Fascinating! (Norway)

Member Name: tinkabubble

Product:	Norway
Date:	19/05/09 (44 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Amazing country with so much to offer

Disadvantages: Only the price in the shops, but that can't be helped

Norway is a beautiful and fascinating country! The fjords of course are absolutely stunning with their waterfalls and the beautiful colours of sky, greenery and wild flowers; it's like another world! We went in August and every city/town we visited was another highlight!

Towns/Cities

Alesund

Our first stop was in Alesund. As it was our first port of call, we were content just to have a stroll around the town and take in the scenery. However, for those who want to discover the town in more depth, there is a fantastic town train which provides a guided tour of the town's top attractions while transporting you to the top of Alska mountain where there is apparently a stunning panoramic view of the town. As I recall, the price was also quite reasonable.

Trondheim

We next visited Trondheim (I believe the third largest city in Norway) and were fortunate enough to arrive at the time of St Olav's festival which was a great experience. Apparently, Olav was a king who sailed to Trondheim in his long boat and decided to create his kingdom there. At Nidaros Cathedral (in Trondheim centre), there were medieval markets, people in medieval dress and activities and exhibitions such as wood carving, for example, in honour of St Olav. There was also some traditional music from musicians in medieval dress which provided a great atmosphere.

This festival usually falls at the end of July and the beginning of August (in 2009, I believe it is 28th July - 4th of August). In Nidaros Cathedral there was also a choir singing and various museums surrounding the cathedral, such as the Archbishop's palace museum, which was very interesting with an exhibition of coin minting and archaeological discoveries from when the building burnt down. There was also an armories with a display of weaponry and the Crown Regalia exhibition displaying the Norwegian crown regalia/crown jewels and the coronation equipment.

For those visiting Trondheim, one option to consider might be the Trondheim city card which offers discounts of up to 50% on sights, shopping, restaurants and activities.

Tromso

Tromso (the capital of the arctic) is another fascinating city. Here we crossed over the bridge to view the Arctic Cathedral (shaped like an iceberg). The cathedral, which is free to enter, is stunning and also has a beautiful stained-glass window. Furthermore, on that particular day, there were families in traditional Norwegian dress (presumably for a christening). Tromso is a fantastic city simply to just walk around. Other points of interest were a statue of the explorer Roald Amundsen and the Ski Jump (near to Tromso university). There is also Polaria, an aquarium with artic wildlife such as seals, which looked very interesting although we didn't get there in the end due to trying to keep costs down.

Bergen

Bergen is also one of the largest cities in Norway and certainly a great place to visit with lots to see and do; very memorable because of the interesting shop fronts and the market. It is the birth place of composer Edvard Grieg and it is also possible to visit his house in Troldhaugen. We also visited Bergen Museum which displayed many stuffed animals, birds and also had a room dedicated to amazing whale skeletons. Of course, it is preferable to see these beautiful creatures alive, but these skeletons were old and it was fascinating to see the size of them! Bergen Museum was also reasonably priced and offered discounts to students, for example. This attraction is closed on Mondays. The Norway in a Nutshell excursion is also very popular from Bergen and offers a fjord-seeing boat trip. Tickets can be purchased from tourist information.

Honningsvag

Further north, we visited Honninsvag. Here we found the Nordkappmuseet very interesting. It had fishing exhibitions with boats along with art, whale bones and some stuffed animals/birds and was again reasonably priced. Again it is always worth enquiring after discounts if you think you may qualify.

Lofoten Islands, Leknes, Geiranger Fjord and Flam

We also visited the Lofoten Islands, where you can see the Icebar and all its ice sculptures, and Leknes, which we visited only briefly as there did not appear to be much in the town centre and attractions seemed to require a bus trip.

Our last stop was Eidafjord where we took a local mini bus excursion to Voringsfossen waterfall and it was a fascinating trip. The mini bus journey was quite scary at times as there were sheer drops on either side of us and very dark tunnels! But the waterfall was well worth it! Absolutely stunning.

Geirangerfjord is home of the Seven Sisters, which are seven stunning waterfalls (if you like waterfalls, Norway is the place for you!).

Finally, we didn't visit Flam, but there you can take the funicular railway, which we would like to do on our next visit to the country.

Other highlights of our trip to Norway were the many beautiful Reindeer which we saw and of course Svartisen glacier, which I believe is the second largest in Norway and was very much breath-taking. There was the midnight sun, which was also fascinating to behold and appears from about mid April to almost the end of August. We would love to return to Norway in winter, however, to see the Northern Lights!


The Arctic Circle

Finally, as the northernmost Scandinavian country, Norway is a great location from which to experience the arctic circle. Here you will see the North Cape (marked by a sphere/globe sculpture). It is actually surprisingly warm in the North Cape (the Nordkapp as it is known in Norway), or at least it was in August.

I would recommend taking a whale watching trip as they are simply fascinating! I think the Lofoten Islands are supposed to be fantastic to see Sperm whales from and Minke whales also seem to be quite common in Norway. If you want to see the Orcas, then you need to go in winter.

Norwegian Culture

Norway is a Christian country and so they observe Sunday as a holy day meaning that the shops tend not to open on Sundays.

The currency is the Norwegian Krona (NOK) You can get money changed at tourist information centres but there is an exchange rate, which we were told was more expensive than the bank, but I didn't think it was too bad.

It is unfortunately quite an expensive country and beer in particular is costly; we had friends who spent the equivalent of £16 on two beers and two coffees! So be prepared to keep an eye on your expenses.

Sea food dishes are very popular as is Reindeer meat.

Language

You'll pick up some of the Norwegian language quite easily and some words are even similar to the English:

Hallo - hello
Ja - yes
Nei - no
Ha det - goodbye
Takk - thank you
Bakt potet - baked potato
Salg - sale

Finally - We bought really nice warm Norwegian hats as our souvenirs but many people were buying Norwegian trolls, which are lovely. There is really too much to write in a review, but it's a must see country! The weather really isn't too bad at all in summer; I would say it was very similar to British weather (it can be quite variable and it seemed to rain quite a bit but generally it was also quite warm). I would add that we went to Norway via a cruise ship which is a great way of seeing wild life and the fjords in particular while also avoiding some of the expenses of visiting Norway. If you would like further opportunity to see whales, fjords etc, then I would recommend enquiring with Hurtigruten cruises which work in and around Norway. We saw one of their boats, the Richard With, a few times and they appear to offer a good service.

(I would also just like to add that there are very good tourist information websites for many of these cities/towns and for Norway in general which are easy to locate on the internet).

Summary: Amazing!