Norway is scenic, rugged, progressive, peaceful and prosperous. That’s what we found while traveling there for ten days following our visits to Copenhagen and Stockholm.
As you can see on the map, we started in Bergen, Norway’s second-largest city, on its southwestern coast. Bergen has a picturesque wharf and interesting cultural sites amid majestic mountains and fjords. From there we took a ferry up to Norway’s longest fjord, Sognefjord, where we explored the beautiful villages of Balestrand and Sogndal. Finally we took a long bus ride down to Oslo, the capital, for several days before heading home.
Norway is so photogenic that I’m going to let these photos tell the story:
Bergen is famous for the colorful wooden houses beside its historic wharf.
We took a funicular to the top of Mount Fløyen for a great view of Bergen, then hiked down.
A long ferry ride from Bergen brought us to the picturesque village of Balestrand.
We enjoyed walking along Balestrand’s coastline and hiking into its hills.
St. Olaf’s Church in Balestrand mimics the design of medieval Norwegian stave churches. It helped inspire the design of the wedding church in the film “Frozen.”
We took an evening ferry to our next fjord village, Sogndal. Ferries are one of the main transportation options here.
Saunas are popular throughout Norway and Scandinavia. We saw this portable sauna while hiking in Sogndal.
The Nobel Peace Prize is presented in this main hall of the Oslo City Hall. A museum about the prize is across the street.
A statue of Franklin Roosevelt looks over the Oslo harbor, a reminder of when U.S. presidents were admired in Norway.
Frogner Park features more than 200 nude sculptures by Gustav Vigeland.
The National Museum displays this version of Edvard Munch’s “The Scream.” Two others are in the MUNCH Museum.
Norway’s food scene is eclectic. We enjoyed traditional local dishes such as fish soup and brown cheese, as well as jerk chicken and empanadas at Oslo Street Food.
Oslo’s main public library, Deichman Bjørvika, is among the world’s best, with striking architecture, a waterfront location and extensive modern facilities.
Norway’s soccer team didn’t win the recent World Cup but it performed well, especially star Erling Haaland, whose image is everywhere in the country
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