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Hard to believe our last port in Norway is already here . . . and again, we have been blessed with wonderful weather. Today we walked around the Gamie Stavanger (Old Town) with its quaint whitewashed timber houses and colorful flowers. Most of the 156 buildings are private homes, so you can’t go inside, but you can walk around the winding narrow cobbled streets and appreciate the efforts to maintain this 19th… Read More
I never would’ve guessed that one of the world’s great collections of Art Nouveau architecture would be in Norway. But it is, in Ålesund. In 1904, the city was completely destroyed by fire. It took just three years for the city to be rebuilt, with help and donations from the European community. Because it was 1904, the style was Art Nouveau. What surprised me the most was the variety of features, no… Read More
Today was a picture-perfect day for what is often-cited as the most beautiful fjord in Norway, Geirangerfjorden. The 10-mile fjord terminates in a tiny storybook village, and is a gateway to a wide variety of outdoor activities. Popular with Norwegians, as well as tourists, this UNESCO site has become a favorite stop for cruise ships, and the reason is clear. We took a heart-stopping bus ride on numerous hairpin turns to reach… Read More
Flåm’s name literally translates into “little place with steep mountains” and it is a fitting description. It’s on Aurlandsfjord, the innermost arm of Songefjord, Norway’s biggest and deepest fjord. The area is still reeling from massive flooding last year that destroyed homes and caused major damage to buildings, bridges, road and the railway. Their latest misfortune was a fire in the tunnel on their main road last week, closing the road to… Read More
