Easter Weekend with Norway in a Nutshell

One of Norway's most popular trips is the Norway in a Nutshell tour and while Joe and I had never done it ourselves, when we found out that Jeanie was coming, we thought it would be the perfect way to spend Easter long weekend.  Jeanie would be able to see more of Norway outside of Stavanger and Joe and I would explore a region we had yet to visit.

Norway in a Nutshell is basically a fully customizable package that arranges travel within Norway, particularly Fjord Norway on the West Coast.  Trips can start from either Bergen or Oslo, they can stretch anywhere from 1 day to several with possibilities of extensions and generally include trains, boats & buses as a means to explore the area.  Now you probably know that I'm not much of a 'tour' person but this was really convenient and I appreciated the flexibility with the travel planning.

With the extra long weekend, we decided to drive to Bergen from Stavanger.  The trip itself is just over 200 kilometres but because of the jagged Western coastline of Norway littered with mountains and fjords, the trip takes just under 5 hours and includes two ferries.  After staying the night in Bergen, we caught the first train of the Nutshell tour early the next morning.  Having the entire weekend, we had arranged to stay one night in Flåm, a tiny village at the end of a fjord, before rounding out the trip back to Bergen with the fjord cruise, bus & train.

The entire trip was really great.  Booking everything was really easy and as I said, customizable to your liking.  The timing lined up really well, the prices reasonable (for Norway anyways) and it was a great, stress-free way to see the area.  Being that we were travelling in the low season, it was relatively quiet and we weren't bombarded with tourists.  On the less positive side, it was a little chilly in April, particularly on the fjord cruise, the scenery was beautiful but I imagine it to be more stunning in the summer and it's still a tour made for and full of tourists.

I'm excited to be able to do it again this summer when my parents visit and Norway is green and alive but I'd also love to try it in the Fall with the abundance of colours.

Tips
-While the trip can certainly be done in one day, I think it would have been too rushed.  Stay a night in Flåm if you can.
-If you do plan on staying over night, you can buy a Fjord Pass for 150 kroner which gives you discounts on hotels along the way as well as museums and car rentals all over Norway.  (The savings on our hotel was more than the cost of the pass.)
-Pick your tickets up the day before - we left it until the morning and were greeted with a long, slow line and a bit of a scramble to make our train.
-We brought along a bag of snacks which was really handy to have on the train and in the hotel with us especially being that everything (including grocery stores) were closed on the long weekend.

An Intolerant Guest Post

For such a small city, we have quite a few restaurants & cafés in Stavanger and while it's certainly not very affordable to frequent them daily, I do like to make the rounds and try them out.  In fact, one of my favourite weekday activities is meeting up with friends for a latté and lunch downtown.

Today you can find me over on my friend JoAnna's blog, For The Intolerants, talking about one of my favourite spots in Stavanger.  Check it out here.

A Friend Come & Gone

I felt a bit of anxiety the month leading up to Jeanie's arrival in Norway.  She was spending quite a bit of money, flying all the way from Western Canada and using her much-needed and appreciated Easter vacation to visit us and none of that was lost on me.  I wanted her to really enjoy the trip and Norway and that led to a little bit of pressure to make sure the experience was a good one.

Stavanger is a small city and I was concerned that we might find ourselves bored.  We planned 4 days away North of Stavanger over Easter, arranged a second car to allow us freedom to head out of the city during the week while Joe was at work and I started a list of possible activities and day trips that I thought we might enjoy.  Even so, I worried that it might not be enough for my well-travelled friend.

Funny enough, we weren't bored at all.  We visited museums, wandered the cobblestone streets downtown, chatted over lattes and chocolate, ate dinners out and cooked at home, browsed the shops and spent many hours on my terrace reading and talking.  In fact, we never once used the second car because we were easily occupied with what was accessible without it and looking back on the list I had prepared in advance, we hardly even touched on all that we could do in the Stavanger region.  In the end, it was a lesson learned; one doesn't need a big city to find interesting cultural experiences and activities for tourists.

Jeanie departed on Saturday and it's back to regular life for Joe and I.  I was a little sad to say goodbye to my friend but after having met on 3 different continents, it's got me thinking... where to next?

