Five Days in Norway

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Five Days in Norway
Monday, 24th June - Saturday, 29th June

Summary: .

Reuniting with Leb and flying from Edinburgh to Oslo. (Monday, 24nd June)

Day 109. Flew to Oslo. Had a nice local dish (but very pricey). Then out to watch the Group B deciders. Italy clinching their place in the Round of 16 with pretty much the last kick of the game, probably sending Croatia home.

Leb fights the pain to enjoy a magnificent day's sight seeing in Osloa

Day 109 ~ Lovely sunny day sightseeing in Oslo with Leb bravely baring her ongoing sciatica (two weeks now, as we still thought then) before going back to the flat to lie down while I braved watching England somehow win Group C to qualify for the Round of 16.

Leb had a really bad night in our tiny room with its tiny bed. For the first time in two weeks, she couldn't really stretch out on the floor to get some respite from her back pain. We were on the verge of calling the whole thing off and heading for home. The only reason we didn't was because Leb couldn't bare the thought of a 23 hour flight back to Perth.

So brave, that lady.

We got up and had breakfast in the otherwise very hospitable and comfortable flat share we'd opted for. The best feature of which was the fact that the bathroon had a heated floor. Leb took full advantage of that!

First, we set off to the railway station to make sure we knew exactly where to go the next day for our amazing cross-Scandes trip to Bergen.

Then, we set off to the city center for some sight seeing.

Day 110 ~ From Oslo, across the "Scandes", to Bergen via the most spectacular train ride. Settled into our new home for three nights. Saw Ukraine eliminated, Romania, Belgium and Slovakia go through and then watched the magnificent Georgians overpower Portugal to reach the round of 32 against all the odds.

Day 111 ~ Sightseeing in and around Bergen. First the fsh market. Then fjord cruise through Mostraumen up to the waterfalls of Bergsåa. Once we got back to the port we took the funicular up to Fløyen with its magnificent panorama over the city. We then had an hour"s walk back down through beautiful woodland. I popped out for a quick pint at one of Berger's oldest pubs... Frille og Dyvekes Vinkjeller.

Day 112 ~ Lovely swim and lounging around having some amazing conversations (including an amazing 12 year old boy called Arvydas) in the jacuzzi in the fantastic AdO arena. Then I watched Brann and Strømgodset scrap out a tense 0-0 draw in their top of the table clash in front of 15,933 under a downpour of rain.

Day 113 ~ From Bergen to Rīga. Fantastic fish cakes and soup at søstrene hagelin's, then tram to the airport, flight across Scandinavia, the Baltic Sea, and the coastal forests of Latvija to Rīga. Wonderful black bread and herring in beetroot as Switzerland knocked Italy out. Then I potted around the old town looking for a pub to watch the football in. First half, interrupted for half an hour by a massive storm, in the Thirsty Bulldog. Second half in my favourite Rīga pub, O'Pap's, Denmark were holding their own until struck by the unacceptably tedious side of VAR (even I draw the line here.) Two extremely marginal decisions in 90 seconds went against Denmark in their knock out against Germany and sucked the life out of the game for anyone who was not a Germany fan.

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