Having fun with Havila

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We arrived into CDG just under an hour late and it had been a fairly long day but kept my calm in an airport that although I despise it we seem to find ourselves at more often than not.
Priority line was being enforced by staff but the line was huge and only 1 immigration counter open whilst the other booths seemed to be on break as they chatted amongst each other. Wasn’t helped by a family in front of us that somehow didn’t have the right passport and paperwork and the officer made numerous phone calls and took probably 15 minutes before security came and escorted them off somewhere. After that we were through in a breeze, bags were ready and off to catch a taxi to the hotel and get some sleep

 

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Our hotel for this quick 2 night stopover was the Pullman Paris Eiffel Tower. We have stayed here previously and although it’s a little on the pricey side for what it you Cant put a price on those views.
We booked a Superior King Eiffel room at $780p/n and as Diamonds received an upgrade to a Deluxe King Eiffel balcony room.
We were a little tired but check in was a breeze and after a quick shower I went to bed. Staff treated us well and were extremely polite but the setup seemed a bit disjointed and not as good as previous stays. Initially we received no welcome gift but just before I went to bed we had a knock at the door and had an apology from management with some extra drinks vouchers as sorry and a hand written apology letter. All up we had 6x drinks vouchers for use at bar for any beer or house wine which we used on our last night. As Diamonds we received free breakfast on weekend and TBH it was an absolute zoo and the second morning we chose to go down the street for a coffee instead

 

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We only had one whole day in Paris and we have been here many times before so only frequented a couple of cafes in our area but our family has a tradition that the first ones to go near a Disneyland after there has been a birth in the family has to pick up some gifts. Our Granddaughter was 18 months time so Disneyland Paris it was for the arvo. We caught the train out there and although it poured just as we were about to leave we had a fun day and probably spoilt the little angel.

 

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Next day we were headed to Oslo and flight was scheduled for 1400 so we caught a taxi out there and arrived just before 1100 to be safe as I know how much a dump CDG T1 is. We had chosen to fly with SK on their Plus fare and although it appeared to be no lounge access at CDG T1 for us I thought I’d at least check it out. We went to the SK check in area and was informed it’s all done on the kiosk and that all BP’s and luggage tags need to be done at the kiosk and then line up for the check in counters at 2hrs before departure. Only 2 of the 5 or kiosks actually worked so by this time a crowd was building. After about 35 minutes we had BP’s and luggage tags and waited in line at checkin. 2hrs before departure came and went and still no signs of staff and finally with about an hour to spare staff rocked up and started processing us. Needless to say no time to see if a lounge existed and we checked in and took the decrepit travelator underground and arrived at our pier only to be told our flight was delayed by 45 minutes. Once through security we were unable to go back and there is pretty much nothing to do at these remote piers. Just a small cafe/deli that sold everything at about 5 times the market value and some uncomfortable plastic seating.

 

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SK834 CDG-OSL
A320
Seat 1B

Aircraft arrived late and had only just pulled into the bay when boarding was announced which I thought was rather odd. With SAS Plus fare you are in Priority Boarding Group 2 with Star Gold and SAS high tiers having Group 1.
Once we had shown passport and ticket we were funneled out the air bridge in single file and no sooner had the last person disembarked from the front door we were shunted on. People were still disembarkimg from the rear door so I guess they wanted to make up for lost time. Pretty much as soon as everyone was loaded we pushed back about 45 minutes late. SAS Plus is your typical Euro J style setup except the middle seat isn’t blocked and the A320 seats felt even narrower than any budget airline I’ve been on. We are crammed in like sardines. Flight was just on 2hrs and was quite smooth. Staff were a bit stand offish and really only did what was necessary and without a smile. Wifi cost extra and I couldn’t get it to work so gave up. We were given a meal about 40 minutes in which came in an enviro friendly container and was a Chicken salad which was quite fresh and tasty. Several beers were ordered and delivered and we received some chocolates about 30 minutes from descent. Wonderful scenery approaching Oslo


Seats were narrow and very uncomfortable




Meal was quite tasty and the beers were cold


Finally descended through the thick clouds and approach to OSL

 

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OSL is a nice airport IMO, very easy to get around and we had our bags in no time. Airport has good signage and as we had decided to head into the city via airport train we went to the automatic ticket booth and purchased a ticket for the next train which was in 10 minutes. Down the escalator and you are on the train platform. Train was on time and left on time, my only real fault I could find if any was that for a dedicated airport train there was very little luggage racks and many people just stood in the aisles with their bags. The train takes only 25 minutes from the airport to Oslo Central and cost 240 NOK or about $32 one way. Very easy and stress free way from the airport to town

 

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After a brisk ride we arrived at Oslo Sentralstasjon or as the locals simplify it Oslo S which is the main train station serving Oslo. We chose to stay near here as we were catching the train out to Bergen in a couple of days. Norway is severely lacking in the brand hotel market so eventually we settled on the Radisson Blu Plaza due to being in a great location. As you exit the train station it was right there in front so easy to get to