{EXPATRIATED} Jess from Jess in Belgium

Sometimes I get the impression that people think we are crazy for leaving all that we are familiar with for a life abroad but we aren't the only ones who have chosen this lifestyle.  In fact, there are a lot of us and many of us blog about it.  Expatriated is a series to introduce you to other expat bloggers.

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I'm so happy to have one of my favourite bloggers on Expatriated today.  This week you saw me on her blog speaking about favourites while she's off touring South Africa and today, we'll get to learn a little bit more about her life as an expat.  If you haven't already, meet Jess.

Where are you from and where do you live now?

This seemingly straight forward question is a hard one to answer! I usually answer Minnesota, though I have lived in thirteen states and my parents do not live there anymore. But it is where I went to high school and I loved those years. I now live in Brussels, Belgium.

How did you end up in Brussels and what inspired you to make the move?

The short story is I was following my boyfriend at the time. But what has kept me here is actually the more relevant story. I was a French language and government major in college and had studied abroad in Paris. I was dying to move back to Europe and wanted to live in London or Paris (one of the “dreamier” cities if you will). Finding a job in Europe from the States was impossible back in 2003 (and I imagine has to be even harder these days). So I signed up for a bi-lingual Master’s program in International Politics in Brussels. I had connections in Brussels and some delightful family friends offered me a tiny attic apartment to live in while I got on my feet. The intention was never to say longer than the year-long Master’s programme… but I lucked upon an internship…which turned into several jobs…and nine years later, I am still here! 

What is the best part of living overseas?

The weekend trips. Belgium is very well connected to the rest of Europe (which is convenient whenever its inefficiencies are getting to be too much). I have taken my car to the UK and hopped on the fast train to Paris. I have woken up in the morning and decided to drive to Northern France to visit the WWI battlefields (despite the rather flowery nature of my blog… I fully admit to being a history nerd). But there are also flights to most European capitals from Brussels airport.

What do you miss most about home (besides friends & family?)

The familiarity and ease of finding things out. My apartment has had some unfortunate plumbing disasters in recent months and urgent, basic tasks like finding a plumber can sometimes be the biggest challenges when living abroad – even when you speak the language. If your experience is anything like mine, you end up relying on other expats.

What was the most difficult thing to adjust to in the Belgium?

{Disclaimer – before I answer this question, I would ask any Belgian friends I have to stop reading…I am going to answer this from the perspective of a customer-service spoiled American} INEFFICIENCY. I personally think Brussels suffers from the fact that so many foreigners live in it. This is also going to be my answer for another question below because I simply haven’t gotten used to it almost nine years later…

Any funny 'whoopsies' while adjusting to your new life?

Oh so many. But those moments are what helps you bond with your new country as well as with other expats. 

Saving graces? 

The fact that so many other people in Brussels (especially in the “EU bubble”) have stories like mine. It often unites expats here because we are all from somewhere else, and I think we all find Belgium amusing and oddly charming.

What is the biggest lesson you've learned from your time in Brussels?

That Americans are spoiled when it comes to administration. Everything takes ages here and the sooner you “go with it”, the easier your life will be! I’ve learned to get away from the touristy spots (though the Grand Place is lovely!) and often find myself wandering around the gorgeous Bois de la Cambre on weekends. And perhaps most importantly, I’ve learned that fries are better with mayonnaise…

If you had the chance to move elsewhere in the world, where would you go and why?

I honestly don’t know. Check back in with me again once I am back from South Africa in two weeks! But I have a very big soft spot for London and its arts and culture scene…  

Any advice for the newly expatriated?

Patience. And get out there and explore.

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Fries are definitely better with mayonnaise.

Thank you Jess!

Jess' blog is full with great finds be it videos, articles or pictures of beautiful clothes or homes.  Currently, she's in one of my favourite destinations, South Africa, and I can't wait to hear all about it in the weeks to come.  

If you're looking for other editions of Expatriated, you can check out...

Britta in Costa Rica

Edna in Paris

Chelsea in South Korea

Nicole in Madrid

Jess in Malta

Amanda in Okinawa

Rachael in Amsterdam

Kristina in Melbourne

Melissa in London

Jenna in South Africa

Jeanie in Singapore

Kisha in India

Some Favourites

One of my favourite bloggers asked me to guest post about my favourites and I don't know about you, but narrowing down the list has got to be one of the hardest things to do.  With that being said, my favourite trip is a given and Jess happens to be exploring that very location as we speak.

You can find my post here.