24 April 2011

Memento of Norway 2

It all started in the train.

The Oslo-Bergen railway is arguably the most beautiful train journey in the world. It passes through different altitudes of the mountain ranges. It even reaches about 1222m above sea level, the highest point of the railway system, Finse. The gradual changes of the scenery outside the window gives an inexplicable satisfaction and amazement, to a city guy like me.

The lakes, the cottages, the fjords and the snow. Oh, and the rapids. They are like the most wonderful receptionists of Norway, welcoming the tourists to the unpolluted and untouched nature.

A 7 hours train journey photographed those nature sites into an eternal memory.

And, to a person who loves to try out local delicacies, it's quite surprising that the youth hostel actually serves herrings and salmons, with 4 types of dressings for you to choose. Mustard, Tomato Salsa, Sour Juice and Caviar.(Caviar, peeps!)

Not forgetting also the self-made yoghurt, tasted like a light strawberry milkshake; and the scrumptious brown cheese+ strawberry jam. Suffice to say all these made a good start for my first morning in the town of Bergen.

The tour around Bergen gives you a sense of venturing into the hidden countryside town. I just couldn't find the right vocabulary to describe the quaint and unique houses on the hillside, as well as the small and quiet lanes around. They are just, so different from what I have seen before in my life. And, the unbelievably weird structures of Bryggen, actually makes me wonder how can such building be ever built?

Plus, looking at the magnificent view of the Bergen town from the top of Mt. Floyen just feel like you have just conquered the small town. At the peak of 322m, I met a father and a son from Denmark, and it was quite a shock that he knew about the Petronas Twin Tower and Malaysia.
We had a great time sharing some of our stories.
He is a seaman. It is now during the Easter weekend, so he brings his son, Alexander to visit Norway, by taking a ferry from Denmark for about 18hours.

Isn't this is like some of the English stories we read when we were young? A sailor who travels to many parts of the world, tells his son about the stunning things that he has been through. I was glad to meet up with him, and we promised that if we ever meet again, we will have Danish pastry and hot chocolate together.

Never knew it was so random and interesting. Before he left, he told me that there are many places in the world which are worth a visit. Remember, if you want something more, you gotta spend more time on it. Such a simple sentence, but with a deep meaning. A wise man indeed.

An instinctive decision to take the cable car up the hill has brought me to such a brief conversation. Life is all about taking calculated risk, and no turning back.

Photographed @Late Evening at Bergen
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And now, we are heading to the Fjords! :)


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