day74 more Viking swords!

Well I start today with two things on the agenda so breakfast down I'm out the hostel to try out the local tram system, rude not to its right outside the hostel! 

Google maps is invaluable for seeing the timetable! And on I hop!, not seeing any way to pay I take the chance and get a free ride into town, alighting near 'the Kongelige Slott' the royal palace, walking through the royal gardens/park I get views of the city

and through the trees the palace itself

which isn't my objective, so back out of the gardens and two streets away is the coin shop I'm looking for, happily it's open, after a long wait where a lady was selling her family silver for scrap, I purchase a 2 skilling piece! Not that different from one I found in Norfolk last year, but it it's different enough and pretty cheap so I'm happy!

dating back to the Kalmar union it has Danish as the country but it's an Oslo mint perfect!

Back out and towards the palace (it's enroute !) I walk back through the gardens, passing a mother taking photos of her baby in a huge patch of crocuses! A sweet image that makes me smile, and the mother smile back! Nice 😊

Right at the front of the palace is the royal guard this lady is a proper smiler! 

though the gun looks very serious! 

The palace isn't open for visitors so a quick photo of the front and I'm away

And through the woodland downhill to my second objective the archaeology museum! 

Yep the ongoing Viking research! And this is a great repository for such finds! All on the top floor, there's plenty of other things to catch your attention this eternal calender is one thing nicely marked up in futhorc runes!

summer one side and winter the other! The days being marked off on the inside and religious festivals on the outside. 

Religious artifacts then catch my attention again with the portals of a few Stave churches that had been demolished after going into disuse....I dread to think what was lost in this demolishing as the portals are indeed works of art!!!

beautiful!!!

The incense burners are equally interesting

with little stave churches on top! 

Passing a display of fishing spears your reminded just how coastal Norway is

presumably whaling spears? 

Into the top floor and it's Viking heaven, starting with the largest Viking gold hoard found in Norway 

passing amongst brooches, sword mounts and a stunning gold spur!!

now that's bling!!!

Then I find what I'm after swords! A good collection to! 

tho once again I'm left feeling that the pommels don't match my find for quality!

Another Viking weather vane and a huge rune stone complete the display

i cross the landing into another display of gold! 

All sides of this display are lined with gold coins

which were a part of operation 'the heavy luggage' where fifty tons of gold where transported north and west out of Norway to the safety of Britain America and Canada as the Germans invaded in the second world war, the coins finally returned in 1987!

Museum done in walking back to the tram stop, passing the Oslo cathedral I have to take a look

once again a very local design to this church!

outside is a curious thing presumably from an earlier construction....I didn't find any info on it tho

From here I hop on another 'free' tram before stopping for food to eat back at the hostel.

My Dorm is actually full now! 

There's a black girl from London an Aussie chap and a native Mauritius girl from Paris, wow she was a great chatter! We talked all evening! 

Lovely way to finish the day! 

day73 back tracking

As the title suggests I'm going over old ground today, I'm heading back to Oslo, exactly the same route as the one to get to Stavanger so this will barely be a blog today!

The only thing I missed on the way West was a picture of the huge boulders with homes set in amongst them I mentioned in the previous blog ... So here one is!

Other than that I got back to Oslo got food and chilled.... 

Did a little admin on the Reykjavik flight then dozed off!

day72 Slartibartfast did a great job!

don't worry I'm not losing the plot! 

Actually stealing a bit from a plot!... 'The hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy', pertinent in so many ways really! 

For today it's about the fjords of Norway! In the TV show back in the 80's slartibartfast was a designer of worlds! And yes he designed the earth and won an award for the Norwegian fjords! 

And so he should they're bloody awesome even in the rain! 

Another lazy start and I still managed to get to the meeting point for today! 

I'm off on a cruise.... Yep it's grey and raining! But I made the right choice of boat.... I'm in an enclosed catamaran! With a bar! 

it does have open decks front and back, this is so much better than the Rib (ridged open boat) that another group was getting into.... With wearing glasses and the rain I wouldn't have seen a thing!

For this tour it became rather magical in the rain! 

Today they extended their vaffeldagen (waffle day or feast of the annunciation)festivities for us! Sharing loads of free waffles and coffee!

An unexpected treat!

Following the Hagsfjordan past Tingholmen where the unification of Norway was written into law!

hence 'Ting' the Norwegian 'Thing' aka mee'ting'! I love how many links you find in words throughout Europe! 

Along the fjord banks are hundreds of holiday homes.... Not sold of to foreigners but held onto by the locals as they should be! and used heavily rather than once or twice a year.... Sensible people here. Under a large single span bridge

and we're in the Lysefyorden! Sheer rock faces of hundreds of meters wall the fjord

with one I can only call it a crevice that the pilot of the boat managed to squeeze us into!

pictures don't do it justice, you really had to crane your neck too look up! 

Looking across the fyord the spectral layers of cloud hang over the far bank

as we make our way to pulpit rock, which you couldn't see through the cloud but we were assured was up there!

that may require a trip back in the summer!.. . Well a summer! 

Further along the pilot again showed his skill/familiarity by getting the prow of the boat within a meter of Hengjanefossen a rather beautiful water fall

Yep glad I was wearing my waterproof!

