and  Hardangerfjord and Sognefjord Fjords but definitely didn't warrant any additional time for us. 

Wednesday morning we took a taxi to the train station for a FULL day of travel back to Oslo.  It was rainy and messy but we didn't let that take away from the serene nature that surrounded us on the bus, train or boat! 

First we took the scenic Bergen Railway to Voss for only about an hour and 15 minutes.

On the Bergen Railway

Next, we (along with the 100's of other passengers) transferred to buses waiting at the Voss Station for approximately another hour ride which turned out to be extremely beautiful and waterfall filled!  One of the better journey's by bus that DH have traveled together :)

On the bus from Voss to Gudvangen

There was about a half hour wait for our ship in Gudvangen that took us on a two hour ride through the Fjords to Flåm.

The ship from Gudvangen to Flåm.

We traveled through the spectacular Nærøyfjord and Aurlandsfjord. The Nærøyfjord, a branch of the Sognefjord, has been included in Unesco’s World Heritage list and is considered to be among the most scenic fjord areas on the planet. Its outstanding natural beauty is derived from its narrow and steep-sided crystalline rock walls that rises up to 1400m straight from the fjord.



 

 

 

 

Dave chats with our new friends from Argentina

The name "Flåm" means "little place between steep mountains" and this beautiful small town is nestled deep in a tributary of the Sognefjord, the world's longest and deepest fjord, at 204 kilometers long and 1308 meter deep.  Once we docked in Flåm we found a quick bite to eat at Café Stationen.  There were many shops and restaurants in town, all catering to the cruise passengers.  Not only was our ship in town but a very large Cruise Ship was docked as well.  Maybe because it was raining but the town didn't feel too crowded.  Next to the café was a brewery, Ægir Brewery, which was awarded "Best Beer of the Year 2012" so we couldn't pass the opportunity to try that out :)  We had about 2 hours to kill before the 4:00 departure on the Flåm Railway for another hour ride of more beautiful scenery!

View from the Flåm Railway

 

The Kjossfossen Waterfall along the Flåm Railway

The Flåm Railway stops in Myrdal and from there we had a 5 hour train ride back to Oslo.  We were really tuckered out but were hesitant to sleep on the train because we didn't want to miss anything!  We watched the scenery though the rain, read, played on the iPad and snacked on FIRKLØVER  - a tasty chocolate from the Nordic made by Nestlé.  It was after 11:00 when we got into Oslo's Central Station and luckily we stayed at the super convenient Comfort Hotel Grand Central which was directly connected to the station.  We had to catch an early train to the airport the next morning and this couldn't have been easier.

Norway in a Nutshell is a great way to explore Norway and the Fjord's.  I would suggest taking longer than the 4 days we used to zip through it because it really is no fun moving your luggage from place to place every single night.  But, we wanted to see it during our time in Europe and since that is coming to an end we got it done!   It is sort of sad to think that this might very well have been our last "big" trip while we live on this side of the Atlantic but for all that we've done and seen I really have no reason to be sad!  It has been one whirlwind of an adventure after another and I like to think that we just live waiting for the next one to start!

I hope this blog has been fun and resourceful for all those that read it.  I'm looking forward to looking back over my posts, down the road. 

Until our next adventure, Tschüss!

Norway In A Nutshell Part I

Clever title?  No, I didn't coin that it's the name of the tour we found to explore what we think is one of the worlds most scenic, peaceful and livable places we've seen so far. The tour took us through Norway's 3 largest cities (Oslo, Trondheim and Bergen) and some of the most beautiful scenery in the Fjords of Norway.

Saturday we flew from FRA to Oslo, which only took about two hours. Once we arrived at the Gardemeont airport we bought tickets for the speed train into the city center and a quick 23 minutes later we arrived at Oslo S. It was pouring buckets! That does not make for fun sightseeing. We walked fast to the Thon City Hotel Panorama which was about a 5-7 minute walk from the main station. We checked in and went back out into the rain to the Hard Rock Café.

There were tons of people lining the streets which was odd because of the rain but then we heard the music and saw the parade, it was Gay Pride weekend and was it ever festive! We had a window seat at HRC and were able to watch the entire parade, a fun experience indeed!

