The Parents Come to Visit!

I had a great time with my parents the last two weeks, and there is almost too much to share, but I'll give it my best shot!

Not only did we explore the city, we hit the ski trails and participated in the Norwegian tradition of an "Easter" hut trip. For our final days, we jumped over to the western coast and did a bit of fjord cruisin'.

I still had some school commitments that kept us in Oslo for a few of the days during their visit, which was a perfect opportunity to visit museums and see the city sights. On top of that, we jumped on the chance to be part of the "Tourist in Your Own City" day, which provided a free Oslo Pass to anyone that showed up at City Hall! 

Vigeland Sculpture Park

Oslo Opera House on a sunny day!

A mural inside City Hall

Norwegian Folk Museum

Replica of the Fram, the world's strongest polar vessel

Spring is coming fast here, but I really wanted to take my parents on a ski hut trip! I've had such a blast skiing this winter, and I thought it would be a fun thing to do together. I chose a hut further north in Nordmarka, Sinnerdammen, in hopes that the snow pack would be in decent shape. There was major meltage, and the trails were far from perfect, but we still had fun!

The final portion of the trip was what I was really looking forward to! I've spent a relatively small amount of time on the west coast of Norway, and the dramatic landscapes over there are part of what makes Norway so famous! We took the infamous Flamsbana railway from Myrdal to Flam, a sleepy town at the head of the Aurlandsfjord. This is one impressive engineering feat: the railway decends over 800 meters in only 20 kilometers! It took over 20 years to complete and each of the 6 tunnels were dug by hand. Even if you aren't impressed by the technical info, you will be impressed by the view.

This place gets swamped in the summer time, when huge cruise ships plow in everyday and unload thousands of tourists, so we were thrilled to take the off-season hours and a little rain if it meant avoiding the congestion. We stayed at the Flam Marina Apartments and seemed to have the whole place to ourselves. I had told myself that before leaving Norway, I had to jump in a fjord. I knew that Flam was my best opportunity, especially since it was just a short run from the fjord to a hot shower! 

Flam brought a calmness that we all appreciated. Dad fished in the fjord right off the back deck, Mom had a porpoise-watch station (fully equipped with binoculars), and I enjoyed drinking cup after cup of tea, enjoying one of the most beautiful views in the world. 

All of the time that we spent on the fjord was incredible. I'll let the pictures do the talkin':

We took a ferry all the way from Sogndal to Bergen, a 5 hour fjord trip that took us along the Sognefjord out to the outlying islands near Bergen. Not to disappoint, Bergen upheld it's title as the "Rainiest City in Norway," with over 250 rainy days per year! We hit the fish market, Bryggen, and the funicular to the summit of Fløyen Mountain. It was much easier to navigate the city and make decisions with just three of us, compared to the last time I went to Bergen.

 

 We took the train back to Oslo, and only had a few more days to kick around Oslo, most of which we spent in the sun...

Well, if the snack hut is closed, we'll just nap on the tables.

It was a hugely successful trip, and such a fabulous change of pace to share my Norwegian life with people I care about from home. I'm so glad that my parents were able to get a glimpse of Norway and that I was able to share some new experiences with them. Thanks again for visiting, Mom and Dad!