Introduction

So, if you’re Norwegian and reading this, I hope you don’t take it the wrong way. Thing is, this is my third visit to Norway this year. In spring I visited Trondheim the first time. The weather was gorgeous and everybody I met assured me that the weather was extraordinarily good. I then visited Oslo in June. The weather was beautiful and everybody I met assured me that it really wasn’t usually like this, and that the good weather was quite an exception. This time around, on my third visit… you get the picture. Just look at the blue sky in the next photo. So, quite frankly, next time a Norwegian complains to me about the weather, I’m inclined not to believe them.

My flight to Bergen departs at 09h05, which means that I’ll have to leave the Hotel Britannia at about seven in the morning, just as the breakfast service starts. The evening before, I go down to reception and the young man offers, without my asking, to prepare a little breakfast for me – which is typical for the outstanding service I experienced throughout my stay at the Britannia. Much to my surprise and delight, the next morning I find the breakfast served in a sturdy paper bag, just in case I want to have my breakfast on the fly.

The bag contains an apple and an orange, a cheese sandwich carefully wrapped in wax paper, and a bottle of apple juice, and… a cardamom knot! I just love me a good Norwegian cardamom knot! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Getting to the Airport

I exit the hotel just after seven in the morning. It’s another gorgeous day. Just saying… I arrive at the station at 07h08, just as the train to the airport is pulling into the station. I buy a ticket at the machine for NOK47 (about EUR4) and then board the train from platform 3. The journey to the airport is 37 minutes.

The journey by train is scenic, as the line snakes along the coastline from Trondheim to a place called Hell and then Vaernes, where the airport is. Alternatively, there are also busses to the airport at varying prices. They usually take 45 to 50 minutes. The quickest way to the airport is by car, which takes about 30 to 40 minutes on the highway.

The airport railway station is directly linked to the air terminal. It’s about five minutes on foot taking into account the copious amount of little Norwegians that are obviously off on vacation with their parents and haven’t got a care in the world – and obviously zero spacial awareness. Coming from the station, you enter the terminal at ground level, behind the carousels for domestic arrivals. From there I head one floor up to departures.

Check-In

Online check-in only opens 24 hours before the second flight I’m taking today, which departs Bergen at 11h00. The Widerøe app is brilliant. I don’t think I’ve ever checked in so fast! Widerøe does not have a Business Class. However, their Economy Flex fare comes with a few extra perks, including fast track security. The queue isn’t overly long this morning, but having access to fast track security is always convenient.

By 08h05 I’m through security. The airside area is rather quiet. Which is hardly surprising given that there are just two aircraft on the apron outside.

Boarding

Boarding starts on time. If you’re travelling on an Economy Flex fare, that immediately puts you in boarding group A. I step out onto the ramp into the pleasant sunshine. I deposit my suitcase at the bottom of the stairs and step aboard. In the meantime, the ramp has started to fill up.

The Cabin & Seat

I’m seated on row 2, which is the bulkhead row on the starboard side of the aircraft, next to the emergency exit. The seat pitch is good, obviously. However, the Dash-8 is a very narrow aircraft. As a result, if you’re in a window seat, the curvature of the fuselage limits leg space. The aircraft also has unusual seat numbering, in that the window seat is 2D, whereas usually, D designates an aisle seat, even on aircraft in a 2+2 configuration.

The Service & Crew

There are two female cabin crew on this flight, and they’re genuinely friendly and interact easily with passengers. The safety briefing is done in Norwegian only. The flight time is announced as one hour.

The Snack

Service on Widerøe is buy on board. The prices are fair, though. I ask for a coffee with milk and a sparkling water. The flight attendant kindly hands me my bag from the overhead bin so I can take out my wallet, and even replaces everything neatly before moving on to the next row.

The view outside is lovely and unusual. Our journey takes us over snow covered mountains. At the same time, I can see the sea glistening in the background.

Arrival in Bergen

Our descent is a brief one. The throttles ease back and as we start our descent, the cockpit is already calling out ten minutes to landing. Eventually, we land in Bergen on time, where the weather is just as gorgeous as in Trondheim. Again, just saying… We taxi to our stand at the old terminal. There’s a brief wait for my suitcase to arrive.

And now to my onward connection. Stay tuned!