It was still raining so we hopped on the HoHo for a good overview of Oslo since we were only in the city about 24 hours.  The entire loop was about 90 minutes and we weren't on it very long before the rain stopped and the weather cleared up.  Yahoo!

It is always great to hear the commentary as we ride by all of the hot spots. Oslo is the worlds largest Capitol city by area, with 454 square kilometers (of which 242 are forests) and with about 600,000 people.   It dates back to about the year 1000 but is a very modern city and easy to get around.

The Opera House

Cool looking modern buildings

Oslo City

Sunday we had breakfast at the hotel and then hopped back on the HoHo to visit The Vigeland Sculpture Park for a nice walk.  The park has free entrance and is filled with more than 200 sculptures in bronze, granite and cast iron from Gustav Vigeland (1869-1943).  The sculpture all depict the cycle of life and it's quite obvious that the artist put a lot of effort and emotion into all of his sculptures.  It was really interesting to stroll around studying the ideas behinds some of them.

The Vigeland Sculpture Park

The Vigeland Sculpture Park

The Vigeland Sculpture Park

The Vigeland Sculpture Park

We leisurely made our way back through the city on foot, enjoying the residential areas, and reaching the Royal Palace which was undergoing major renovations.  We walked back to the hotel where we picked up our bags and walked to the main station for our 7 hour ride up north. 

At the Royal Palace in Oslo

The NSB trains are quite nice in Norway, much like our German trains but honestly the scenery is a bit more picturesque during the ride! It did remind us of northern Montana or even New Hampshire in some spots. We followed along a river most of the way and saw so many waterfalls, lakes and lovely little farms on the mountainsides. 

Heading North on the train in Norway

Heading North on the train in Norway

Heading North on the train in Norway

It was a nice long ride to Trondheim.  The station was right on the water and our hotel wasn't far from there.  We made the quick walk over to our hotel and then walked through the city which was filled with tons of people and super loud music. We came to the city center and found a large concert being held. It was the Band TOTO on their 35th anniversary tour.  It was fun to hear a few recognizable songs as we walked around.

Trondheim city center and a TOTO Concert

We visited the most iconic cathedral in Norway and it's national sanctuary, the Nidarosdomen or the Nidaros Cathedral.  It was built over the burial grounds of Saint Olav, began construction in 1035 and took 250 years to complete!  We had the zoom lens on the camera so we weren't able to get a good full picture but the entire Cathedral was really beautiful.  Especially the West Front decorated with statues and ornaments.

Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim

Nidaros Cathedral's West Front

We found a peaceful outside spot called Egon's to have a drink and snack.   It was hard to believe that it was 11:00 pm because it was still so light out but we thought we better head to bed!  From our hotel window we could see the Hurtigruten ship out in the bay and the next morning we walked over to the harbor to board for our overnight cruise southbound in the Fjords!

- Posted using BlogPress from iPad

Location: Norway

We are being repatriated!

Sadly, our European adventure has come to an end. It is time for us to move back to America and it has come sooner than we anticipated. We will be relocating to the Moline area as DH has accepted a new position starting September 1st. Our emotions are very mixed as we make this transition because our experience has been a once in a lifetime chance during our two years in Deutschland. We wouldn't have traded it for anything in the world!

There are so many aspects of this life that we've had over the past two years that we are truly going to miss. The people and amazing new friends we've made, the different cultures, the food, the beer, the wine, the quaint villages, fast cars and the autobahn....just to name a few! (Although we won't miss those speed cameras!) Every morning hearing the church bells, dining on the streets as we people watch, beautiful (and meticulous!) gardens and flowers around every corner. We will miss the opportunity to travel so easily and so cheaply to so many amazing places and the diversity and history that comes with each new place. We will and will not miss the weather! We are definitely happy for more sunshine in the states, but sure enjoyed the days when it surprised us in Germany. While we are excited to get a big, huge "American" christmas tree, we will definitely miss the Christmas Markets and the non commercialized portrayal of Christmas. And the language! I have found a new hobby and put forth a lot of effort to learn Deutsch during our time in Germany. I will look forward to finding a way to utilize my new skill back in the states!

