‘Where
do I go? Do I turn left here?’
‘No,
it’s that way!’
‘Go
round the turnabout second exit.’
‘Shut
the f*ck up!’ *laughters*
And
then we found ourselves making our way across the maze of Oslo’s city centre
circling every corner several times trying to find the right location to drop
off our rented vehicle.
These
were part of the challenges we faced travelling and driving in a foreign
country. However, it was a great experience nonetheless and I'm quite certain
as we returned back home to our respective lives, we've all brought back with
us some great memories and unforgettable experiences.
It
all started on the 11th of April, the dream team consisting of
myself, Nadia, Isaac and CKM were to embark on an epic road trip from Oslo to
the second largest city in Norway i.e. Bergen. After checking out of our hostel
in the heart of Oslo we made our way on foot to the Europcar headquarters to
retrieve our rented vehicle. After all the paper works were signed and fees
were paid we were introduced to our ride for the next 4 days. It was a small
but comfortable 5 sitter Volkswagen polo in black. We loaded up our suitcases
and stock up on some food before setting out.
First
thing I realized was, we were driving on the right side of the road and none of
us were familiar with the system of the road. After a slight panic, our trusty
(driver) was able to navigate through the city and out into the open road where
it was less stressful and complicated.
The
journey commenced as our car was filled with acoustic EDM songs and Indie
tunes; we were greeted with some pretty scenery along the way. After stopping
by for lunch at Burger King in a little town called HØnefoss we made our
way via E16 route (the best route to Bergen) to another town Fagerness located
2 hours way and then onwards to a rented cottage as our pit stop for the
journey.
 |
HØnefoss |
 |
Fagerness |
 |
Ryfoss |
 |
Ryfoss |
Upon arriving at Ryfoss we were able to contact the owner of the cottage who was really helpful in guiding us to the cottage we were staying at.
As we made our way up the driveway we were greeted by a small wooden two storey cottage with a front patio and a wooden hot tub by the driveway. The excitement was cut short as we entered the cottage when someone pointed out that there was no bedrooms. As we frantically search for a sign of the bedroom around the premises of the house, I was pretty certain that the rooms should be in the cottage itself. I then looked at the ceiling and realized that there was trap door which I then had to open with a little hook provided. As the door open a metal staircase unfolded itself providing us access to what was a 5 single bed attic. I was beyond ecstatic with the thought of us spending a night in this pretty rad little cottage. Not to mention that there was also a fully equipped sauna room in the toilet which we didn't use unfortunately as we had to pay for it.
It was a pretty chilled evening, with a lit candle and yellow lamps illuminating the living room as we ate our dinner over light conversations before bed time.
Waking up to the sound of rushing waters from the river outside our cottage was such a serene experience and it was such a shame that we had to leave so soon. After breakfast and a photo session we continued on with the rest of our journey to Bergen.
Along the way we drove across some pretty sketchy weather of snow and snow covered roads. However, we were also blessed with clear blue skies that allowed us to stop by the road several times for some picture snapping occasions.
We made our way to a town called Flåm which is a village in Flåmsdalen, at the inner end of the Aurlandsfjorden—a branch of Sognefjorden. We took the Fjord Cruise Nærøyfjorden which took about 2.5 hours along the waters of a UNESCO world heritage site. The cruise would have been spectacular if it wasn’t for the rain and foggy skies but it was bad luck on our part.
After the cruise it was a 3 hour journey to our final stop Bergen. We arrived at another beautiful apartment home just outside of central Bergen. It was beautiful modern apartment fully equipped. Best part of the house was the heated toilet floor! We made our dinner and sat around the lounge area and watched ‘How to train your dragon pt II’ before hitting the sack.
 |
Aurland |
 |
Flam cruise |
Morning came and we were greeted with some light snow. However the weather eased up and blue skies appeared as we set off to explore the surroundings of Bergen and the central city itself.
