Just back from 3 fabulous weeks in Norway. Oslo, Norway in a Nutshell, Western Fjords. Managed to do it on a fairly tight budget, despite Norway's exhorbitant costs. If anyone is interested in information, or planning a similar trip, please feel free to send an e-mail

Could you post a short trip report for everyone to share?

I produced a trip report, posted it, and nothing happened. Lost in cyberspace? Maybe, it was too long. Could someone advise if it has to be broken up to be handled by this board? I notice others have done it this way.

Thor,<BR>Yes, it has to be broken up in bits. I've been working on my night trains report off line, then cut and paste. The biggest problem is figuring out how much you can actually get into the message before you're cut off.<BR>Shannon

Thanks Sharon for the info.<BR>Trip Report: 17 days in Norway: Oslo, Norway in a Nutshell, Western Fjords; July 2002.<BR>Part 1: Flew into Norway on Ryanair from Frankfurt, or what Ryanair calls Frankfurt, but is actually Hahn, a significant bus ride away from most major centres. Landed inTorp, Norway, which is a 2 hour bus ride away Oslo central. Busses are coordinated with Ryanair flights, however, and cost 90 Kroner per person. We used Ryanair because they offer relatively cheap flights, the main inconvenience being the airports they use are not near the major centers they serve. The bus ride from Torp to Oslo is just as long as the flight from Hahn to Torp. We booked the flights from North America. Tip: Make sure of your dates before you book, because trying to get hold of Ryanair from here after you have booked is almost impossible.

Trip Report; Part 2. Oslo: We knew Norway was going to be expensive. Also, we are Canadian, and do not get a great exchange on our dollar these days; ( I am old enough to remember the days when it worth more than the American dollar- ancient history!). <BR>From our research, we decided to use the efficent Tourist Information Offices in Norway to book our accomodation. We mostly stayed in private homes, booked as we arrived at our destinations. In other words, no advanced booking was required, even during this busy travel period. We paid, on average, 250 to 400 Kroner per night, which gave us a clean double room, with occasional private bath, but mostly shared, and access to cooking facilities most of the time; ( no breakfast included). We were very pleased with the 95% of our home stays. The hosts were friendly, and accomodating, and good sources of local information, as well as fun to talk to about life in Norway in general.<BR>In Oslo, we did not go to a lot of paid attractions, and chose, instead to walk around, and soak up the atmosphere. Highlights: Vigeland Park, with its fascinating sculptures, and the views from Holmenkollen ski jump. The latter is a paid attraction, and has an interesting display of Nordic outdoor life. You can access the top of the jump by elevator, and a steep stair climb. Tip: Don't bother taking pictures from the enclosed area at the top, as the less than clean windows will distort your shots. The view is still pretty good from the bottom of the jump, and the adjoining hotel

Trip Report Part 3: Norway in a Nutshell Tour. We booked this popular independent tour at the NSB ticket office in the railway station the day before we travelled. As we planned to break the trip at Flam, we did not take the 8 o'clock train, as most people do that make the whole trip in a day. Instead we took the 10:43, which was also busy. Seat reservations are required, so at least you know you will have a place to sit. My overall impressions of this tour are positive, although I think the part most people talk about- the Flam railway sector between Myrdal and Flam is overrated. The scenery is grand, but the train has to pass through several tunnels, ( a reoccurring Norwegian phenomenom ), and is therefore partially obsured. A better alternative is to hike or bike this section. <BR>We stayed in Flam for 2 days, going on various walks. By doing this, we were able to take the rest of the tour at times that did not fit into the schedule of those doing the whole thing in one day. We took the 9:00 a.m. ferry from Flam, and the subsequent bus from Gudvangen to Voss, and the train from Voss to Bergen. All of these segments were a lot less busy than the first part of the tour. Tip: Avoid the temptation to take picutures of the fantastic scenery out the bus window, as it winds its way up the steep valley from Gudvangen. The bus stops at the hotel at the top, and you can take great pictures from there.

Trip Report, Part 4: Bergen. We stayed 3 nights in Bergen, and did a lot of the usual things tourists do there. We visited, and ate at the Torget, the waterfront fish market, walked around old Bergen, visited the Stave church at Fantoft, which is actually a recent reconstruction, but still interesting, and went up Mt. Floyen. Tip: If you are reasonably fit, skip the ride up this mountain on the funicular, and walk up. The path switchbacks, and is not tough.<BR>We originally thought about doing part of our trip on the Hurtigruten, but found the costs to be prohibitive. However, our host in Bergen gave us a good tip for future travel. The coastal steamer leaves from Bergen and she suggested that a way of saving money would be to come to Bergen, hang out there for a few days, and whilst there, look into last minute cancellations on Hurtigruten. She said several of her guests had done this successfully.

Trip Report Part 5: Westen Fjords: From Bergen we wound our way up to Andalsnes, with 2 day stops at each of Balestrand, Fjaerland, and Hellesylt. We went by bus and ferry, and, invariably found the connections to be good, with minimal waiting time. The exception was the ferry from Vangsnes to Balestrand. Actually the ferry goes to Dragsvik about 11 km away from Balestand around an inlet. Bus service from Dragsvik to Balestrand is infrequent, and the so-called short cut ferry across the inlet didn't seem to be running. The result of all this was that we hoofed it around the inlet. Luckily our suitcases had wheels!!<BR>Highllights: The picture postcard village of Fjaerland, where you can rent bikes from the Tourist Info. and pedal up to the Boyabreen, and Supphellebreen Glaciers; the awesome ferry ride from Hellesylt to Geiranger on the fjord of the same name, and the following bus ride to Andalsnes down the 12:1 gradient Trollstigen Road. In Geiranger, we splurged, and shared a taxi with another couple to get to Flydalsjuvet, the overhanging rock viewpoint 5 km up the mountain. On a clear day, which we had, the vista is unbelievable.<BR>This area, like most of Norway is a hiker's paradise. In Andalsnes, I hiked up to the summit of Nesaksla, a hike which starts right in the town. For those that know Vancouver, it is similar to the Grouse Grind, except steeper, and higher. The views from the top are well worth the effort.

Trip Report. Part 6. Conclusion:<BR>From Andalsnes we took the two trains back to Oslo. Seat reservations were required for both segments, and we made these the day before. Our view of the Trollveggen in between Andalsnes, and Dombas was obscured by misty weather, but, otherwise this was another great scenery trip.<BR>We spent another 2 days hanging out in Oslo before flying back to Germany.<BR>My wife and I loved Norway, and look forward to a return trip to explore the North. The scenery was fantastic, as was the hiking. The weather was better than what we experienced in other parts of Europe. The people were invariably helpful, and friendly, and almost all spoke English very well.<BR>Negatives: About the only thing that comes to mind is the expense. Nevertheless, we were prepared for it, and it wasn't too big a shock. We mostly made our own meals, and tried to shop wisely at the local markets. As a result, the overall cost of the trip was not that much greater than what we have paid for other holidays, in other destinations, where we would have stayed in hotels, or pensions, and gone out for restauant meals.<BR>A great holiday!!<BR>

Thanks for all the detailed info re your trip to Norway. Not many on this board go there so it was nice that you posted your trip report.<BR><BR>Thanks again.