I will be going on the Best of Scandinavia tour in about a month. If you have been on this tour, I was wondering if you could tell me if the following places are included: the Bregninge Church (on Aero island, as part of the afternoon bus tour) and the Borgund Stave church or the Stegastein Viewpoint on the scenic driving day in the Norwegian mountains. Also, did you visit the open air museum in Oslo or Lilihammer? Thanks in advance for your help with answering my questions.
Posted by
Atlanta
2570 posts
I don't remember the places you mention except for the Borgund Stave Church and we did not see that one. However, we toured the Ringebu Stave Church, amazingly still active since the 1200's with a graveyard dotted with parishoners' names on headstones over the centuries. We were invited in to the church and had coffee and cakes. I bought an English version of a novel by a Norwegian author, Lars Mytting, The Bell in the Lake, in their church bookstore. I loved the book, it is available on Amazon as well.
I don't recall the church on Æro Island but you do have free time on your time there.
I suggest you call the Rick Steves office, they are very helpful. Do you know who your guide is? I had the super-fun and enthusiastic Gabriella!
This is a wonderful tour, you will love it!
Posted by
TN
20 posts
My husband and I just returned from this tour and it was amazing! Absolutely loved it!
We did go inside the Bregninge Church and it was beautiful. I especially remember it because it has model ships hanging down from the ceiling. The Stave church we visited was the Torpo Stave Church. Double check on the open air museum question with the RS office. We went to several along the way on this tour and I can’t recall for sure about those two specifically.
Btw, this was the first tour we’ve done in which we didn’t get any local currency. Scandinavia is indeed cashless. AMEX is accepted in many, but not all places, and we used a different card in the rest. We never once needed local currency. Many places do not even accept cash. On the bus, the driver will keep water/soft drinks for purchase if you want, but at the end of the tour, we settled up with U.S. currency for the handful of drinks we’d purchased.
Bring a rain jacket. Bergen is the rainiest city in Europe.
You will really love this tour!
Posted by
Vancouver Island
29 posts
We are going on this tour starting on June 29. So excited! We just received the list of hotels and tour participants today. Is there any way to chat on line with participants before the tour? We will be in Stockholm a few days early.
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Thank you so much for your replies to my post. I will be on the tour beginning June 22. I think our guide's name is Igor.
Posted by
TN
20 posts
Jackie,
Some of your fellow tour members may see your post and reach out in reply.
Another recommendation—I read a wonderful book on the plane on the way home from our trip. It’s a memoir called In Cod We Trust. It’s a wonderful story of a year spent living in Norway and really echoed all that we learned on our tour.
Posted by
Vancouver Island
29 posts
Thanks for the book tip. I will look it up.
Posted by
Ohio
1660 posts
I was on this tour in 2017.
We stopped at the Lom Stave Church.
In the mountains we stopped several times for great views, but NOT at Stegastein. I have a photo of a sign that says Fantesteinen.
We stopped at Maihaugen in Lillehammer where there is a stave church as well.
Bregninge Kirke was included in our bus tour on Aero Island.
You can see my scrapbook HERE