- Travel on the Rail -

Part 4

Part 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Last

I am fed up with such breakfast. It is just different from bread with butter and jam, or with ham and cheese. I want rice, miso soup, nori (laver), eggs, and fishes!

I have not clearly decided today's schedule yet. I may go to Stavanger by boat. I decided so for the moment, and went to the port. According to the timetable of Thomas Cook, the next boat will depart at 13:00, but the sign at the port says it will start at 13:30. After checking I do not need to reserve the seat, back to the town again, I went to the open-air market again, but only few stores there against my expectation. Instead of them, I met a group of 2 Japanese girls, who are going to Oslo by train. After all, deeply thinking for a few minutes about going with them, I parted from them as I decided to get on the boat.

Next, I went to the aquarium out of the center of the town. It is not so big, but it is taking a long time for me because I have to see the explanation written in English with a dictionary. I'm quitting it! I will just watch the fishes' faces.

Ticket of the boat

It is time. I went back to the center of the town to exchange money and to buy bread for lunch, and got to the port again. I bought the ticket for Stavanger, in the half price by showing my student ID card. It is 186NOK (about 3,700 yen).

The reason why I am particular about this boat as much as leaving the girls is that I want to see the fiord from the sea by all means. Stavanger is located in the 160km south from Bergen, and between them, we are sailing along islands and islands that were made by the fiord. I can expect from it very much.

We started as the timetable. It is a high speed boat with the capacity for 100 people, also with a stand. It is 50% full of the passengers. We can see the shore of the fiord on the left side, and sometimes on the right side. Of course, the snow on the faces of the rocks. Also. we are running fast so can find the various views one after another. Thinking it is so fun, the boat started rolling, but still in the same speed. In a moment, I can only see the water that was crashed by the boat and came up to the outside of the windows.

Soon, we arrived at somewhere after a few ports. Lots of people are getting off. Only a few people staying on the boat? Only me? Then, the woman of the stand talked to me,
"Do you speak English?"
And she told me to change here to the bus in the outside. Oh, I see.

The views from the bus were also good. We had run along the coast, or in the farm, for about an hour. And then, at 16:00, we got on another boat from Haugesund, which looked older than the last one. However, it ran faster and faster, through raging waves. So, we were in such terrible situation that dishes in the stand were broken and a woman screamed. If this boat turned over in the sea, I would be on TV news in Japan, with a comment,
"A Japanese tourist is supposed to be on the boat."
I could be a famous man! But fortunately or unfortunately, with no any accidents, and also as the timetable, we arrived at Stavanger at 17:55.

I lost the way from the port to the station, asking how to get there three times. A steam locomotive is exhibited in the station with a high ceiling. I will get on a night train from here at 22:00, which is a rapid train made with 1st class and 2nd class sleeping cars, 1st class, 2nd class, and a cargo car.

A big chorus woke me up. The train is still running. It is in the mid night. Who are they? It looks a group of students, and they are singing a song loudly. And then, they got off the train at a station in the mid night. It is just dark around there. It made silence in the train. Was I dreaming? I fell into asleep again.

I came back to Oslo after three days at 7:13 am. It is fine in Oslo today, too. I am changing to the other rapid train for Andalsnes that will starting at 8:20 here. Lots of people are on this train also.

As thinking every time I get on a train of NSB, the seats have different positions with the windows. Also in Japan, it is the same that cars have been changed the box seats for 4 people to the other type for 2 people. It would be a bad thing if we unluckily took a seat between a window and another window.

At Andalsnes station

Fortunately, I could get a good seat today. As seeing the scene going through Norwegian forests, we got to Dombas at 13:08. We are going to a branch line from here after changing the electric locomotive to a diesel one. The train is heading to the sea along the fiord.

From a little long tunnel, we were pushed out into the sky, which was actually the top of the cliff of the fiord. How fine this stage effect is!

We arrived at the terminal Andalsnes at 14:42 as the timetable. This is located at about 450km north west from Oslo. I am going to Alesund today, facing the coast, 120km west from here. The bus I am changing to is waiting for us on the platform, starting at 14:50.

We could see Romsdals fiord on the right hand at first, and after climbing a hill up and down, we could find Geiramger fiord on the left hand. There is Alesund at the place that this fiord meets the ocean. Arrived at 17:10.

A hotel "Centrum Hospits" is on the guide book, but I did not know how to get there. Asking a man walking through, he said he would take me by his friend's car. I was suspicious if I might be taken to some strange place, but we arrived at the hotel in about 5 minutes.
"Thank you very much!"
I said so, to impress them bracing Japanese, and got off their car.

To be continued

<- Part 3 | Part 5 ->