British Isles Explorer Ocean Cruise

Day 21: Monday, April 27, 2026 - Bergen to Oslo, Norway

The day's statistics:
⛅ Weather: upper 50s
👟 Steps: Linda 9,339; Steve 11,359
🚌 Miles traveled (approximately): 280

Today was transfer to Oslo day, and our departure was scheduled for 7:00. So we had to arise early and prep.
We took our luggage to the restaurant and took turns getting breakfast while the other "kept guard". Fortunately, the hotel started breakfast for us at 6:15 so that we wouldn't have to inhale our meal. It was light again, due to the ongoing strike, but we did have enough to eat.
At 6:30 AM, the sun was already fairly high in the sky. Between last night's setting and this morning's rise, there were less than eight hours of night.

A little before 7:00, the group started gathering in the second floor lobby.
We left in groups of 25 to 30, and boarded three buses. Originally, we were supposed to take a scenic train ride from Bergen to Oslo. However, due to track maintenance, we had a one-hour-plus bus ride to the Voss station first, then we boarded the train for the ride to Oslo. The rail route included 182 tunnels too.
But we had to get to Voss first, driving along a roadway that was essentially parallel to the local service train tracks.
A couple of the sights while we were still in Bergen may be duplicate, but then it all changes.
















I was trying to take a picture of a house on a hillside overlooking the fjord, but just then a semi pulling a trailer passed by - and I was still able to get this shot (the shadow on the left and right are the two halves of the rig).

Continuing on.



















Somewhere along the route, Louisa told us about the Dale (Dah-Lee) company known for its fine Norwegian sweaters and other woolen clothes. They raise the sheep and sheer, spin and dye the wool, and them make various articles of clothes.
The marshmallows are HUGE in Norway.

And not much further on we were at the "stasjon".



The bus pulled to the curb, we debussed, gathered our luggage, and headed to the platform.
When we were on the bus, Louisa told us what range of seats to sit in in one of the train cars. As we arrived on the platform, we found our car, and our seating section. We put our luggage up top, and took seats.
The train was scheduled to depart at 9:30, but due to a late bus arrive (not Viking related), the train was about five minutes late to leave.
We had a nice five-plus hour relaxing train ride to look forward to.
According to the phone GPS, the Voss station was at an altitude of 115 meters. Eventually we would reach an altitude of 1,224 meters (4,016 feet). So we were going into the mountains. And experienced the mid-spring snow that went with it.










The train was approaching the frost line.
About 9:30 we were served a snack of fruit salad.

As we continued on, we saw more snow. A lot more snow.
It might be hard to tell, but some of the landscape shots have (a) house(s) in them.











The train made about eight stops between Voss and Oslo.
One of the stops was in a town called Finse. This is especially relevant because Viking sells - on their ships - a series of books about a dog named Finse. Coincidence? Nope.

Finse was at an altitude of 1,222 meters (4,009 feet), essentially the highest point - by 2 meters - on our trip.
At the stop in Finse, we saw a guy walking his dog. Then we saw the dog walking running the guy.


A little before 11:00 AM, a box lunch was served. I neglected to get a picture of ours (I was too captivated by the scenery), so here is one I borrowed from someone on a Viking Travelers FB group.
The lunch included a green salad, a pasta salad, a sandwich wrap, a regular sandwich, and a cinnamon and sugar dessert pastry.

At the Finse stop, I happened to notice a passenger - I think they were with our group too - step out of the train to take a picture of the scenery. Yes, NOT taking a picture through the window will give a better result. However, I said to Linda "Sorry, I would never step off a train like this for a photo op. If the doors close while you're out there, you're going to have a really big problem." She agreed.
The train moved on.
In the distance in one shot was a snowmobile towing something, some people walking dogs, and even an ice fisherman.









We stopped in Geilo, altitude 794.2 meters (2,978 feet).
It looks like this town had access to ski runs. That still had a lot of snow.


