Saturday, August 17, 2013

Øverlie Café



With a lot of dining options in Lillehammer, especially in the pedestrian only area along Storgata, we chose to try Øverlie Café, a Turkish restaurant with outdoor seating.

For lunch we ordered the shish kabob with chicken and the marinated chicken. Both portions were huge. The chicken in both dishes was the same, however, on the shish kabob, the chicken was served in a warm tortilla shell with curried rice, mushrooms and sautéed onions. Both entrees were served with salads and the marinated chicken dish was served with fries.

The staff was very friendly and spoke very clear English. The place also had a very large selection of ice cream and gelato for eat in and take out.

Ice Bar, Oslo



For something a little different, we spent some time in the Ice Bar in Oslo. You pay for 45 minutes and get a drink from the menu - all of which are designed to taste best at below zero (Celsius) temperatures.

While we enjoyed the drinks, the best part was checking out the ice sculptures and ice works in the bar, all of which are intricately designed and, I'm sure, painstakingly carved each year.

We were surprised by how empty the bar was, but enjoyed our time here.

Friday, August 16, 2013

Sognefjorden World Heritage Cruise Naeroyfjord



What's Norway best known for?  It's fjords of course!  There are numerous ones to see, but the Sognefjorden is typically considered the most impressive.  From Flåm, you can take an approximately 2 hour cruise on this fjord (along with a bus ride back).  We'd recommend booking this in advance at www.visitflam.com/sognefjorden.  Make sure to dress WARM for the cruise (warm coat, hat, gloves, etc.) as it will be quite cold on the outside portion of the boat.  There is indoor seating, but then you'll miss the main reason you came on the cruise!

Make sure to bring a memory card for your camera with lots of space, as the majestic views you'll see on this cruise will take a good chunk of photos.

Tvindefossen


The Tvindefossen waterfall was something we stumbled upon during our drive from Lillehammer to Bergen.  This impressive waterfall caught our eyes as we were driving, so we had to pull over for it (and there is plenty of space for parking).  If you're going to be driving along this area, make it a point to stop here for some photos and just some gawking at this impressive waterfall.

Thursday, August 15, 2013

US Airways/American Airlines Merger

There has been a lot of debate in the news lately about whether or not the pending US Airways/American Airlines merger will be good for the travelling public.  Better Than A Travel Guide was interviewed by The Wall Street Journal's MarketWatch for our opinion on this and recent DoJ suit looking to block the merger.  Check out this excellent article at http://www.marketwatch.com/story/what-blocked-merger-means-for-frequent-fliers-2013-08-15 by Maria LaMagna.

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Oslofjord Sightseeing Cruise




While the Oslofjord isn't as impressive as other fjords once you get into western Norway, it is still pretty scenic.  The best way to see it is on the water.  We recommend taking a 2 hour cruise, which will allow you to relax while viewing the fjord.  Even though blankets are provided, be sure to dress warm as it can get chilly out on the fjord.  Our boat was pretty empty for our cruise, so there is no need to book ahead.  You also can get a 15% discount with the Oslo Pass, so be sure to take advantage of that.

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Fredriksten Festning


The Fredriksten Festning is a castle overlooking the town of Halden.  There is plenty of parking here and offers visitors a view into a scenic castle, as well as a great aerial view of Halden.  It's about 1.5 hours from Oslo and a good stop over when in this southern region of Norway.

Monday, August 12, 2013

Nobel Peace Center


When you ask most people what they know of Oslo, the most common answer they'd know of is that the Nobel Peace Prize is presented there.  In honor of that, the Nobel Peace Center has been erected to celebrate the recipients of this prestigious prize.  Entry into this museum is free if you have an Oslo Pass.  You'll probably spend about 1 hour here exploring the history of the prize itself, as well as past winners.  Currently (2013), they have a large exhibition on the most recent winner, the EU, which is very interesting as it shows how this organization has helped secure peace in Europe where war was the regular way of life for millenia before-hand.