This past week was our fall break from school. We took a trip to Bergen and Flåm to see the countryside and experience a big city in Norway. We had a fantastic trip and took over 300 pictures. I tried to capture some of our favorites here, but there were so very many to choose from.
We started the trip with a 4 hour fast ferry ride to Bergen. The waves were quite intense on part of the ride..which was not so much fun for a pregnant lady. Maarit enjoyed the play room and we were able to see many small towns and ports along the way.
We stayed in Bergen our first night then took the morning train to Voss. From Voss we switched to a bus that took us on a winding road through the mountains to a ferry through the narrowest fjord in Norway and finally to a tiny town called Flåm where we spent our second night. From Flåm we travelled the historic Flåm railway to Myrdal and took the Norwegian rail back to Bergen.
It was truly a mass transit trip! Maarit enjoyed all but the winding bus ride which made her ill. When we counted we determined that on our whole vacation we took 3 boats, 4 trains, and 3 buses...quite a voyage.
We stayed in two of the most historic hotels in Bergen, one that is famous for hosting Roald Amundson, the Norwegian explorer, on his last night seen alive and another which boasts the oldest tavern in Bergen, over 400 years old. We enjoyed Bergen's unique history and amazing sites. Justin and I loved the train ride from Flåm to Myrdal and Maarit especially loved the Bergen Aquarium. It was a wonderful trip.
Us having fun.
Ferry to Flåm
Around Bergen
These are some my favorite pictures from our trip.
I love that this one cloud looks like a perfect ghostly figure.
Playing in Flåm...an amazing place to find a playground.
Our hotel in Flåm
The Flåm railway.
Curving through the mountains and tunnels.
Fall time in the mountains! Amazing.
Justin and I decided that Norway most often looks like a painting ...sometimes it seems too perfectly beautiful to actually be real.
My new favorite family picture.
Riding the rail through the rickety wooden overhangs.
When we got to Myrdal it was snowing and very cold.
Arriving back to Bergen...a chilly afternoon.
Our morning hike on the mountain overlooking Bergen. We were there as the sun rose over the city.
Maarit enjoyed the Bergen Trollskogen...I liked the troll faces.
Riding the Funicular rail up and down the mountain.
When Maarit learned there was an aquarium in Bergen, there was no question about whether we were visiting. She is quite fond of aquariums and aquatic life in general thanks to her guide-mother Sarah! This one was unique because it featured many species found in Norway, which was a lot of fun for us to learn about. However they also had some very exotic animals like Nile Crocodiles and Monitor Lizards!
Maairt loved the penguins and sea lions.
The blur here is Maarit pulling away just as Daddy joked that the crab I am holding might pinch her!
Kids were allowed to gently pick up the starfish, Maarit loved that.
We were lucky to catch a glimpse of the baby sea lion.
The sea lion training and feeding was especially fun. We were allowed quite close to the animals. This big guy is over 600 pounds and was jumping in the air just near our faces. He was one of the most comical creatures I have ever seen.
Maarit and her sea lion pals.
We are looking forward to a future big city trip to Bergen.
The rest of our weekend will be devoted to Birthday Party planning! So many reasons to love October.
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