Here the tour turns back following the terrain on the other bank, pulling into a small bay at Helleren

there's a story of a troll who failed to teach his cave before daylight leaving his heart fossilized in the rock! 

we do love a bit of folk law! 

From here back along the fjord to Stavanger passing what we're probably cormorants on low rock islands 

before entering the harbour and back into the town, a really nice tour and 63 euros was a good price I think!

I did manage to stand unwittingly blocking the road catching a picture of a compass rose pointing due north along the harbour not realising it was a roundabout !! 

a pretty fair mistake to make I think! 

A warm coffee called at the coffee shop after I'd dropped in to reserve my seat for tomorrow's train, before one again getting food and finishing the day chilled out at the hostel.

day 71 three became one!

Today is a bit special, where I'm heading today has been on my must visit list for months before I even started this journey(travelling? Journey implies an end?) 

And I'm not rushing at all during my visit to Stavanger two places to visit over two days.  And relaxing because I can, rather than because I need to! 

I don't head out much before 11am , I wish I had tho working out Norwegian buses is a nightmare! .... I give up and get a taxi! 

So pleased I did, I get there and I'm alone! I grab some cool pics of the Sverd I fjel! 

the swords in stone!

The monument commemorates the historic Battle of Hafrsfjord which took place in the year 872, when King Harald Fairhair unified all of Norway under one crown. The largest sword represents the victorious Harald, and the two smaller swords represent the defeated kings. The monument also represents peace, since the swords are planted into solid rock, so they may never be removed!

Very Arthurian!!!

Now getting back.... I really should have considered this a bit.... The bus stop directly opposite the monument is no longer in service, awesome ... The next one I find yes I can get a bus! For about 5 minutes before walking the remaining miles.... Finally another stop has a route all the way back into town..... I do wonder if the preceding stop would have worked? Probably it's on the same road... . Oh well! 

I'm back in town at last and a coffee shop/cafe calls me! 

I must chill out here for a few hours before heading around the town large pond/lake taking pictures of herring gulls much to the bewilderment of the locals! 

Mr Murrey of the Ferrers school why? Just why???

Shopping done with a worry for the herring gulls

and a wander around the harbour

and through the colourful shopping district

before heading back to cook and sleep...

days 69 + 70 two day journey!

Yep two days in trains with a stop over in Oslo...

Short blog for two days for sure! 

Stockholm to Oslo..

Away early having given my breakfast token to my dorm mate, the 7.27 train excludes that lovely breakfast!!! 

But I'm on a mission that I won't complete until three days from now ... It's a bit daft really as it's only a selfie ..... But you'll see ...

The train journey, Sweden is really really flat the scenery doesn't change much either, pine trees, silver birch, one small gathering of oak! 

Boulders, Placid lakes becoming frozen placid lakes! 

with small hills!

I did see some reindeer! Briefly!!

This isn't a country of expansive views the farthest horizon being no more than a mile away. 

At 11.45 we cross into Norway country number 11! 

We're in logging country passing a huge train full of logs and a logging yard

before passing through this fairly populated area, the houses are certainly clustering together whereas in Sweden they keep their distance! 

Into Oslo and the station, my first view is of a cruise ship from inside the station!

stepping out and Oslo seems to be the epitomy of multiculturalism, not in a good way, on top of this my hostel which is only a short walk from the station is pretty much where the druggies and down and outs gather for a fix or whatever.... Travelling can't always be about wonders! 

I get food in hunker down in the very empty hostel for the night, I'm alone in a 6 bed dorm.... But it has a kitchen built in! So I can cook....a pizza.... I'm so sick of pizza!! 😁

Oslo to Stavanger

Today's trip is shorter than yesterday but takes longer!

The landscape is different, it's like taking a train through southern Scotland to to Scotlands northwest, hilly covered in trees going to mountains with steep drops

and eventually huge boulders I mean at least the size of houses!! and no I didn't manage to get a decent picture!!!

The weather isn't the best and doesn't look to change before I leave this area! 

So all pictures are grey! No sign of spring in Norway!

It did brighten up about half way as we entered Kristiansand with it's houses set amongst boulder like cliffs

the blue skies did lighten my dozing mood! This is the first train I've actually fallen asleep on!!

I'm so looking forward to driving in Iceland!!!

Back into the grey and down along the fjord to Stavanger 

i reach the end of my line! 

Literally!

I won't be going further west from here by train! I'll back track in a few days. 

First impressions of stavanger, this is a port town so lots of restaurants to cater for the cruise ships it feels ok tho, much better than Oslo.... 

Finding the hostel I'm shown around by Flora a Cuban lady speaking Spanish in Norway.... Oh this is fun!! 

She's actually lovely and got a big hug and called momma by me! I think she liked that! 😁

This dorm is for 4 plus another four beds in a separate room, but bonus there's another kitchen! 

I'm joined later by a French chap who's driving and climbing (I think)! 

Really nice guy we managed some good banter! he offered that we should go out for a meal in town, but I'm done in, a quick meal from the food I'd bought in town and my head was down!

And I slept!!!!