We spent the night on the coastal ferry in a small but well-equipped cabin. The movement of the boat awoke me several times during the night so I wasn’t well-rested in the morning, but what sights we woke up to when we opened the cabin’s curtains! The coast is simply stunning:
Just to give a sense of scale, check out the buildings in this one:
There were miles and miles of stunning scenery so I’ll wrap it up with the highlights:
Finally, Bergen came into view. Our wondrous coastal journey was complete.
After checking in to our hotel we went to the tourist office and had a look around Bergen. It’s a pretty place:
We ended our first night in Bergen with a very good dinner at Swedish restaurant Naboen:
We did a day trip to Geirangerfjord, which is supposed to be the prettiest fjord. We took a bus from Ã…lesund to Hellesylt. These are our first glimpses of Hellesylt from the bus:
I took a few photos at Hellesylt while we waited in the rain:
The ferry ride to Geiranger village was cold and wet but the conditions couldn’t diminish the beauty of the fjord. Photos rarely convey the full vastness or drama of the landscape. The best attempts include something which give a sense of scale. This one shows some abandoned farm buildings close to the water’s edge:
Views from the ferry:
Views from Geiranger:
I liked the toilet doors at the Fjordsenter:
On the way back down from the Fjordsenter the mist cleared a little:
I took a few more shots at the bottom:
The bus picked us up and shortly afterward the sun came out. Typical, we thought, it’s rained all day and the sun comes out only when we leave. The bus took us up Ørnevegen (Eagle’s Road) and happily the bus driver let us out at a viewpoint. I think all of us managed to get our best shots of the day here:
And so we left magical Geirangerfjord. The bus journey to Linge featured the usual beautiful scenery. There’s so much of it that it’s difficult to decide where to point the camera. Through a moving bus’s window you just have to hope for the best anyway. Here are a couple of photos which escaped the cutting room floor:
Scenes from Storfjord crossing:
The final leg of our day’s touring was bus journey from Linge to Ã…lesund, which started off by taking us up a winding road from water level to much higher up:
I took more photos on the remainder of the journey but soon it got too dark:
After another good dinner, this time at C&C restaurant, we killed some time before we had to catch the overnight Hurtigruten ferry to Bergen.
We had one day to look around Ã…lesund so we decided to walk to the Sunnmøre Museum. To be frank it wasn’t the most pleasant of walks and, with it not being the high season, there wasn’t a whole lot to see at the museum, but I did at least get a few photos while walking:
Our journey to the fjords began. We travelled from Oslo to Dombås on the Dovre railway which goes past typical Norwegian scenery of picturesque towns and forests and gently winds around, very close to the edges of lakes.
We changed trains at DombÃ¥s to reach Andalsnes on the Rauma railway. This really was a stunning journey. The train cuts though incredibly dramatic mountains on both sides which are black, almost vertical and capped with snow. If that wasn’t spectacular enough, there are waterfalls running down the mountains too. It was too difficult to get a good photo from the train so I’m borrowing someone else’s. You can see the train track running along the base of the Troll Wall; as passengers we were craning our necks to see to the top.
The final leg of the journey ending in Ã…lesund was by bus. The bus journey had fantastic views of fjords, valleys, mountains and dramatic unlined tunnels cut into the rock.
Ã…lesund is a very picturesesque little place surrounded by sea and little island with views of snow-capped mountains in the distance:
We had dinner at Sjøbua which was very good indeed.
We flew from Gatwick to Oslo. After checking into the hotel we had a short walk around the city, including the harbour. There was some kind of military boat there which I don’t think I was supposed to take a picture of but I didn’t think about that till later.
Oslo seems like a typical capital city in that it’s very cosmopolitan and busy. There are big long term roadworks going on in the centre and we walked past a few construction projects too. I don’t think I’d recommend Oslo as a city to spend a lot of time in as there wasn’t much to do or see.
I am enjoying the Paralympics very much but the whole experience of watching it on TV is marred by the coverage on Channel 4. Not only are some of the commentators second rate but the ad breaks drive me mad. The one redeeming element of the C4 coverage is The Last Leg which is very, very funny indeed.
I just happened to be in London during the Paralympic Games. The atmosphere in the capital was fantastic.
What I enjoyed about this book was the sharp dialogue and clear prose. What I didn’t enjoy was that it is all somehow a little bit flat and unsatisfying.
The plot is like something from The Wire set in Scotland, which made me realise that I would prefer this story in the form of a stylish serialisation on screen rather than a book. There are so many characters and places, some with very similar names to each other, that it would be easier to differentiate between them in on TV because of the visual aspect.
In summary, The Complaints is not a bad read but it is far from remarkable. Having said that, it has the potential to be great on television.
