An impromptu road trip in Norway
Nov 3, 2018, 1:59 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: SFO
Posts: 273
An impromptu road trip in Norway
I went to the Netherlands for a conference, but found myself with an extra few days on the end with nothing to do. So, I decided it was time for an impromptu road trip on the west coast of Norway exploring the beautiful inland regions and fjords near Ålesund. Bonus pit stops in Oslo and London on the way back.
Long time listener, first time caller—hope you enjoy the report!
Day 0: Transit, to the Netherlands
Nothing like waking up knowing that you have somewhere to go
I live in Cambridge, but seeing as I was in Boston that day I started off the trip in style by taking our famously screechy Green Line to the Blue Line, and then to the airport.
A rather nice day. Just need one to come the other way…
As usual, international Delta flights leave out of the Terminal A midfield concourse in Boston. The renovated terminal provides beautiful views of the apron post-security.
Flight: BOS to AMS DL 256
Seat 15H on an A330-200
I had a fun 24 hours in front of me: immediately after walking off the plane at Amsterdam Schiphol, I had about 3.5 hours to clear the border, take the train to Den Haag, check into my hotel, change into work clothes, and make it to the conference. I had my fingers crossed that nothing would go south with delays, but apparently no need: we boarded on time and had some nice tailwinds to arrive 30 minutes ahead of schedule.
Verdict: Yep, it’s Delta! Comfortable in economy for a quick hop over to Europe. Good service and the ravioli we got was one of the better meals I’ve had in the back of the plane.
Days 1-3: The Hague
Upon arrival, I cruised through passport control and down to the lovely Schiphol train station for one of the commuter trains to The Hague.
Yellow, blue, bicycle: looks like a Dutch train to me.
I won’t bore you folks too much with minutiae here, but Den Haag is a lovely town. The third largest city in the Netherlands and is the seat of government (but not the capital). It’s also famous for hosting many international organizations, including the International Court of Justice. Overall, it’s less touristy than Amsterdam obviously, yet quite an enjoyable place to spend time.
Arrivals: Den Haag Centraal.
The shiny new station with its cool geometric glass canopy. Looks amazing on a sunny day!
Most of my days were scheduled, however I did manage to escape a few times: in the city, and then to the nearby towns of Delft and Rotterdam.
The deserted beach. As the trams and railways expanded Den Haag became a notable seaside resort (in a similar vein to Santa Monica in the US or Brighton in the UK). Even though it was mid summer, it was relatively cool—especially compared to prior years' European heatwaves as I was later told.
Delft canals.
Rotterdam Centraal. Completed in 2014, the station has some striking architecture done by the firm Bentham Crouwel. It’s also a great reminder that it’s possible for a grand European train station to look good in the modernist tradition, without harkening back to the 1800s.
Outside the British embassy, which was apparently hosting a garden party (how British!) when I walked past. The Hague is a center of international relations and the de facto home of the Dutch government (even though Amsterdam is the capital).
Long time listener, first time caller—hope you enjoy the report!
Day 0: Transit, to the Netherlands
Nothing like waking up knowing that you have somewhere to go
I live in Cambridge, but seeing as I was in Boston that day I started off the trip in style by taking our famously screechy Green Line to the Blue Line, and then to the airport.
A rather nice day. Just need one to come the other way…
As usual, international Delta flights leave out of the Terminal A midfield concourse in Boston. The renovated terminal provides beautiful views of the apron post-security.
Flight: BOS to AMS DL 256
Seat 15H on an A330-200
I had a fun 24 hours in front of me: immediately after walking off the plane at Amsterdam Schiphol, I had about 3.5 hours to clear the border, take the train to Den Haag, check into my hotel, change into work clothes, and make it to the conference. I had my fingers crossed that nothing would go south with delays, but apparently no need: we boarded on time and had some nice tailwinds to arrive 30 minutes ahead of schedule.
Verdict: Yep, it’s Delta! Comfortable in economy for a quick hop over to Europe. Good service and the ravioli we got was one of the better meals I’ve had in the back of the plane.
Days 1-3: The Hague
Upon arrival, I cruised through passport control and down to the lovely Schiphol train station for one of the commuter trains to The Hague.
Yellow, blue, bicycle: looks like a Dutch train to me.
I won’t bore you folks too much with minutiae here, but Den Haag is a lovely town. The third largest city in the Netherlands and is the seat of government (but not the capital). It’s also famous for hosting many international organizations, including the International Court of Justice. Overall, it’s less touristy than Amsterdam obviously, yet quite an enjoyable place to spend time.
Arrivals: Den Haag Centraal.
The shiny new station with its cool geometric glass canopy. Looks amazing on a sunny day!
Most of my days were scheduled, however I did manage to escape a few times: in the city, and then to the nearby towns of Delft and Rotterdam.
The deserted beach. As the trams and railways expanded Den Haag became a notable seaside resort (in a similar vein to Santa Monica in the US or Brighton in the UK). Even though it was mid summer, it was relatively cool—especially compared to prior years' European heatwaves as I was later told.