Shortly after we left Geilo, Sandra (or maybe one of the other guides) passed through our car, and said "May I have your attention please. While trying to save an insect, Louisa stepped off the train. And was left behind at the last stop. She has her wallet and phone, and will be OK. But she won't be with us when we get to Oslo. We'll take care of you, but we wanted you to know."
This wouldn't have been so... humorous had I not said what I did to Linda a half hour prior.
As quickly as we went into the snow, we left it.


When the train arrived at the station, we all alit, and began our trek through the rather large station. We went up an escalator, over the other platforms, and then turned into the station itself. It was a long route. And we went up another escalator. But some of the people weren't getting immediately out of the way at the top of the escalator, and an accident almost took place (or it did after we got far enough away).
At the end of the next section all the way down there, we went down another escalator. Then we passed through the doors and into a plaza in front of the depot. Diagonally to our right was the hotel.

Some of the staff were on strike at this hotel as well.
As we walked in, the group passed a book of City Tourist Maps, and most travelers - including us - took a copy of the map.

After eventually making our way to the room - we had to wait until the hosts had all the room keys, we freshened up a bit.

It was still early, so we returned to the lobby to ask our local Viking host about a Dale sweater. Yes, I had an interest in perhaps buying one. The host referred us to the hotel receptionist and told her about our desire to go to a Dale shop if there was one. She pointed one out on the map we already had and indicated it was a fifteen to twenty minute walk by the Paleet Mall, and then we headed out.
Across the street and down two blocks was the pedestrian roadway. It used to be a regular street that was now pedestrian-only.
We turned right and started our ten-or-so block walk.
Near the mall we came across this cute statue.

After arriving at, and entering the Paleet Mall, we were at a loss as to where the Dale shop might be. We entered another shop and asked them if they would happen to know where it was as we were told "Dale is one of the premiere wool fabricators in the country." The clerk said "So are we. But we're a women's clothing store." I said "I would have bought something, but since you have women's only...." The clerk chuckled and said go out the mall, and it is on the end to the right." "Thank you."
It was 30 meters (100 feet) or so down on the right. We went in.
I wanted to get an authentic Norwegian sweater, but I couldn't justify - now that I'm retired - spending 4400 NOK ($444) for it, especially because I would have probably only worn it a couple times a year, and it would require dry cleaning too.
I am not knocking the quality of the product, just that it was a little too expensive for us considering how little it would likely be worn.
Even the mittens were 1390 NOK ($140).
We left the mall and headed back toward the hotel. Across the street from the mall was a saying imbedded into the sidewalk. It is really hard to read here, but it does say: "Norway is a free country populated by unfree people" letter to Olaf Skavlan, 24 of January, 1882.

A bit further along was the Parliament building.

Then we crossed the street again and hit up a souvenir store to pick up a couple items, including our shot glass. This statue was in front of this store.



We continued on toward the hotel.





Before passing by this "Normal" store, we decided to step inside to see what they had. Unfortunately, this particular store (though maybe they are all the same) was like a really long maze and once you entered, you were forced to go in one direction all the way to the registers. It weaved around the outside, then into the middle ending at the front near where the journey began.

Eventually we arrived back at the train station where there was a Kiwi market on the lower level. We went inside and scoped out their variety of salads. We found there was a Coop in the far corner of the station as well, but wound up returning to the Kiwi to buy a couple Taco / southwest-style salads.
We headed back to the room - across the intersection from the train station.
As it was still relatively early, I decided to run back out to try to get some wine. I stopped in the lobby to talk to our host, who directed me to back to the train station. I was almost at the door when I remembered I needed to grab our fold-up reusable shopping bag and went back to the room to get it.
Then I returned to the station. I sort of misunderstood where the wine store was, and walked right past it, covering the better part of the station before asking someone where it was - it was almost next to the entrance. I stopped in and got two bottle - one for tonight and one for tomorrow.
After returning to the room, we enjoyed our salads.

Since we got an earlier start this morning, going to bed a little earlier tonight wasn't a big deal. So after we relaxed a little, we washed up, and went to sleep.

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