Sep 9, 2019 - Norway- a beautiful surprise around every corner

“Why did you come all the way from Australia to Norway?” asks our B & B host Jans Sverre. Well we didn’t really know that Norway’s natural beauty would take our breath away, but it has. The emerald green of the fields, the contrasting white of the houses, the reflections of the fjords, tunnels which just go on and on, the engineering brilliance of the road system, the towering mountains, plunging waterfalls, clear blue skies. We’ve never seen anything to equal this. It’s not however all positive. Remember the infamous spewcat which used to...

Aug 23, 2019 - Oslo

Friday 23rd August It is an early start, we need to be at the bus stop around the corner by 6.45am to catch the bus into town. But when we try to leave we have problems with our keys, they stopped working very early. We not sure if this is usual practise, or if it was just for us. We are lucky that we had been able to get into the kitchen to grab our breakfast, and get our food from the fridge. We also need the room key to get between floors, as the door at each floor was always locked. We cannot get out through the bar and reception, the...

Jul 7, 2019 - Kirkenes, Norway

This morning we left our Hurtigruten coastal vessel as we got on a bus to Kirkenes. This is a Norwegian port near the Russian border. Strategically significant for its iron ore resources and its location near the Russian port of Murmansk. Kirkenes was occupied by 100,000 Nazi troops during World War II. During the occupation, the Germans created shelters from old iron ore caves to protect its troops from attacks and raids by the Soviet Union. The civilian population also dug tunnels to protect the citizens of the city. The bus then took us...

Jul 6, 2019 - The North Cape

We are back to the overcast skies and wind. 46 degrees From the town of Honningsvag, it takes 40 minutes by bus to make it up to the most northerly point of Europe. It is a majestic rock; of course we couldn't see it, so we took pictures of it inside the visitor center. It was named North Cape by the English explorer Richard Chanslor back in 1553. He passed alongside the Cape in search of the Northern Passage. The Cape is situated on 71 C North and on the Meager Island. During the summer months around 5000 reindeers are grazing on the...

Jul 5, 2019 - Tromso, Norway

WOW!! The sun is out today!!! 54 degrees!!! Tromso is in the Arctic Region and often referred to as the gateway to the Arctic. From here iconic explorers such as Amundsen and Nansen started their epic journeys. The town is the largest in north Norway with 75000. Today, they have a great University that is focusing on native Sami culture. The Sami are the indigenous people of Scandinavia. Their hospital is the world leader in the study of hypothermia. It is also the town in Norway with the youngest average age. A lot of younger people from...

Jul 4, 2019 - Bodo, Norway

Mostly sunny today!! 48 degrees We crossed into the Arctic Circle this morning about 7:15 am. The Arctic Circle is an imaginary line that circles the northernmost parts of the earth and parallels the equator. It forms a circle around the North Pole. The Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceans. It is north of North America, Asia and the Arctic Circle. We had a lecture on Vikings - myths and reality. They did not wear horns on their helmets! They were not any more brutal and barbaric than any other people...

Jul 3, 2019 - Trondheim, Norway

Overcast, not too rainy or windy, 48 degrees. We continue sailing in and among the spectacular fjords. We had a lecture this afternoon about how they are formed; basically what I told you but in more detail! We stopped at Trondheim long enough to get on a bus and tour the city. It is the third largest in Norway. It was first named Kaupangen (English for market place or trading place) by King Olav in 997. Fairly soon, it came to be called Nidaros. In the beginning it was frequently used as a military retainer of King Olav. It was frequently...

Jul 2, 2019 - Bergen to Molde

Overcast, cold, windy, 39 degrees. Our ship is the Hurtigruten, which means Express Route in Norwegian. It's the Norwegian Coastal Express. It is a Norwegian cruise, ferry and cargo operator. The company was founded in 1893 to carry mail, supplies and people from place to place on Norway's western and northern coast between Bergen and Kirkenes. Hurtigruten ships sail almost the entire length of the country, crossing the arctic circle and completing the round-trip in 11 days. The trip has been described as the "World's Most Beautiful Sea...

Jul 1, 2019 - Bergen, Norway Day 3

Our last day in Bergen. Rainy, windy and 58 degrees. We take a bus tour out to the coast to a fishery. They raise what we call steel-head trout; they call it rainbow trout. Trout and salmon are in the same family. We saw a film of the process of raising salmon/trout for the market. They catch the female salmon in fresh water and take all of her many eggs (roe); take the male salmon and take all of his sperm and combine them in bins of water. They keep the water at the perfect temperature for the fertilized eggs. When the eggs hatch, they're...

Jun 30, 2019 - Bergen, Norway Day 2

Today we woke up to the rain they have been promising. It's not cold, 59 degrees; just drizzly. We discussed the controversial topic of whaling and seal hunting. The harsh conditions of the Arctic once demanded these hunts as a source of food, and over the centuries, both industries became an integral part of Norway's economy as well as culture. As time marched on, however, these practices fell under scrutiny--so much so that the seal hunting culture has all but disappeared with the rare exception of indigenous tribes. And while Norway...

Jun 29, 2019 - Bergen, Norway

We checked out of our hotel, got on the bus that took us to the train station. The Flam Railway took us on a spectacular ride across the steep and narrow Flam Valley. There were many waterfalls and the glacier-carved ravines were amazing. We climbed over Norway's mountainous spine. After three hours of deep woods and lakes, we're into the barren, windswept heaths and glaciers. The railroad tracks were begun in 1894 to link Stockholm, Sweden and Bergen, but Norway won its independence from Sweden in 1905, so the line served to link the two...

Jun 28, 2019 - Borgund, Flam, Norway

We boarded a bus, driving west from Oslo, headed for Bergen on the west coast of Norway. We stop halfway there in the little town of Flam for the night. The weather is a little cooler but still wonderful, in the 60's. During the bus ride, Mona, our tour guide, talked about the Scandinavian countries and answered our questions. All three countries, Denmark, Norway and Sweden, are constitutional monarchies; which means they all have kings and queens, who have no political power. They just represent their countries around the world. And the...