Talk Morgan Forums Community The Malvern Arms Norway , advice please

We have booked a cruise to Norway to see the fjords & the Norwegan Blue Parrots.

We will be allowed ashore in Bergen, Flam & Olden. I am pretty confident we will spot the parrots easily as they will be resting after squawking but what else should we look out for?

Norwegian blue....lovely plumage.
Watch out for resting ones in cages held by John Cleese.....

I am planning a trip to Norway in the M3W, and one of the stops will be at Flam to take the train to Myrdal. It is one of the world's steepest lines and it looks spectacular.

Hi, JohnV6, being a norwegian and living in Bergen I would be most happy to help and give advice. Not so many blue parrots around, though... To give advice, it is best to know what time of the year, for how long, if it is a round trip, your priorities etc. So give me a hint, I and will be glad to help.
M3W55, I am not so sure about a longer trip in a M3W, though. Norwegian weather is lottery, at least in the north and west, where the most beautiful scenery is. This year it was a tropical summer, but it might have as well have been week after week with rain and chill. Now you have been warned.... But of course, IF you hit the jackpot with the weather, you will have the journey of your lifetime.

Yes the train is on the list. I agree it looks quite something. Booking ahead on the internet is cheaper.

Robbie,
July / August next year with a day each in Bergen, Flam & Olden.
John

John

Bergen is a wonderful port in a beautiful setting. If the weather is clear take the funicular railway up to the top and look down at the whole city spread out beneath you.

The fish market on the quayside is great for locally caught sea food, and just behind is a memorial to "The Shetland Bus" (Google if you don't know it)

The old wooden merchants houses on the quayside are a UNESCO listed site which lots of little alleyways and passages to explore , it is very photogenic.

Apart from that just wander around and take in the city and look at the differences with the UK and the rest of Europe.

Flåm is a tiny village on the Sognefjord , so not quite sure why they would call there, unless there are excursions bound for the hills around or to see a stave church nearby . On the other side fo the fjord (almost directly opposite) is Kviknes Hotel , at one time the largest wooden building in Europe and well worth a visit just to see the traditional interiors.

PS Alcoholic Drink is eye-waveringly expensive in Norway, look out for the state monopoly shops called Vinmonopolet, you will have to carry your purchases away discreetly in an unmarked paper bag!

Although I don't think I have visited, Olden looks like another small town at the end of the Nordfjorden. Again I would expect there would be shore bound excursions , possibly to the glacier (Jostedalsbreen) or a snowfield or high pasture.

The charm of both of these last two will be the transit up and along the fjords to get to them.

You are probably a bit early for the Northern Lights, and not quite far enough north, but you might get lucky.

Everyone will speak great English but it is nice to able to say a few words
Takk = Thanks
Tusen Takk = Thank you very much (literally a thousand thanks)

It is a great country , enjoy it to the fullest.

Ok, when the time approaches, give me a hint, and I will have some advice for you. And perhaps a beer downtown?

By the way, MOG 615 has got it quite right, but I can add in, at least on Bergen.

By the way, MOG 615 has got it quite right, but I can add in, at least on Bergen.