Scandanavia Ocean cruise-- 08 thru 25 May 2019

24 May 2019 -- Day 16 -- Oslo We are at the end of our Scandinavian Adventure! A day of touring the capital city, some of it in the sun and wind after our train ride, and some in the rain on Friday!  We started out yesterday afternoon with a leisurely walk from the hotel to the major sights in the downtown. The first stop was the  new opera house that is designed to represent a glacier falling into the  ocean and the sculpture in the water in front of it that depicts a sailing ship striking and iceberg. Next came the Old Oslo Cathedral and it's unique "Ring wall" that now houses shops and restaurants....... ...then the Parliament Building, ..the National Theater and its beautiful park and flower gardens, a beautiful old building that once was the finest hotel in Oslo. and at the end of the walking street the Royal Palace, where the King and Queen were in residence, evidenced by the flag of Norway flying in front. ...

23 May 2109 -- Day 15 --  Scenic Train Ride, Bergen to Oslo  Before we talk about the train ride we need to show you what Bergen looks like on a clear day!  We awoke to bright daylight and had to snap these pictures to show that Bergen does indeed have 9 mountains! We boarded the train early, and left Bergen at 7:57am, for a 7-hour scenic train ride, with 68 other passengers from the Viking Sea, making 10 major city stops, Oslo being the last.  The Bergen Railway is 308 miles long, comprising of 182 tunnels (45 miles total length), 10 of which are over 1.2 miles long.  The Finse station is the highest elevated station at 4,010 feet, while the highest point on the rail line is in the Finse tunnel at 4,058 feet above sea level. Our point of departure, Bergen Train Station, shown outside and inside The first stop on the train was Dale (118 feet above sea level) -- 1200 inhabitants nestled on the west coast.  Beginning in 1879, the hi...

22 May 2019 -- Day 14 -- Bergen, Norway Docking in the city at 8:00 am to a overcast, foggy, drizzly day.  So there's not much in the way of pictures, and most of them we took as we walked around the center city. The tour around Bergen and its various suburbs was very informative and we learned much about the area and its history.  However photos will have to remain in our memory banks as the opportunities were weather-interrupted.  We did manage to get those below. Bergenhus Fortress Even manhole covers depict Bergen History Bryggen Wharf wooden houses Bryggen Wharf Houses Funicular Railway to Mt. Floyen Looking up toward Mt. Floyen from Funicular St, Mary's Catholic Church Park around St. Mary's   The center photo shows the King and Queen's Summer Palace -- flag flying on tall white building in background.  The left photo shows  Rosenkratz Palace and  Rosenkratz Gardens on the right...