There are more great memories than we can count that we will be taking back with us as well as 1000's of pictures and a few extra pounds each! We will be looking forward to getting back to a more normal eating pattern. It's not that it was hard to eat smart in Germany, we were always eating and drinking as if we were on vacation :). We will definitely be looking forward to having our own home again with closets and counter space but were glad that we were able to live in a traditional German house with beautiful landscaping. We can't say that that we will miss the unique poop shelf toilet, but it sure is something that we won't forget!

It will be nice to get back to bigger parking spots and wide streets without random cars parking anywhere they want. Germanys concept of stores being closed on Sunday is nice but sometimes we just really wanted to do grocery shopping on that day. We always looked forward to the once a month Sunday shopping days! While we will look forward to the convenience of obtaining the check when dining out in America we will miss the concept of having our "own" table for the evening. And Stella, we are certainly going to miss our Stella. She didn't take the news too well but told us that we can send postcards to each other and that we will always hold a special place in her heart. Awe!

We will be a lot closer to our family and friends in the Midwest which we are really excited about. It will be nice to "stay home" instead of planning a road trip to fill up every weekend and anytime there was a German Holiday! It sure has been fun though.

We are really thankful for the opportunity that we were given and hope that everyone who followed along with the blog posts enjoyed the adventure. Who knows what the future holds but we are quite certain that our adventure is not over. The blog address will remain the same but the title will continue to change with whatever different adventure we may be embarked on at the time. So be sure to subscribe by email! Plus I write this post as we are on possibly our last European trip in Norway so there are still a few more posts to come. We might squeeze in another short trip with what time we have left but will have to see what our moving schedule permits.

Stay tuned and until then, tschüs!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

WWI Battlefields in Verdun

Driving back across France we decided to make a WWI pit stop at the grounds in Verdun.  It is not too far from the German border and only about 2 hours away from our house.  Few traces of WWI remain in Europe today, but the battlefields of Verdun provide a glimpse into the horrific battles from nearly a century ago.  We drove directly to the L'Ossuaire de Douamont, a tomb of the 130,000 French and Germans who lost their lives in Verdun.  The artillery shell shaped tower and cross design of the tomb symbolizes war and peace.

L'Ossuaire de Douamont

The tiny windows at the base of the monument are where you can peek into the tomb of the soldiers.

It was a bit eerie but all the while very moving, after experiencing the film inside and looking through the little picture boxes of actual photos taken during the war.  Over 800,000 lives were lost in WWI.

Then we made our way to the nearby Fort de Douaumont.  This was the most important stronghold in the network of forts built to protect Verdun.  It was built into the hillside and served as a command center for both sides at various times.  There are about 2 miles of hallways inside (that we didn't go into) but the Fort was completely useless by 1916 when German shelling rocked it.

Fort de Douaumont

Since much of the land is now covered by forest, only monuments are placed at the sites of former villages that were completely wiped out.  Thirteen villages in fact were never resurrected.  While there are ruins of shelters in the hillsides, it was really awesome to be driving along and see one of the Trenches along side the road.  The picture below was most likely French because it is dirt, while the Germans were built with concrete as in the second picture.  Those Germans, always so logical.

WWI Trench with dirt construction

WWI Trench with concrete construction

The Trench of Bayonets is a memorial and tomb of an entire company of soldiers who were buried alive.  Here, the soldiers bayonets remained above ground for decades.  The concrete monument surrounding it was donated by the US.

Trench of Bayonets

Former site of a village that was never rebuilt after the war destroyed it.

We stayed overnight in Verdun, which really is not a great place to stay overnight in.  Our hotel was about a 20 minute walk from the city center where there a many restaurants a few monuments of the War.  It was sunny and warm so we sat down next to the Muese River at Viv's Pub for a drink.

Couldn't resist a stop here at my mom's namesake pub :)

We then found a nice French-Italian place where no English was spoken, had a nice dinner and walked back to the hotel.  In the morning we checked out and made the short 2 hour drive back home.  Had we realized before that we didn't need the entire day in Verdun we probably would have driven home the night before but we didn't know what additional WWII or WWI stops we were going to make on the way.  It was a very interesting and historical long weekend as we toured through all of the sights of WWII and WWI. 