Delft canals.
Rotterdam Centraal. Completed in 2014, the station has some striking architecture done by the firm Bentham Crouwel. It’s also a great reminder that it’s possible for a grand European train station to look good in the modernist tradition, without harkening back to the 1800s.
Outside the British embassy, which was apparently hosting a garden party (how British!) when I walked past. The Hague is a center of international relations and the de facto home of the Dutch government (even though Amsterdam is the capital).
Last edited by redct; Nov 7, 2018 at 10:10 pm
Nov 3, 2018, 2:01 pm
#2
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: SFO
Posts: 273
Day 3: Transit, Den Haag, NL to Ålesund, NO
After an enjoyable few days, it was on to the real show: Norway!
Ålesund is a town on the north Norwegian Atlantic coast which lies between Bergen (hours to the south) and Trondheim (hours to the north). It’s a big tourist hub with a port capable of harboring massive cruise ships and is also the gateway to some of the area’s prettiest fjords and mountains.
I’d elected to take a train-train-bus combo from Oslo instead of flying directly. Why such a long route? The town is disconnected from the Norwegian national train network, but the scenic Rauma Line runs to Åndalsnes which is a few hours away by bus. It takes 6 hours instead of one so you have to subscribe to the whole “journey is the destination” philosophy when you take the overland route. I’m sure this audience will understand though
Pre-flight breakfast near Den Haag Centraal before heading off to Schiphol.
Flight: AMS-OSL KL 1145
Seat 6A on an Embraer E190
Demand for seats to Oslo seemed abnormally high that day ($600 tickets anyone?). Luckily there was still open award space on Flying Blue, so I burned a somewhat reasonable 11,500 miles instead.
The flight was short and sweet, touching down in Oslo on time. Due to the magic of the Schengen area I was downstairs at the Oslo Airport train station 10 minutes later.
Train: Oslo Airport - Dombas > Train: Dombas - Åndalsnes > Local Bus: Åndalsnes - Ålesund
Norges Statsbaner (or NSB) is the national rail operator for Norway and some small bits of Sweden. Many of their lines are also civil engineering marvels threaded through the country’s mountainous terrain with a combination of tunnels and bridges.
Cinnamon buns! I’m not a fan of the super sweet Cinnabon style buns in the US, but I love the sweet and slightly spicy Norwegian ones. They're usually more bread-like and have heavy cardomom notes in the spice mixture.
There was an 8 minute timed transfer over to the Åndalsnes-bound train, so I hustled across the next train. The Rauma Line is an unelectrified single-track line which is advertised as a tourist route by NSB during the summer months. While there were a few locals onboard, most of my fellow passengers seemed to have the same idea that I had.
The Rauma line winds through some beautiful valleys and ends in Andalsnes, a popular launching off point for nature tourism in the area.
Andalsnes.
I would be back later by car (or so I thought), but for now it was time to transfer over to a bus for the last leg to Ålesund.
Most things in Norway are expensive, including this bus. 30USD for a 2 hour journey! Thankfully I arrived right on schedule. The Airbnb I booked was a short 10 minute walk away.
Home base for the next few days.
A good view of the lower city from the balcony.
Ålesund is a town on the north Norwegian Atlantic coast which lies between Bergen (hours to the south) and Trondheim (hours to the north). It’s a big tourist hub with a port capable of harboring massive cruise ships and is also the gateway to some of the area’s prettiest fjords and mountains.
I’d elected to take a train-train-bus combo from Oslo instead of flying directly. Why such a long route? The town is disconnected from the Norwegian national train network, but the scenic Rauma Line runs to Åndalsnes which is a few hours away by bus. It takes 6 hours instead of one so you have to subscribe to the whole “journey is the destination” philosophy when you take the overland route. I’m sure this audience will understand though
Pre-flight breakfast near Den Haag Centraal before heading off to Schiphol.
Flight: AMS-OSL KL 1145
Seat 6A on an Embraer E190
Demand for seats to Oslo seemed abnormally high that day ($600 tickets anyone?). Luckily there was still open award space on Flying Blue, so I burned a somewhat reasonable 11,500 miles instead.
The flight was short and sweet, touching down in Oslo on time. Due to the magic of the Schengen area I was downstairs at the Oslo Airport train station 10 minutes later.
Train: Oslo Airport - Dombas > Train: Dombas - Åndalsnes > Local Bus: Åndalsnes - Ålesund
Norges Statsbaner (or NSB) is the national rail operator for Norway and some small bits of Sweden. Many of their lines are also civil engineering marvels threaded through the country’s mountainous terrain with a combination of tunnels and bridges.
Cinnamon buns! I’m not a fan of the super sweet Cinnabon style buns in the US, but I love the sweet and slightly spicy Norwegian ones. They're usually more bread-like and have heavy cardomom notes in the spice mixture.
There was an 8 minute timed transfer over to the Åndalsnes-bound train, so I hustled across the next train. The Rauma Line is an unelectrified single-track line which is advertised as a tourist route by NSB during the summer months. While there were a few locals onboard, most of my fellow passengers seemed to have the same idea that I had.