Dates to save: SAT 3rd – MON 5th AUG 2013
OK for Al, Nat, Mad, Chelle, Manga, Rach, Vic, Ab requesting leave
Possible venues for a spa break (staying 1 night):-
FAIRLAWNS HOTEL & SPA, NORTH BHAM Website:http://www.fairlawns.co.uk/spa-stays.htm Distance from Wolves: 12 miles Cost pp based on 2 sharing on a Sat night: £150.00 Cost pp based on 2 sharing on a Sun night: £135.00 Single supplement: Monday – Friday £25.00, Saturday £45.00 Tripadvisor ratings: 4.5 / 5 What’s included:
Check in from 2.00pm to a club twin or double room
Use of the facilities from check in until 5.00pm the following day (please vacate room by 11.00am)
Half bottle of bubbly and mineral water in room
The provision of robe, towels and slippers
A selection of unlimited refreshments from the spa ‘grazing bar’ throughout the afternoon (until 5.00pm)
Four course evening meal in Fairlawns Restaurant
Continental breakfast in your room
A selection of unlimited refreshments and a light lunch on the second day (until 5.00pm)
Treatments included
1. The Aqua Massage Experience each
2. The choice of Fairlawns Signature Ritual each. Please select one of the following three beauty treatments:
Mud Chamber (Minimum two guests)
Dry Floatation (you may like to add an oil wrap for a supplement of £10.00)
Bathing ceremony (available for one or two guests) Note: Al’s friends recommend the place for food
COWLEY MANOR, GLOUCESTERSHIRE Website:http://www.cowleymanor.com/special-offers/spa-and-stay/ Distance from Wolves: 63 miles Cost pp based on 2 sharing on a Sat night: offer not available at weekends Cost pp based on 2 sharing on a Sun night: £150.00 Single supplement: None, just 295 per room (asked by email) Tripadvisor ratings: 4.5 / 5 What’s included:
spa facilities
2 x 30 min or 1 x 60 min treatment(s) at spa
3 course dinner
Night’s stay
Full breakfast
HOAR CROSS HALL, STAFFORDSHIRE Website:http://www.hoarcross.co.uk/reservation/two_day.html Distance from Wolves: 27 miles Cost pp based on 2 sharing on a Sat night: £195 Cost pp based on 2 sharing on a Sun night: £175 Single supplement: on request Tripadvisor ratings: 4 / 5 What’s included:
25 minute facial or massage
complimentary session of toning tables each
upgraded accommodation to a Superior bedroom
spa facilities
breakfast, lunch and a la carte dinner
Arrive between 11.30am & 1pm for an additional lunch with our compliments. Note: Vic says it’s ‘proper chavvy’!
MODDERSHALL OAKS, STAFFORDSHIRE Website:http://www.moddershalloaks.com/html/luxury_sg_tariffs.php Distance from Wolves: 29 miles Cost pp based on 2 sharing on a Sat night: £170 Cost pp based on 2 sharing on a Sun night: £150 Single supplement: £50 Tripadvisor ratings: 4 / 5 What’s included:
• A complimentary drink on arrival and a complimentary bottle of water in your suite
• A 2 course evening meal in our award-winning lakeside restaurant and breakfast the following morning
• Overnight stay in a twin or double luxury suite awarded 5 star Guest Accommodation by Visit Britain
• Use of all our Spa Facilities from 3pm on the day of arrival to 5pm on the day of departure
• One 25 minute treatment up to the maximum value of £35
THE BELFRY, SUTTON COLDFIELD Website:http://www.thebelfry.co.uk/special_offers/index.php?offertype=spa_breaks Distance from Wolves: 24 miles Cost pp based on 2 sharing on a Sat night: £69.00 Cost pp based on 2 sharing on a Sun night: £69.00 Single supplement: ? Tripadvisor ratings: 3.5 / 5 What’s included:
• Overnight accommodation
• Full English breakfast
• Dinner in The Atrium
• 90 Minute AquaSpa (not suitable for use during pregnancy) Journey
• Use of Health & Wellness facilities
• Entry to Bel Air nightclub (Fri/Sat)
I came across this book through the Kindle Daily Deal emails. It bills itself as ‘the inside story of the Olympic experience’. It certainly is very revealing and honest to the point of making me dislike the author in places.
I loved discovering what it takes to become an Olympian, what goes in in the Olympic Village, what’s happening in the world of doping and what athletes go through psychologically, before, during and after the Games. Everything is very well articulated and written with great insight. It makes compulsive reading.
This book is a little dark and mildly menacing. The characters aren’t particularly likeable but I enjoyed reading about this family with all their flaws, interspersed with sumptuous descriptions of food. Although I am sure that it’s very common in real life, I haven’t read many books featuring dysfunctional relationships between mothers and daughters. The interactions between all the characters feel very real. I think that shows the quality of Joanne Harris’s writing: she makes everything convincing and a pleasure to read about.
But ultimately this book disappointed me. I had hoped that it would be of the same calibre as the only other book by Joanne Harris that I’ve read: Gentlemen and Players, which is a deliciously dark and atmospheric mystery set in a boys’ school. Five Quarters of the Orange just doesn’t come close to that. Yes, here there also is hatred, fear and passion. Again, this is very well written. But the story itself just didn’t quite make the grade. I couldn’t help but compare it to The Book Thief, also a set during the German occupation with a young girl as narrator, which is a far more striking piece of work.
