I am not a teenager but I enjoyed watching Scandal, Norwegian series about life in the country, and generally about relationships, accepting and all the high-school drama. Guilty as charged I enjoyed it, and I learned so much about the country.

After that, and after one 2011 Trolltunga photo from a friend the country was getting more and more on my radar. As I was presenting the idea to my companion, he became even more interested, as we haven’t seen mountains in a while. And the decision was done. Our initial plan was to visit Norway for a whole week, but having it arranged to meet the best friends in Copenhagen it was a little bit less than that.

We started on a warm spring night in Oslo. It only felt like spring because I had my winter jacket on. And so many people were on the streets. Dancing. I wanted to find every single person that was telling how boring Oslo is and show them this.

I know i cant judge based on one day, but a sunny day around Grünerløkka, the city center and the Aker Promenade were more than enough for me to want to come back and stay longer. The supermarket varieties of course not. But it was the best choice to visit one for our road trip.

Hotel: Anker Hostel
Transport Station: Lilletorget
Walking minutes from Station: 5
Recommendation: Decent Hostel, with a toilet inside the room, and very warm rooms. Linens/Towels/Kitchenware for rent
Breakfast included: NO
Price: $$$$$
Payment: Cash & Card (25 EUR p.p./night)

After around 36 hours in Oslo, and around 2 hours getting out from the city, we are starting our road trip to the west having Eidfjord as a final stop of the day. We witnessed so many amazing views, waterfalls, and glaciers on the way, and temperature dropping from 20 to 0 degrees and then as we were reaching Eidfjord, coming to the middle line. Our hotel was old fashioned house with the best breakfast and even better views. Please have in mind, nothing works here after 8PM.

Hotel: Eidfjord Gjestgiveri
Recommendation: 😊 Very satisfied with everything here, the view, the interior, and the breakfast. Shared bathroom with 3 other rooms.
Breakfast included: Super Good Breakfast Included
Price: $$$$$
Payment: Cash & Card (46 EUR p.p./night)

Driving further with Bergen as our final stop, loosing our mind over the most scenic sites, we wanted to stop by Trolltunga. But the only one that stopped was our car, on a public holiday, and luckily the traffic on the busy mountain road brought 5 people that brought the car back to life.
After this stressed moment which of course can happen to anyone, we took some time to enjoy the unrealistically beautiful town Odda, before catching the Ferry from Jondal to Torvikbygd.

We wanted to be outside, but the wind was stronger than us, and the sugary toasts on board were far more inviting.

Some more waterfalls, out of which Steinsdalsfossen was the one we made stop in, gothic churches and cute red barn houses, we reached Bergen. It was a long day. And only a fish soup right before checking in could help. Ok staring at the architecture as well. I liked absolutely everything about the city, except maybe the over touristy vibe around the fish market, but just 100 meters further from it, it was the same enjoyable calm city, with beautiful corners and lots of art.

I felt that there is a lot of young population in the city, because the club lines were endless. The beer and the wine in the city were great, the snacks as well, but we decided to skip the fish part because we are not fans of overpriced touristy spots.

AirBnb: Bergenhus
City Area: Ladegarden
Recommendation: I would not recommend this place, timing was not respected, rooms were cleaned after our arrival, and other misunderstandings.
Breakfast included: NO
Price: $$$$$
Payment: via AirBnb (30 EUR p.p./night)

Knowing how the roads were, and that 300km are not equal 3 hours, we started our round trip in the morning with prepared snacks and plan of stopping every 2 hours. Breakfast was in Flam, lunch in a spot around 100km from Oslo ( one that we accidentally marked on the map on our way to the west), and we had a coffee break around the ski area Hemsedal. This was very effective and I can’t recommend it enough. I forgot to mention that our route included the longest road tunnel Laerdal, 26 kilometers. and impressive.

Oslo welcomed us back with better spring this time. The crowds on the streets reminded me of my student exchange time in Turku, Finland, and I felt lets say around 10 years younger.
A must stop in the city is Himkok distillery. When you see the people behind the bar, you will appreciate even more what they are serving. That was not the only place where we went to. We had a hop on and off in a few bars, before it was time for bed, because there was an early flight the next day.

Hotel: Central City Hostel
Transport Station: Tøyen
Walking minutes from station: 3
Recommendation: 😊 The place was ok, rooms were new, but location wise was a bit far.
Breakfast included: NO
Price: $$$$$
Payment: Cash & Card (24 EUR p.p./night)

There were some touristy spots that we didn’t see from close enough, and some that we didn’t see at all. But the vibes of the cities was totally compensating everything that we “missed”. It is a country that deserves return, in hiking appropriate months, even though the locals hate tourists in this period, but the country is long enough and there is spot for everyone. Maybe food wise is not the best place, but everything else wise it is for sure the place visit.

Ha det!

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