 

 



The Beaches of Normandy at Utah and Omaha

We knew we were in for a long day and Gott sie Dank it was a beautiful day!  After a nice French breakfast we drove about 40 minutes to Utah Beach to the D-Day Landing Museum.  We were definitely not going to cover all 75 miles of the Atlantic Coast, just mainly the American sites.  We arrived at the opening and were very impressed with the entire complex.  It is newly built around the remains of a concrete German bunker and is nestled in the sand dunes on the beach.  The museum is filled with unique artifacts not seen at other museums, a lot of war memorabilia and fascinating facts as well as personal accounts and belongings of some of the GI's.  It also includes an impressive display of restored vehicles, including the B-26 war bomber "Dinah Might" inside.  We really enjoyed the 20 minute movie depicting the D-Day events too.  You can read as many books as you like on the subject of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy and watch Band of Brothers 1000 times, but the museum brings to life the experiences of the day and helped fill in many gaps in my knowledge of the events.

D-Day Landing Museum at Utah Beach

 

Restored B-26 Bomber

Since the museum sits right on Utah Beach, being able to look out the large glass windows through some of the old defenses just added to the whole impression.  It certainly brings a sense of realism to the displays, but nothing beats standing at the memorial overlooking one of the beaches where it all happened.  

Awesome display in the museum

 
We walked outside to visit some of the monuments on the beach and then drove into the town of Sainte-Marie-du-Mont.  To be standing on the grounds where such a war occurred that changed the course of history...what a feeling.
 

Utah Beach - anti tank wall

Saint-Marie-du-Mont lies at the end of a long causeway linking the beach to higher ground and was therefore a principal objective of paratroopers of the U.S. 101st Airborne Division.  We walked around the town reading the stories that were posted on buildings that had specific purposes back in June 1944.

Shop in Sainte-Marie-du-Mont with a pretend paratrooper!

Next stop was the Point du Hoc Ranger Monument which was the Germans' most heavily fortified position along the D-Day Beaches and it was literally bombed to smithereens.   

Not rolling hills at the Pointe du Hoc Ranger Monument

We stood here at the cliff's edge and thought about the US Army Rangers climbing it with borrowed ladders from the London fire department and getting shot at from the Germans.  The Monument in the picture below is in memory of the 2nd Rangers Battalion. Commanded by Colonel James E. Rudder of the 1st American Infantry Division, they assaulted and captured La Pointe du Hoc battery; the memorial is built on a control firing casemate where bodies of the soldiers still lie under the ruins. 

The little John Deere is doing his rounds around the grounds

We traveled back towards Omaha Beach and had lunch at Hotel Casino on the beach.  It was here that the Americans assembled their own floating bridge and artificial harbor. The pontoon bridge was just up the road but we didn't get a picture. 

Omaha Beach in front of Hotel Casino

We were just down the road from Omaha Beach where we were the night before but could spend time at now since it was a beautiful day. The highest casualty rates occurred at Omaha Beach, nicknaming it "Bloody Omaha."  After all that we had seen that day it was hard not to picture what this scenery was like 69 years ago.  The metal sculpture on the Beach rises from the waves in honor of the liberating forces, and to symbolize the rise of freedom on the wings of hope.  It was made by a local artist and looked absolutely beautiful.

Finally, we were off to the American Cemetery.  We had visited the one in Luxembourg as well almost 2 years ago.   There is something so peaceful, so serene, and obviously so sad as we wandered through the 9,300 white marble crosses and Stars of David.  My heart felt heaviest as I realized how many of these fallen heroes were the mere age of 18 or 19 and what they had done for our country. I have goose bumps as I write this.

 

There were so many marked this way.

Behind this statue in the picture below, are the names of the 1,557 soldiers that were never found.  A small metal knob was placed next to a name whose body was eventually found but there weren't many.

Statue represents the spirit of American youth

It was a great day.  We were just down the road from our Hotel where we went back for a short rest before venturing out for dinner.  Port-in-Bessin was a little fishing harbor west of Arromanches in Normandy, it was situated between two landing zones, Omaha Beach the Vth American Corps sector, and Gold Beach the XXXth British Corps sector.  We walked along the harbor and found a nice restaurant where Dave could try mussels.

Yuck. But he said they were delicious.

The town of Port-en-Bessin

We were so happy to have been able to experience what we had in Normandy.  We were just a few days away from the 69th anniversary of D-Day too!  Another iconic piece of American and World history we can check off our list during our time here.  We are truly blessed!