Today we caught a bus at 9:45am and hit the road! We had reserved our seats well in advance and paid a little extra to score front seats in the upper level of a double decker bus.
We had an unobstructed view for this 4.5 hour epic trip from Stavanger Norway to Bergen Norway, and the bus rides 2 ferries so bonus!
The views were amazing and just when you started getting tired of sitting, you got on a ferry and had to leave the bus.
The first ferry was the Mortavika–Arsvågen ferry.
This van went in first and the floor opened up and it went to a lower level.
The first ferry ride was about 25 minutes. We had enough time to buy a milk and relax before getting back on the bus.
The views continued to be amazing.
The bus follows E39, a major highway passing through Denmark and Norway with a series of impressive tunnels and ferries connecting the segments. In total the highway is 830 miles long. We only traveled about 268 miles.
The tunnels were, at some times, long. The first tunnel was 6 Kilometers long and that was exiting. This was one of the other various tunnels we went through.
We went over some cool bridges too.
Our 2nd ferry crossing came just as we needed a stretch.
and pulled right up to the front.
This ride was about 45 minutes so we had time for photos and a snack. You can see our bus there in the front on the right.
and I got a tasty bacon wrapped, cheese filled hot dog. The dogs here are so snappy and delicious.
Soon it was time to get back on the bus for the last let of our trip.
As we sat in the bus, the nose of the ferry opened.
It was weird seeing open water right in front of us.
This is a charger for the electric ferries.
Soon we were back on the road again.
The longest tunnel we passed through was The Lyshorn Tunnel at 9.6 kilometers or 5.7 miles long. It's the longest auto tunnel in Norway
The tunnels had cool lighting that showed you where the emergency exits were. Now I'm not sure where these exits lead to because you are under the The North Sea, but head there in case of an emergency and you will be in good company, probably.
As we approached Bergen, the hills began to show snow. It's still pretty cold here. In fact when we arrived it was hailing and snowing even though it wasn't sticking.
When we arrived at Bergen Central Bus Station, we bought bus tickets online in their app and rode Bus 13 to our hotel.
Our stay in Bergen is broken up into 2 hotels in 2 locations. We have been staying at Home Hotels (this deserves a separate blog post), and the chain offeres steep discounts if you don't stay on a Tuesday, which I know is weird. So we are at a Radisson Hotel until Thursday morning.
Our first hotel is weird. It's proudly decorated in late 80s / early 90s decor.
Anyway, now our Bergen adventures start! The adventures will include a private pinball club, a funicular ride, a museum, and some seafood.
