Norway

NORWAY

I grew up hearing about Norway and what a terrible time they had being occupied by the Germans for 5 years. The Royal family and parliament escaped to live in London and the one man who stayed to cooperate with the Germans was hanged after the war for being a traitor. Coming from Scotland, I heard about the “Shetland bus” which was an armada of fishing boats who went between Scotland and Norway regularly, picking up people wanting to escape. Today, there are five million in Canada, America, and England, and four million in Norway. When the Germans were retreating, they burned every house in each village in the north, and killed the men.

It is 1100 miles long, and in some places 60 miles wide, with only two percent of the country farm land. 1700 glaciers, and magnificent scenery. Only one other country is as beautiful and that is New Zealand.

It has 50,000 islands which protect the mainland from the worse storms in the North Atlantic. Taking a cruise is like going thru the Inland Passage in Alaska, very sheltered waters.

The best way to see the country is by boat and you see the rhythm of life with the local people. There are 450 different regional National costumes, and on May 17 that is the day when everyone dresses up and have lots of festivals and parades.

I just spent two weeks in Norway, starting in Kirkenes on the Russian border, and took a Hurtigruten Norwegian Coastal cruise down to Bergen. This is like a bus service, all the Norwegians use it to visit family and travel at a reduced rate. This is the lifeline for the local people, carrying supplies, food and mail to the whole country. I’ve been on over 100 cruises, and this route is definitely the World’s most beautiful no matter what the season is. They have eleven ships sailing daily, visiting 34 ports. You can get off, spend a few days in a port, then get back on another boat. I wanted to see the Northern Lights, and experience the little out of the way villages which tourists normally don’t visit. If you can, take an excursion to learn about the Sami people, nomads, who drive their reindeer herds across Sweden, Finland, Russian and Northern Norway. Every building has been rebuilt of wood, painted in lovely bright colors, and surprisingly, the Germans did not burn the churches. 90% of the people are Lutheran.

Norway has tightly controlled immigration so it is not a melting pot like so many European countries.

Best buys are knitwear, silver jewelry, Christmas ornaments, paintings and photographs of the fjords and Northern Lights.

The most scenic villages and towns are Bergen, the gateway to the fjord country, visit the fish market. Great shopping.

Fredrikstad, founded in 1567. The ancient buildings in the old town have been converted to studios for craftspeople and artisans.

Tronheim, my favorite. Its organ in the cathedral is magnificent, attend a concert if you can. You can only go into the cathedral on an organized tour, guided by a red robed University student. Visit the Archbishop’s Place Museum to see the Royal Regalia, also Ringve, a must for music lovers.

Tromso, this is the most scenic town north of the Arctic Circle. This is the best place to observe the

drama of the Midnight Sun – June and July. Visit the Arctic Church, shaped like an iceberg, Polar Museum, and the Northern Lights Planetarium.

Best active excursions are
dogsledding, rafting, fishing, hiking, mountain climbing and skiing.

Birdlife is amazing, so take your binoculars.

Even if you are not a museum
buff, you must go to the Viking Ship Museum in Olso, and also to the Vasa
Museum. Great story, battleship built by
the King in 1641 and on its maiden voyage was blown over in the harbor. Too many guns on the top deck. It was
raised in perfect condition in 1960 and they built a museum around it at the
edge of the fjord. Also worth seeing, the
Norwegian Folk Museum and the Edvard Munch Museum, which has 1100 paintings by
this famous artist. I would have three days
in Oslo, visit the Noble Prize Hall, and
some of the museums.

Norway is not in the common
market, so you must only use Krone. It
has always been expensive, since all the food has to be shipped in. I paid US $46 for two vodka tonic’s and US
$60 for two hamburgers. Most economical
way to visit is on a cruise, or a motor coach tour such as Insight where all
your meals are included in the price.
If you have never been to Scandinavia before, perhaps take a Baltic
Cruise and visit Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland on the one trip.

Copenhagen, Oslo, and Stockholm are all absolutely wonderful destinations, at any time of year.

I was having a meal in a little
restaurant in Kirkenes and a young man came up to me and said “thank you for
visiting my country. You are most
welcome.”

Visit Norway, a special place

Maureen Jones

Scandinavian expert

All Horizons Travel/Frosch

825 Santa Cruz Avenue

Menlo Park, CA 94025

650-961-2340 direct