I signed up to the Radisson rewards program as I had booked a couple of others in their portfolio on this trip. We had booked a Superior City view room with breakfast and on check in we received an upgrade to a Superior Fjord view room. Room was fairly basic but very comfortable and had everything we needed including some good views out of our window. Was happy with our two night stay and staff were super friendly. Some parts of the hotel weren’t in operation sadly such as the top floor restaurant and bar which gives 360 degree views. The heated pool was nice and the gym area had a great view high up. Breakfast was buffet with a pretty good selection. Lots of fresh pastries, meats, cheeses and pretty decent coffee. Was a little weird seeing all various types of fish in the buffet and fish and boiled eggs seemed to be the most popular dishes. There is a Chicago Pizza Bar located on premises and it did good beer and pizzas but fairly pricey but that’s just Oslo. Really good stay and would stay here again as location is great, right next to train and bus stations plus several shopping malls

 

[PERLHR]

. Was a little weird seeing all various types of fish in the buffet and fish and boiled eggs seemed to be the most popular dishes

I love this in Norway. The salmon cuts and the pickled herrings. It's wonderful.your hotel location certainly is very good. I joined the programme of Scandic hotels. Could not fault them when staying with them either.

 

[jase05]

Full day to explore Oslo and it’s such an easy city to walk around. Was 3 degrees but the sun was out and as someone that would wear shorts everyday if I could I went with that option. Got a few looks from the locals but I was comfortable
We walked in a loop and saw most of the things I wanted to see


Oslo Domkirke


View up to the Palace

 

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Norwegian Parliament


Grand Hotel


Christian Krohg


This nice lake gets turned into an ice skating rink on weekends


University Square

 

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We wandered up the hill to check out the Royal Palace and unbeknownst to us the changing of the guard was taking place so we stopped and watch that. The Palace has a great vantage point over Oslo

 

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Nobel Peace Centre


Oslo City Hall


Akershus Fort, going to come back and do a tour one day


We had almost finished our loop and came across this cute little cafe that had a fire going and we though we deserved a break after that walk
The apple cake was to die for!

 

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Next day was via train from Oslo to Bergen and would take approximately 7hrs.
Tickets were booked on the VY app and you can only book a few months out. The train has no first class and comes with standard seating, plus seating or 6 berth compartments. The plus seating is similar to Premium Economy and fares can be not much more than the Standard seats. We had taken this route by train previously in summer and had experienced the Flam railway which was stunning and we had hoped to do this time around but logistics just made it a no this time. The Flam is at midway of the journey and during winter the train station at Myrdal isn’t open so no luggage storage and no room on Flam railway for luggage so was going to be a nightmare plus at that time of year the connecting trains were not ideal so in the end we decided just to go straight from Oslo to Bergen. When I went to book the Standard seats were 699 NOK ($98) each and Plus was 899 NOK ($127) each but bizarrely they had a special on compartments for 1199 NOK ($169) per compartment. That’s right just $169 for a 6 person private compartment, cheaper than 2x standard seats. No guesses what I booked. We departed from Oslo Sentralstasjon and it was only a short walk from our hotel and the station wasn’t too busy so easy to get around


There was 5 compartments in our carriage and ours was the only one occupied. Two comfortable bench seats and a table with fold down beds. All compartments whilst basic had individual power outlets and speakers woth volume adjustment for announcements. Quite comfy and a great place to watch the world go by.

 

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This was the standard seat section



Every second carriage had luggage racks and a large storage area that filled up with bikes, skis, kayaks etc as we picked up passengers along the way


A cafe cart was located near the rear and had a good collection of food and beverages but all purchased at the cafe had to be consumed at the cafe
Multiple toilets on all carriages

 

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The scenery for the whole journey was absolutely stunning. Once we got out of Oslo the views opened up to rivers and lakes which as we got further along turned into frozen lakes and as we started going up in altitude the scenery changed to snowy mountains and gorgeous towns. For 7hrs we were basically glued to the windows and went to the cafe for some beers from time to time. A really great rail journey

 

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Every turn in the track gave us a new panomic view

 

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Finse is the highest point on the trip and lots of people got off here to with skis and hiking gear

 

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After going over the top of the pass we slowly descended down toward Bergen as night was closing in.


Arrival into Bergen Stasjon

 

[VPS]

Beautiful photos of Norway. If you're in Adelaide at the moment you probably heard me sighing very loudly this morning after looking at these photos. I was supposed to do this in January 2023 and got sick and had to cancel my Hurtigruten cruise

 

[jase05]

Stayed at the Radisson Blu Royal Hotel Bergen. Hotel is in a prime location and rooms were clean and functional. Booked a Superior room and given an upgrade to a Superior room with views of old town. Was really only a partial view at best as hotel is wedged right behind the famous old buildings in the old town so couldn’t see much. Really good spread at breakfast with menus handed out with several good options and you chose a breakfast dish plus had a decent sized buffet.