Hop-on/Hop-off

Decades ago, my Scandinavian geography professor offered his students 100 bonus points for sending him a post card from Iceland – "the island country that hangs like a jewel from the necklace of the Arctic Circle."

And so, it was with great pleasure that I researched the last booking for our trip – an 11-hour layover in Reykjavik before heading onto Bergen.

Airline agents highly recommended riding the Flybus 40 minutes from the Keflavik Airport into the city center. "We'll keep your checked luggage. Just be sure to take your carry-on with you," each rep said.

Earlier I asked the ladies whether they preferred to tour the city or bathe at the famous Blue Lagoon, since we'd not have time for both. They opted for the city tour.

Today I researched alternatives: the Hop-on/Hop-off Tour or the Grand Excursion.

As I delved into each web page, I discovered the two tours covered roughly the same places. The main difference was flexibility, depth and price.

The Hop-on/Hop-off bus tour runs from 10 AM to 4 PM and can be completed within one-hour should a rider decide for the minimal time allotment. If the rider decides to explore one of the 10 stops in depth, s/he may simply hop-on the next convenient bus. During this tour, English explanations are offered daily. This option costs 2,000 ISK ($25).

The Grand Excursion also offers an English-guided tour, but boasts a more in-depth explanation over a set, two-hour period from 9-11 AM and includes admission fees for all the tour stops. This option costs 3,300 ISK ($42).

I wondered: What are the admission prices? I checked into two famous buildings: Perlan (The Pearl) is a glass-dome, revolving restaurant built atop of the city's geothermal water heaters. Admission is free. The restaurant is top-notch and spendy. But reviews said, the cafeteria located one level down has a 360º observation deck that offers an incredible view of the city and attracts even locals for beverages, Italian ice cream and sandwiches. An on-site tourist shop offers a great selection of souvenirs from playing cards to Icelandic sweaters.

I think I've found our Reykjavik lunch place!

I also checked out Hallgrimskirkja – (Hallgrim's Church) the tallest building and most striking church in Iceland. Its 244-foot tower veers upward in the shape of organ pipes – reflective of the 5,000 piped organ it houses. Admission to this Lutheran church is also free. For those wishing for a lift to the tower top, the cost is 400 ISK ($5).

With that, my decision was easy. In my online cart, I put six round-trip Flybus tickets and 6 Hop-on/Hop-off Tours and checked out!

I can't wait to look for postcards. Maybe I can surprise a retired professor yet!

Rejected; Secured.

For weeks I've been weighing options with train travel from Trondheim to Lillehammer.

Surfing the web, I discovered an early-morning express train. Choosing the 4-1/2-hour non-stop trip over a 7-1/2-hour one that stops at all the towns along the way was easy. Plus, arriving about 1 PM in Lillehammer would give us the best part of the afternoon to tour southward with my host parents.

My question was: How to return our rental vehicle to the Trondheim agency office that opens at 10 AM? The agent suggested parking the car in their lot, putting the keys in the drop box and heading to the train station. That works if we allow enough time to cover the distance between those two points before the train departs.

To purchase the tickets, I considered an online international train service. They guaranteed reserved seats, offered a $10 insurance option against loss, theft, etc. and promised two-day mail-service of the tickets to my home address for $157 each. All this could be put on my American Express card.

For fun, I googled "NSB" – the Norwegian Rail System – to compare pricing. I discovered a bargain when booking online using an option called "Minipris." For each train departure, NSB reserves a number of select seats that sell for less than half price. The catch? The tickets are good only for the specified train departure, must be purchased at least a day in advance and are non-refundable. These tickets can be collected at the station service desk, ticket machine or on-board, as specified by the buyer upon purchase. When I hesitated, Dan said, "What's trouble? At that (minipris) price, you could buy another if you have to and still come out ahead."

I emailed the ladies for commentary and received a response to try the minipris. By the time I confirmed that these minipris tickets were fully reserved seats, I missed out on the chance to upgrade for an extra $12 to "Komfort" seating offering free coffee and tea, Norwegian newspapers and internet hookup. Those tickets had sold out.

With time ticking, I opted for the 299 NOK ($60) standard seating, entered my vitals and VISA card information (NSB doesn't take American Express) and clicked on "Buy Ticket."

I waited for my card to clear. A message appeared: "Card Rejected!" I double checked the information I'd entered against my card and tried again. Same thing: "Card Rejected!" I tried calling the 1-800 number on the back of the card for assistance and received the message about this card being invalid.

I gave up. Moments later, the phone rang. Dan called me from work. "Did you try making a purchase in Norwegian currency? The VISA company just called me about a transaction."

I assured him that I was indeed trying to book six tickets through the Norwegian Rail System for about $360. He said, "I thought so. Try again. They said it'll go through."

It did.

Rejected; Secured.

In Short: Make sure to alert your credit card company before traveling overseas to ensure your transactions will be accepted.

Small Details

I am a writer and a photographer – not necessarily in that order.

While volunteering me to lead his relatives on this trip, Dan also assigned me to take lots of photos of houses: rooftops, foundations, walls, floors, windows, fireplaces, trimming details and more.

"How am I going to cover all that with my little camera?" I asked.

In response, he bought me a 2 gigabyte memory stick. (My 1 gig memory stick holds 700+ photos.)

I have two rechargeable batteries with which I alternate use. Each takes up to four hours to recharge and gives about two continuous hours of shooting time.

"I'll need to re-charge my batteries daily for that," I said. "Norway uses two round prongs in their electrical outlets."

Dan got the message and supplied me with a properly equipped converter – half the size of the one I used as an exchange student 25 years ago.

Time and technology change Small Details!

Ask – Again

After reporting to the ladies on the hotel booking, taxi/shuttle options, luggage storage, train tickets and more, I asked for aid:

"If anyone has the opportunity to practice driving stick-shift: "go-for-it" and let me know. I will try to find an opportunity for myself before we go."

I referred them to the blog entries about our rental vehicle and request for driving help from Tora.

A year ago when our group met, no one claimed recent experience driving a manual-transition vehicle. In recent months, I hadn't had an opportunity to try and hadn't heard that anyone else in our group did. Therefore two weeks ago, I wrote Tora and casually asked for help if someone was able. To cover the bases, I expanded my request to our group.

To my surprise, I received a reply that one gal's last car was a stick-shift. She and another gal planned to practice before the trip.

Hooray!

Now we will work on familiarizing them with road signs and driving rules in Norway – giving us a little more independence and flexibility with that 3-day leg of our journey.

How things open up when one decides to Ask Again.

Bergen Booking

Over the July 4th weekend, I researched Bergen lodging options online. I weighed the benefits of a money-saving hostel over a classic hotel, emailed both for information on late-night check-ins, a luggage-check area as well as convenience for a shuttle vs. taxi drop-off from the airport located 30-45 minute from the city center.

All things considered, I booked us at a hotel located about 1 km (a 10-minute walk) from the famous Fish Market and next door to the famous composer Edvard Greig's home. Who knows? We may be able to sit out in the hotel garden and catch the end the concert held each evening at Greig's home.

One thing's certain: we will have our one-night hotel "treat" – including an American breakfast the following morning. After checking out of our rooms, the hotel allows guests to stow their bags in a luggage-check room. That means we can travel "hands-free" during our day-tour of the city. We'll also be able to order taxi service to take us out to the Hurtigruten terminal where we'll board our cruise ship and sail that evening.

Through an international hotel website, I secured three rooms for our Bergen Booking!