Norway to go

Pretty as its Scandinavian cousins, norway offers a distinct view of europe that you want to explore under the sunlit night sky, says Madhu Jain

Norway, known most popularly as the land of the midnight sun is a scenic marvel. Blessed with abundant, pristine greenlands on one hand, it basks in vibrant hues of oranges and yellows on the other, giving its visitors a rare glimpse of a sky that straddles shades of blue.

Oslo Norway’s capital Oslo is also its biggest city. The famous Karl Johans gate is the main street here, with beautiful restaurants, shops housing top fashion brands, nightclubs and bars. It is a picturesque setting leading up to the royal palace. A must-see here is the Viking museum, with a Viking ship and artefacts that are more than 1,150 years old. The Oslo harbor has eateries of virtually every cuisine and it makes for a great outdoor meal setting. It does get very chilly in the night, but you’re provided with blankets to keep you warm through the meal. It is from this harbour that we took the fjord cruise, passing the first lighthouse of Norway and some beautiful houses with the most exotic views.

Bergen We got to Norway’s second largest city, Bergen, from Oslo after a scenic six-hour train ride. The Bergen railways have in fact, been voted as one of the world’s most beautiful train journeys. From here, we took the train to Myrdal and hopped onto one that transported us to Flam or as we called it, Polar Express — like the film! For one, the train is wooden, so it is a time capsule of sorts too. From Flam we took a boat to Gudvangan and then a bus to Voss. It was a breathtaking road trip with steep roads and lovely views. The next day we checked out the famous fish market before taking the steepest train to Mount Floyen. It takes you to the highest point of Bergen, which needless to say gives a fantastic view of the place. Averoy If you want to see the countryside, then rent a car and explore it yourself. We set off by road from Bergen to Averoy. It was a good eight hours drive, but totally worth it.

You have the fjords on one side and the train on the other. You drive through steep and long tunnels and drive on to a ferry that drops you to the other side of the fjords.

In Averoy, we booked a villa, which had a spectacular view of the ocean side on the one hand and a swimming pool and sauna on the other — the latter we would definitely need once we checked in. The next day we left for the long awaited drive on the Atlantic Ocean Road, also known as the cycling road. It’s a must to drive if you visit Norway. There, we also saw a 100-year-old house made of wood. It stood strong as ever, oozing the charm of a quaint old tree house from a children’s book. After soaking in all that the beautiful place had to offer, we left for Trondheim by road.

Trondheim Trondheim is situated right in the middle of Norway. It has beautiful restaurants, eateries, cafés, and an amazing nightlife. The Nidelva River flows through downtown Trondheim and you can dine in several of the venerable wharf buildings along its banks. The old town bridge, which is 300 years old, is unbelievable and a must-see. It is one of the most photographed attractions in Trondheim. After staying here for a few days, we left for our last stop, Oslo. Partly, because it’s the only city with an international airport and partly because we couldn’t have enough of it the first time around.

The writer is an entrepreneur bitten by the travel bug