Fjords, Reminders of the Northwest, and Observations
Today we continue on our voyage through the fjords and will end up later this evening in Oslo, following a boat trip and two legs of rail travel.
Today is the day that all of the Scandinavian children return to school and we anticipate somewhat smaller crowds as a result. We have had a brief stay in Balestrand - which is very nice and reminds me a bit of Cannon Beach - though much smaller in terms of commercial enterprises - a couple of grocery stores, a couple of restaurants, a small aquarium, a gallery or two and the hotels. The houses are lovely- most have shiplap siding painted in bright colors with white trim - they look very welcoming and cheerful perched on the edges of the fjord with their windows glowing warmly through the fog and rain.
Our ride through the fjords yesterday was unfortunately accompanied with a LOT of clouds, fog and rain. Although I suspect we missed a lot of the beautiful views, it was still possible to see that this is an area of amazing natural beauty - it reminded me a lot of the Pacific Northwest - and the weather only enhanced the similarity! It is nice to be back on a wild and craggy coastline with fir forests growing right down to the water's edge. Other than perhaps the Scottish Highlands and Islands and some areas of North Wales, there isn't really any area of Great Britain that can be considered truly wild - such a small island with so many people - and inhabited for so long - has necessarily been cultivated or built upon wherever possible.
It has been interesting traveling in Scandinavia - I have noticed that travel announcements are made only once, if at all, and so far all of our connections, passage through customs and security, etc., have been amazingly efficient. It seems as if there is an assumption that people will pay attention when an announcement is made and a reluctance to continue to bother them with repeated information. Maybe this is related to the fact that the Norwegian population is very well-educated, with the highest standard of living in Europe - they don't need repeated announcements because they get it the first time. That's one theory anyway! I like the efficiency and comfort of the travel here.
It is funny that some of the infrastructure in England, for instance the plumbing systems, are so lousy when here in the north efficiencies and resource conservation have been incorporated into design without sacrificing comfort and ease of use. It seems that if something isn't working well the Scandinavians just get busy figuring out how to improve it instead of putting up with it for decades (because that's the way it has ALWAYS been done.)
Breakfast is different and really nice. There is usually a selection of bread and rolls - often whole grain with seeds and freshly baked. Then, butter and jam and marmalade. Cheeses served usually include the local goats cheese - brown in color and slightly sweet with the texture and appearance of a slab of ear wax! It is an acquired taste and Sarah and Mike do not appear interested in acquiring it! There is usually also sliced swiss or Jarlsberg and a log or individual packets of goat cheese. Meats include a salami and some ham and often liver paste and pickled herring. Then there are also freshly sliced fruits; raw vegetables including cucumber, bell pepper and tomato; hard boiled eggs; and muesli - oats and seeds with yogurt or milk and fresh or dried fruit. It actually makes for quite a healthy and filling breakfast and is a nice change from eggs and bacon and sausage.
Anyway - this trip has been really nice so far. It is different from our recent travel in France and Italy because we don't really have an agenda in terms of the "Big" sights such as the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Michaelangelo's David, the Colosseum etc... Travel here is more about enjoying the culture and the scenery and feels much more relaxed.
Well I will sign off now because I soon have to get everything packed up and ready for the next leg of the journey. I'll post again in Oslo or Copenhagen.
Love Margo
Today is the day that all of the Scandinavian children return to school and we anticipate somewhat smaller crowds as a result. We have had a brief stay in Balestrand - which is very nice and reminds me a bit of Cannon Beach - though much smaller in terms of commercial enterprises - a couple of grocery stores, a couple of restaurants, a small aquarium, a gallery or two and the hotels. The houses are lovely- most have shiplap siding painted in bright colors with white trim - they look very welcoming and cheerful perched on the edges of the fjord with their windows glowing warmly through the fog and rain.
Our ride through the fjords yesterday was unfortunately accompanied with a LOT of clouds, fog and rain. Although I suspect we missed a lot of the beautiful views, it was still possible to see that this is an area of amazing natural beauty - it reminded me a lot of the Pacific Northwest - and the weather only enhanced the similarity! It is nice to be back on a wild and craggy coastline with fir forests growing right down to the water's edge. Other than perhaps the Scottish Highlands and Islands and some areas of North Wales, there isn't really any area of Great Britain that can be considered truly wild - such a small island with so many people - and inhabited for so long - has necessarily been cultivated or built upon wherever possible.
It has been interesting traveling in Scandinavia - I have noticed that travel announcements are made only once, if at all, and so far all of our connections, passage through customs and security, etc., have been amazingly efficient. It seems as if there is an assumption that people will pay attention when an announcement is made and a reluctance to continue to bother them with repeated information. Maybe this is related to the fact that the Norwegian population is very well-educated, with the highest standard of living in Europe - they don't need repeated announcements because they get it the first time. That's one theory anyway! I like the efficiency and comfort of the travel here.
It is funny that some of the infrastructure in England, for instance the plumbing systems, are so lousy when here in the north efficiencies and resource conservation have been incorporated into design without sacrificing comfort and ease of use. It seems that if something isn't working well the Scandinavians just get busy figuring out how to improve it instead of putting up with it for decades (because that's the way it has ALWAYS been done.)
Breakfast is different and really nice. There is usually a selection of bread and rolls - often whole grain with seeds and freshly baked. Then, butter and jam and marmalade. Cheeses served usually include the local goats cheese - brown in color and slightly sweet with the texture and appearance of a slab of ear wax! It is an acquired taste and Sarah and Mike do not appear interested in acquiring it! There is usually also sliced swiss or Jarlsberg and a log or individual packets of goat cheese. Meats include a salami and some ham and often liver paste and pickled herring. Then there are also freshly sliced fruits; raw vegetables including cucumber, bell pepper and tomato; hard boiled eggs; and muesli - oats and seeds with yogurt or milk and fresh or dried fruit. It actually makes for quite a healthy and filling breakfast and is a nice change from eggs and bacon and sausage.
Anyway - this trip has been really nice so far. It is different from our recent travel in France and Italy because we don't really have an agenda in terms of the "Big" sights such as the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Michaelangelo's David, the Colosseum etc... Travel here is more about enjoying the culture and the scenery and feels much more relaxed.
Well I will sign off now because I soon have to get everything packed up and ready for the next leg of the journey. I'll post again in Oslo or Copenhagen.
Love Margo
posted by Margo Nelson at 1:07 am
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