The Rauma line winds through some beautiful valleys and ends in Andalsnes, a popular launching off point for nature tourism in the area.
Andalsnes.
I would be back later by car (or so I thought), but for now it was time to transfer over to a bus for the last leg to Ålesund.
Most things in Norway are expensive, including this bus. 30USD for a 2 hour journey! Thankfully I arrived right on schedule. The Airbnb I booked was a short 10 minute walk away.
Home base for the next few days.
A good view of the lower city from the balcony.
Nov 3, 2018, 2:02 pm
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: SFO
Posts: 273
Day 4: An Unexpected Detour
Time to start the road trip! I’d planned to drive a few of the famous roads in the area and see Geirangerfjord. Otherwise I was happy to leave things up to serendipity.
I walked over to the in-town Avis rental counter to pick up my car. Upon arrival, I was greeted with a pleasant surprise: the tiny VW Up I had rented got upgraded to a plug-in hybrid BMW 225! The vehicle could run as an EV for up to 20 miles, or it could use the electric motor as an assist.
Very nice.
I drove out of town and set my sights on Geiranger. I wanted to get there by the early afternoon, but set myself one ground rule: this was a road trip and I would stop wherever I saw something interesting. Either way, a few hours of driving and at least one car ferry stood between me and the destination.
As I drove along, one thing impressed me more than anything: the roads themselves were amazingly scenic.
A little harbor next to a gas station on the way out of Ålesund.
A rest stop perched on a hillside between two tunnels.
The car ferry. Ferries are an integral part of the Norwegian transportation network and bridge fjords and lakes where it’s impractical to build a bridge or tunnel. They even make up parts of major E roads (international European highways) further up north.
Getting close to the fjord now. There was a rest stop with a trailhead nearby, so I decided to go exploring. Google Maps calls it the "Korsmyra hiking area", but I didn't see any signage.
Waterfall.
Grey and rainy...
...but starting to clear up!
Some local residents.
Back at the rest stop parking lot. BMW, if you’re reading this, I will happily take that sponsorship.
As I drew closer to Geiranger, there was a lot of ascending and descending to do on small switchbacks. We shared space with a lot of tour buses which were surprisingly agile considering the terrain.
The fjord and town below. The fjord is apparently large enough to support some of the biggest cruise ships.
I grabbed a quick lunch, but didn't end up sticking around in Geiranger. The cruise ship had just unloaded many passengers and it was a bit busier than I'd hoped. Instead, I wanted to continue on to check out a Fv258, a tourist road up in the higher mountain plains.
Climbing up. The road climbed up nearly 1000m on narrow switchbacks and it was really nice to have a the electric motors from the car's hybrid engine.
Another hour brought me to the 62.0138491,7.6322405,15z]Grotli[/user] hotel near the turn off for Fv258. I pulled over in the parking lot just as some sunshowers started.
Crossing the lake.
The road soon turned into a one-lane gravel road.
Now here’s where things get interesting. I’m creeping along the rather narrow road when I hear a sound you never want to hear out in the middle of nowhere from your car: [cur]crunch - crunch - thunk - CLUNK - hiss[/cur]! Yikes. This wasn’t going to be good. I proceed to the nearest pull off and find the culprit a few meters behind me: a giant pothole in the middle of the road filled with large rocks. As I unfortunately deduced from the car’s sounds, the rock had obliterated my front right tire. To make matters worse, there was no spare in the back due to the space taken up by the EV batteries. I could only find a patch kit which would do no good with the size of the hole.
A pretty place to break down, but many kilometers from the nearest town (and cell service).
I limped back a few km to the Grotli hotel and called roadside assistance. The nearest guy was almost 2 hours away... looks like I had some waiting to do.
Luckily, the hotel was a very nice place to wait. The bar and lounge looked like something out of a Wes Anderson movie, or maybe The Shining depending on how you’re feeling.
During my downtime, I had a nice chat with the front desk receptionist. Turns out 10-20 years ago she did a lot of traveling around the US through some deal where she could fly space-positive standby and hop around on domestic flights that way! (I’d never heard of this scheme before unless you’re in the travel industry - was there some sort of special ticket you could get in the past to do this?)
I also had a beer and sandwich at the bar and chatted with a Polish seasonal worker who comes up and manages the bar during the summer months. We traded some interesting talk about the governments of our respective countries and it managed to stay mostly civil.
Finally, my very kind tow truck driver arrived - turns out they don’t have the specific size of tire needed in the area. The closest place is closed and more than 200km away! He was going to try and fit a tire at his garage in Lom (about 100km away, the wrong way) but Avis didn’t want him to do so without the BMW garage’s approval because the vehicle was still under the BMW factory warranty. Yikes!
A lot of back and forth on the phone with Avis and his garage later, we came to a deal: I would get towed to the town of Lom, my car would get stored at the garage overnight, and the car would be fixed in the morning after confirmation with BMW that the tires were acceptable.
