I never would’ve guessed that one of the world’s great collections of Art Nouveau architecture would be in Norway. But it is, in Ålesund.
In 1904, the city was completely destroyed by fire. It took just three years for the city to be rebuilt, with help and donations from the European community. Because it was 1904, the style was Art Nouveau. What surprised me the most was the variety of features, no two buildings are alike and they have been extremely well-maintained. What a treasure. Anyone who loves Art Nouveau needs to research this collection of buildings.
My favorite Art Nouveau façade.
The pretty fishing port town covers several islands and is a delight to walk around. We came upon a street food fair featuring all sorts of local meats, fish, waffles, and more; everything smelled delicious. Having just eaten, we just enjoyed looking and watching.
Today was a picture-perfect day for what is often-cited as the most beautiful fjord in Norway, Geirangerfjorden.
The 10-mile fjord terminates in a tiny storybook village, and is a gateway to a wide variety of outdoor activities. Popular with Norwegians, as well as tourists, this UNESCO site has become a favorite stop for cruise ships, and the reason is clear.
We took a heart-stopping bus ride on numerous hairpin turns to reach Mount Dalsnibba, at 4,500’ with incredible views of the surrounding snow-capped mountains and fjord far below. But the best photos were from Flydalsjuvet about 1/3 the way up. The faint of heart could stop right there.
Later, we changed our perspective, getting out on the water in a RIB boat (think Zodiac). It was a real experience to speed around the fjord. It was not so exciting to get splashed with freezing salt water, although we were well-protected it thermal gear, resembling an arctic expedition team in bright blue suits. Our captain/guide was interesting, and told us quite a bit about the remote farms that, incredibly, are scattered along the cliff-sides. It was a treat to be able to go right next to the Seven Sisters Waterfall, and because it was high tide, we had the incredible thrill of getting up close and personal with the Suitor Waterfall, literally up against the granite rock face as the thundering cascade roared down into the fjord.
We had seen these famous waterfalls on our sail into this spectacular fjord when our ship arrived, but getting this close was an amazing perspective.
From clouds to glacial water – our favorite Norwegian experience so far.
At the Top of Dalsnibba.
The Seven Sisters Waterfall.
A crack in a nearby mountain is being closely monitored by geologists. If is continues to grow, and the rock face collapses it will cause a huge tsunami that is predicted to devastate the area in 40 – 60 years.
Typical farm.
Flåm’s name literally translates into “little place with steep mountains” and it is a fitting description. It’s on Aurlandsfjord, the innermost arm of Songefjord, Norway’s biggest and deepest fjord. The area is still reeling from massive flooding last year that destroyed homes and caused major damage to buildings, bridges, road and the railway. Their latest misfortune was a fire in the tunnel on their main road last week, closing the road to traffic for the immediate future. In spite of the flooding and the chilly, wet weather, Flåm proved a delightful place to visit.
Flåm has a famous train, the Flåmsbana, whose slogan is “one of the world’s most beautiful train rides”, and I chose this cruise itinerary because Flåm was included. So once again we found ourselves back on a train ride – albeit a short ride this time. About 45 minutes up to Vatnahalsen (just under 2,500’), where we stopped for a break and a snack of homemade waffles, sour cream and jam (small, thin waffles and the taste reminded me of a blintz). Then back down the same route.
More significantly, was our stop at the thundering Kjosfossen Falls, with a free fall of 305 feet. While off the train, some eerily haunting music seemed to come from the mountains around the falls and a “water spirit” appeared and begin to dance and leap. Odd as it sounds, with the light rain and mist from the falls, it was really a nice effect.
There were many other impressive falls along the way, as well as beautiful mountains, tiny villages and snow-covered peaks all around. No one would’ve been surprised to see one of Norway’s famous trolls around the next bend.
Simply lovely.
View from Mt. Floyen.
Bryggen.
Today we are in beautiful Bergen and are so lucky to have a bright sunny day in one of Europe’s wettest cities.
We had a pretty exhausting day Saturday, leaving Zürich and travelling to London to connect with our cruise leaving out of Southampton. I had wanted to fly into Southampton, but that was not an option, so it was Heathrow and its hour-long passport line . . . it took us twice as long as it should have to get to our ship due to really awful weekend traffic in the UK. But we made it, and once on the Celebrity Eclipse, the stress melted away. We had a wonderful afternoon and evening exploring the ship and a quiet, pretty sea day on Sunday to rest and re-group.
Bergen is our first stop on this cruise to the Norwegian Fjords.
We had our own agenda and had purchased one-way tickets on the funicular railway up Mount Fløyen, one of the seven peaks surrounding Bergen. They claim it’s an 8-minute ride, but it was really about 4 minutes to arrive 1,000’ above sea level and see post card views of Bergen.
We bought the tickets on-line before we left home and avoided the incredible line that looked hours long.
Then, we walked down. They have a lot of trails from the top and the trail back to the city center took us a leisurely hour (with stops for some pictures and to leave a small rock offering to the local spirits). The trail was well-groomed and wide, wandering through the forest. When we got back to civilization, we had a nice bonus of walking through a really charming residential area.
We made our way to the Fish Market for some typical smørbrød (Scandinavian open-faced sandwich) of salmon and crayfish. We skipped the whale. It’s legal to hunt and eat whale here – but I don’t see how their arguments in favor of tradition and necessity, extends to feeding tourists.
We then headed over to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Bryggen, a street along the harbor lined with colorful, wooden Hanseatic buildings. The buildings still standing are the few that survived the many fires that destroyed the area, and are now filled with shops and cafes. Along the way, we sampled the famous local cinnamon roll, Skillingsbolle, a tradition here since the 1890s.
We enjoyed the nice, clean, modern downtown area with its beautiful central lake and grassy park, surrounded with museums and vibrant flowers. On one side is the city’s Festplassen, the Bergen festival square with its gorgeous music pavilion, surrounded by, and covered in, colorful flowers. It was such a gorgeous day, and everyone seemed to be out: lying on the grass in the parks, biking, hiking, jogging or sitting in cafes.
Now, I need a rest and a cocktail.
Annoying Fact:
While most places here do take euros and US dollars as well as the Norwegian krone, it’s one of those countries you have to pay (10 NOK) to use a public restroom. Private ones in restaurants generally require codes to access. So having money is not enough, you need change!
Coming into Bergen Harbour.
Leaving Southampton, UK.
