Early in the morning we checked out of the hotel and started off to the railway station. We got into the train and made sure we did not miss anything this time. And need I say it again, It was breathtakingly beautiful. We sat around talking about everything. The topics among the groups ranged from gandhi to womens liberation (this was between maithra and me). The Gandhi conversation took the form of a heated debate and a norwegian couple intervened to ask us if we could speak in english so they could join in the conversation :) (nice way of saying stop arguing actually).
Again we spoke to them about India, they told us about farming and then it was time for them to get off the train. After an hour we got down at Oslo. And our trip to bergen had ended leaving behind wonderful memories and hundreds of beautiful photographs.
Once we got down in Oslo we had lunch in the Indian restaurant I spoke about earlier. The food was delicious and after spending three days dreaming of chana masala, Mohan decided to have chicken.
After lunch we decided to go to the vigeland park which was supposed to be the main attraction of oslo. It was filled with statues of men women and kids. And I must say the statues were neither aesthetic nor sensual. They were plain and simple vulgar (my opinion folks) . Though I must say the arrangment of the monolithic statues was really good. Not a place I would want to visit again.
From here we went back to the railway station and took a bus to the airport from there. Boarded the flight and reached home in an hour and a half. I felt like I returned back to Hyderabad. And was deliriously happy when someone said kiitos (thank you in finnish). I must say helsinki has become my second home. Never before did i feel so happy on coming to helsinki. This was one journey which left a mark in my mind.
To all my Indian friends who are reading this, ours is a nation not only rich in cultural heritage but also in natural beauty. If small nations like this can take good care of what little land they have, why can't we? We have vast land and a lot more people. Keep the country beautiful. It is not upto the government or somebody, It is upto us. Little things like not littering or not cutting down trees, not turning forests into concrete jungles will go a long way in preserving the beauty of our country. Think about it.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Norway- Day 3, the Fjords
What a day it was!!
We woke up early in the morning had muesli (yuck) and leftover pizza for breakfast and started off to the port. The boat had arrived and we got in.
And we embarked on the most beautiful journey ever. We were on the way to a beautiful place called Fläm through the sognefjord.
Let me say a little about fjords here. This is what wikipedia has to say about fjords. Geologically, a fjord or fiord is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides, created in a valley carved by glacial activity. Fjords are formed when a glacier cuts a U-shaped valley by abrasion of the surrounding bedrock. Many such valleys were formed during the recent ice age. Glacial melting is accompanied by rebound of Earth's crust as the ice load and eroded sediment is removed.
I don't care for the definition but it was a wonderful experience. The sea runs through the mountains on either sides. There were pretty little houses on the mountains here and there. And they all had electricity even though there were as less as 2 houses per mountain. The Sognefjord is the largest fjord in norway and the second longest in the world and stretches 205 km.
The fjords are said to be really deep and if the water is to be removed the mountains around us would stand double their height. They were already pretty high :). The day was warm and bright when we started. But as we went on , it got colder. At one point it was raining on one side and was bright and sunny on the other.
As Fläm got nearer, We got to see beautiful snowcapped mountains. Ratna was mentioning in one of her pics that she missed her family there. Truly, that was the only thing on my mind at that point. I wished my parents could see what I was seeing. It was beyond words. A humbling experience. Me, maithra and ratna were saying wow at every juncture in oslo. When we begun the fjord cruise we were saying wow quite often. But after a while we simply stopped speaking. Wow was too small a word to describe what we were seeing. I also felt a little sad that we were spoiling and polluting such a beautiful world that god had created for us. No other planet that we know has an abundance of natural baeuty like earth. And we go about ruining everything.
We reached Fläm in the afternoon. After a light lunch we went on a trek to a nearby waterfall. The little town reminded me of switzerland in yash chopra movies. Picture perfect with little farms, sheep and yak and horses, huge mountains in the background. Water melting from the mountain tops and running into little streams. In fact I saw a stream which was running two ways. It was really strange. After walking a while we realised we did not have enough time to reach the waterfall. So, we walked back to the railway station. On the way, there was this little stream we got into. The water was ice cold and it was difficult to stay in for more than a few seconds. We tried drinking the water , it was realy pure and fresh.