Now then, I have to figure out where to stay. I asked the tow driver for advice. He tells me: “wait, I will call.” I hear him arguing with Avis over the phone, hang up, call someone else, haggle with them for a few minutes, and then scribble down a few reference numbers on a pad—all while hurtling down Norwegian country roads at over 100km/h! He turns back to me and replies: “BMW will pay, you talk to them about reimbursement. Give them this number and email here. I reserved you a room at the Fossberg Hotel.” Now that’s service! (And yes, they did pay me back about 2 weeks ago.)
Hitching a ride in the cab of the tow truck. Note the sunny skies - this was the day before the summer solstice at 22:25.
And while I was nearly 5 hours’ drive from Ålesund at this point it wasn’t so bad.
The town of Fossbergom in Lom, Norway. Population: 837, plus at least one bemused traveler. As I would learn the next day, it's a popular home base for those hiking and climbing in the adjacent national parks and thrives on vacation dollars during the summer months.
It was nearly midnight, but I went on a quick walk around the town to decompress after the day's earlier stresses. The Bøverdalen valley cuts through area, including this river and waterfall.
Time for bed!
I walked over to the in-town Avis rental counter to pick up my car. Upon arrival, I was greeted with a pleasant surprise: the tiny VW Up I had rented got upgraded to a plug-in hybrid BMW 225! The vehicle could run as an EV for up to 20 miles, or it could use the electric motor as an assist.
Very nice.
I drove out of town and set my sights on Geiranger. I wanted to get there by the early afternoon, but set myself one ground rule: this was a road trip and I would stop wherever I saw something interesting. Either way, a few hours of driving and at least one car ferry stood between me and the destination.
As I drove along, one thing impressed me more than anything: the roads themselves were amazingly scenic.
A little harbor next to a gas station on the way out of Ålesund.
A rest stop perched on a hillside between two tunnels.
The car ferry. Ferries are an integral part of the Norwegian transportation network and bridge fjords and lakes where it’s impractical to build a bridge or tunnel. They even make up parts of major E roads (international European highways) further up north.
Getting close to the fjord now. There was a rest stop with a trailhead nearby, so I decided to go exploring. Google Maps calls it the "Korsmyra hiking area", but I didn't see any signage.
Waterfall.
Grey and rainy...
...but starting to clear up!
Some local residents.
Back at the rest stop parking lot. BMW, if you’re reading this, I will happily take that sponsorship.
As I drew closer to Geiranger, there was a lot of ascending and descending to do on small switchbacks. We shared space with a lot of tour buses which were surprisingly agile considering the terrain.
The fjord and town below. The fjord is apparently large enough to support some of the biggest cruise ships.
I grabbed a quick lunch, but didn't end up sticking around in Geiranger. The cruise ship had just unloaded many passengers and it was a bit busier than I'd hoped. Instead, I wanted to continue on to check out a Fv258, a tourist road up in the higher mountain plains.
Climbing up. The road climbed up nearly 1000m on narrow switchbacks and it was really nice to have a the electric motors from the car's hybrid engine.
Another hour brought me to the 62.0138491,7.6322405,15z]Grotli[/user] hotel near the turn off for Fv258. I pulled over in the parking lot just as some sunshowers started.
Crossing the lake.
The road soon turned into a one-lane gravel road.
Now here’s where things get interesting. I’m creeping along the rather narrow road when I hear a sound you never want to hear out in the middle of nowhere from your car: [cur]crunch - crunch - thunk - CLUNK - hiss[/cur]! Yikes. This wasn’t going to be good. I proceed to the nearest pull off and find the culprit a few meters behind me: a giant pothole in the middle of the road filled with large rocks. As I unfortunately deduced from the car’s sounds, the rock had obliterated my front right tire. To make matters worse, there was no spare in the back due to the space taken up by the EV batteries. I could only find a patch kit which would do no good with the size of the hole.
A pretty place to break down, but many kilometers from the nearest town (and cell service).
I limped back a few km to the Grotli hotel and called roadside assistance. The nearest guy was almost 2 hours away... looks like I had some waiting to do.
Luckily, the hotel was a very nice place to wait. The bar and lounge looked like something out of a Wes Anderson movie, or maybe The Shining depending on how you’re feeling.
During my downtime, I had a nice chat with the front desk receptionist. Turns out 10-20 years ago she did a lot of traveling around the US through some deal where she could fly space-positive standby and hop around on domestic flights that way! (I’d never heard of this scheme before unless you’re in the travel industry - was there some sort of special ticket you could get in the past to do this?)
I also had a beer and sandwich at the bar and chatted with a Polish seasonal worker who comes up and manages the bar during the summer months. We traded some interesting talk about the governments of our respective countries and it managed to stay mostly civil.
Finally, my very kind tow truck driver arrived - turns out they don’t have the specific size of tire needed in the area. The closest place is closed and more than 200km away! He was going to try and fit a tire at his garage in Lom (about 100km away, the wrong way) but Avis didn’t want him to do so without the BMW garage’s approval because the vehicle was still under the BMW factory warranty. Yikes!
