Years in the past, my Norwegian family took me on a street journey from the capital, Oslo, by way of waterfall-filled mountains to the coastal metropolis of Bergen. That is the route that many guests tackle their sightseeing journeys when visiting Norway.
Upon my return, I wished to see rather more of Norway, even past the Arctic Circle. Strolling Adventures Worldwide (WAI) supplied me a tour that suited my energetic inclinations completely. Our small group of 24 folks began in Bergen after which made a coastal and inland loop to absorb spectacular surroundings such because the Geiranger Fjord and Jotunheimen Nationwide Park.
Because the identify suggests, WAI consisted of every day hikes, a few of which had been thought of to be intense walks by way of Norway's mountainous terrain. We additionally visited historic websites, wood church buildings, and an ice tunnel on Norway's highest peak.
Sixteen of us continued the WAI extension journey above the Arctic Circle to discover the Vesterålen Islands and expertise Norwegian nature. duck island and the scenic routes from Senja in the direction of Tromsø. We visited a salmon farm, watched puffins flying across the island of Bleiksøya and realized about indigenous Sami tradition.
Beginning in Bergen, our first stroll was alongside the historic Bryggen waterfront. Right here, throughout medieval instances, the Hanseatic League managed the commerce, primarily in cod. We additionally explored the vigorous waterfront fish market, Gamle (outdated) Bergen, and Bergenhus Fortress. Many people took the Fløibanen funicular from town centre to the highest of Fløyen Mountain (a six-minute journey) for spectacular views.
We then travelled north by native ferry to Smørhamn/Kalvåg and inland by bus. Every day our walks supplied us gorgeous views of excessive mountains, waterfalls and spectacular fjord vistas. A bit of the historic postal street close to Geiranger supplied a extra strenuous and memorable hike. Initially constructed to attach Bergen and Trondheim within the 18th century, this half zigzags up the facet of a mountain after which all the way down to the Geiranger Fjord. Right here we boarded a neighborhood ferry to cruise alongside this UNESCO-protected fjord and marvel on the surrounding mountains and quite a few waterfalls.
With so many mountains, Norway has many winding roads and over 900 tunnels operating by way of its rugged panorama. The longest is the 24-kilometre-long Lærdal Tunnel, which can also be the longest street tunnel on this planet.
Norway's highest peak is Galdhøpiggen, at 2,550 metres excessive, in Jotunheimen Nationwide Park. Right here we cross barren-looking permafrost on footbridges to enter an ice tunnel at round 1,800 metres excessive. It measures nearly 370 sq. metres in complete, carved from 7,000-year-old ice by artist and sculptor Peder Istad. Facet tunnels result in rooms with sculptures comparable to The Globe.
The encircling permafrost regarded barren, however our information identified tiny vegetation hiding in crevices. Greater than 700 artifacts linked to historic searching traditions have emerged from the melting ice on this space. We noticed some on the Norwegian Mountain Museum within the close by village of Lom.
Lom additionally boasts a fantastically preserved stave church from 1170 AD. We later visited the inside of Borgund Stave Church (1180 AD), which is surprisingly small. These stave church buildings are amongst solely 28 remaining of over 1,000 inbuilt Norway within the late 12th century. They mark a time when Viking paganism was giving strategy to Christianity. The detailed carvings mirror Christian motifs and Viking themes, comparable to dragons.
Upon arrival in Oslo, we walked from the grounds of the Royal Palace to the medieval Akerhus Fortress and previous the spectacular Opera Home (we went as much as the roof for nice views of town and harbour). The Vigeland Sculpture Park is a must-see, with over 200 sculptures in granite, bronze and wrought iron – it’s the life’s work of Norway’s most well-known sculptor, Gustav Vigeland.
The Fram and Kon Tiki museums had been fascinating. The previous shows the polar ship ahead and early Arctic exploration. The second shows the balsa wooden raft on which Thor Heyerdahl crossed the Pacific Ocean in 1947 to show his idea of migration from South America to Polynesia. The Nationwide Museum and the Munch Museum every comprise a wealth of artwork, and each characteristic certainly one of Edvard Munch's well-known work “The Scream” (he made a number of variations).
Sixteen of us then flew north above the Arctic Circle to discover the Vesterålen Islands. There we toured Akvakultur i Vesterålen (on a small boat in survival fits) to find out about salmon farming and its evolution since its beginnings within the 1970s. At present Norway is the world’s largest producer of farmed salmon. Enjoyable reality: Norway launched salmon sushi to Japan within the 1980s.
One other spotlight was a sea safari on a zodiac boat for Blakesøya Island, certainly one of Norway's most well-known chicken colonies. Right here, greater than 80,000 puffin pairs come to breed from mid-April to early August. White-tailed eagles fly overhead, making an attempt to catch unwary puffins. Many different seabirds additionally nest on the island. Blakesøya Islands and whales may also be seen within the space.
We hiked alongside the Arctic Ocean within the duck island and the Senja Scenic Routes, two of Norway’s 18 designated routes. Whether or not we had been traversing sand, rocks or grasslands, we had spectacular surroundings throughout us. Our hike from Mefjordvær supplied us extremely rugged mountains as a backdrop.
Our last Arctic vacation spot was Tromsø, among the best locations on this planet to see the Northern Lights, from September to March. In June, we marvelled on the midnight solar as we explored the waterfront of this vibrant metropolis.
Tromsø is residence to the world's northernmost college and Norway's Arctic College Museum. Right here we noticed displays about indigenous Sami tradition; later, a Sami girl gave a standard presentation. Oh! singing a track for our group.
One other spotlight was the Polar Museum, which paperwork Tromsø's position as a gateway to the Arctic for explorers, hunters and researchers from the 17th century to the current day. After which there's the Tromsø Troll Museum…
This “first and solely troll museum in Norway” paperwork the nation’s completely different trolls in line with their legends and traits. For instance, in Tromsø there’s a quite benign sea troll; different trolls might be fairly horrible. Guests can check out the museum’s augmented actuality know-how. I did and put a Tromsø troll face on my head!
Discover out extra at Strolling Adventures Worldwide.
— By Julie Gangler
Julie Gangler visited Japan on Abroad Journey Journey's South Korea and Japan: Temples, Shrines and Treasures tour. She is a contract author who has labored as a media relations guide for the Snohomish County Tourism Workplace. She started her profession as a workers author for Sundown Journal and later served as Alaska/Northwest correspondent for Journey Agent Journal.