Nordic Freeze: Bewitched by Bergen

 

Smalungeren Lake

“Mary set out in those days and traveled to the hill country...” 

- Luke 1:39

Today, like Mary in the Gospel reading, we were on travel mode. We said goodbye to Oslo and took a 6-hour scenic train ride to Bergen from the Oslo Central Station. The Norwegian State Railways (NSB) train had the amenities of a plane. When I heard the welcome spiel over the PA, I felt we would takeoff and fly any minute like the car in Harry Potter.

On the NSB Train

 

We were treated to a glorious panorama of a snowy-white landscape. For most of the way, the only colors that broke through that blanket of white were the green of the trees whose needles struggled to peep from under their snowy burden and the gray of the crags and the flowing rivers. The Christmas card-pretty houses along the way made me feel the ambiance of the season. I felt I was transported to a wintry fairy land and could almost see Olaf the snowman sliding down one of the slopes.

 

Snowy Landscape on the way to Bergen

Bergen is on the southwestern coast surrounded by mountains and fjords.  It is the second largest city in Norway. What a charming place with cobblestone streets!

 

Cobblestone streets of Bergen

Unlike Oslo and the other towns along the route, Bergen had no snow, but it was still freezer cold. Jaffy was ecstatic about the city especially the hotel, the Zander K - a design hotel nominated as one of the world’s most urban hotels that serves organic food. Not only was it right beside the train station, but it also had amenities he gushed about. He kept saying, “This is so cool, Mom. I wish we can stay here longer.” If only I had known how delightful Bergen would be, I would have added more days here. Buddy wanted to come here on his birthday to see the fjords but wasn’t able to. I’m glad that we will experience this awesome place together.

Since we arrived in the early afternoon, we still had time to do a bit of exploring. Jaffy and I went out to look for the Gingerbread City while Buddy rested in the hotel. I’m glad we took an unguided trip for a change because of the things we got to discover along the way.

 

Pepperkakebyen 

The Pepperkakebyen is an annual winter exhibit made by Bergen’s school children and touted to be the world’s biggest gingerbread city. I found the display adorable especially because I love miniatures.

 

Gingerbread City

On the way back we dropped by the Bergen Julemarked (I guess that means Christmas market). Let me just say that I’m so enchanted by Christmas markets especially this one because it was situated beside the Smalungeren Lake. For me, they’re one of the highlights of this trip.

 

Bergen Julemarked

In the Julemarked we bought some souvenirs (miniatures for me, naturally) and our dinner. Yesterday, we had moose burger, today it’s Viking burger served by a guy who looked like Thor.

 

Viking Burger

The next day we went on our fjord trip. I’ll tell you about that amazing experience in my next blog post. Let me just dedicate this blog to bewitching Bergen.

On our third day we had time to spare before our flight, so we headed for Bryggen, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Norway. Lucky us, it was only a 20-minute walk from our hotel.

On the way there, we passed by Market Square where we came upon the statue of Ludvig Holberg, a Bergen-born playwright, writer, historian, and philosopher. He is considered as the father of Danish and Norwegian literature as well as the founder of drama for all of Scandinavia.

 

Ludvig Holberg's statue in Market Square

A few steps away is Vågen Harbor, the central harbor of the city located at its center and is the historical core of Bergen.

 

Vågen Harbor

Bryggen is a historic harbor district in Bergen, one of North Europe’s oldest port cities on the west coast of Norway which was established as a center for trade by the 12th century.

The main attraction of Bryggen is the series of colorful houses/commercial buildings facing the harbor. These are relics of ancient wooden urban structure once common in Northern Europe.

Bryggen

The most lopsided structure in the row which caught our eye is the Knut Skurtveit building. 

It was picture pretty even if the sun had not fully risen at 10:00 am. After the requisite picture taking, it was time to pack up and leave.

We took the light rail to the airport. There was a stop right beside the train station (this is why we love our hotel, the Zander K, because it is so conveniently located). The train ride showed us more of Bergen’s charm and we fell in love with it some more, wishing again that we had stayed longer.

 

Let me end our Bergen sojourn with a prayer: Mama Mary, as we travel like you did to visit Elizabeth, cover us with your blue mantle of protection. You were brave to face the rigors of travelling in your condition prompted by love of family. May that same love reign in our hearts in this trip and for the rest of our days. Amen.

Nordic Freeze: Techno in Oslo

 

Norsk Teknisk Museum

“...you have found favor with God.” - Luke 1:30

When I created this blog, I had to come up with a tagline. I thought “Wandering the world with God in my pocket” was perfect as I try to find God’s grace in every place I visit. And as it happens, God’s grace has saved us countless times.

