Day 6 – Trains, Planes & Automobiles….to Bergen, Norway
When we originally planned our trip, we looked at flights from Amsterdam to Bergen, Norway. The more we read about Norway, the more interested we became in the idea of flying to Oslo then taking the train to Bergen. Some travel books list this as one of the most scenic train trips in Europe. So for $64 each we decided to take the 7 hour train from Oslo to Bergen.
The Schipol Airport in Amsterdam is very large and modern. I especially like to ‘easy-to-read’ signage for each gate. We were departing from C16 on SAS for the 2 hour flight.We were impressed by the very Scandinavian presentation for the lunch salad in what looked like a box for a fancy watch or a new gadget from Apple.The trio of chocolates was a nice after lunch treat.The Norway Tourism marketing campaign uses the phrase: “Norway – Powered by Nature” which greeted us at Oslo Airport.The regional train station is below the Airport which made for a quick and easy connection for the 23 minute ride to Oslo Central Train Station where we would board for our trip to Bergen.Here is a screen shot from the phone showing the 7 hour, 300 mile route to Bergen.
As we booked about 3 months ago when the tickets first became available on-line, we were able to get a discounted fare of $64. This includes a $9 surcharge for “Komfort” Class which has more leg room, free wi-fi, power outlets at each seat, and most importantly…complimentary coffee, cappuccino and hot chocolate.Plenty of room and expansive views.The trip takes you from sea-level to an elevation of 4,058 feet (1,237 meters)George Lucas filmed “The Ice Planet Hoth” in the Empire Strikes Back near this area of Finse.This is in June so you can imagine what it looks like in the middle of winter.
Along the route, the train will go through 178 tunnels, the longest one being 3.3 miles long! Here is the view as we approach Finse. Listen for the announcement in Norwegian and English.
We arrived as scheduled at 10:30 p.m. at the Bergen Train Station. It was indeed a spectacular train voyage which gave us a sense of how much Norway really is……… Powered by Nature.A short 10 minute taxi ride (the “Automobiles” part from the blog post title) and we arrived at our rental apartment. With sunset at 11:01 p.m. it was still very light outside at 11:20.Evan entering the apartment that he and Kyle share. Bev and I are on the upper floor of this home built in 1881.With the sun still lighting up the sky at 11:30 p.m.
