This morning we caught a train in Oslo and left for Bergen. It is about a 300 mile trip with quite a few stops along the way, so it takes 7 hours. The elevation changes from sea level up to 4,000 feet at Frinse, which is about 2/3rds of the way to Bergen. It is amazing to see the changes in scenery along the way. At the high point we saw a perpetual glacier. It is very Colorado like, but has its own greenish coloring in the snow and water. Lots of pines and birch trees. The water roars from the melting with the temperatures in the 60’s and even 70’s. Tunnels (200) are a constant, and 300 bridges. This would be a rough area to live in, most houses were painted rust red which is pretty next to the snow and green landscape. We spoke with a Norwegian couple on the train, he came from a small town in this area. He said that they make their money though the tourists and ski industry. Voss a town of about 16,000 is an hour outside of Bergen and is known for extreme sports with tourists from all over. The little city is really nestled into the mountains. The Norwegian Olympic team practices in Voss. Bergen brings us to sea level and into the second largest town in Norway at 280,000.
We took a stroll around Bergen and had some fish and chips at the fish market. Food is very expensive in Norway. The fish and chips with two beers was $56.00. The fish was fresh and tasty, but the beer tasted like it was brewed in a fish market.
Our hotel is in a residential area with huge old homes. There is a big park right behind the hotel, therefore the name, Park Hotel.
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