Voss

Copenhagen - Bergen - Voss - Flåm - Sognefjorden - Oslo - Stockholm

It was a short and lonely stay at Voss - for seven hours to be exact. I wanted to cover the entire stretch from Bergen - Oslo in daylight. The problem is there are limited trains from Oslo at night for Stockholm / Copenhagen  Hence Voss came into picture and how beautiful it turned out to be ! The first two hours I invested in walking uphill as much as possible. From up the view of Voss was amazingly simple. Seated comfortably by the side of an elegant lake the city couldn't be more peaceful.

One of the best thing about Europe is the pleasant weather which combines with less pollution to provide you enough oxygen and zeal to stay upbeat. Without much sleep the earlier night I was still fresh and still striving up the mountains that surrounded the town.

While coming down I managed to take quite a few pictures of the lake under the changing intensity of the sun. It was like a slow movie at play by the nature.

My train was late at midnight. The town entertained me till then. In these parts of the world in the middle of September it does not get dark before 9. The last couple of hours were spent finishing a novel which a friend had gifted a couple of months back.

Bergen

Copenhagen - Bergen - Voss - Flåm - Sognefjorden - Oslo - Stockholm

The overnight train from Oslo to Bergen was half empty. We were able to stretch our legs as night approached. However the first couple of morning hours were crucial and so we set our mobile alarm for 5 AM. The morning was unforgettable. We were passing through fjords. Sky high mountains rose from nowhere and the train would have to tunnel through or meander as per the wishes of nature. We reached Bergen at around 7.

We refreshed ourselves at the station and went straight for the Information Office for a trip to fjords. The two famous fjords were more than 200 miles away and would take atleast two nights to visit. We were disappointed. Seeking instant redemption we went for Mount Floen through a elevator train. 

The view from top was worth more than other days because it was sunny with pleasant breeze at the top. I realized that I am at the edge of Europe.

We decided to walk down to the town as it was much more fun given the warm weather and multiple viewpoints.

Later we settled at Brygge which is a world heritage site thanks to its old port history. The fish market nearby was also enticing with fresh offerings.

At 3, I parted from my friend as I had plans for Stockholm the next evening with Sumeet and Rohit. But before that I had to travel to Voss which would serve two purposes. One I would be able to see the famous Oslo-Bergen rail link in daylight. Secondly Voss is simply beautiful from what I have heard.

Copenhagen

Copenhagen - Bergen - Voss - Flåm - Sognefjorden - Oslo - Stockholm

• Book a hotel near the main station. You will need both the trains and metro to traverse not only within Copenhagen but also to nearby attractions like Christianshaven.
• There is not much in Copenhagen - Tivoli Gardens, Carlsberg Breweries and the statue of the mermaid were all that we could figure out.
• Jelling and Helsingor are one day trips from here. So is Malmo in Sweden. We loved the crossover to Malmo which is sea on both sides of the railway track.

Although I am here to stay for a good four months, I couldn't suppress my wanderer self from expressing my first impression of Copenhagen. The first noticeable point is elegance. From the wooden flooring at the airport to helpfulness of a railway employee in directing us everything is presentable and beautiful here.

Damhussoen Lake @ Copenhagen

Hyderabad

A month had passed by without a trip worth blogging. Hence I ventured into the 10 hour drive from Bangalore to Hyderabad alone. Surprisingly the road was in perfect conditions and the weather was agreeable. A good 200 miles passed by in a flash. It was time to take a break.

It started raining while I was having some snacks at the only Reliance One stop. I enjoyed the sprinkles for a while before starting again. Soon the 99 km milestone came up which meant I would be there in a couple of hours.

Hyderabad was dull when I entered the city at 11. By the time I reached Manish's flat, I was too tired to think about anything else but sleep. Not without a couple of drinks though. Next morning both of us visited the Charminar area which had many restaurants known for the famous Hyderabadi Biryani.

After having a sumptuous lunch we moved to Golconda Fort. It was majestic. It was raining the entire day  and hence we decided not to get too adventurous at the slippery steps of the fort. We were back to our place by 8 PM and started drinking right away while watching the highlights of day's play of Test between India and SL.

The next day we started off for Ramoji Film City. It is a popular outing in Hyderabad. We were convinced when we saw a big crowd entering the place in the last slot of 2 PM. The theme park has all the ingredients to make a Hollywood movie. There is London and Dharavi located adjacent to each other. A mini Taj and Golden Temple adorned the lower levels of this huge establishment.

We were back in time to relax and start again for Hard Rock Cafe. The drive to Banjara Hills was serene and without hurdles. HRC offered us a couple of beers and some snacks. I had to start early the next morning for Bangalore.