A lot of back and forth on the phone with Avis and his garage later, we came to a deal: I would get towed to the town of Lom, my car would get stored at the garage overnight, and the car would be fixed in the morning after confirmation with BMW that the tires were acceptable.
Now then, I have to figure out where to stay. I asked the tow driver for advice. He tells me: “wait, I will call.” I hear him arguing with Avis over the phone, hang up, call someone else, haggle with them for a few minutes, and then scribble down a few reference numbers on a pad—all while hurtling down Norwegian country roads at over 100km/h! He turns back to me and replies: “BMW will pay, you talk to them about reimbursement. Give them this number and email here. I reserved you a room at the Fossberg Hotel.” Now that’s service! (And yes, they did pay me back about 2 weeks ago.)
Hitching a ride in the cab of the tow truck. Note the sunny skies - this was the day before the summer solstice at 22:25.
And while I was nearly 5 hours’ drive from Ålesund at this point it wasn’t so bad.
The town of Fossbergom in Lom, Norway. Population: 837, plus at least one bemused traveler. As I would learn the next day, it's a popular home base for those hiking and climbing in the adjacent national parks and thrives on vacation dollars during the summer months.
It was nearly midnight, but I went on a quick walk around the town to decompress after the day's earlier stresses. The Bøverdalen valley cuts through area, including this river and waterfall.
Time for bed!
Last edited by redct; Nov 7, 2018 at 10:10 pm
Nov 3, 2018, 2:03 pm
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: SFO
Posts: 273
Day 5: Lom, Trollveggen, and back to Ålesund
News came in the morning: the tires were approved, but they had to come from Lillehammer and would be installed by 4 that afternoon. This is where my lack of planning came in handy - I didn’t really feel the need to be anywhere, so I could explore Lom and take the afternoon to tackle one of its trails.
Bridge across the lake from the town.
Going up. The town is in the bottom left of the photo alongside the river bend.
At the top. The signs to go further were tempting, but I had no maps so I didn't want to stray far from the well-marked ascent.
As I was walking back down, I got a call from the garage—the car was ready! Perfect timing. I grabbed a quick bite to eat, picked up the car, and set out on the drive back to Ålesund. Per usual, I decided to take the (very) long way. It was the summer solstice that day, so why not take advantage of the limitless light?
This seems like a reasonable way to get back right?
Pulled over near a river somewhere on Highway 15. The unexpected stop in Lom was a nice surprise given the circumstances, but it felt great to be cruising again!
Back on the A roads. Gorgeous light off the A136 outside of Dombås.
It kept getting even more beautiful as I descended down into Andalsnes. I probably pulled over every 10 minutes to take in some fresh scenery.
After hitting a brief construction roadblock, I was down in Andalsnes, where I would grab dinner. The train station that I'd arrived at a few days earlier was about 1km away.
A picturesque Circle K for some quick refueling (both me and the car).
Mmm, 10 dollar gas station burgers. Norwegian prices are no joke!
After taking an after-dinner nap in the car, I took advantage of the beautiful perma-dusk afforded by the northern latitude and proximity to the solstice and drove back to Ålesund by way of road Fv63. Another Norwegian engineering marvel, it climbs up into the mountains through numerous switchbacks and then proceeds over the high plains underneath the watchful eye of Trollveggen.
A little bit of dusk lights up ribbons of asphalt. It's 23:00 on the solstice.
The Trollstigen mountain lodge in the foreground with its namesake in the background. Would come back here to camp in a heartbeat.
My trusty steed.
With still over 100km to go, I turned up the music and tried to enjoy the scenery while staying watchful for the many deer that lived in the area. While it was empty enough to pick up the pace, I'd already encountered a herd crossing the road.
Road Fv63 dead ends in the village of Sylte, Norddal on the shores of the Norddals fjord.
I took a moonlit stretch break by the water before chugging some coffee and powering through for the final leg. I finally arrived back in Ålesund around 01:30 the next morning, ready to crash (into bed, not the car).
Welcome back!
Bridge across the lake from the town.
Going up. The town is in the bottom left of the photo alongside the river bend.
At the top. The signs to go further were tempting, but I had no maps so I didn't want to stray far from the well-marked ascent.
As I was walking back down, I got a call from the garage—the car was ready! Perfect timing. I grabbed a quick bite to eat, picked up the car, and set out on the drive back to Ålesund. Per usual, I decided to take the (very) long way. It was the summer solstice that day, so why not take advantage of the limitless light?
This seems like a reasonable way to get back right?
Pulled over near a river somewhere on Highway 15. The unexpected stop in Lom was a nice surprise given the circumstances, but it felt great to be cruising again!
Back on the A roads. Gorgeous light off the A136 outside of Dombås.
It kept getting even more beautiful as I descended down into Andalsnes. I probably pulled over every 10 minutes to take in some fresh scenery.
After hitting a brief construction roadblock, I was down in Andalsnes, where I would grab dinner. The train station that I'd arrived at a few days earlier was about 1km away.
A picturesque Circle K for some quick refueling (both me and the car).
