Last week I wrote as I took off from Brisbane, heading to the Arctic Circle – looking forward to searching for polar bears and arctic foxes. What a difference a week can make. The first whiff of my plans being upended was on arrival in Dubai where a text alerted me to my flight into Oslo being cancelled due to a pilots’ strike! Two hours later my tickets had been reissued via Milan to arrive at 3am into Oslo! After a brief rest, I was back at the airport for my flight to Longyearbyen, only for that to be cancelled. Now what? The airline was saying we would be lucky to head to Svalbard within the week, by which stage my expedition ship would be long gone.

Heading into town, we decided to explore some of Norway. A couple of days in delightful Oslo – what a great mixture of traditional architecture and ultra-modern redevelopment down by the waterfront. It is always a delight to me to search out a local restaurant serving exquisitely prepared local produce, and Hos Theo didn’t let us down. Wandering along cobblestone streets and through city parks was delightful.

The next few days was a trip called Norway in a Nutshell. Heading out of Oslo by train we weaved our way through paddocks of lush green grass, we passed crystal clear streams and lakes before heading into the more mountainous area near Flam. The high mountain tops with lingering snow give way to waterfalls cascading down the hillsides. Meadow flowers and bright green summer growth bring this area to life. The Flam historical railway weaves its way down the steep mountain slopes to the base of the valley and the small village perched on the water’s edge. Now quite touristy, we escaped the village, hiking up the valley to the quaint 600-year-old wooden church and up a pathway beside a gushing waterfall for fabulous views. A high-speed boat took us for a two-hour exploration up the world’s second longest fjord, stopping to see local villages and spectacular waterfalls, even calling into a small village still actively making goat’s cheese.

Travelling onwards by coach and train we arrived at the port city of Bergen. Historical colourful townhouses line the waterfront, and cobblestone streets are home to museums that reflect the history of this relatively wealthy port. We ventured to the outskirts of town to visit Edvard Grieg’s summer house. Not only are the gardens lovely with pathways leading to the water’s edge, the house is quaint and you have a sense of the natural inspiration that led to Grieg’s masterpieces. They have built a small concert hall where we enjoyed a lunchtime piano recital.

One thing this experience has really brought home is that planning your holiday as you travel is time consuming. Hours of valuable time are spent researching and locking in the next few days … and then only to find some of the experiences we would enjoy are full for late comers! We are having a wonderful time and we are now off to Denmark for a few days!

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