Scandinavia Farewell

It was time to move on, first from Norway to Denmark, and also from Scandinavia, too.
We enjoyed these northern countries very much indeed, especially Sweden, where we spent time with old friends, Jack & Mildred, from our shared Malaysia days, and Norway, for its majestic scenery, and new friends, the Crockers.

Stavanger has its sculpture, both modern and ancient, one beside the harbour, and the other inside the Railway Station, as we were about to board the train to go down the coast, to catch the ferry to Denmark.

There are a lot of rocks in Norway, and they are so much a part of the landscape that after a while, you don't notice them... until you get to Denmark !

The country is softer and flatter, its harbours carved out from... sand !

Aarhus was our transit city in Denmark, as we were en route to Germany.

But Denmark still had some special moments, with the harvest getting under way, and architecture to surprise...

AND we filled up our second page in our EuRail Passes, 25 May to 4 August, which now looked like this :

  

Stavanger

This is an imported photo of Buddy from www.shipspotting, a rather interesting website giving all statistics and each ship's present position. It explained about the "general purpose" ships serving the oil industry which we saw too, which was why we googled them in the first place.

And here is Buddy as we saw him in the corner of the dock.

Old Stavanger is unified by the white colour scheme and decorated with flowers.

....and art works.

There are several of these streets, leading to.....

..... the Canning Museum. The Curator is a James' family friend who retired here. It was for the canning of sardines, and we neglected to ask him if he liked sardines.

Piers and Ellen and John took the trouble to fetch us from the hotel to their home and entertained us over dinner with great conversation and fellowship.

Thanks for a wonderful evening!

Neil heard the ship's horn, hooter, klaxon (?) and dashed out of the hotel 50 metres to find 2 cruise ships, one in, one out of the harbour.

Fjords Feast : Part 3 : The Flam

The Flam Raiway is a special trip, which you can do from Bergen in a day.

Out eastwards on the first part of the famour Bergen-Oslo High Country line, passed fjords with big bridges...



                                                                                                                       
a taste of the classic scenery to come.

Sun on the remaining summer cornice.

The Flam train stops at a specially widened platform for this reason.  Look at the water shooting out from over the top ! The whole place was in spray - at great risk to good pics.

A closer look.

Nearly down to the end of the land in the valley...

...the next stage of the trip is on the fjord.
The Asians enjoyed photographing the gulls, and also holding up food for them to take from their fingers.

Classic

Looking up.. & those colours at the foot of the cliff at the right were really like that !

And on the other side... a tiered waterfall 

As we wind round the bend, the door seems to close behind us.

And so to the head of the valley of another branch of the fjord

Reflections on a high country lake on the way back to Bergen. By this time, we had met various people, including 2 young Aussies and a British couple.

Bergen Sights

Just round the corner from our hotel, Bergen has a lake, a pleasant approach to the town.

Interesting street art in the pedestrian mall. Wish there had been some details to read. The statues went right up to the modern sea-farers.













Here is a hopeful viking and his mate.

Streets behind the Fish Market.

One stall in the Fish Market.
What a pity we are not mad about sea-food!














Behind Neil Is Rosenkrantz's Tower, but no one here mentions Guildenstern.








Cruise ships among the normal traffic.







Turls was very happy to show off his 4WD to us. He was preparing to go off to his place in the mountains.










These World Heritage warehouses from the days of the Hanseatic league, 3 to 5 centuries ago, may have been vertical when they were built, but they are leaning now.











An old wooden sailing boat with what looks like an even older rowing boat.










Bergen from below...










and Bergen from above, from the top of the Funicular late in the evening.








Wave patterns, which kept forming and changing.














A visit to the Art Gallery.
Self-portrait by Edvard Munch. "The Scream" is not in Bergen.









A fun thing, a monster from the sea.

Ferries, Fjords & nearly to Bergen

There are no railways down the south west coast of Norway, but plenty of Ferries & Buses, so we chose to do this bit by road, but with someone else driving - those skilled drivers again !!        

Our bus on one of the ferries. All the vehicles pile on at one end and drive off at the other. The turn-around is very efficient. Usually, the bus gets poll position.

Mirrors...

and more mirrors...

Notice the water is light green now...

meaning glacial meltwater
(suspended rock flour)
rather than just rain water run-off..

This was a must for a pic..

I watched another skilled "driver"..

A goat walks across...

the cattle grid !

(How dos it know where to put its back hooves ??)

Sogne Fjord

is the longest..

 and widest..

of the inland fjords.

Here is looking up it (above)

and down it

Our ferry across it was one of our biggest yet, as the country depends on them at all seasons..

Just another of those moments that flash past you - and you are ready to 'click'..

Nearly at Bergen..

But another big bridge..
(or tunnel) gets you across
the latest stretch of water..