Mmm, 10 dollar gas station burgers. Norwegian prices are no joke!
After taking an after-dinner nap in the car, I took advantage of the beautiful perma-dusk afforded by the northern latitude and proximity to the solstice and drove back to Ålesund by way of road Fv63. Another Norwegian engineering marvel, it climbs up into the mountains through numerous switchbacks and then proceeds over the high plains underneath the watchful eye of Trollveggen.
A little bit of dusk lights up ribbons of asphalt. It's 23:00 on the solstice.
The Trollstigen mountain lodge in the foreground with its namesake in the background. Would come back here to camp in a heartbeat.
My trusty steed.
With still over 100km to go, I turned up the music and tried to enjoy the scenery while staying watchful for the many deer that lived in the area. While it was empty enough to pick up the pace, I'd already encountered a herd crossing the road.
Road Fv63 dead ends in the village of Sylte, Norddal on the shores of the Norddals fjord.
I took a moonlit stretch break by the water before chugging some coffee and powering through for the final leg. I finally arrived back in Ålesund around 01:30 the next morning, ready to crash (into bed, not the car).
Welcome back!
Last edited by redct; Nov 7, 2018 at 10:11 pm
Nov 3, 2018, 2:04 pm
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: SFO
Posts: 273
Day 6: Transit, to Oslo
Regrettably, my short stay in the north was at its end and I had to start heading back. I’d scheduled a buffer day in Oslo in case my plans needed to change. That wasn’t necessary but it was great to have some relaxation after the craziness of the past two days.
The car got returned with a relatively clean bill of health and I had time to take a quick jaunt up to the top of town for the postcard shot of Ålesund.
The town.
Afterwards, I was off to the airport by bus. About that bus... everything that I could find showed that the bus left the station and arrived 35 minutes before the flight was scheduled to depart. This made me a bit nervous, but everyone I talked to reassured me that no, the bus was scheduled to meet the departure and that the airport was small enough for that not to matter.
A quick coffee before the airport at the Lyspunktet ("bright spot") Cafe .
Flight: AES-OSL
Norwegian 409
Seat ?? on a Boeing 737-800
Of course, the locals were correct. The airport only gets 5 to 6 flights per days so I breezed through with only a 737-sized number of passengers going through security.
Cute airport with a friendly face outside.
Compared to the 6 hour journey by train and bus, the return was a quick 55 minutes by air. And a whole row to myself!
We landed on time and I made it down to the Airport Express train shortly afterwards. After making it to town, I checked into a beautiful Airbnb situated on the Oslo waterfront near its famous modernist opera house. The area was recently redeveloped, reclaimed from harbor activity.
Cute doggo (owned by the host), but snored louder than most humans!
It’d been a little while since I last visited Oslo so I went for a walk around.
The harbor on a gorgeous day.
Opera House.
Under construction, like most of the harbor.
Apartments.
Frogner Park, featuring a sculpture park with the work of famous Norwegian sculptor Gustav Vigeland. The park is named after Frogner Manor, a former estate in the neighborhood.
The roses were out in full force.
The neighborhood outside the park. I grabbed a tram from this area back towards the city center to swing by the Akershus Fortress, a 13th-century fortification and royal residence.
There was a huge football festival underneath the fortress with an absolutely bonkers line to get in. The occasion? Sweden-Germany in the World Cup.
Some smart fans decided to watch from the walls of the fortress. I joined them. (Currently: Sweden 1, Germany 0. That sadly didn’t last.)
The other view from the fortress walls.
Walking back towards the harbor.
Finishing the day with a “medium” kebab from an excellent place near Droniggens gate. One of the best kebab shops I've been to in any city - highly recommended if you find yourself with the munchies near Oslo central station.
Sunset.
Colorful apartment blocks, including the one I stayed in.
The car got returned with a relatively clean bill of health and I had time to take a quick jaunt up to the top of town for the postcard shot of Ålesund.
The town.
Afterwards, I was off to the airport by bus. About that bus... everything that I could find showed that the bus left the station and arrived 35 minutes before the flight was scheduled to depart. This made me a bit nervous, but everyone I talked to reassured me that no, the bus was scheduled to meet the departure and that the airport was small enough for that not to matter.
A quick coffee before the airport at the Lyspunktet ("bright spot") Cafe .
Flight: AES-OSL
Norwegian 409
Seat ?? on a Boeing 737-800
Of course, the locals were correct. The airport only gets 5 to 6 flights per days so I breezed through with only a 737-sized number of passengers going through security.
Cute airport with a friendly face outside.
Compared to the 6 hour journey by train and bus, the return was a quick 55 minutes by air. And a whole row to myself!
We landed on time and I made it down to the Airport Express train shortly afterwards. After making it to town, I checked into a beautiful Airbnb situated on the Oslo waterfront near its famous modernist opera house. The area was recently redeveloped, reclaimed from harbor activity.
Cute doggo (owned by the host), but snored louder than most humans!
It’d been a little while since I last visited Oslo so I went for a walk around.