After playing there for a while we went to the railway station to catch our train. The Flämsbäana is part of the bergen railway line and is a beautiful route. The single track line is 20.2 km long. The top station Myrdal is 865 metres above sea level, while Flåm is by the fjord at sea level. In order to manage the climb up the mountainside, the line twists and turns and has twenty tunnels to gain altitude; even so, the steepest incline of the railway is 1:18, the third steepest adhesion railway in the World. The line has one horseshoe curve (a full 180 degree turn) in Vatnahalsen tunnel as well as one horseshoe curve in open air at Reinunga to gain altitude. There is a crossing (passing) loop at Berekvam station to allow trains going up and down at the same time.
There were a lot of waterfalls and snowcapped mountains on the way. at a point we could see three different levels of tracks on the mountain. The route was breathtakingy beautiful. Then the train halted at a waterfall. Everybody got down to see the waterfall as it was really close to the train. Then suddenly music started playing and a lady came out of the hills at the top and started singing. It was eerie and beautiful at the same time.
We reached our destination myrdal in about an hour. But we were disappointed that the journey ended so soon. There was a train waiting to get us to Voss from where we could catch another train to bergen. The route was beautiful. If your tired of reading that line then I really can't help it. :)
In the train to Voss we met a scottish couple Robert and margaret anderson. We spoke to them about India , they told us about scotland and britain and then we spoke about our work. They were surprised that we were all working as they thought we were kids and were actually looking out for our parents. :P. It was wonderful meeting them.
We all got down at Voss , while they went ahead on their journey, we stayed on in voss as our train was in an hour. We walked around the place and settled down in a lawn by the sea. It was really relaxing and lovely. I had never imagined I would ever be in a place like this.
We had a really silly discussion about flushing systems here and voted the system in korea the best :) . What can I say , technology everywhere!!
Once we boarded the train to Bergen, we just flopped and fell asleep. We got down in bergen and went back to the hostel. Had our food and fell asleep again. Early next morning, we had a train to catch to oslo. And we had no intention of sleeping this time around.
We woke up early in the morning had muesli (yuck) and leftover pizza for breakfast and started off to the port. The boat had arrived and we got in.
And we embarked on the most beautiful journey ever. We were on the way to a beautiful place called Fläm through the sognefjord.
Let me say a little about fjords here. This is what wikipedia has to say about fjords. Geologically, a fjord or fiord is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides, created in a valley carved by glacial activity. Fjords are formed when a glacier cuts a U-shaped valley by abrasion of the surrounding bedrock. Many such valleys were formed during the recent ice age. Glacial melting is accompanied by rebound of Earth's crust as the ice load and eroded sediment is removed.
I don't care for the definition but it was a wonderful experience. The sea runs through the mountains on either sides. There were pretty little houses on the mountains here and there. And they all had electricity even though there were as less as 2 houses per mountain. The Sognefjord is the largest fjord in norway and the second longest in the world and stretches 205 km.
The fjords are said to be really deep and if the water is to be removed the mountains around us would stand double their height. They were already pretty high :). The day was warm and bright when we started. But as we went on , it got colder. At one point it was raining on one side and was bright and sunny on the other.
As Fläm got nearer, We got to see beautiful snowcapped mountains. Ratna was mentioning in one of her pics that she missed her family there. Truly, that was the only thing on my mind at that point. I wished my parents could see what I was seeing. It was beyond words. A humbling experience. Me, maithra and ratna were saying wow at every juncture in oslo. When we begun the fjord cruise we were saying wow quite often. But after a while we simply stopped speaking. Wow was too small a word to describe what we were seeing. I also felt a little sad that we were spoiling and polluting such a beautiful world that god had created for us. No other planet that we know has an abundance of natural baeuty like earth. And we go about ruining everything.
We reached Fläm in the afternoon. After a light lunch we went on a trek to a nearby waterfall. The little town reminded me of switzerland in yash chopra movies. Picture perfect with little farms, sheep and yak and horses, huge mountains in the background. Water melting from the mountain tops and running into little streams. In fact I saw a stream which was running two ways. It was really strange. After walking a while we realised we did not have enough time to reach the waterfall. So, we walked back to the railway station. On the way, there was this little stream we got into. The water was ice cold and it was difficult to stay in for more than a few seconds. We tried drinking the water , it was realy pure and fresh.
