After a nice night of sleep to the backdrop of pouring rain, we were ready to begin the long drive back to Oslo. But first! We took a gander up the scenic funicular to get some of the stunning views of Bergen you see below. We were also treated to some grazing sheep atop the mountain.
Sarah really loved her Viking hat. The view on the way up the funicular. We learned we needed to be in the front for the way down. And the views from above.
A stunning panorama showing how big the city of Bergen is and giving a glimpse of the fjords that surround the town.
This is looking back behind the mountain, and then we have sheep! And a nice gear that West and I posed with.
We also saw goats! They were quite bored by all the people. And then the view as we rode down the funicular. And I'm not sure why I got a snap of this house... but I did?
We took a different route back to Oslo than we had taken the day before. It was still 7 hours but this one took us around a different fjord and to some of the finest waterfalls of Norway.
Here we have one waterfall that wasn't on the stop list and then a far away view of one that was.
Steindalsfossen. This one was quite pretty and you could walk underneath it without getting wet! Or okay, only a little wet.
Back to the road. Daniel was our faithful driver for most of the trip and had to put up with all our backseat driving and music demands. He's a saint.
We made a stop in this sleepy town for Daniel to grab some food (McDonald's was too good for him when we were leaving Bergen) and we stumbled upon this telephone booth turned library. Pretty cool!
And then we made it to the largest falls in Norway: Voringfossen. We were on the wrong side for the iconic view but it was pretty beautiful regardless.
The craziest thing was that there were no railings or anything to keep you from falling off the side of the cliffs. I guess Norway is a proponent of Darwinism aka Survival of the Fittest.
GoPro photos of the group! One of the best purchases I made for getting fabulous pictures while traveling. This is us atop the mountain in Bergen.
And then here we are with some waterfalls.
We finally made it back into Oslo so we walked around a bit more.
And made Sarah take our pictures with her fancy DSLR.
We went to the Oslo Opera house which is STUNNING. It's a gem in the city.
We got some milkshakes at lunch and then West and I danced atop the Opera House.
Delicious burgers were bad by all at this little market hall, surrounded by walls with cool graffiti.
Thor's hammer! We found it in Norway! And then a faraway view of the beautiful Opera House. I think my favorite thing was that you can walk all over and up on its roof. Perched in the fjord was a little glass Viking ship as well.
Opera House things.
West loved this little construction tunnel, so he posed with it. Opera House and an elephant!
After the opera House we decided to walk to Vigelund, the largest sculpture garden made by a single artist. There are more than 200 sculptures by this guy! It was crazy!
The park was also full of beautiful flowers and even a bust of Abraham Lincoln.
The statues and fountains were layed out among the park and you can see by the one in the middle how well it was all done.
Flowers on flowers! I love me some flowers. And more sculptures. Apparently they all had to be naked.
We came upon this door in the wall just in time as it started pouring while we were walking and we took cover inside.
Thankfully it was quickly over so we came back out and continued to explore the park.
I'm sure there's some sort of allegory the artist is telling with the stacked bodies.
Group hug in the middle!!
The Circle of Life! Maybe he was inspired by The Lion King. Or vice versa.
Lucky us we caught a rainbow on our walk from the park to dinner! And dinner was the deliciousness pictured above. It was great!
All in all, it was a fabulous trip to Scandinavia. We had a great time and came away with lots of fun new memories! Everyone should go to Scandinavia! Just make sure you budget appropriately as it can get expensive (especially in Norway).
