Bergen had provided a feast of delights in just 24 hours, and it felt like a city worth sticking around for. However, I needed to head East in order to start heading South and back towards home. The train journey to Oslo takes nearly seven hours. Usually, that would be an opportunity to rest, and maybe sleep. But this is a voyage that demands they eyes be kept open, for fear of missing a spectacular view.
Bergen station isn’t a big place. Just five platforms mean you’re unlikely to get lost, and the 1145 departure to Oslo is already waiting some 45 minutes early. However, boarding doesn’t begin iuntil about fifteen minutes before leaving. A small crowd builds up; a woman with a noisy dog, a few people carrying skis, an older couple from Austrlia who’ve just been on a cruise in the fjords.
The Norwegian state railway, VY, is an organised affair. Reservations for their poplar service are compulsory, but if you have a first class rail pass they’re free of charge. And the Plus carriages provide huge amounts of legroom and comfort. A nicer touch is the drinks station, allowing passengers to help themselves to coffee, tea and hot chocolate.
The complimentary drinks are just the first treat of the day. Inland fjords open up as we leave Bergen, and snow has started to fall. The train steadily climbs through wide valleys, then into the mountains. No wonder this journey is considered to be one of the most scenic in the world.
It gets better: climbing even higher, the train snakes through multiple tunnels to ski resorts. At one I see to waiting taxis for visitors, but a man on a snowmobile.
24 Hours in Oslo
The Norwegian capital was dusted in a wet snow and sleet combinations by the time we arrived at just after 7pm. The Comfort Hotel (Karl Johan) had boasted “no two of our rooms are the same”. I sincerely hoped not, since mine was cramped into a triangular corner of the building with a bed complete with somebody else’s hair still in it. But more of that later. Dinner was served courtesy of the Ostbanhallen, a collection of bars and restaurants in what was the original building of the central railway station. A half decent burger and a beer costs around 30 Euro – approximately half of which was for the beer. It was time to find somewhere cheaper.
The drinks were marginally cheaper in The London Pub which had been recommended by a friend. Thursday’s entertainment came in the form of bingo, presented by a drag queen. I say “entertainment” as the whole act was in Norwegian, though one or two of the jokes had, erm,/interchangeable terms.
A bad night’s sleep at, let’s remember, the Comfort Hotel had left me feeling extremely uncomfortable. It’s a very British thing to avoid complaining, but having paid 130 Euro per night, something needed to be said. The helpful receptionist offered me the choice of a ful refund for the first night but staying in the same grotty room, or an upgrade “to our best room”. It wasn’t the plushest upgrade I’ve ever had, but it was certainly the biggest when it came to the size of the room itself.
Sufficiently upgraded it was time for a day of culture. And Oslo has loads of it. A tram took me to the Aker Brygge district. In better weather this place is teeming with pavement restaurants overlooking the city’s port. It’s also the home of Oslo City Hall, which looks as though it came from the 1970s, but was actually built between 1930 and 1950.
From the quayside you can get a number of ferries to different destinations. The public transport provider, Ruter, runs services to some of the many islands off Oslo – all included in the price of a day ticket. However, the most popular destination – Museum Island – is run by a different company, A 10 Euro ticket allows you to hop on and off all day. Just like Bergen, it’s also a great way of seeing the busy port close up.
There’s a museum for just about everything here. Sadly, the Viking Museum is closed for renovations. However, the Norwegian Maritime Museum, and it’s neighbour The Fram, more than make up for it. Centuries of seafaring history are told here, and there are plenty of interactive elements, such as experiencing life on a boat during the two world wars. NewsMutt decides he’d rather like to join the Navy.
However, it’s The Fram museum that proves the real highlight. It tells the story of the polar explorer ship used in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Remarkably, the entire vessel is not only preserved in the vast museum, but you’re allow to go on board and have a play. At various intervals through the day, a huge projection simulates an ice storm, giving you a realistic experience. You can onl imagine the brains and tenacity required to get through such times.
More poignantly, a war memorial stands just outside the Martine Museum. And on a cold day, with fresh snow on the ground, you get a real sense of Norway’s strategic position on the edge of Europe.
Another short tram ride takes you to the park surrounding the Royal Palace. It’s open for tours, but only during the summer. But like the one in Stockholm, its grounds are accessible all year round; the perfect place for a selfie.
It’s my second and final evening in Oslo so just enough time to sample some more (rather pricey) drinks. As in Bergen it made sense to try and support local breweries and fortunately the number of craft beer bars has increased significantly in recent years. Close to the Cathdral, Brygg is a sprawling beer hall set over two floors. It has an industrial, functional feel to it with two street food kitchens on site. On Friday night it was busywith after work drinkers.
I don’t usually like a cliche, but on Karl Johan’s Gate you really can find an English, Irish and Scottish pub all within a five minute walk. Sir Winston’s is what the locals cal a “brown pub” – which may at first sound like the start of a very bad joke, but refers to the olde worlde interiors with dark wooden furnishings and faux signs.
If you are taking an evening out in Norway, be warned that the entertainment starts late – in this case at 10pm, when a piano player arrives and gets people dancing with plenty of familiar cover tunes. This may well be a “brown pub”, but it looks better in black and white.
Perhaps not suprisingly for the heart of a European capital city, there are bouncers on the doors of many bars. Don’t be offended if you’re searched. But here, they also patrol the inside of pubs, casting a sinister glance towards anyone who looks like they might cause trouble.
I’ve found Norway to be once of the friendliest countries I’ve visited so far. There’s a smile and a warm welcome in many places, and of course it helps that English is widely spoken. With so much ones from oil and logistics, it’s a place with a confident feel. But now it’s time to head backl over the border to Sweden.
Getting here
By train : Trains run across Norway and to and from neighbouring countries frequently, and there are usual multiple services connecting the main cities every day. The Norwegian Railways website is a good starting point, though if using a rail pass you’ll most likely end up using the booking system Entur. To make reservations, ensure you enter yourself as an Interrail passenger when doing the search and have your valid pass number ready.
Tip : If culture is your thing, consider getting an Oslo Pass which will give you free or discounted entry to many museums, and also allows you travel on the city’s public transport system. The pass includes travel on the ferry to Museum Island.
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