A slow honeymoon through fjords and mountains
This guest blog post is written by Joe Timothy, business analyst from Leeds, slow travel enthusiast and friend of Byway, who is sharing with us the story of his slow travel honeymoon through Norway.
In 2017, my partner Cheryl and I were planning our wedding. As much as I was looking forward to the day and party after the ceremony, it was the honeymoon that truly took my focus. Following our wedding we’d be embarking on a once in a lifetime trip, and I didn't hold back in the planning.
Ever since my time interrailing around Europe and a road trip I took through Eastern Europe, slow travel has been the way for me. I embrace every aspect of the travel experience, from waiting to board a train, to selecting the food to enjoy en route, to making the most of any delays that crop up. So our honeymoon had to be slow. Real slow.
Around early 2017, as I was beginning to plan, I started hearing about Norwegian Slow TV. It intrigued me - anything that likes to take its time is something I can get on board with. Slow TV featured shows about knitting, fishing, and an apparently world famous train ride from Oslo to Bergen, which piqued my interest and eventually led to my wife, Cheryl, and I deciding that Norway was the place to spend the two weeks of our honeymoon.
It began in Oslo
Our journey began in Oslo, a surprisingly (to us!) small place. It is full of Nordic charm and feels like a city that is comfortable with itself. With its many islands surrounding the city and the plentiful green spaces and walks, it was a great place to start the journey. We enjoyed walking on the opera house (you can really wander around on the roof of it), strolling the harbour and a tall ship ride around the archipelago.
A trip to a Sci-Fi hideaway
I read somewhere that the film Ex Machina was filmed in Norway. I won't give you a review of the film right now, but let me assure you, the interior of the house featured was quite something. When researching further I came across the Juvet Landscape hotel. Situated in a remote part of western Norway, this was the location for the film, so of course it’s where we decided to stay.
A world renowned train journey we never got to do
We took a train ride from Oslo to Andalsnes. As part of the journey you change trains at a place called Dombas. This line is meant to be one of the most beautiful in Europe. However, when we got there was a rail replacement bus service, the bane of every british rail user's life! We were told this was very unusual and were very unlucky. But as you will see later, a norwegian bus ride is not like your average morning commute.
The Trolls Path Viewpoint
From Andlasnes station we took an hour long car ride to the Juvet Hotel, an amazing experience of the beauty of rural Norway. Ten minutes into the drive we approached a road that wound right up the side of a mountain that was seemingly split in two by a waterfall, and then at the top we found the Trolls Path Viewpoint.
The greatest public bus service in the world
We spent the next couple of nights in the Juvet Landscape hotel which was an incredible experience. Being so close to nature and feeling like we were inextricably part of it was wonderful. When it was time to leave we took a public bus out to Alesund.
Now a ride on an everyday public bus service may not sound so fun, but when it is done travelling next to Fjords, mountains and lakes, it most definitely is. I can categorically say I don’t think I’ll ever enjoy a bus ride as much again in my life. The scenery was breathtaking through the whole 90 minute ride.
The cruise
The only way to get from Alesund to Bergen was by ship, or cruise to be more specific. It seemed like a great idea when I booked, but we soon discovered that sailing on a ship down the coast of Norway in mid October was, let’s say, not the smoothest experience. Although we both felt seasick the whole journey, we now laugh about the memories of what it was like trying to plate up your breakfast whilst being on something that felt like a fairground ride. But isn't that what travel is for, the memories?!
A train ride through the Planet Hoth
The final stage of our journey was where my research had begun, the epic train ride from Bergen to Oslo. A 7 hour journey that has been immortalised in Slow TV. I had heard so much about this particular train ride and was looking forward to it. I wasn't disappointed; like everywhere else in rural Norway, the scenery was stunning.
It also turned out that part of the journey was through where they filmed the Planet Hoth in the Empire Strikes Back; sci-fi films seemed to be the theme of the trip! It was a wonderful journey and I’d highly recommend it for the relaxation, the views (oh, the views!) and the experience.
I selected Norway as our destination after hearing a little about it, and I expected it to be great. However, I am not quite sure I totally appreciated the landscape I would experience. It was epic, beautiful and humbling, something that felt all the more special with our choice to travel slow.