The harbor on a gorgeous day.
Opera House.
Under construction, like most of the harbor.
Apartments.
Frogner Park, featuring a sculpture park with the work of famous Norwegian sculptor Gustav Vigeland. The park is named after Frogner Manor, a former estate in the neighborhood.
The roses were out in full force.
The neighborhood outside the park. I grabbed a tram from this area back towards the city center to swing by the Akershus Fortress, a 13th-century fortification and royal residence.
There was a huge football festival underneath the fortress with an absolutely bonkers line to get in. The occasion? Sweden-Germany in the World Cup.
Some smart fans decided to watch from the walls of the fortress. I joined them. (Currently: Sweden 1, Germany 0. That sadly didn’t last.)
The other view from the fortress walls.
Walking back towards the harbor.
Finishing the day with a “medium” kebab from an excellent place near Droniggens gate. One of the best kebab shops I've been to in any city - highly recommended if you find yourself with the munchies near Oslo central station.
Sunset.
Colorful apartment blocks, including the one I stayed in.
Last edited by redct; Nov 7, 2018 at 10:12 pm
Nov 3, 2018, 2:05 pm
#6
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: SFO
Posts: 273
Days 7 and 8: Transit, London
Time to head back to the States with a layover in London on the way back. After checking out of the Airbnb in the morning, I took the Flytoget train to the airport.
Designwise, OSL has to be one of my favorite airports. It may not have the amenities of a place like SIN, but its heavy use of blonde wood, green walls, and smart lighting design make it a pleasure to look at. It’s also the only airport I’ve ever been in that feels calming - quite the feat.
Flight: OSL - LGW
Norwegian 2805
Seat 11C on a Boeing 737-800
Another smooth hop on Norwegian. Surprisingly reliable and decent (when the weather is good).
Rear door boarding is always more fun.
Time to catch up on some news from my field of study. I study tech policy and the U.S. Supreme Court had just released a landmark decision about the use of your phone's GPS data by law enforcement officials.
After landing at Gatwick, I grabbed a train to Clapham Junction and transferred to TfL services. Much cheaper than Gatwick Express depending on where you’re traveling.
Overground on a sunny London day.
Had some time to relax and meet a friend for some drinks near Green Park.
The next day, I went museum hopping.
Design Museum.
I also stopped by The Photographer’s Gallery. A great smaller place near Oxford Circus that has some rotating exhibits from different artists.
Lunch at Comptoir Libonais, a Lebanese chain in London. The lunch was delicious and the people watching on a sunny day like this was second to none.
Apple Market.
The London Transport Museum. Good exhibits and great gift shop with many posters, including this one that I grabbed a souvenir.
Image level: uncomfortably British.
Rush hour.
And back out later that evening to meet some friends for dinner.
Back home on the Underground (name that station!)
Designwise, OSL has to be one of my favorite airports. It may not have the amenities of a place like SIN, but its heavy use of blonde wood, green walls, and smart lighting design make it a pleasure to look at. It’s also the only airport I’ve ever been in that feels calming - quite the feat.
Flight: OSL - LGW
Norwegian 2805
Seat 11C on a Boeing 737-800
Another smooth hop on Norwegian. Surprisingly reliable and decent (when the weather is good).
Rear door boarding is always more fun.
Time to catch up on some news from my field of study. I study tech policy and the U.S. Supreme Court had just released a landmark decision about the use of your phone's GPS data by law enforcement officials.
After landing at Gatwick, I grabbed a train to Clapham Junction and transferred to TfL services. Much cheaper than Gatwick Express depending on where you’re traveling.
Overground on a sunny London day.
Had some time to relax and meet a friend for some drinks near Green Park.
The next day, I went museum hopping.
Design Museum.
I also stopped by The Photographer’s Gallery. A great smaller place near Oxford Circus that has some rotating exhibits from different artists.
Lunch at Comptoir Libonais, a Lebanese chain in London. The lunch was delicious and the people watching on a sunny day like this was second to none.
Apple Market.
The London Transport Museum. Good exhibits and great gift shop with many posters, including this one that I grabbed a souvenir.
Image level: uncomfortably British.
Rush hour.
And back out later that evening to meet some friends for dinner.
Back home on the Underground (name that station!)
Last edited by redct; Nov 7, 2018 at 10:12 pm
Nov 3, 2018, 2:10 pm
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: SFO
Posts: 273
Day 9: Back to Boston
I had a late afternoon departure on Virgin Atlantic out of Heathrow, so I had a little time in the morning to visit the sprawling Victoria and Albert Museum.
The courtyard.
Back to pick up my bags and then off to Heathrow. Regrettably, I arrived a bit too late for the twice-hourly TfL Rail (formerly Heathrow Connect) service to LHR, so I held my breath and paid the exorbitant £22 walk-up fare for the Heathrow Express.
And I’m very glad I did, because at check-in: “Sir, I’m afraid your reservation doesn’t have an e-ticket number associated with it. Could you please go see our colleagues at the ticketing desk?”
