Need help planning a trip to Norway

[teacherplus]

Hotshot80 If you don't ask for 1000 Krone at the ATM what do you ask for? Thank you!

[ILoveScotland]

Hotshot80 If you don't ask for 1000 Krone at the ATM what do you ask for? Thank you!

 

Thanks for asking my question, because I will be in Norway in 5 weeks.

[bearsfolks]

Hi everyone:

Personal issues have kept us from working more on our Norway trip, But we’re back at it, and have been looking at shore excursions, where I was hoping to tap into your collective knowledge and experience. I saw Maddle's questions, and made sure that my questions had not been already answered. I hope this is not seen as hijacking her thread and becomes confusing--if it is, I'll start a new one.

1. First, I’m trying to plan some shore excursions on our own, and need to know when it’s safe to book them. When it says that the ship gets into port at a certain time, how much after that is it safe to assume that we’ll be off the ship. And how much before the ship is supposed to leave port should one be back? I know that we may get tenedered in a couple of places, but how do you guys plan the timing of on-you-own excursions.

2. What would you suggest doing in Hammerfest? We’re going to be there for about 8 hours, and the ship offers tours to the Alta Museum and petroglyphs, the Polar Bear Club, and the Sami experience, none of which are particularly appealing. Is there anything that we can do here involving sights or animals or birds?

3. In Trondheim, where we have about 8 hours, rather than taking any of the excursions, we were thinking of just seeing the sights, taking the tram, and wandering around town on our own. Does anyone have other ideas?

4. Because we’ll be doing the Flam railway when we go from Bergen to Oslo, our situation in Flam is different from Maddle's. We are not going to do the railway when the ship is in Flam. Instead, we will be doing one of the other excursions that goes to Naeroyfjord and Stalheim by land and sea,, which is shorter, and leaves us about 6 hours or so to spare in the afternoon. Any suggestions regarding what can we do in that time?

5. In Alesund, we are going to try to follow in TLCOhio’s footsteps and go to Runde on our own. Can anyone recommend a guide with a car or how I can find one (if it is against CC rules to recommend someone)—I’d rather do that than have to go through renting a car and getting lost (yes, we have GPS, but it is still easier with a local).

6. In Honningsvaag, we are taking a Bird Safari offered by the ship to Gjesværstappan Nature Reserve. I’m sure it’s a bigger boat than the one that TLCOhio took. I’d like to know if anyone has taken or knows about this excursion which leaves from Gjesvær, and if it got close enough to the cliffs to be able to enjoy the birds.

Sadly, it doesn’t look like we’ll be able to do the Lofoten Islands on this trip. We’re going to be flying in to Oslo and then onto Stavanger, to board the ship, and then disembarking at Bergen, staying there for a couple of days, taking the Norway in a Nutshell trip to Oslo, and flying out of Oslo after a couple of days. I couldn’t figure out any convenient way of doing the Islands.

Look forward to your comments and suggestions. TIA.

[Hotshot80]

Hotshot80 If you don't ask for 1000 Krone at the ATM what do you ask for? Thank you!

 

Perhaps 900 Krone. You will probably get a 500 and 4x100's notes

[ILoveScotland]

Perhaps 900 Krone. You will probably get a 500 and 4x100's notes

 

So, if I ask for 500 Krone I'll probably get a 500 Krone note. Right? That would be approximately $100 which is what I've determined I'll want in cash when I arrive in Bergen.

 

Beth

[Hotshot80]

So, if I ask for 500 Krone I'll probably get a 500 Krone note. Right? That would be approximately $100 which is what I've determined I'll want in cash when I arrive in Bergen.

 

Beth

 

Hi Beth, yes, but it will probably be easier to get change for a 500 Krone note. Unfortunately it is expensive in Norway, but the scenery is wonderful, regards, Harold

[ILoveScotland]

Hi Beth, yes, but it will probably be easier to get change for a 500 Krone note. Unfortunately it is expensive in Norway, but the scenery is wonderful, regards, Harold

 

Thanks, Harold. As I've done my research over the past months I've learned how expensive everything is in Norway.

 

I'll be on my own for a night and day and then join others who've booked a Norway Coastal Voyage through Vantage Travel including a friend of mine who lives in the Chicago area. Once we're on the ship we won't need cash which is why I don't want to get more than 500 Krone the first day.

