Tag: norway

Some different sights of Norway

On By Terry ChristophersonIn Trips and travel6 Comments

Every trip and every travel destination have their iconic places and views, yet it is the surprises that add the seasonings that make it memorable. Here are a few from our visits to Norway this year.

I did this sketch of the Troll King at The Troll Museum in Tromsø last June. The Norse troll stories are such fun. Once you learn that trolls love the darkness, because they know that they will turn to stone if they see the sun, you begin to find stone trolls everywhere you look. If you are ever in Tromsø be sure to visit The Troll Museum, it is well worth the time.

We left Tromsø on a cruise headed north. The terrain soon became barren and rocky. The weather got colder and more windy. Our first stop was Hammersmith. It was blustery and bleak looking so we decided to stay onboard. After a bit I got restless, so, leaving Tricia to the comfort of the cabin, I headed for shore and the town. Walking along the road into town I came to a gardening and flower shop. The thought of plants and gardens just seemed out of place, though the colors were nice. I am sure the growing season that far north is quite short.

A couple of weeks ago we visited the Fram Museum in Oslo. The Fram was one of the ships that Amundsen used on his arctic explorations, and the whole ship is restored and inside the museum.

Thanks Tricia for the photo.

The ship was well equipped, complete with indoor, sort of, plumbing.

The train ride from Oslo to Bergen had plenty of beautiful sites, but to some of us this was quite a delightful view.

AND, it was one of the best hot dogs ever – apologies to my friend Dave who bought me many Husky Dogs at the University of Washington football games we went to.

On our first day in Bergen we rode the Fløibanen funicular up to the viewpoint – great views and mountain goats.

If you want to spend the night in the company of the goats there is an accommodation for rent.

That evening we went out for one of our favorite meals, Spanish tapas. Even in far away Bergen the realities of the world were brought near. I took this photo through the window of the restaurant. There was a protest going on regarding the Israel Gaza war. A bit chilling to have it this close, but thankfully it was peaceful.

On Thursday we took a cruise up the fjord. Tricia took a photo of another rare site.

Thankfully I bought a stocking cap from a shop the day before; it was really cold. I rarely wear them, but the delightful economics major working at the shop explained to me some different ways to wear them – I guess living in Norway you know such things. So me wearing that cap and drinking hot chocolate on a boat in a fjord qualifies as a strange site.

That afternoon we did some shopping. We stepped out of a shop and saw fire trucks just a block or so away. A bit more excitement in Bergen. BTW, on the left is the tour boat we were on.

As Tricia so frequently reminds us in her weekly postings of travel quotes, travel broadens our minds and brings surprises we would never imagine, I can’t agree more.

The gift of surprise in Bergen

On By Terry ChristophersonIn Been there - places, Food and drink, Restaurants, Trips and travel11 Comments

The good traveler has the gift of surprise. W. Somerset Maugham

On Thursday in Bergen discovery was the entree, surprise the piece de resistance.

We started the day by discovering that there is amazing beauty in the fiords of Norway. Our travel in the far north was a stark arctic desert beauty, Oslo did not inspire me, but Bergen and the fiords we sailed were stunning.

Off the boat, a bit chilled and hungry, lunch was our priority – pasta puttanesca for me and risotto for Tricia at a snug restaurant seated by the window to watch the parade of people enjoying the cold sunny day. Sated, we wandered the waterfront a bit, shopped for a friend or two, then took a break at our hotel. We were staying at the Magic Hotel Kloverhuset.

The sun was hovering over the rooftops as we headed out, but where to go? Our hotel had a beautiful lobby bar, we looked at each other and said why not? So we settled in to one of the overstuffed leather couches at Sjø, it means “sea” in Norwegian. Soon, Sandra, the bar manager, set glasses of dry white wine and nuts on the heavy wooden table – the ambience was perfect. The next two hours were magical.

Thanks Tricia for the photo

We were enjoying the time and chatting about the day on the water when Sandra returned with two small coups of bubbles to try, they were a delightful surprise. It was Saint Martin de la Garrigue, a label of the hotel, which also owns the vineyard.

Bubbles are the perfect accompaniment for caviar, which I remembered seeing on their menu. I went up to the bar to place an order. Sandra was chatting with Gabby, the head server, who would become our new best friend. She was not sure if they had caviar at the moment as they were out the day before, so she headed off to talk to the chef.

When she returned she moved us to a table in the restaurant, explaining that the chef was going to do something special.

Thanks Tricia for the photo

After a few more sips and a bit more conversation Gabby returned with a plate of Antonius Cavair, a Siberian cavair from Poland. It was accompanied by smoked sour cream, chives, pickled red onions, and of course bilini – nous étions très contents. Tricia discovered that she loves caviar, bien sûr.

The only thing as good as caviar with bubbles is oysters, which of course Gabby recommended, and we accepted. She said the chef was doing something special for us, we were quite curious. The next plate she brought is best shown in a photo:

Each oyster was topped with a dollop of foam made from oysters and edible flowers. I love oysters but have never had anything like these, the foam gave it a slightly sweet flavor – a magical surprise.

Next we met Chef Mateusz. He came to the table to see how we liked the oysters. We realize now that we have most likely met a future Michelin Star chef.

