Norway day 7; final postcard from Bergen

It’s 7.00am and this is our lift to Bergen Airport.  The whole process of getting to the airport, catching the plane and getting to Gatwick is simple and straight forward.  Not so, after that - it takes us twice as long to get from Gatwick to Milton Keynes as it does to get from Bergen to Gatwick.

So - Norway.  A beautiful country, of that there is no doubt.  The standout highlights for me were seeing the Viking ships up close and the train journey from Oslo to Bergen.  There was more we wanted to do and see, but we did as much as we could given the weather.  I struggle to breathe in hot weather,  especially going up hill - and there were many hills. 

I can see why people like Bergen, but I preferred Oslo.  Bergen is very picturesque - people come from all over the world to see it.  And that to me was its downfall.  It is dominated by the tourist industry.  And at busy times it’s almost impossible to move.

There's a buzz about Oslo - it's an exciting place to be.  And it seems to be able to accommodate visitors without them overwhelming the place.  We had room to see and mix with locals and gained a better idea, even in our short visit, of how ordinary Norwegians manage their lives.  Here’s an example:

Last Wednesday we’re standing at a tram stop in Oslo waiting to catch a tram back to our hotel.  A young mum walks past, pushing a baby buggy.  A few moments later, she comes back, picks the baby up out of the buggy and hands her to Anniemay.  Without batting an eyelid, Anniemay begins cooing and making general maternal-type noises to the  infant.  She smiles up at her, while her mum begins to strap on a baby-harness.  She speaks to Anniemay in Norwegian, saying something that neither of us understand.

It eventually dawns on the young woman that we’re not natives; “I thought two hands would be better than one” she says in English.  We chat amiably about families and so on while she finishes sorting out the harness.  I tell her that Anniemay’s DNA profile is 62% Scandinavian.  She’s not surprised.

Job done, Anniemay hands back the baby, she’s into the harness and away they go.  Anniemay is beaming - chuffed that her maternal instincts are so obvious and also that her Viking roots are clearly showing through. 

We’d like to come back to Norway - there’s much more we want to see.  But it can be an expensive place to visit.  Eye-wateringly so at times.  So I have two suggestions for potential visitors from the UK.

First and foremost - wait until you’re at least 67 years of age.  Norway treats ‘seniors’ (anyone over the age of 67) well, with massive discounts on travel and activities.  Our rail journey was half the standard price.  

Secondly - because eating out is the real killer - I suggest you don’t.  Bring plenty of sandwiches and snacks instead.  Here’s why: the hotel breakfasts are amazing wall-to-wall extravaganzas and include things you probably didn’t even think you could - or even should - eat first thing in the morning.  So fill your stomach  and that will last you most of the day.  You can fill your pockets as well, if you think you won’t survive.

If you’re coming for a longish holiday and are worried about your packed lunches going off, or exceeding your baggage allowance, you can substitute Kendal’s Mint Cake.  It comes in a variety of flavours nowadays, so you can ring the changes.

Anniemay is already looking through the Lakeland catalogue to update her Tupperware collection.