It was hard to leave the ship after all the exciting adventures, beautiful views, new friendships, and gourmet meals.
My plan was simple: take the train to Dale, visit the sweater outlet and museum, then continue to Voss, where Iâd spend a couple of nights.
I boarded the train without a problem and tucked my suitcase into the designated luggage area. The cars soon filled with ninth-grade teenagers who, I noticed, were much quieter than their North American counterparts.
When we arrived in Dale, however, someoneâs backpack was blocking my suitcase, and I couldnât get it out in time to disembark. I missed my stop! A helpful inspector told me Iâd have to wait 25 minutes at the next stop for the train back, and he even radioed ahead so I wouldnât be charged.
So, I found myself at the remote but beautiful Bolstadøyri Station.
I hadnât realized these smaller stations required physically crossing the train tracks via three steep stairs down and up, plus walking over tracks and gravel. For this trip, I had brought a brand-new hard-sided spinner suitcase that was already struggling with the ubiquitous cobblestones and uneven stone surfaces. As I pulled it up the steps from the tracks, the retractable handle promptly snapped off.
I googled Dale and found no luggage store or even a belt retailer that would help me drag the thing around until Oslo. I decided to visit Dale Sweater anyway and figure out my next move there.
Maneuvering my hard-sided suitcase in Dale was quite the experience. The sweater store wasnât far, but I had to roll it downhill and nearly lost it. Ha ha!
The young women at Dale Sweater were incredibly helpful. They found me a luggage store back in Bergen, conveniently located near the train station. I did some browsing first (no, I didnât buy another Norwegian sweater!), and really enjoyed their Olympic sweater room. The museum was also mildly interesting.
Somehow, I maneuvered âBig Problemâ onto the Bergen-bound train, off the train, across to the shopping mall, and into the luggage store, MYBAG on the second floor. The women there were wonderful and recalled the same thing happening to another tourist just a few days earlier. They said I could transfer baggage in store and even offered to dispose of my suitcase if I bought a new one.
Iâm now traveling with a soft-sided, two-wheeled duffle bagâdefinitely better suited to the rugged realities of maneuvering around Europe. Itâs a little outside my comfort zone, but Iâll get used to it (hopefully).
The train to Voss was quiet and relaxing after all the stressful events. Better days ahead!
Some cool posters from the Dale Sweater Museum:
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