After playing there for a while we went to the railway station to catch our train. The Flämsbäana is part of the bergen railway line and is a beautiful route. The single track line is 20.2 km long. The top station Myrdal is 865 metres above sea level, while Flåm is by the fjord at sea level. In order to manage the climb up the mountainside, the line twists and turns and has twenty tunnels to gain altitude; even so, the steepest incline of the railway is 1:18, the third steepest adhesion railway in the World. The line has one horseshoe curve (a full 180 degree turn) in Vatnahalsen tunnel as well as one horseshoe curve in open air at Reinunga to gain altitude. There is a crossing (passing) loop at Berekvam station to allow trains going up and down at the same time.
There were a lot of waterfalls and snowcapped mountains on the way. at a point we could see three different levels of tracks on the mountain. The route was breathtakingy beautiful. Then the train halted at a waterfall. Everybody got down to see the waterfall as it was really close to the train. Then suddenly music started playing and a lady came out of the hills at the top and started singing. It was eerie and beautiful at the same time.
We reached our destination myrdal in about an hour. But we were disappointed that the journey ended so soon. There was a train waiting to get us to Voss from where we could catch another train to bergen. The route was beautiful. If your tired of reading that line then I really can't help it. :)
In the train to Voss we met a scottish couple Robert and margaret anderson. We spoke to them about India , they told us about scotland and britain and then we spoke about our work. They were surprised that we were all working as they thought we were kids and were actually looking out for our parents. :P. It was wonderful meeting them.
We all got down at Voss , while they went ahead on their journey, we stayed on in voss as our train was in an hour. We walked around the place and settled down in a lawn by the sea. It was really relaxing and lovely. I had never imagined I would ever be in a place like this.
We had a really silly discussion about flushing systems here and voted the system in korea the best :) . What can I say , technology everywhere!!
Once we boarded the train to Bergen, we just flopped and fell asleep. We got down in bergen and went back to the hostel. Had our food and fell asleep again. Early next morning, we had a train to catch to oslo. And we had no intention of sleeping this time around.
Norway- Day2, Bergen
Bergen is also known as the city of rain. And yes, it was raining when we reached the city. Maithra was the only one carrying an umbrella. The rest of us were wearing hooded jackets so we ran to the hostel where we were supposed to be put up.
We finally found the hostel and pressed on the intercom to talk to someone on the inside. They said they do not take new ppl in until 2 in the afternoon. It was almost 7 in the morning. There was a restaurant adjacent to the hotel. We decided to try our luck in there and went inside to see if anybody was there. Once inside the alarms in the restaurant started off. We had no choice but to leave the building and get back to the hostel. We again called the person through the intercom and he gave us a code to enter the hostel. We entered and sat on the floor in the reception area. This was when we remembered that we had not given our weekly statistics at work. So we submitted it from there. Meanwhile Maithra went out for a walk and realised that there were policemen at the restaurant. She told them what had happened and straightened things out.
At eight o clock the restaurant opened and we were told we could not check in until 2 in the afternoon. So we put our luggage in the restautant and changed in their washrooms and then went out to see the city. We first went to the railway station to have some breakfast. Later we started our trek up mt Floyen.
Before I start talking about Mt. Floyen, I must explain that Bergen is surrounded by seven mountains. We spent a lot of time counting seven. But later I realised that which seven mountains is a matter of definition.
Mount floyen is the most visited of the seven mountains in bergen. It is almost 1050 ft high and the view from top is breathtaking. We took almost 2 hours to reach the summit of the mountain, thanks to me. What with my height and weight I slowed down the others majorly. There is also a train that goes from the foot to the summit but trekking was definitely more fun. Take it from me , I was the one for whom climbing the mountain was most difficult and yet , the view from the top is worth all the difficulty.
It was surprising to see that people actually live on the mountain. they must be summer houses for all I know. But they were really pretty houses. Tiled and pretty when we saw from the top.We could see the sea and the mountains as fas as we could. The city itself was very lovely. We sat at the top and were trying to locate where our hostel was. Must say it's a small city.
The trek downwards was a lot faster and we were at the foot in an hour. There were little streams and tiny waterfalls on the way down and it was a pretty sight. We were really hungry by the time we got down. I wanted to try some fish. But the sights and smells in the fish market put me off and I decided to have something at mcd's. The fish market in bergen is world famous for I dunno what. But it had fish and other foo in abundance. Eating by the waterfront should be fun I'd say.
