Tuesday, April 14, 2009

4th-7th April Norway Trip

Saturday 4th april, Pick up my friends and drive straight to Stansted airport in order to catch the 11am flight to Oslo, Norway.
Upon arrival, i was stunt seeing snow surrounding the runway and straight away i can feel the cold air blowing in when the door is open.
Get out from the airport and pick up our rented car. Shock to see it is a manual car. Manual is not a big deal for me but Manual with left hand side driving is definately a challenge for 2 of the driver!!! I start to feel stress immediately......
We headed straight to our destination, Flam which is 390km away from where we landed. 390km is not too far if it is in a straight road, but this is Norway and everywhere is on the mountain road...it took us 6 hrs to get to the destination with inclusing a very steeps and 13 hair pin turn's road from top of mountain to bottom of mountain. My hair stood up when i first see the drawing in my natvigator, its just like a bunch of line overlapping to each other and there is no fencing at the side of the road on the cliff..... I am so tension but the driver seems to be very confident although he did scared the hell out of us in 1 of a sharpest turn! we almost crash into the wall of tunnel where there is a sharp 90deg turn in the middle of mountain.
Seriously, if u plan to drive in Norway, make sure it is not winter time,where road are icy and low visibility.
After a long day traveling, we finally arrive our apartment! it is the best apartment i ever stay, mordern, stylist and clean! I like the swing outside the balcony over looking the lake, i wanted to sit there at night but i missed the chance! (it will be damn romantic if u can sit there with the one u love over looking the mirror image of mountain in the clam lake).
Maybe it is still off peak season and everywhere is very quite and peaceful!
The scenery was amazing and i particularly likes all the mirror image from the mountain into the water! unfortunately the weather wasn't really good and it drizzling in the next morning.
We can't walk along the village or some tracking road but to take the train up to the hill. The scenery going up and down the hill is beautiful too (just like what we had in Kyoto train !) but i bet everything will be much nicer if we were there in Summer!)
Upon arrive on top of the hill, it snow heavily!!! all the water falls was still frozen in ice, what a strange phenomenon!!
After a round trip on the train, we took a cruise from Flam to Gudvangen, the trip was abit boring maybe due to the not so good weather, but it was supose to be one of the best cruise route to admire the Norway Fjord.
Gudvangen is another small town where there is nothing much to talk about except beautiful scenery with water falls (but all still frozen)!!!
When back to apartment by bus and cook our own dinner!
1 advice if u are travling to Norway, prepare to cook urself dinner will be much much cheaper as the living cost there is very high!
The next morning, almost time to leave the lovely town and headed back to Oslo, the capital of Norway.
In the middle of journey, we stop by a few places to take pictures!
There is nothing much to talk about Oslo excpet the famous Vigeland Park whereby there have alot of naked human sculptures!
4 days 3 nights in Norway is finally over.
Wish i have chance to go to Norway again but this time to Bergen and to see the midnight sun!!!!
What an adventurous , tiring but lovely trip!!

No comments: