Where in the world is Kat Kong?: Days 8-9 of Northern Allure cruise on Oceania Riviera: Stavanger, Bergen (Norway)

Trip Index

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I had ambitious plans for our day in Stavanger, Norway, which required the weather to be good. Unfortunately, the rainy weather made us abandon the hike up to the impressive Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock). With so many picturesque trails in Scandinavia, we may just have to return on our own.

This was the plan, in case anyone else wants to attempt it as a shore excursion:

It takes four hours round trip to complete the trail to Pulpit Rock, not including travel time. To be safe, you'd need to have at least 9 hours in port to make it back to the ship (in good weather). 10+ hours would be better.
Sunny, clear skies would be best, otherwise the view may be obscured. Also, if rainy, the trail up will be slow and slippery.
Have proper hiking shoes as the trail is rocky. Don't forget water and snacks!
Be in decent physical shape.
At the time of our cruise, we would have needed to take a ferry service from Fiskepiren to Tau, followed by a bus up to the Preikestolen Mountain Lodge parking lot, and vice versa. Now, a newly constructed subsea tunnel makes it easy: simply take the Preikestolen Express bus from the Radisson Blu Atlantic Hotel, about a 10 minute walk from the dock. Tickets can be purchased online or on the bus, departing either every hour (or half-hour in the summer) from 7am to 7pm.

Besides the rainy weather, Kaleb had been coming down with a cold or flu a few days ago, probably from the lady on the plane to London. Unfortunately, I forgot to restock my travel bag with more cold medication before leaving home, having only a few days' worth.

Instead of going on a hike, we walked around Old Stavanger, looking at historic homes, then into town in search of medicine. It turned out that NyQuil-type medication cannot be purchased over the counter in Norway, so we bought cough drops and decongestant as suggested by the pharmacy staff. With nothing else planned, we returned to the ship so that Kaleb could get some rest. The items we bought hardly helped his symptoms. Thank goodness we found a bottle of DayQuil in the ship's convenience store. It was expensive, but at least it provided much needed relief.

Kaleb felt well enough to have dinner at the main dining room tonight.

Day 8 dinner menu page 1

Day 8 dinner menu page 2

mushroom fritters

salade landaise

spicy duck soup

beef consomme

crunchy vegetable salad

prime rib

Day 8 dessert menu

vanilla charlotte, petits fours, sorbet

The next day, Oceania Riviera arrived in Bergen, Norway. Our plan was to take the funicular up to Mount Floyen and hike around the area. The weather was still a bit wet and windy, but it didn't dampen our spirits. Kaleb was feeling much better today.

The line was a bit long at the funicular. We purchased tickets using the Floibanen app on a mobile phone. The tickets can be saved in Apple Wallet if you have an iPhone. You could also buy them at the Floibanen website, or in person at a higher price.

Instead of taking the funicular, you could hike one hour to the top along steep asphalt walkways.

A lovely view awaited at the top of the funicular. We could see Oceania Riviera as well as other cruise ships docked in the harbor.

360 spherical photo atop Floibanen funicular, taken with the Ricoh Theta S: (click here if you cannot see the preview below)

Floibanen funicular - Spherical Image - RICOH THETA

Kaleb and I continued on, with interesting sights to see along the way up to the top of Mount Floyen. Due to the recent rains, the trail was muddy and the greenery glistened with moisture. In some parts of the forest, it was so lush and mossy that it felt like we were in an enchanted forest, half expecting an elf or troll to pop out. It was difficult to capture this in pictures.

Only a few people hiked up this far, so it was nice to have the place mostly to ourselves.

360 spherical photo atop Mount Floyen, taken with the Ricoh Theta S: (click here if you cannot see the preview below)

Atop Mt Floyen - Spherical Image - RICOH THETA

We hiked back to the funicular, rode it down, then headed to a late lunch at Bare Vestland, a restaurant serving Norwegian "tapas" (small plates). We opted for the 4-course lunch sharing menu plus dessert. All the ingredients were fresh and tasty.

ticket machine at the top if you walked up and wanted to ride down

delicious bread; butter slathered on a rock

herring

ox tongue

plukkfisk

meatloaf

dessert of the day

There wasn't anything we wanted to buy, so we returned to the ship and relaxed until dinner at Polo Grill specialty restaurant. The food was what you'd expect from a steakhouse.

Polo Grill menu page 1

Polo Grill menu page 2

bread and softened butter

pork belly

foie gras mushroom tart

lobster bisque

clam chowder

pancetta wrapped veal with lobster, sides

rack of lamb, mint jelly

pre-dessert fruit jellies

7-layer Belgian chocolate cake

Polo quintet dessert sampler

Tomorrow, Oceania Riviera will dock in the Shetland Islands...stay tuned!

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Getting excited reading about these trips and want to go? Contact me at yellowdogtravel at gmail d0t com with your ideas and I can help you plan it! Or if you've already put a deposit on a cruise through the cruise line, contact me to get more information on transferring the reservation to me to get bonuses like extra onboard credit or gifts. I have lots of happy returning clients - references always available.

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Another disclaimer: The intention of this blog was to remind Future Me in full detail about where I went and what I did. I could have made it private, but I frequently get questions from family, friends and internet folks about how I planned things, got deals, etc., so instead of repeating the story over and over, I direct them here. If you are offended by anything I say or do, save yourself the discomfort and kindly click away from my blog. Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day!

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