Discover Norway [ Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock) & Stavanger ]
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
اسلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته
So, we are a bunch of crazy couple. We had another trip planned prior to our Eastern Europe trip by like, 2 days before we depart. This time, I couldn't help it because I kept seeing the price of return ticket to Oslo, Norway was only 20GBP per person! Skyscanner you're the best!
Hence, 2 days after we came back from Eastern Europe, we embark on another trip to Norway.
Norway
- Language: Norwegian (however they speak fluent English, don't worry)
- Currency: Norwegian Krone (NOK) [1GBP=11.88NOK] [1EURO=8.54NOK] [1MYR=2.12NOK]
Day 1
We depart from London Stansted Airport around noon. By the time we reached Oslo Rygge Airport, it was already 4.30pm. The airport is situated about 45 minutes journey by bus to the city centre. But do not worry, there are shuttle buses that connects with each arriving flight to Oslo Bus Terminal in the city. You are sorted for that part. You could also check HERE if you are going to other parts of Norway.
Upon arriving, the first thing we did was looking for a place to perform salah. Luckily, there was a Muslim area nearby the bus terminal which took around 10 minutes walking. It is called Islamic Cultural Centre Norway (ICC). There were plenty of halaal restaurant around as well. Once again, Muslims are sorted in Oslo.
We performed our salah and ate and stalling time until it was 8.30pm. We didn't sleep in Oslo. We took an overnight train to Stavanger on that very same night.
Tips:
- Train tickets were bought online prior to travel. There are special prices offered and it is much cheaper compared to if you buy it at the counter. The train company is called NSB Norway.
We love the goodies given on the train. They provide you a thick blanket, earplugs and eye covers as well! The leg space is ridiculous spacious and you could adjust your seat until almost the same level as a bed. It is perfect for an overnight train. Rest assured, we spent the whole journey sleeping, as you may have guessed.
Day 2
We arrived at Stavanger Railway Station around 7.30am (from 10.30pm last night). They provide clean toilets and spacious lockers for you to keep your luggage. We changed clothes, kept our luggage and set out to Stavanger Fiskepirterminalen to catch the earliest cruise going to Preikestolen, The Pulpit Rock.
Tips:
- You could buy your cruise ticket at the pier but it is advisable to do your research prior to travel. Sometimes the pier is closed due to the weather condition. We bought ours online from Tide Reiser company. They offer return cruise and bus service from Stavanger to Preikestolen.
When you arrived at the pier, a bus will be waiting to take you to the foot of The Pulpit Rock.
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| The view from the pier to Preikestolen. Magical isn't it? SubhaanAllah. |
So The Pulpit Rock requires you to hike for 8KM and it took about 5 to 6 hours for a return journey.
Tips:
- It is advisable for you to wear winter/hiking boots since it could be snowing all year round.
We didn't wear any kind of boots for that matter. And we end up slipping and praying we didn't fall of the cliff when walking on the slippery, icy snow. Mind you, the cliff was only half a foot away from the icy treks.
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| Do not be fooled, this was only 10 minutes hike from the foot. |
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| This too :P |
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| It was like this for the entire half journey going up. |
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| And the ice begins. |
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| "Ice, oh ice" |
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| Almost there insyaAllah! |
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| Ain't nothing could stop us from back selfie :P Could you see the view? MasyaAllah. |
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| "Let's drink water from a half-frozen lake!" |
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| "Hmm, frozen lake" |
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| Aaaaaand, finally we were there! Alhamdulillah :D |
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| Amazing Pulpit Rock. SubhaanAllah. |
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| It's so magnificent, it needed 3 same photos hehe :P |
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| View from the hanging rock. I wonder what the Heavens of Allah look like. |
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| One from a GroPro wide lens. |
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| And there's us. Before we recharge with several bananas and biscuits and fizzy drinks and a Japanese lady behind us. Heheh :P |
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| The thing is, going up is fine because you do not have to see how high you were. But going down, it was another different story. |
We did another crazy decision. People usually hiked for 6 hours but we did it in 4 hours. We wanted to catch the earliest bus back to Stavanger and check into our apartment. And we managed to. Our apartment is a studio apartment called Apart Stavanger. It was beautiful! Only 15 minutes walk from the pier. And there was HALAAL GROCERY STORE selling HALAAL CHICKEN nearby the apartment too! Since the owner provided all kind basic cooking utilities, we managed to deep fry some chicken and cooked some rice, then we decided to spent the rest of our day cooped in the cosy apartment with a glorious fully tummy. Alhamdulillah.
Day 3
Actually, we decided to join a cruise tour departed from Skagenkaien which toured Lysefjord. But we overslept and missed the only boat for that day. It was a Sunday, hence they only have one boat operating.
Tips:
- We recommend for anyone to buy the cruise tour online because some might not be operating other than in the summer which basically extend from June to August. There are several company you could opt to such as Rodne Fjord Cruise or buy your ticket at the tourist information centre.
So we strolled around Old Stavanger and the pier before checking out from our apartment and took another overnight train to Oslo.
Tips:
- If you have spare time, you could visit to other attractions in Stavanger such as Swords In Rock, Store og Litle Stokkavatn, Vaulen beach, Sørmarka, and many more!
- Plan your trip wisely! 3 nights is not enough in Norway as the distance between cities took more than 6 hours on the road typically.
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| Pretty much Norwegian architecture. |
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| Old Stavanger. Typical Scandinavian houses. |
Day 4
We arrived Oslo the next morning and went to find food at the local Muslim area. After, we decided to join for a mini boat tour group across Oslo fjord. Tickets are available at Visit Oslo website. We didn't take any photos since we felt beaten up and just wanted to enjoy the view.
That late afternoon, we took our next flight to Manchester via Oslo Rygge and arrived Sheffield around 11pm.
Hence, my April trip has ended. Alhamdulillah, I felt truly grateful He has given me so much opportunities to explore the world. Who would've thought I would go to these places? Not in a million years if you asked me. InsyaAllah we are now planning for our next trip in August, if all is well.
JazakAllahu Khayr.
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