January 30, 2017

Exploring Oslo with the Oslo City Pass

January 30, 2017/ Meghan Oaks

Oslo, the capital of Norway, is an incredible city! We only had a couple of days to explore it, so we opted to buy the Oslo City Pass to make the most of it. The pass, which costs between 44 - 82 Euro, and grants the owner entry into a number of museums and unlimited access to public transportation. Like almost everything in Scandinavian countries, it wasn't cheap, but there were a few places we wanted to be sure we hit up, all of which were included with the pass, so the convenience made it easy.

January 25, 2017

From Bergen to Oslo

January 25, 2017/ Meghan Oaks

The morning started with a train ride. Similar to the one we boarded for the Norway in a Nutshell Tour; however, this time, instead of disembarking in Voss to board a bus, (and then a boat, another train, and then one final train) we stayed on the original train. Our final destination was Oslo for a few days before my sister and I had to part ways; she was headed back to Michigan, and Evelyn and I to Germany. If you google "Famous Train Rides," the Bergen-Oslo line is bound to pop up. It is the highest standard gauge railway in Europe, reaching an altitude of over 1200 meters (4000 feet for our imperial system friends), before heading back down to the low lands surrounding Oslo. It was a beautiful train ride, but a long one, clocking in at around 6 hours.

December 02, 2016

Review: Norway in a Nutshell Tour

December 02, 2016/ Meghan Oaks

Norway is one of the most beautiful countries that we have visited. The weather was beautiful when we were there (mid-May), and the landscapes are, quite simply, breath taking. When my sister and I had some time in Bergen, we decided to do one of the most popular tours - the Norway in a Nutshell tour. The idea is that you get to see a little bit of it all, and travel the world famous train route between Oslo and Bergen (or, round trip from either Bergen or Oslo, if you so choose). It's an all day tour and you go on a bus ride, a fjord cruise, ride the Flåm railway, and then take a train either to Oslo or Bergen. We opted for the round trip tour departing from Bergen.

November 16, 2016

6 Things to Do in Bergen, Norway

November 16, 2016/ Meghan Oaks

As the second largest city in Norway, there is a ton to do in and around Bergen. Back in May, Aaron and I spent 3 days there before we sailed off to a dive resort for a few days, and then my sister and I spent a couple more days there before heading off to Oslo. Since I had so much time in Bergen, I made sure to find a ton of stuff to do. Thankfully, this was really easy. One of the best resources I found was to stop in at the Visitor's Center, right across from the world-famous Bryggen. They had tons and tons of brochures - from horse back riding to hiking to fjord cruises to museums and tours. There really is something for everyone, whether your idea of a vacation is shopping or hiking or somewhere in between. Read on to learn about things to do in Bergen!

October 31, 2016

Nature Diving in Fjord Norway

October 31, 2016/ Meghan Oaks

When one thinks of ocean diving, places like the Caribbean or the South Pacific, popular warm water dive locations, come to mind. Here, there are beautiful coral reefs, full of colorful fish, big creatures, and small delights. While warm water diving is always nice, there is still so much of the ocean that can be dived, if only you're willing to deal with the cold. Norway was one such place.

July 08, 2016

Travel Review: Gulen Dive Resort

July 08, 2016/ Meghan Oaks

I'm not sure how, but a while ago, Aaron learned about Gulen Dive Resort, a small dive resort about two hours (give or take) north of Bergen, nestled in among the fjords of Western Norway. When he saw they had a house reef with nudibranchs, some of which aren't found anywhere else, AND World War II shipwreck diving, it jumped to pretty close to the top of his list of places to dive. When my sister and I decided to meet up in Norway, and she agree to do some babysitting, we knew we could make it work.

June 28, 2016

Two Weeks in Norway

June 28, 2016/ Meghan Oaks

May is full of holidays in Germany. So many, in fact, that there is only one full week in the entire month. We make sure to take advantage of these holidays by traveling (we did the exact same thing last year by traveling to Iceland, Austria, and Paris). A while ago, Aaron had discovered a dive resort near Bergen, Norway that offered both reef and shipwreck diving in the fjords. We kept it filed away, something that we might want to do once I was back in the water after Evelyn was born. And then my sister said she wanted to come visit. Since she had already visited us in Germany, we decided to meet somewhere else - to explore more of Europe. She and I had always wanted to visit Norway, and combined with the diving Aaron found, Norway was an easy decision.