 

 

 

Beth

[bearsfolks]

My wife just pointed out to me that the shore excursion we were going to take in Flam "Naeroyfjord & Stalheim by Land & Sea" actually overlaps quite a bit with Norway in a Nutshell. They both cruise through Naeroyfjord to Gudvangen, and then the shore excursion takes a bus to the Stalheim Hotel and the serpentine Stalheim Road, while Nutshell takes a bus to Voss.

 

So, the question is whether it is worth taking this shore excursion where the only additional view is driving along the Stalheim Road, or should we skip it and use our approximately 11 hours in Flam doing something else on our own?

 

Thanks.

[Maddle]

bearsfolks - don't worry about hijacking my thread, because I think it was yours to begin with!

 

Have you considered all of the options offered by

 

http://www.visitflaam.com

 

Perhaps there is a tour they offer that won't repeat some of your earlier visits.

 

Maddle

[prudence passenger]

thanks to all for great information for a norway cruise

any reason why no one has mentioned Celebrity Constellation?

we are looking at a 12 day out of amsterdam end of june,

with lots of great norway ports, only 3 sea days,

we prefer excursions on our own, and have always found renting a car at ports everywhere easy, and gps easy, does the same go for norway?

last summer we did land and sea canada and alaska, and have heard norway is even more exquisite scenery

we also got fabulous info on cruise critic for our alaska excursions and used many of the suggestions we heard here :)

thanks again to all for advice on the posts

[kaisatsu]

My wife just pointed out to me that the shore excursion we were going to take in Flam "Naeroyfjord & Stalheim by Land & Sea" actually overlaps quite a bit with Norway in a Nutshell. They both cruise through Naeroyfjord to Gudvangen, and then the shore excursion takes a bus to the Stalheim Hotel and the serpentine Stalheim Road, while Nutshell takes a bus to Voss.

 

So, the question is whether it is worth taking this shore excursion where the only additional view is driving along the Stalheim Road, or should we skip it and use our approximately 11 hours in Flam doing something else on our own?

 

Thanks.

Do you like beer? The Ægir microbrewery has been winning all kinds of national awards lately.

http://www.flamsbrygga.no/en/aegir-brewery/

 

There are a lot of trails in the area, and the tourist office has a free walking/hiking map.

[kaisatsu]

Perhaps 900 Krone. You will probably get a 500 and 4x100's notes

More likely you'd get a 500 and two 200s.

 

Most ATMs don't actually dispense 1000 NOK notes. Even when we take 2000 or 3000 out of an ATM we get 500s and 200s. In fact, after six years here, I've never even held a 1000, and I've probably seen fewer than a dozen used in shops.

[TLCOhio]

thanks to all for great information for a norway cruise. any reason why no one has mentioned Celebrity Constellation? we are looking at a 12 day out of amsterdam end of june, with lots of great norway ports, only 3 sea days, we prefer excursions on our own, and have always found renting a car at ports everywhere easy, and gps easy, does the same go for norway? last summer we did land and sea canada and alaska, and have heard norway is even more exquisite scenery we also got fabulous info on cruise critic for our alaska excursions and used many of the suggestions we heard here :) thanks again to all for advice on the posts

 

Your above posting raises a number of good questions. As noted below, we've sailed with Celebrity, but not on the Connie. Have heard many good things about this ship, especially at its size for the Norway coast. Amsterdam is super wonderful. Our good friends who did the Norway coast trip with us during July 2010 as detailed below on the live/blog, just got back Sunday from three days in Amsterdam after doing 2.5 weeks in Africa. They really loved Amsterdam. It looks like your port stops are Bergen, Olden, Molde, Geiranger, Alesund, Skjolden, Flam, and Oslo. We have been in five of those ports. From my live/blog linked below, you can see lots more ideas and pictures on Bergen, Geiranger, Alesund and Flam.

 

You noted: "we prefer excursions on our own, and have always found renting a car at ports everywhere easy". That's fine for many ports and might be possible in Norway. We did three different rental cars during July 2010 travels along this coast. BUT, if and if!! It's not as simple and easy as what you might have experienced and/or done in the past. Costs can be much, much higher!! That's Norway with its high labor costs and tax levels, etc. Some of these small port villages, such as Flam, do not have much in the way of car rental places or easy to grab quick local tours.