While I was waiting for my food to arrive a drunk guy walked up to me and a group of other girls and was aking us where we 'stupid animals' came from. I decided to let him figure it out on his own and walked away.
Once we were done with lunch we went back to the hostel. We could check in then. We walked into our dorm which was a 10 bed dorm. and it was the first time I ever slept on a bunk bed. It was fun. People were still discussing about who was snoring the loudest. We decided we'd cook dinner for that day and ventured ut shopping when we woke up at 6 in the evening. We bought some noodles for the next day and soup and pizza for that night. We also stopped by the port to check out at what time our boat left the next day.
Then we went to a park near the national museum. It was a real holiday,no hurry to reach any place no worries in the mind.
We met the two giggly girls from the train in our hostel. They were from switzerland and were travelling coz they got real cheap tickets. There were a lot of student concessions available.
At night we all had pizza and soup and saw some russel crowe movie. It was like having dinner with family. My bed was in the corner of the room and it was really comfy to sleep in.
I suddenly woke up at night and maithra was calling me and asking me who was snoring so loudly. :)
We finally found the hostel and pressed on the intercom to talk to someone on the inside. They said they do not take new ppl in until 2 in the afternoon. It was almost 7 in the morning. There was a restaurant adjacent to the hotel. We decided to try our luck in there and went inside to see if anybody was there. Once inside the alarms in the restaurant started off. We had no choice but to leave the building and get back to the hostel. We again called the person through the intercom and he gave us a code to enter the hostel. We entered and sat on the floor in the reception area. This was when we remembered that we had not given our weekly statistics at work. So we submitted it from there. Meanwhile Maithra went out for a walk and realised that there were policemen at the restaurant. She told them what had happened and straightened things out.
At eight o clock the restaurant opened and we were told we could not check in until 2 in the afternoon. So we put our luggage in the restautant and changed in their washrooms and then went out to see the city. We first went to the railway station to have some breakfast. Later we started our trek up mt Floyen.
Before I start talking about Mt. Floyen, I must explain that Bergen is surrounded by seven mountains. We spent a lot of time counting seven. But later I realised that which seven mountains is a matter of definition.
Mount floyen is the most visited of the seven mountains in bergen. It is almost 1050 ft high and the view from top is breathtaking. We took almost 2 hours to reach the summit of the mountain, thanks to me. What with my height and weight I slowed down the others majorly. There is also a train that goes from the foot to the summit but trekking was definitely more fun. Take it from me , I was the one for whom climbing the mountain was most difficult and yet , the view from the top is worth all the difficulty.
It was surprising to see that people actually live on the mountain. they must be summer houses for all I know. But they were really pretty houses. Tiled and pretty when we saw from the top.We could see the sea and the mountains as fas as we could. The city itself was very lovely. We sat at the top and were trying to locate where our hostel was. Must say it's a small city.
The trek downwards was a lot faster and we were at the foot in an hour. There were little streams and tiny waterfalls on the way down and it was a pretty sight. We were really hungry by the time we got down. I wanted to try some fish. But the sights and smells in the fish market put me off and I decided to have something at mcd's. The fish market in bergen is world famous for I dunno what. But it had fish and other foo in abundance. Eating by the waterfront should be fun I'd say.
While I was waiting for my food to arrive a drunk guy walked up to me and a group of other girls and was aking us where we 'stupid animals' came from. I decided to let him figure it out on his own and walked away.
Once we were done with lunch we went back to the hostel. We could check in then. We walked into our dorm which was a 10 bed dorm. and it was the first time I ever slept on a bunk bed. It was fun. People were still discussing about who was snoring the loudest. We decided we'd cook dinner for that day and ventured ut shopping when we woke up at 6 in the evening. We bought some noodles for the next day and soup and pizza for that night. We also stopped by the port to check out at what time our boat left the next day.
Then we went to a park near the national museum. It was a real holiday,no hurry to reach any place no worries in the mind.
We met the two giggly girls from the train in our hostel. They were from switzerland and were travelling coz they got real cheap tickets. There were a lot of student concessions available.
At night we all had pizza and soup and saw some russel crowe movie. It was like having dinner with family. My bed was in the corner of the room and it was really comfy to sleep in.
I suddenly woke up at night and maithra was calling me and asking me who was snoring so loudly. :)
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