God’s favor on our fourth Nordic Freeze day was Jaffy being able to join us to visit the Norsk Teknisk Museum (Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology). The visit was really for the boys’ enjoyment. I just came along for the ride. This non-techie mom wasn’t expecting much. But surprise surprise, I, too, had fun.

The museum chronicles the development of Norway from an agrarian society to the highly industrialized country it is today. It has permanent exhibitions that I found fascinating.

The Energy exhibit showcased hydroelectric powered Norwegian households.

Energy Exhibit

The Oslo Science Center is a paradise for curious people of all ages. It explores principals from physics, aero-dynamics, optics, TV, anatomy, physiology, light, mathematics, astronomy and renewable energy.

 

Oslo Science Center

I imagined myself going full speed in Full Speed, the display on power and velocity,

 

Full Speed

took unique mirror selfies with the Concave Mirror,

 

Concave Mirror Selfie

and walked into the Light…Room.

 

The Light Room

Transportation is the largest exhibition in the museum that shows different means of conveyance: motorbikes, cars, air balloons, airplanes, steam locomotive.

 

Transportation Exhibit

I admired the luxury cars on display including one used by a king.

 

King Olav's Cadillac

One display I found amusing was a car called “Egoisten” (“The Egoist”). It is a single seater designed and made by a businessman engineer who got tired of ferrying freeloading passengers from his home outside Oslo to the office in the city.

 

The Egoist - 1 seater car

Another interesting exhibit was the one on Norwegian Telecom.

 

Norwegian Telecom Museum

The Teknisk Museum is a place both informative and fun for young and old alike.

After an enjoyable time exploring the museum, we took a six-wheeled bus to Jul Vinterland for the moose burger lunch that I mentioned in my previous blog.

 

Super long bus with 6 wheels

Lunch done, we walked around a bit for some pasalubong shopping.

 

Shopping in Downtown Oslo

We were also supposed to visit the Ski Museum, but it became my one big fail. Before our trip, I made sure I’d be strong enough by going to the gym regularly. And I was happy I was fit enough to keep up with the boys during our loooonngg walks to the train/bus/tram stations. (I’m not exaggerating about the long walks. It made me appreciate the tricycles back home that would bring us from the bus stop to our doorstep.)

Then came the Ski Museum. We scheduled it for last because it was indoor, so even if it was dark (sunset was at 3:00 pm), we wouldn’t have a problem. But a problem it was! The way was uphill and covered with snow.

 

Trail to the Ski Museum

Midway, I raised the white flag. Surrender na si Mommy! I told the boys to just leave me somewhere, but they wouldn’t hear of it. So back to the station we went. We had packing to do anyway as we leave for Bergen tomorrow. (Excuses, excuses!) But thank you, Lord for keeping us safe and for all the favors of this day.

Nordic Freeze: Exploring Oslo

 

Nobel Peace Center

“Thus the Lord has dealt with me, in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.” - Luke 1:25

 

My elder son Jaffy was feeling sick and decided to just stay in the hotel. In times past, this would have greatly disappointed me, and I would be on whining mode. “Lord, I did pray for not any one of us to get sick, didn’t I! Please let him be well enough when Buddy (my younger son) arrives to pick us up. We need to get our money’s worth for this trip,” would have been my bratty prayer.

 

But this time, I was given the grace not to question His will. I let Jaffy rest and told Buddy all I wanted to do today was go to the money changer, visit the Nobel Peace Center and buy a gift for my friend who helped him when he was fixing his papers to work here. And, more than anything, I appreciated that Buddy and I will get our mother-son time which we haven’t had since he left.

 

So, the two of us headed for Oslo Sentralstasjon (Oslo Central Station). We wandered around Østbanestasjonen, the first railway station in Oslo that had been turned into a shopping center, looking for a place to have lunch. Buddy took me to Melt Grilled Cheese in the Østbanehallen Food Court or what used to be the carriage hall.

 

Østbanehallen

After lunch, we took the subway to the Nationaltheatret (National Theater), one of Norway’s largest and most prominent venues for performance and dramatic arts. From there, it was just a short walk to Oslo Harbor where the Nobel Peace Center is located.

 

Nationaltheatret

The Nobel Peace Center is nestled in the heart of Oslo. For me, it is a symbolic site – this heritage museum is all about heart or how far the human heart will go to make the world a better place.

 

The permanent exhibit that impacted me the most was the Nobel Field. It looks like a digital field with screens sprouting amidst a thousand tiny lights flickering like fireflies. Each screen is a tribute to a Nobel laureate bearing his or her image and story. The Nobel Field is considered to be “the heart of the Nobel Peace Center”. Designer David Small describes the concept: “We wanted to create something timeless. Here you can meet all the Peace Prize laureates from today and going back more than a century – all in the same room – and they even speak to each other.”