 

Tell us more on what you seek and like to do and see? How much for nature, history, culture, shopping, food, etc.?? How many in your party and your degree of budget flexibility? What have been your previous Europe travels and experiences?

 

Happy to share more and answer specific questions from you after learning more details on your interests.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Celebrity Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 116,121 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 93,750 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

[TLCOhio]

My wife just pointed out to me that the shore excursion we were going to take in Flam "Naeroyfjord & Stalheim by Land & Sea" actually overlaps quite a bit with Norway in a Nutshell. They both cruise through Naeroyfjord to Gudvangen, and then the shore excursion takes a bus to the Stalheim Hotel and the serpentine Stalheim Road, while Nutshell takes a bus to Voss. So, the question is whether it is worth taking this shore excursion where the only additional view is driving along the Stalheim Road, or should we skip it and use our approximately 11 hours in Flam doing something else on our own? Thanks.

 

After we did our Flam rail adventure in the morning, we sailed to Gudvangen. We had a driver and a small van who took us to the wonderful Tvinde Waterfall, the Stalheim Hotel and down the serpentine Stalheim Road. Loved all that we saw that afternoon in sampling a good slice of "up country" territory in Norway. Below are three of my pictures. Can share lots more, if needed or of interest. Plus what is covered on my live/blog.

 

Hard to answer for you on whether to spend more time in Flam. Other than the great rail trip, your other options there, as I recall, are a little limited.

 

Added questions, reactions, needs??

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 93,750 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

 

 

Here are some highlights from this day in the Sognerfjord that is rated as the best in all of Norway for these views. Near Gudvangen, here is the view from the Stalheim Hotel and then a visual of the spectacular Tvinde Waterfall. Plus another view for sailing the Sognerfjord.

 

 

 

 

 

[TLCOhio]

First, I’m trying to plan some shore excursions on our own, and need to know when it’s safe to book them. When it says that the ship gets into port at a certain time, how much after that is it safe to assume that we’ll be off the ship. And how much before the ship is supposed to leave port should one be back? I know that we may get tenedered in a couple of places, but how do you guys plan the timing of on-you-own excursions.

What would you suggest doing in Hammerfest? We’re going to be there for about 8 hours, and the ship offers tours to the Alta Museum and petroglyphs, the Polar Bear Club, and the Sami experience, none of which are particularly appealing. Is there anything that we can do here involving sights or animals or birds?

In Trondheim, where we have about 8 hours, rather than taking any of the excursions, we were thinking of just seeing the sights, taking the tram, and wandering around town on our own. Does anyone have other ideas?

In Alesund, we are going to try to follow in TLCOhio’s footsteps and go to Runde on our own. Can anyone recommend a guide with a car or how I can find one (if it is against CC rules to recommend someone)—I’d rather do that than have to go through renting a car and getting lost (yes, we have GPS, but it is still easier with a local).

Look forward to your comments and suggestions. TIA.

 

As a follow-up for bearsfolks, here is some more info on Hammerfest, etc. The options in this town are a little limited. We walked around the town, sampling life there, etc.

 

Hammerfest is the gateway to the North Cape. Much of this area is treeless tundra with sparse dwarf plants. It is 1300 miles from the North Pole. We stopped in and saw the Polar Bear Club. Really enjoyed it. Free, as I recall. Lots of nice, interesting displays there with a wide variety of stuffed animals and birds. We bought some things for our family in a couple of the shops. It was interesting to watch the Captain move the ship from the dock and head out to the open sea. We went by a large LNG or liquefied natural gas plant that produce for shipment to Baltimore in the USA.

 

ADDED HAMMERFEST DETAILS/BACKGROUND:

Called the northernmost town in the world, Hammerfest is unlike most of the communities in Norway’s far north. It has paved streets, a main square and park, hotels, shops, a library and a museum. Due to a year-round, ice-free harbor, it has become a major fishing center and a natural starting point for polar expeditions. Its 2005 population is 9,261. Some villages in the world are farther north, but none is larger than 2000 people. In 1891, Hammer fest became the first urban settlement in Northern Europe to get electrical streetlights. This invention was brought to Hammerfest by two local merchants who had seen it at the 1889 Paris World’s Fair. The town was a key German military base in World War II. It had the main U-boat central supply base to attack the allied supply convoys to Russia. The town was totally destroyed as the Germans finally left on February 10, 1945. American author Bill Bryson begins his European travels, documented in his popular book Neither Here Nor There with a visit to Hammerfest in order to see the Northern Lights, stating that he found the town "engrossing" and that it "had grew to feel like home". Reindeer can be seen at times wandering through the town and around houses. Hammerfest is 1438 miles north of Bergen.

