Jan 25, 2018 - Why a Norway Surf Trip Is on My Bucket List

Bali, Costa Rica and Hawaii are popular surf destinations. Norway is not. This European nation on the Scandinavian Peninsula is known for its epic glacier hikes, historic towns practically made for exploring on foot and campsites overlooking the country’s iconic fjords. It’s often overlooked as a destination for catching world-class waves, but Norway’s cool air and frigid sea temperatures haven’t kept the most adventurous surfers from searching for swell along Norway’s 25,148 kilometres of picture-perfect coastline. The following are a few...

Aug 27, 2017 - Last day in Norway

Today we went on a tour to pianist and composer Grieg’s home. Grieg and I are now best friends. It was actually his summer cottage, and is on a lovely spot on a small hill above the waterfront. After we visited Grieg’s home and grave, we had a concert in Norway’s best concert hall. After we returned to town, we went to the Bergen Maritime Museum. This was particularly devoted to Viking ships, and was very interesting. There were remnants from ancient ships. There were many figureheads, and this one was a very rare one as it was of a...

Aug 26, 2017 - Norway in a Nutshell continued

Gordon here - the Tensing Norgay to Liz’s Edmund Hillary. Liz gave me the option of helping with dinner or typing something for the blog - so here we are. (Well, how am I supposed to know how to cook rice, for goodness sake???) OK, so today we caught a boaty, shippy thing. It’s wasn’t a normal aquatic travelling vessel, because it’s nose (technical term: “pointy bit at the front”) is hinged, and swings up to let the passengers walk on board. Why it doesn’t have a door at the side, and a gangplank for passengers to access the door, like...

Aug 25, 2017 - 22km bike ride

Today we started with a walk to a waterfall. Spectacular! Then we caught the train up the hill to Myrdal, where we were yesterday, then rode bikes down back to Flam. The train up the hill took one hour. The bike ride back took two and a half hours. The ride back started with 21 hairpin bends on a very steep gravel track. This was quite tricky and dangerous. Then we joined the road, and the riding was easy and fun and fast. However, we kept stopping to admire the scenery. The ride was 22 kilometres, with only two short uphill sections. ...

Aug 24, 2017 - Norway in a Nutshell

Today we began Norway in a Nutshell (NIN). Today we had two train trips. We are then breaking the NIN by staying in Flam tonight and tomorrow night, then we continue the NIN trip on Saturday. Our first train trip today was from Oslo to Myrdal. This was a 5 hour very scenic trip. We climbed up high in the mountains, where we were surrounded by ice, including 2 glaciers. Then we changed trains and went down a very steep mountain to a village situated on a fjord. The village is called Flam and is very touristy. There is only one hotel,...

Aug 23, 2017 - Last day in Oslo

First stop today was the City Town Hall. It looked quite ordinary from the outside. But the inside was extraordinary. The main hall had painted walls telling of some of the history of Norway. The Nobel Peace Prize ceremonial room upstairs was closed, due to preparations for the elections in 3 weeks. Next stop was the Nobel Peace Exhibition over the road. We visited this briefly, only going into the entry foyer, as the entry price was exorbitant, we had been to the Nobel Peace Exhibition in Stockholm, and we had other places we wanted...

Aug 22, 2017 - Akerhus Fortress

Today was a very interesting day. It started and finished with sad exhibitions, although both were very interesting. First we went to “22 July Centre”. This is an exhibition about the massacre that occurred here 6 years ago. The first room was photos of the 67 people killed. The second room showed security camera footage of the events. The third room had a time line of the events as they unfolded - minute by minute. This was particularly interesting, to see how people’s mistakes led to a terrible massacre, that could maybe have been...

Aug 21, 2017 - Oslo

Today was another walking day. First stop was an evangelical Lutheran church. The ceiling was painted with murals in the 1940's. It was a very active church, offering free food and counselling every day. Then we came across a huge tiger statue. Tigers are the symbol of Oslo as they are a symbol of power and force. We visited the Opera House which is modern, and you can walk on the sloped roof. Then we spent the afternoon exploring Oslo. We saw many parks, grand buildings, the Royal Palace, churches. We ended up at the Vigeland sculpture...

Aug 20, 2017 - Last day in Kirkenes

I went to the only church we have found in town, but it was closed. No sign of life. And it is Sunday!! Heading out now to explore the town Comment from Gordon Liz and I have been visiting a few cemeteries in Norway, and this can be a somewhat moving experience, particularly given the horror some areas had to endure during the 2nd World War. During these wanderings through graveyards, it struck me that almost everyone buried in Norway is called “Fred”, regardless of gender! However, I did not dwell on this remarkable fact, given that...

Aug 19, 2017 - Kirkenes

We left the MS Lofoten at 9am, exactly on schedule this morning. We found our Airbnb with no trouble - right in the centre of town, next to the park. Very good location. We left our luggage and immediately walked up the hill to the Borderland Museum. This was an excellent exhibition, showing the situation in this town during WWII. Kirkenes is on the border of Russia and Norway, and was the second most bombed place, after Malta, during the war. The display contained many personal reflections of the war and many photographs. There was also a...

Aug 18, 2017 - Honningsvag

Smoked salmon is among the many options on the breakfast smorgasbord. Today was spent watching the landscape and the ocean. There is not much vegetation now - just grass and low plants. Lots of islands. Lots of cliffs. Lots of rock. We made a stop at the town of Honningsvag. This is the old church today Here we visited an old church, that was the only building in the entire town to survive WWII. This is a photo of the same church during WWII Afterwards we had time to walk up a very high mountain behind the town. Gordon and myself at...

Aug 17, 2017 - Tromsø

View from our porthole when I woke up this morning. This morning we sailed past the northernmost stone medieval church in the world. We were quite close, so had a good view. It was built in 1250AD. The white building in the centre of the photo is the church. Gordon and I were lucky enough to obtain tickets to be in the small group that had a tour of the bridge with the captain. This was quite interesting, and I sat in the captain’s chair while he spoke to us. We had quite a long time at Tromso in the afternoon. Not sure what you are...