I am planning to go to Norway for my 40th birthday and would really like to row a longship in the fjords or at least ride in one. I have heard of such a thing but am having no luck in finding any information on this. Has anyone done this or know of a website or company you might be able to direct me to? Thank you in advance.
James
I don't know if the sport has spread to Norway yet, but try googling "dragon boat". While not meant to be a historically accurate representation of anything in particular, it is fun, and it may be as close as you can get to a modern day Viking experience.
I've done dragon boat races. They are done with paddles rather than oars and are Asian in origin. Are there also dragon boats along the lines of the Norse longships?
There are a number of open air Viking museums from Northern Germany up. They may be your best bet for that type of experience.
Another possibility would be to visit a reenactment of a famous Viking battle. They may have some reproduction longships they use as part of the reenactment.
I've seen dragon boat teams adopt a cartoonish Viking identity, but this, of course, is just for fun, and in no way meant to represent an authentic historical re-enactment.
I must say that I'm having a bit of fun looking for this. You might want to ask this group if they know of any places. There seem to be a lot of longship replicas that are in some way affiliated with them.
The Longship Company, Ltd.
21924 Oakley Road Avenue
MD 20609 USA
+1-301-390-4089
LongshipCo@Hotmail.com
It looks like you can get a trip at this Danish Museum, but it doesn't look like a classic longship http://www.vikingeskibsmuseet.dk/page.asp?sideid=203&zcs=402
The people at this site might have some leads for you: http://www.havhingsten.dk/index.php?id=277&L=1
And now my googling has just brought up a link to your question! LOL I hope that you find a way to celebrate your birthday.
Pam