 

Glad to know in Alesund, you are going to try to follow in our footsteps and go to Runde on your own. Go get 'em!!! Keep in mind as I detailed on the live/blog about the ferry schedules, etc.

 

For Trondheim, we really enjoyed all of the aspects of the famed Cathedral, its museum, old relics, etc. PLUS, walking around in the town, its old areas, etc., were very interesting and enjoyable on our own. They had a free shuttle around in parts of the central city. Nice town with good variety.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 93,750 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

 

 

In Hammerfest, here is one of the older Hurtigruten coastal ship that I posted earlier in this port next to our cruise ship. Some can hike up to the large hillside above the town.:

 

 

 

This is a flower shop staffer getting things ready in front of her story in Hammerfest. Enjoying flowers during their short summer here is important.:

 

 

 

These kids in the center of Hammerfest are doing a sports camp and training. Life goes on here for families. You need to enjoy the summer here as during winter, it is 24/7 darkness.:

 

 

 

In Hammerfest, they have a Polar Bear Society museum display featuring their famed animal, plus many birds, etc.:

 

[TLCOhio]

Here is a little more on Trondheim, Norway's third largest municipality. It has a population of 152,800 with major university-science-medical research facilities. It is considered Norway’s historical, cultural and religious capital. Its history goes back 997 and King Olav Tryggvason, who later was made a Saint. Its Nidaros Cathedral was built from 1070 and is the most important Gothic monument in Norway. The Norway King is still crowned here. In a town noted for timbered architecture, this is Scandinavia’s largest medieval building with a 321-foot-high tower. It was Northern Europe's most important Christian pilgrimage site during the middle Ages and has organ recitals in the summer. The town was Norway’s capital until 1217. Famed actress Liv Ullmann grew up here.

 

For the record/background, Trondheim is 425 miles north of Bergen. For our July 5 when there, it was sunrise: 3:15 am, Sunset: 11:24 pm on this day.

 

Below are some of my visuals and ideas for sampling this town.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 93,750 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

 

 

Trondheim’s top and most historic attraction is their Cathedral. Nidaros Cathedral was built from 1070 and is the most important Gothic monument in Norway. The Norway King is still crowned here.:

 

 

 

This is a close-up of the stone detailing on the front of Trondheim’s Cathedral.:

 

 

 

This is inside the museum for the Trondheim Cathedral. It features many architectural items from over the nearly 1000-year history of this structure. In this area is also a museum with the various Royal crowns, chairs, etc.:

 

 

 

Here is a longer shot inside of Trondheim’s Cathedral.:

 

 

 

Stiftsgården is the royal residence in Trondheim, originally constructed in 1774 with 144 rooms constituting 43,000 sq. ft. It is the largest wooden building in Northern Europe, has buttercup-yellow coloring, a Rococo style with Baroque details, is open 10 am-5 pm and has been used by royals and their guests since 1800.:

 

 

 

At the rear of the Stiftsgården Palace are these open, public gardens in the heart of the city. This visual gives a sample of this nice, shaded area with its seating areas, fountain, flowers, etc.:

 

[Hotshot80]

thanks to all for great information for a norway cruise

any reason why no one has mentioned Celebrity Constellation?

we are looking at a 12 day out of amsterdam end of june,

with lots of great norway ports, only 3 sea days,

we prefer excursions on our own, and have always found renting a car at ports everywhere easy, and gps easy, does the same go for norway?

last summer we did land and sea canada and alaska, and have heard norway is even more exquisite scenery

we also got fabulous info on cruise critic for our alaska excursions and used many of the suggestions we heard here :)

thanks again to all for advice on the posts

 

Hi I whole heartily agree about the Constellation. We used it last year to do a back to back to various ports in Norway and called in at Longyearbyen on Spitsbergen from Amsterdam. The Constellation was excellent value for money, far better IMHO than Hurtigruten, which I have also been on (the 13 day round trip from Bergen to Kirkenes) on the Nordkapp in 2007. I see that Hurtigruten is still usually showing an image of their ships in the Trollfjord, but in reality it only took about an hour to go into it, turn around and sail away.

