Board the Bergen Railway for your journey to Bergen, often described as the most beautiful train ride in the world. Your ascension to over 4,000 feet above sea level as you cross the Hardangervidda plateau features breathtaking views and will be accompanied by an informative narration. Arrive in Bergen and transfer to your hotel, where you can enjoy your evening at leisure.
Having trouble sleeping both Sharon and I were up before 6 am. We had an early breakfast at the buffet in the hotel. Checking out of the room, we met the group in the lobby at 7:30 am.We walked to the train station and boarded a train for Bergen. It was a seven and a half hour train ride. The Viking Pre-Tour group included 46 people. The group took up most of one train car. We had two guides with us on the trip that provided commentary throughout the day. Viking gave us sack lunches on the train that included a chicken caesar wrap and some chips.
It was an amazing ride; I really enjoyed it. Sharon and Janie did the GoldenPass scenic railway route in Switzerland that connects Lucerne or Interlaken in central Switzerland with Montreux on Lake Geneva. Sharon said that this trip was longer and more varied. Rick Steves said "the Oslo-Bergen route--called Bergenbanen by Norwegians--is simply the most spectacular train ride in Northern Europe."
Like I said about Petra last year, although I am posting these pictures, I feel like the photos don’t do justice to the scale. The picture at the top of this post has three glaciers.
I noted on Day #2 that I was surprised to find low, rolling hills as we drove into Oslo. I had expected more dramatic mountains. Traveling to Bergen, you get dramatic mountains.
Viking transferred the group to the hotel in a bus. We are spending two nights at Norge. Sharon and I were very disappointed in the room...
After getting settled, we went out to explore. There were a lot of tourists in the old part of town. Eventually, we found a quiet spot off the beaten path in histoic Hanaeatic District for a glass of rose.
We finished the day with dinner at Bryggeriet, a restaurant and microbrewery. We both had a green salad and the fish special of day (Cod). The view of the harbour was great, but the food and service not so much.
We crashed about 9:30 pm.
Sharon still doesn't have her bag. After haranguing Viking on Tuesday night, Sharon's big bag started to move. Over the course of the day, we saw it in Munich. Unfortuantely, Lafthansa then sent it to Oslo Airport. Sharon spent some time talking to Viking on the phone on the train trying to get it routed to the hotel in Bergen.
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