I traveled with the Jönköping Student Union on a trip to Norway. The Student Union planned the entire trip so that was really nice. The destinations were Oslo, Jostedal, and Bergen. This was more of a nature/adventure trip so I was really excited about that. We spent one night in Oslo, three nights in Jostedal, one day in Bergen, and one night sleeping on the bus. The most exciting things on the agenda were going on a Fjord cruise, hiking on a Glacier, and see the beautiful countryside.
We headed out on the bus on Tuesday morning and made our way to Oslo. Boy, am I glad that I went to Oslo earlier in the semester, because it was quite rainy on this particular day and we were on a tight schedule. We went on a tour of the Opera house, which is quite famous, and that was really neat. It doesn't look that big on the outside but once you get backstage, its absolutely massive. Everything is done there: from building the sets and costumes, to training facilities including medical services. There were even about 10 year old girls practicing for some ballet. I guess they have to start them young.
After the Opera house, we headed to Viking Biking for our bicycle tour of the city. The tour guide was quite interesting despite the fact that it was pouring rain. I think this biking tour would have been really great on a sunny and warm day. It was interesting to get some background knowledge on some of the sites instead of just looking at the sites. The crazy thing about Norway is that all the people in politics and all the political buildings are not guarded besides the Royal Palace. The tour guide even mentioned that at one point he accidentally bumped into someone that was really high up in the government because they just go around as common people.
Oslo was nice but I have to rank it third out of the three Scandinavian capitals. Stockholm and Copenhagen are such beautiful cities that are hard to compete with. The next day we hopped back on our bus to go to Flåm, where we would get on a ferry to go Leikanger, and then get on another bus to take us to Jostedal. The scenery in Flåm was amazing and the ferry ride was incredible. It brought us out into the Sognefjord which is the largest fjord in Norway and the third largest in the world.
Upon arriving at Jostedal Camping, where we would be saying, I knew it was going to be a great couple of days. It was nestled in a valley surrounded by mountains and we got the big cabin that had everything. Others just basically had a room to sleep and we had much more.
Now it was Thursday and today was our free day. There were two hikes planned and I decided I wanted to go on both of them. In the morning we walked down a road about six kilometers to where the hike to a glacier began. The problem was that was we got to where the hike was suppose to begin, there was about a foot of snow throughout the entire area. So it was impossible to know where the trail was or where to go. Along with not having waterproof boots, it was not for me. We turned back to do the more difficult hike up the mountain.
The views on the way up the mountain were amazing and unbelievable. I could just sit there all day and appreciate the natural beauty. We unfortunately were unable to make it all the way to the top of the mountain. The snow became too deep so it was too dangerous to go ahead any farther. In the summer the snow will be melted and it will be possible to reach the top. We were very close to the top though so had an equally great view. I'll let the pictures do the talking.
The next day was the kayaking and glacier hiking. The glacier is called Jostedalsbreen and is the largest in Europe. This trip was filled with many "largest" things. Half of the group kayaked across the small lake while the other half walked. We then switched on the way back, so I kayaked on the way back. Kayaking was quite difficult and upper body demanding but it was really fun. Now back to the glacier, we were given a little instructions, crampons for our boots, an ice pick, and were tied to a rope so that if somebody fell off the edge, they didn't die.
The glacier was incredible and I never imagined that when I left the states, I would be walking on the largest glacier in Europe. It was really unbelievable how all of this was a huge chuck of ice and how it was constantly melting. You could definitely tell a temperature difference as you got closer to the glacier. Again, the pictures can do the talking.
The evening was spent relaxing as many of us were sore from the last two days of hiking. I will never forget the amazing scenery that I saw while in the Jostedal area. The next day we were bound for Bergen, which was our last stop on the trip. The ride to Bergen was amazing since we took a ferry for about four hours through the fjords. It's just so much beauty to take in. It was always neat to see the little towns that we stopped at along the way on the ferry.
Bergen has a famous area called Bryggen that is really nice and also an attraction called the Floibanen, that takes you up above the city for a nice view. I saw both of those things while in Bergen along with going to a restaurant and eating some delicious fish. Some people wanted to go to McDonalds for supper and once I saw the prices on the menu, I knew that I would not eat McDonalds. A McChicken meal was ~$12. This really shows how expensive Norway is. In the evening we headed home and slept on the 14 hour bus ride. Also, we went through the worlds longest road tunnel that went through a mountain.
Norway is the most beautiful place I have ever been. The nature is just breath taking and unlike anything I have ever seen. If you want some great nature and views you have to go to Norway. Being there kind of makes me wonder why my ancestors left (I'm 3/8 Norwegian). The views in Wisconsin are nothing compared to Norway. I'm hoping I can return to Norway some day and have the opportunity to see the incredible sights again.
Exams are coming up quickly. Wish me luck! I will be back in the states on May 23rd so my time in Sweden is quickly coming to an end.
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