 

We did the Hurtigruten trip in October so they had stopped sailing into the Geiranger fjord then, so on that trip we did not sail down any of the very long and steeply sided fjords as we were sailing along the coastline and did not see the Seven Sisters Waterfall for example on that occasion, but we have been back twice since on other trips to enjoy the spectactular scenery there.

 

There were only 2 ports that overlapped, Bergen and Molde, and we did different things on the days we were there, using public transport to get about.

 

Hiring cars in Norway is expensive IMHO and the public transport systems of buses and ferries are usually very reliable and available in most if not all ports.

 

A fellow Cruise Critic passenger organised a great trip on the Lofoten Islands, which together with Longyearbyen were the highlights of the cruises. I did pre-booked a taxi company at Longyearbyen, they used an old 50 seater bus, but could have filled it many times over, with a lot of passengers who just expected to get off the ship there and jump into a waiting taxi being hugely disappointed at not being able to get about there.

 

I have a word document giving details of the use we made of public transport and private excursions that we did on the Constellation cruises and if any one is interested in receiving it, just send me your email address to harold at tmoses dot co dot uk. I think that the Cruise critic people won't let me provide details on this site unfortunately as it includes references to web sites and is 9 pages long, so may take up too much space anyway.

 

Personally I prefer the Alaskan scenery as it it so much more dramatic in places, with many snow capped mountains and glaciers to see, but Norway is a very close second, and much more accessible to me from various UK and European ports. The Norwegian coastline benefits from the Gulf Stream which means that there may not be too much snow to see from along the coastline, especially in the summer, and its fairly flat IMHO, but certainly when you sail into some of the narrow deep fjords surrounded by huge walls of rock and waterfalls, it is very spectacular.

 

I am leaving for Argentine tomorrow to join the Celebrity Infinity on its sailing to Antarctica and do not return until 19th February, so it may be a few weeks before I can respond, regards, Harold

[Hotshot80]

More likely you'd get a 500 and two 200s.

 

Most ATMs don't actually dispense 1000 NOK notes. Even when we take 2000 or 3000 out of an ATM we get 500s and 200s. In fact, after six years here, I've never even held a 1000, and I've probably seen fewer than a dozen used in shops.

 

Ho Kaisatsu, I am happy to be corrected by someone who has had far more experience than me in using ATM's in Norway. I can only relate my own personal experience. You live in a wonderful scenic, but expensive country.

[Hotshot80]

thanks to all for great information for a norway cruise

any reason why no one has mentioned Celebrity Constellation?

we are looking at a 12 day out of amsterdam end of june,

with lots of great norway ports, only 3 sea days,

we prefer excursions on our own, and have always found renting a car at ports everywhere easy, and gps easy, does the same go for norway?

last summer we did land and sea canada and alaska, and have heard norway is even more exquisite scenery

we also got fabulous info on cruise critic for our alaska excursions and used many of the suggestions we heard here :)

thanks again to all for advice on the posts

 

Hi again, I attach a link to see some of the images I took on the Constellation trip "http://www.flickr.com/photos/57729348@N02/sets/72157630576130802/with/7875799748/", regards, Harold

[TLCOhio]

And a final group of added options and potentials to see and do in Trondheim. Any questions, needs and/or reactions?

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 93,750 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

 

 

The specialty stores and shops are concentrated around the downtown pedestrian street of Nordre gate. Some of these are older, traditional wooden structures, but some, such as this one, is newer and more contemporary for their design.:

 

 

 

This Trondheim bridge leads to the Bakklandet district. This “Old Town Bridge” connects to the antique wooden house used by canning workers in the early 1900’s.:

 

 

 

This is an example of the charming, wooden structures that can be found around Trondheim.:

 

 

 

Looking down the waterway, you can see a sampling of these various structures along this part of the town.:

 

 

 

From the center of the main downtown square in Trondheim, here is an interesting contrast. A charming flower stand/display with those “unique” Golden Arches of McDonalds in the backgroun.:

 

 

 

This is another example of the charming, wooden warehouse structures that can be found in Trondheim. This red building now houses a dining place.:

 

[TLCOhio]

I am leaving for Argentine tomorrow to join the Celebrity Infinity on its sailing to Antarctica and do not return until 19th February, so it may be a few weeks before I can respond, regards, Harold

 

Look forward to a posting on the Celebrity board for how this great "adventure" goes, what you liked most, etc. Have been in Argentina, its famed capital, Mendoza, etc. BUT, not down to hits southern parts. Nor, Antarctica. Would love to hear and learn more. It's on our future to-do listing.