Nobel Field

 

I also enjoyed reading about the story of Alfred Nobel through an interactive book using state-of-the-art technology.

 

Story of Alfred Nobel

There were many other touching photos and exhibits we beheld on our tour. It was a pleasant experience with Buddy who was also visiting the center for the first time.

 

After leaving the center, we stumbled upon Jul Vinterland (Christmas Winterland), a Christmas market near the National Theater that totally enchanted me.

 

Jul Vinterland

I felt like a child who had stepped into a wonderland, more so when I was in front of a shop selling donuts and candies (sweet tooth activate!)

 

Candy Wonderland

and while watching Rudolf the talking reindeer.

 

Rudolf

Sampling the gløgg Buddy bought was something I couldn’t pass up on. Gløgg is a spiced, usually alcoholic traditional Nordic drink served during winter especially around Christmas.

 

Gløgg

We wanted to try the Elgeburger (moose burger) but Buddy suggested we hold off from buying it until his Kuya (elder brother) could join us. The next day, we went back with Jaffy to have a taste of our very first moose burger. Eating it while sitting around a fiery cauldron is a winter experience I’ll always cherish.

 

Elgeburger by the fire

Even though it was incomprehensible at first why my prayer was not answered the way I wanted it to be, accepting the situation and continuing to seek God’s guidance had its rewards. More than exploring all the tourist spots in Oslo, family time is what brings me immense joy. God’s way is still the best way.

Nordic Freeze: First Taste of Winter Wonderland

“Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel who alone does wondrous deeds.” - Psalm 72:18

When traveling abroad and you’re not part of a tour group or have a personal tour guide with a van like we had in our Japan trip, it’s strategic to book a hotel at the city center. This is one of the most important lessons I learned in our Nordic trip: MAKE SURE OUR HOTEL IS CONVENIENTLY LOCATED.

For the Oslo leg of our journey, my elder son and I were billeted at the Anker Hotel. It was walking distance to the Oslo Central Station and there were  tram and bus stops right beside it. Eating places and convenience stores lined the street it was on. Very convenient especially upon arrival and departure with our luggage.

Waking up in our hotel with a view of the ice floating on Akerselva River further reinforced the awareness we were not in Manila anymore. (As if trudging through streets cloaked by evening’s dusky mantle at 4:00 in the afternoon was not enough to convince me the day before.)  Today is our first outing in winter wonderland.

 

Akerselva River

Stepping out of the hotel, we took time to marvel at the icy panorama that is Akerselva. The river flows through Oslo starting at Maridalsvannet, Oslo’s largest lake and into the Oslo Fjord. An 8-km. walk along its course goes through parks and small forests. My post trip research showed that there are historical buildings, fishing and swimming spots, waterfalls, culture and art hubs, and a foodie paradise to make the trek worthwhile. Although we saw people trudging along the riverbank, a winter walk would have been too much for tropical me. I uttered a small prayer that I may be able to visit my younger son again during summer so I can explore its banks.

Akerselva Riverbank Walk

First on our itinerary is the Norsk Folkemuseum (Norwegian Museum of Cultural History) in Bygdøy, Oslo.  

Norsk Folkemuseum The Countryside

It presents life in Norway from the 1500s and displays an extensive collection of artifacts from all social groups and regions of Norway.

Norsk Folkemuseum staff dressed as a farm girl

What made us truly feel the Norwegian way of life is the large open-air museum with 160 buildings relocated from towns and rural districts from around the country.

 

Historic storehouse with  ornate hand-carved wooden loft

We trudged in the snow through a Nordic countryside with farmhouses,

 

had a scare sliding over an icy patch as we searched for the Stave Church,

“roped the reindeer” outside a goahti or gamme (hut) in the Sámi Site (the Sámi are an indigenous Finno-Ugric people of the north),

 

viewed the permanent exhibits showing folk art, folk dress, church art, toys and Sámi culture in the Parliament Hall,

 

Norsk Folkemuseum Torget & Parliament Hall

and ate lunch by a cozy fireplace at Café Arkadia, the museum cafe.

Cafe Arkadia

Snow, snow and more snow waited for us after lunch at the Akershus Slott, a medieval fortress and castle overlooking the Oslo fjord.

 

It was built to protect and provide a royal residence for Oslo. At the time of our visit it was serving as the temporary office of the Prime Minister of Norway.

 

Standing guard at Akershus Slott

Blessed be the Lord, our God, for answered prayers and showing us this winter wonderland.