23 



A TRIP ON THE SS. St. SUNNIVA. 



By H. BULCOCK. February 14th, 1888. 



This Steamship, the floating residence for 10 days of about 

 140 saloon passengers, left Aberdeen for one of her trips on the 

 afternoon of the 22nd of August, 1887. By eight o'clock the 

 following morning we were in sight of the Norwegian Coast, and 

 at eleven o'clock rounding Skudnnes, the* southermost point of 

 the Island of Karmo we enter smooth water. From here to 

 Bergen, which we reached about 6-30 p.m., we steamed 

 through calm water between various islands and the mainland, 

 obtaining at one point a beautiful view of the distant peaks of 

 the Folgefond Glacier. The scenery on either hand was rocky 

 and picturesque. Bergen as a town is not very interesting, but 

 its surrounding scenery is extremely beautiful. Some of us 

 visited the Leper Hospital, others the open air Concert in the 

 Public Gardens. Next morning the fish market, the shops, the 

 parks and museums were visited, and some of us ascended the 

 Floien Fjeld, the hill at the base of which Bergen stands, from 

 whence magnificent views are obtained. About three o'clock in 

 the afternoon 120 of the St. Sunniva's passengers left Bergen 

 by train en route for Vossvangen. This journey of sixty miles 

 occupies about five hours, and the scenery from the beginning to 

 the end is of the loveliest description. Magnificent views of 

 mountains, woods and lochs are constantly obtained until one's 

 sight becomes almost wearied with gazing at so much beauty. 



Our large party on their arrival at Vossvangen, a pretty village 

 on the edge of a lake, were comfortably housed at the various 

 hotels. On the morrow an early start was made for Gudvangen, 

 32 miles distant. A large number of carrioler and stolkk^res, — 

 native conveyances, the former made to contain one occupant, 

 the latter two, with a small place at the back of each for a 

 boy to sit upon, whose business it is to bring back the con- 

 veyance — had been requisitioned the previous evening to convey 

 the party, and a curious and somewhat amusing cavalcade 

 was the consequence. The morning was a lovely one, and 

 our road lay through the most interesting and romantic scenery. 

 Waterfalls, woods, cliffs and snow-capped mountains were on 

 every hand. One or two pretty villages were passed by, and 

 about one o'clock we attained the top of the Stalheim Cleft, 

 where an hotel is stationed, at which we lunched. From this 

 spot the panorama of magnificent mountain scenery presented 

 to view is most wonderful, and adequate justice cannot possibly 

 be done to it by words. The Stalheim Foss, within forty yards 