 

Good luck!!

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 93,750 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

[Hotshot80]

Look forward to a posting on the Celebrity board for how this great "adventure" goes, what you liked most, etc. Have been in Argentina, its famed capital, Mendoza, etc. BUT, not down to hits southern parts. Nor, Antarctica. Would love to hear and learn more. It's on our future to-do listing.

 

Good luck!!

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Hi Terry, this is our second cruise to the same destination on the Infinity. We enjoyed the experience so much in 2011 that we booked this trip 18 months ago and also booked the same trip for 2014 as well. It is a truly magical destination, the scenery, ice bergs, whales, penguins, dolphins, albatrosses etc. Hope the weather is kind to us and the Argentinians don't give us any hassle for going to the Falkland Islands, regards, Harold.

[bearsfolks]

I must apologize to everyone who answered my questions. For some reason, I have stopped receiving e-mails when people write on this thread (the last one I got was Maddle's). So I had no awareness that people had responded until I decided to look at the thread just in case. Thanks for all the information. I will take some time to absorb it (both my wife and I got the 24-hr norovirus, and it takes over a week to recover, and I get tired very quickly) and then respond in detail.

 

I don't understand why I am not being notified--I know it is not being treated as spam, and my notification type is set to instant e-mail.

[bearsfolks]

When I tried to post the next message, it messed up the fonts, so I'll try it again!

[bearsfolks]

Hello Everyone:

 

Thanks for your comments and suggestions.

 

Hotshot80: You said to Maddle “The most scenic side is the right hand side on the way up” Just to clarify, were you talking about the trip from Flam to the Myrdal Hotel, or the part back?

 

Also the Shore Excursion goes to Vatnahalsen, which I believe is 1.5km from Myrdal. Is the part from Vatnahalsen to Myrdal worth walking? Finally, is it usually a mob scene on the train with people fighting to get to the windows, or do they restrict the number of tickets so that you have a reasonable chance of taking pictures?

 

Maddle: Aha! So I was the hijackee! This thread is beginning to remind me of how Edith Bunker (think of the Two Ronnies for the British readers) meandered as she told a story!

 

I did go to that site, thank you—by the way, for others who may try to go to it, it is http://www.visitflam.com/ (you had one too many “a”s). Very useful. Unfortunately the trip that caught my eye, i.e., the one to Fjærlandsfjord and the Bøyabreen glacier was not possible in the time we have. But there were a couple of viewpoints that looked interesting.

 

Kaisatsu: Unfortunately we don’t drink—which was something I really regretted when we were in places like Brugge and Prague!

 

So, we’ve changed our plans—I’m learning to be flexible! What we will now do is the HA shore excursion to Naeroyfjord & Stalheim, followed by the Flam Railway excursion. That way we get to see most of what the area has—thanks TLC (I feel I know you well enough to take the liberty with your name!) for listing the other waterfalls and sights in Flam.

What this also means is that when we go from Bergen to Oslo, we will take the train straight through, without getting off at Myrdal, i.e., not do Nutshell. This will also make for a shorter day when we go to Oslo, which is good.

 

TLC: re Hammerfest—I had read your blog, as well as what you wrote in this thread, and am coming to the conclusion that Hammerfest may be a day of rest—just take it easy, get up late, wander around town, etc.. Hard for me to do on vacation, but my wife will welcome it!

 

TLC: re Runde—Our ship is going to be in Alesund from 7 to 5. We’d like to do what you did, but also take a boat ride around the island as that looks like the only way to get to see the puffins. How long did it take you to get to Runde and back? This may be too tight.

 

I’m also trying to see if there are any boats that go from Alesund to Runde—I keep being sent to websites, but when I get there, there is no mention of it. Does anyone know if you can get from Alesund to Runde by boat?

 

Also, Terry, thanks for the pictures of Trondheim. We will use it to plan our day on our own.

 

If anyone has information re getting to Runde, I'd appreciate it.