Eurojournal - 10 Sept 2006

We are in Norway. We arrived in Oslo after a long but very mellow journey. We ate falafel for lunch. This was so funny. The man asked what we wanted on it and was pushing the sauce and all the condiments. We didn’t want one sauce because it looked like it had dairy. He said much like a Greek father, “You must try this one, Norwegians love hot sauce and it is very hot.” Well I thought, we’re from California and eat Thai, Vietnamese and Mexican, so give me a lot. It won’t be that hot. Byron and I ate our falafel with hot sauce, onions, corn, tomatoes and onions. The hot sauce wasn’t that hot. Until a few minutes later well after I took a big bite of it. It seeps in and gets stronger and stronger and does not go away. I’m tearing up and measuring how much drink I have left. I’m too weak for Norwegian hot sauce! It was good though. Prices are shockingly high but I was expecting that after reading about it. I think the VAT is high, like 45%. We walked around Oslo and watched a skateboarding show. That was fun. We met with this really nice woman who let us stay at her place. I previously corresponded with her on email. Her place was really nice and the kids were able to relax.

We woke up today to get the train to Flam. It is one of the most scenic train rides in the world. I told the kids this at the beginning of the trip and we were underground. “yeah right mom, how scenic.” We are about halfway through and it is stunning. It is like the road to Tahoe and the Transfagaras Road full of conifers, rocks, water and mountains.
Everyone here is no nice. The customer service has been incredible. Yesterday at the bus station I looked clueless sand the woman at the window saw me from afar and motioned for me to come to her. She asked if I needed help so I asked her some questions and she was super warm and helpful and even gave me change. Getting tickets for the train today was a pleasant experience too.

As the ride went on the views grew more stunning. On the top of the mountains were rocky landscapes with rivers, gorges and glaciers. Yep, we even saw snow. Our train stopped in Myrdal where we got off to wait for the train to Flam. We boarded an older train much like the skunk train and headed down the mountain. The views were even more breathtaking. Huge waterfalls, rocky passes, crystal blue waters. Wow! Definitely the world’s most scenic trainride. The children had a great time on the train. We met a couple from Minnesota. Liam told the man he looked like The Little Prince and Luna told the Woman she looked like Queen Elizabeth.

We arrived in Flam where we will stay for 2 nights. Coming down the mountain we could see the village. We found our hostel which is really a nice cabin with lots of beds, a cooktop and refrigerator. It is pretty cozy and the woman at the desk was incredibly nice. We walked around the area looking for a store but it was closed so we ate dinner at a restaurant- minestrone and fries. We played at the play area and I sat by the water and took in the beauty. The water on this entire journey is so clean that the reflections are like perfect mirrors. We could see the rock covered bottom of the water. W saw some critter swimming across. What was it? We looked and looked and it was an otter.

We went back to the cabin and got ready for bed. One wall has three bunk beds. Luna, of course had to have the very top bunk. Liam gets the bottom and I have the middle one. Byron gets his own corner with the other bunk beds. I am sitting here typing as the little ones sleep peacefully while Byron is out on his skateboard taking in the scenery. Tomorrow we will hike around.