Oof. I had some suspicion that something might happen. Last time I flew out of LHR I got the lovely SSSS on my ticket and this time I was unable to complete online check-in.
Over to the ticketing desk I went. Two harried agents were trying to calm down two girls who, as far as I could gather, had some issues with the SkyMiles award ticket that their dad had booked for them. Something about being at LHR for LHR-EWR but being rebooked on a flight out of CDG! I tried to give them some reassurance as I know these things can be stressful for infrequent travelers. My remark that London and New York is one of the most well-connected travel corridors and that they’d get home “very soon” seemed to help. Hope you two made it!
After extricating himself from the girls’ SkyMiles situation, a very nice VS ticket agent then looked at my case, swore some oaths about Delta IT infrastructure, and called the requisite desks at Delta to get my ticket reissued. I didn't quite follow what happened afterwards, but I think it was some issue with my premium economy upgrade and the automated systems not reissuing my ticket. Anyways, after some time on the phone, I was all set with a boarding pass. The agent even gave me a fast track security card as the gate was opening soon. Props to VS for some good service!
Flight: Virgin Atlantic 11
LHR - BOS
Seat 23B (premiun economy) on a Boeing 787-9
A nice and quick hop home on one of VS’s very purple planes.
Hello again Boston! A nice, wet Cambridge sunset to welcome me home.
The courtyard.
Back to pick up my bags and then off to Heathrow. Regrettably, I arrived a bit too late for the twice-hourly TfL Rail (formerly Heathrow Connect) service to LHR, so I held my breath and paid the exorbitant £22 walk-up fare for the Heathrow Express.
And I’m very glad I did, because at check-in: “Sir, I’m afraid your reservation doesn’t have an e-ticket number associated with it. Could you please go see our colleagues at the ticketing desk?”
Oof. I had some suspicion that something might happen. Last time I flew out of LHR I got the lovely SSSS on my ticket and this time I was unable to complete online check-in.
Over to the ticketing desk I went. Two harried agents were trying to calm down two girls who, as far as I could gather, had some issues with the SkyMiles award ticket that their dad had booked for them. Something about being at LHR for LHR-EWR but being rebooked on a flight out of CDG! I tried to give them some reassurance as I know these things can be stressful for infrequent travelers. My remark that London and New York is one of the most well-connected travel corridors and that they’d get home “very soon” seemed to help. Hope you two made it!
After extricating himself from the girls’ SkyMiles situation, a very nice VS ticket agent then looked at my case, swore some oaths about Delta IT infrastructure, and called the requisite desks at Delta to get my ticket reissued. I didn't quite follow what happened afterwards, but I think it was some issue with my premium economy upgrade and the automated systems not reissuing my ticket. Anyways, after some time on the phone, I was all set with a boarding pass. The agent even gave me a fast track security card as the gate was opening soon. Props to VS for some good service!
Flight: Virgin Atlantic 11
LHR - BOS
Seat 23B (premiun economy) on a Boeing 787-9
A nice and quick hop home on one of VS’s very purple planes.
Hello again Boston! A nice, wet Cambridge sunset to welcome me home.
Nov 7, 2018, 10:09 pm
#11
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: SFO
Posts: 273
Nov 8, 2018, 11:06 am
#12
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: PDX
Programs: Free agent!
Posts: 1,427
Yup, they showed up for me too. I'm glad the flat tire didn't mess up your trip and it's nice that Lom turned out to be a nice little town to spend some time in.
Nov 8, 2018, 2:10 pm
#13
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: Central Florida
Programs: UA, IHG
Posts: 464
[...]
There was a huge football festival underneath the fortress with an absolutely bonkers line to get in. The occasion? Sweden-Germany in the World Cup.
Some smart fans decided to watch from the walls of the fortress. I joined them. (Currently: Sweden 1, Germany 0. That sadly didn’t last.)
[...]
There was a huge football festival underneath the fortress with an absolutely bonkers line to get in. The occasion? Sweden-Germany in the World Cup.
Some smart fans decided to watch from the walls of the fortress. I joined them. (Currently: Sweden 1, Germany 0. That sadly didn’t last.)
[...]
Enjoyed your report. And yes, those prices in Norway are no joke (though we are yet to travel anywhere outside of Gardermoen)!!
Nov 8, 2018, 2:12 pm
#14
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: Central Florida
Programs: UA, IHG
Posts: 464
What's weird is that some of the photos still don't show up for me. But what's doubly weird is that if I open the page source and find the link, then click it, I see the photo on the clicked link as well as in the original post here in Flyertalk!
Nov 8, 2018, 2:53 pm
#15
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: OTP
Programs: AF/KL platinum, Turkish gold, QR gold
Posts: 1,572
Beautiful pictures - thanks for posting! Must have been some stressful moments getting a flat in the middle of nowhere and having to wait for an eternity for repair services (been there once as well on a Swiss mountain pass with my own car). But seems it was greatly handled in the end by all involved - and what a luck at the same time of ending up in that nice little town and being able to do a hike to kill some time waiting for the car to be repaired. Could have been a lot worse!