Bergen also known as the city of seven mountains has a unique feature of its own, with its quay sides and its first buildings built along the Hanseatic wharf, Bryggen. This site, which features on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, comprises the remains of the old harbour buildings and is one of the best known medieval city settlements in Norway. One of the key features of Bergen is its seafood; we sat at the fisherman’s market and indulged in a platter of king crab, smoked and grilled whale meat, salted shrimps as well as a bowl of fresh mussels cooked in a creamy white wine sauce. After we filled our tummies, we continued our exploration and ended the day with a 45minute hike up to the top of Mount Floyen where we were greeted with a panoramic view of Bergen city and the snow capped mountain peaks.
 |
Gamlehaugen : residence of the Norwegian Royal Family in the city |
 |
Bergen Central |
 |
Fish market in Bergen(where you choose your own produce and they cook it for you) |
 |
Bryggen
UNESCO list for World Cultural Heritage sites
|
 |
Bergen Cathedral (Norwegian: Bergen domkirke) |
 |
Fantoft Stave Church (Norwegian: Fantoft stavkirke) |
We started our 9 hour journey back to Oslo at 6am in the morning the next day. The first few hours went by smoothly until we came upon a stretch of road covered in 3 inch thick fresh snow and a mini blizzard happening just outside. Our whole view was literally just white everywhere it was an amazing yet frightening scene as we weren’t used to such conditions. However, slowly and steadily we made our way across the route and headed into an inviting sight of blue sunshine filled sky.
We safely arrived back in Oslo and after much hassle we managed to locate our car rental location to drop off our vehicle that I’ve grew very fond off! We checked in to a little cosy apartment in the centre of Oslo owned by a young couple who was really nice and friendly and introduced us to a little sushi eatery where we had dinner and ate till our hearts content. After a little exploration around the city centre and witnessing a beautiful sunset to end our trip, we headed back to the apartment and as we rested a friend pointed out that there was a vague view of the aurora just above the city skyline. I guess the trip was somewhat complete as we were able to see an aurora at the end of our journey in Norway.
The next day we bid farewell to Norway as we headed back to the UK.
 |
Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art |
All
in all as predicted Norway is quite an expensive city to travel to. The food is
mostly double the price of food you get in the UK. Even fresh produce were quite
expensive, so if you are planning to travel on budget what my friend and I did
was we brought instant noodles and oats for food and shared among ourselves for
other essential items.
In
addition, driving and renting a car if shared among 4 or more people is much
more economical and the fuel does not cost much depending on how you drive the
car and the length of your journey. One thing to note is to read up on the traffic
rules and regulations that you must follow when driving in Norway. There is a
lot of information available on driving routes in Norway and the road
conditions are mostly quite good and safe.
Remember
to update your playlist of music you’d like to listen and sing along to during
the trip! It makes a lot of difference!
There’s
so much of Norway to see and do, the best time to travel would be after May as
most outdoor activities such as glacier walks, hiking and scenic view point are
only open
around that season.
Fast
Facts and Figures:
Total
Budget- 500GBP
Flights-
49GBP (Ryanair)
Accommodation
total-114GBP (Air BnB)
Car
rental- 80GBP
Expenses
-220GBP
Total:
463GBP over the course of 5 days
Accommodation:
Click on name for link
4
bed private room 22GBP/ night
Simple
and meets your basic needs. Clean toilets and room. Sketchy area at night but
overall a comfortable stay.
5 bed cosy cottage by the river in the middle of Oslo-Bergen route, perfect for a pit stop or just a few days of relaxing. 75GBP/night for 4 person equipped with cooking utensils and 3 minutes walk from a small mart and 5 minutes walk from a gas station.
Modern and comfortable place just a few minutes drive from the centre of Bergen city for just 66GBP/ night fully equipped with cooking utensils and washing machine.
Centrally located just beside the Bus central terminal and 5 minutes from central train station. The host is a young friendly couple who will be staying in their own room however they allow you to use everything in the house i.e.. cooking utensils etc. for 92GBP
for 4 person/ per night
Car
rental:
http://www.europcar.com/
More
information about the roads and driving rules
http://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Driving_in_Norway
Information
about Norway tours/ attractions:
http://www.visitnorway.com/uk/where-to-go-uk/fjord-norway/
If travelling alone it is quite useful to have a data plan / a phone that can
be used to contact in case of emergency
Driving route
From Oslo to Bergen via E16 route
Lots
of scenic views as well as the Lærdal Tunnel (Norwegian: Lærdalstunnelen) is a
24.51-kilometre long road tunnel connecting Lærdal and Aurland. It is the
longest road tunnel in the world!
“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.” – Helen Keller
PS: Shout out to Nadia, CK and Isaac for coming along to this trip with me! Lots of love. Thank you <3
Thanks for reading and sharing this journey with me! Hope this little blog entry inspires you to go out there and travel and make some amazing memories for yourself as well! =)
Road trip video log. Enjoy!
Road trip video log. Enjoy!