We chatted a bit, thankfully the restaurant was not busy. He asked if we liked scallops, which of course we did, then he headed off to create the next bit of magic. Through all of this Gabby stopped by to chat and keep the bubbles from running out.

The uncooked scallop was topped with trout caviar, and mayonnaise made from the liver of the scallop. It was a taste of the sea, Tricia said “it had a taste like rose petals.” In a lifetime of experiencing impressive food this scallop pretty much tops the list.

What a day! We discovered that there actually was some green beauty in Norway, we discovered the best restaurant in Bergen, and we discovered an amazing chef. We hope to taste his food again one day.

Thank you Sandra, Gabby, and Chef Mateusz. You gave us the gift of surprise from the time we walked in at 5:00pm until we left two hours later. Most of all, your smiles and kindness will be one of the best memories of our time in Norway, thank you again.

What about Norway?

On By Terry ChristophersonIn Trips and travel2 Comments

This week we have been in Oslo; tomorrow morning we catch an early train to Bergen. This train is considered one of the most beautiful routes in the world, so we are looking forward to it.

Even though there’s some Norwegian blood in my veins, I’ve never been particularly inclined to visit Norway. Yet I’ve now been to Norway twice: in June we departed Tromsø (above the Arctic Circle!) on a cruise (Tricia wrote a blog with photos), and this week we met friends in Oslo.

On that first visit to Norway (the cruise from Tromsø), we anticipated steep, forested mountainsides that pitched down into fjords. And we realized such scenes early in our cruise. Here is Tromsø, a beautiful place and so far my favorite place in Norway:

Yet as we sailed north, the terrain became barren, even bleak. No more charming fishing villages, clinging to the edge of the fjords: the views quickly became stony, treeless, windswept—a kind of beauty that I wasn’t expecting. You can see here the bleakness of Longyearbyen, in Svalbard, the most northerly point we went:

Now on our second visit to Norway, we had no particular expectations of Oslo—Nordic population, maritime history, modern Scandinavian architecture, yes. Yet…yet… Folks in Tromsø warned us that their countrymen in southern Norway were not especially friendly—which has been our experience. What we have experienced is that the most conversational, outgoing, friendly folks are not native Norwegians, but immigrants, or children of immigrants..

I guess Norway just doesn’t dazzle me.

Except, maybe, its cuisine. In Tromsø:

The food in Oslo has been wonderful.:

So here’s hoping that Bergen is all of the picturesque Norway we have hoped for. My sketchbook is ready to capture that wonder.

Cruise Dining, Part II

On By Terry ChristophersonIn Trips and travel4 Comments

We have four days left on our third cruise. This time it is on the Norwegian Star from Tromsø ending up in Iceland by way of Longyearbyen, the northernmost inhabited village.

The Star had a few of the same restaurants we saw on the other ships – an Irish Pub, Le Bistro, La Cucina, and of course the Garden Cafe.

The Garden Cafe continues to be avoided if at all possible. As I said in my last blog about food on our cruises, the buffet food is not bad, it is just not very good. Well except for the one time on the Sun when I thought biscuits and gravy for breakfast sounded indulgent. If I could have cut or bitten through the biscuit it just might have been a treat, even the gravy did not soften their impenetrable shell, they were bad.

Yet, more than the mediocre food, it is the crowd. On this cruise, I have been there at 0600, 0700, 1000, once or twice to actually eat something, usually just passing through, grabbing a cup of coffee, then heading for the bow to watch the ship come into port. The buffet is always a chaotic crowd, and both Tricia and I have observed that they are aggressive; God forbid you get between them and their bacon. We have been pushed and shoved multiple times. Tricia had one guy forcibly tell her, “get out of my way.”

In defense and fairness the made-to-order omelets and the deserts are actually quite good, but they are not worth the crowd hassle for me. And then there is my lifelong dislike of buffets.

I would rather eat at a sit-down restaurant with a view and take my time. Of the restaurants on the Star that is included in your basic package, The Versailles is our favorite. One evening we had this view and I had this for my entree.

Even though we were not next to the window, as we usually are because we get there early, we had a nice view of the water. My sea bass was cooked just right. The server remembered us and we chatted about her home country. Sure beats the rumble and tumble of the buffet line, and the cramped tables that would do a school caffateria proud.

On this ship the Asian restaurant is included, which has been a treat, complete with hot saki. For a few dollars more I had unagi sushi for an appetizer.

We always buy the food upgrade that includes two meals at the Ala Carte places. We used our first at La Cocina. A good Italian meal for sure, but the best part was Hazel, the wine steward. She was so much fun, and we connected. Since the staff work at multiple locations around the ship we see her often and she is always greets us enthusiastically.

Our second reservation will be on our second to last night on the ship, at Cagney’s. Cagney’s is a fixture on most Norwegian ships, but we have avoided going to this most popular of the restaurants since we don’t go to steak houses, and we live in France where steak is c’est normal.

I took too long to write this, so we had no choice but to go to the buffet. We dodged the people, and tried to ignore the noise. I decided to have pancakes, not something I have often, but what the heck. Tricia got her plate, I got mine then we looked for an empty table. Five minutes later we found one, conveniently located so the traffic went by on both sides just inches from our seats. At one point, I warned Tricia because a man was standing there gazing around, probably looking for a table, while holding his plate about six inches from her head. By the time we found a place to sit, my pancakes were cold. My views on buffets remain unchanged.