January 4 – Train to Bergen

We were up early for breakfast and then packed the last minute items in our suitcases.  The train station is just across the road but everything is wet and covered with snow so it was a bit of a slog to get over there. 

The train was right on time and relatively crowded.  It felt like we were on the local train instead of an express.  There were a lot of stops early on.  Them the stops became farther between.  It was about a six hour trip in total.  There was a basic café on the train so we were able to get a bit to eat. 

The trip is supposed to be very beautiful.  And what we could see was pretty.  However, it was snowing pretty steadily for most of the trip, which reduced visibility.  

And at times it was almost a whiteout…all we could see was a wall of white. 

If it weren’t for the occasional colorful yellow and red buildings one would think that the photos were all taken in black and white. 

(See the Specialty Album in the Introductions section for more photos of the train ride between Oslo and Bergen.)

We arrived in Bergen a half hour late.  We caught a taxi and were at the hotel by about 4:00pm.  Our hotel room is small but the hotel itself overlooks the harbor and is in a good location.

The sun sets about 3:45 in the afternoon so it gets dark pretty early. 

We had dinner in the hotel restaurant.  They have a very limited menu but they had very good hot chocolate and great views of the wharf across the harbor. 

Sign on the door to the patio at our hotel.  Wonder if Alfred Hitchcock stayed here?