The Adventure Finally Concludes in Scenic Norway!

DAY TWO:

NORWEGIAN RESISTANCE MUSEUM: After an excellent breakfast spread at the Thon (seriously, it was huge!), we headed over to Akershus Fortress and bought our tickets for the Norwegian Resistance Museum. I’ve been to a number of resistance museums in various cities and countries, and every single one moves me. Thinking about the horrors that happened, and how people fought against it, breaks my heart but it inspires me too. The Norwegian museum was very good. Many resistance museums focus heavily on individuals—who they were and what happened to them, but the Norwegian museum was more focused on Norway as a whole: what the country did to help the cause and fight back against Hitler, especially after they were invaded by the Germans.

NATIONAL MUSEUM: This wonderful museum is home to an immense art collection, including “The Scream” by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch. I already mentioned the Munch Museum, which holds a number of his other works, but since we only had time for one museum, we chose the National Museum. It was lunchtime by then, and since the museum has a nice cafe, we stopped there for food. After lunch, we bought our tickets and made our way through the various rooms. We saw “The Scream,” of course, along with several more of Munch’s paintings, including one of young girls leaning over a bridge that I liked.

My daughter loved “The Birkebeiner,” which shows two Birkebeiner loyalists skiing through a snowy mountain landscape and carrying the infant Prince Haakon to safety. It’s set in the winter of 1206, during the Norwegian civil wars, when the baby heir to the throne was being hunted by an enemy. The child survived and grew up to become King Haakon IV of Norway. The painting went on to inspire the historic Birkebeiner cross-country ski marathon in Norway, as well as the American Birkebeiner race in Hayward, Wisconsin. My daughter, her husband and several of their kids have run the Wisconsin race several times.

AKER BRYGGE: This is a pedestrian-only neighborhood with a waterfront boardwalk and no shortage of shops and cafes, plus more of the gorgeous architecture we’ve been soaking in since we arrived. It’s really lively and an attractive area. We stopped here for ice cream, then wandered around for a while, admiring the harbor and the buildings. Our wandering carried us through several other unknown neighborhoods until we finally made our way to a street with a knitting shop. My daughter had brought along a knitting pattern that she wanted to buy yarn for, and the one we found was called Fru Kvist. They had a beautiful selection of yarn and knitting supplies and the knitter found some wool yarn she loved.

After that, we called it a night, stopped for takeaway, and headed back to the hotel.

THE ROAD TRIP: Oslo→ Morgedal→ Voss→ Balestrand→ Olden→ Alesund

THE ELECTRIC VEHICLE: This morning we were renting a car from Hertz and beginning our journey across Norway. We checked out of the Thon Hotel and made our way right across the street to the Hertz office in the train station. The agent took my paperwork and credit card information, handed us the key, and told us where the car would be.

Hertz upgraded us, and we ended up with a Volvo EX40 sedan—a very nice car. It was also an EV, which I was pretty excited about. I’d requested one, since in Norway they’re actually cheaper to rent than gas cars, and there are charging stations all over the country. At least that’s what I’d heard. Before we left, I used AI to plot our route and put together a list of charging stations along the way. I had that in writing just in case, but we also planned to search for stations on Google Maps as needed. In the meantime, we had an 80% charge.

My daughter was driving. She’d appointed herself designated driver for the trip, since she doesn’t trust my driving. but I was happy to hand it over, as driving isn’t my favorite thing to do. Neither of us had ever driven an electric car before, though, so there was a moment of hesitation when she got into the driver’s seat, unsure how to turn it on. But the problem solved itself—as soon as she sat down, the lights and car came on, ready to go. I plugged my phone in, set my destination in Google Maps, it synced to CarPlay and we were on our way.

Getting out of the city was surprisingly easy—I’d heard that it would be tricky, but it really wasn’t. We went through a tunnel under the train station for a bit, then popped out and just followed the road signs. After about an hour of driving through nice but boring areas, the scenery started turning really lovely.

HEDDAL STAVE CHURCH: This is the oldest stave church in Norway, which is a medieval wooden Christian church named for its vertical posts, called staves, which stand on stone foundations. These churches have very steep roofs and intricate wood carvings. This one was quite large and really beautiful. The inside was just as beautiful as the outside, with intricate carvings, painted wooden designs, and beautiful statuary and carved pews. We got to walk through the whole church, including a narrow inner passage the priest would once have used before heading to the altar.

As we continued on our road trip,the scenery kept getting more gorgeous with lakes, mountains blanketed in green trees, high stone walls, and dramatic clouds overhead. We made quite a few stops just to take photos and soak it all in.

MORGEDAL: This small village is not well-known outside of Norway, but it is considered the birthplace of Nordic (cross-country) skiing. We were there to visit family. They are not related by blood to me or my daughter, but Halvor (the husband) and my daughter’s husband are third cousins. Her husband met up with them a couple of years earlier and talked a lot about how great they were. So we reached out and asked if we could meet up with them and they kindly offered their home as a meet up place.

MORGEDAL HOTEL: We booked this beautiful hotel surrounded by gorgeous scenery (are you sensing a theme here?) that overlooked the lovely Morgedal Lake. There were some very nice common areas and a comfortable room with a pretty view of the mountains. It also had a hot tub and swimming pool, which we took advantage of that evening. And best of all, there were several EV charging stations, so we were able to charge the car overnight. Breakfast was included (it was very good!) and the price was $196 per night.

NORDIC SKI MUSEUM: Given that Morgedal is the birthplace of Nordic skiing, it was only fitting that this museum was here. It was interesting, especially if you like cross-country skiing. I am not a skier, but I enjoyed walking through and looking at the exhibits. My daughter enjoyed it more than I did, though. I finished up before her and grabbed a drink in the cafe while I waited.

VISITING THE FAMILY: Soon it was time to head to Halvor and Jorunn’s home, where we’d been invited for a traditional Norwegian summer porridge dinner. It wasn’t far—Morgedal is tiny, with only a few hundred residents—so we arrived within minutes. Halvor was outside and waved us in. We parked, got out of the car and gazed at the incredible scenery. It’s such a lovely setting, and they’ve done so many beautiful things with the property. It felt like a truly traditional Norwegian home, which of course it was.

The property is surrounded by mountains, and has several traditional outbuildings, including a barn and an intriguing structure that looks almost top-heavy, wider at the top than the bottom. We had seen similar structures on our drive, so Jorunn explained that these buildings were used for storage: meat was laid on the bottom level to dry slowly over time, while clothing and other items were stored on the levels above.

We went inside their house, which was just as lovely as the outside, filled with items clearly passed down through the family, all beautifully handcrafted. And I cannot say enough good things about Jorunn and Halvor, who were two of the nicest, most generous and welcoming people I’ve ever met. I felt so at home with them, and I know my daughter did too. We had a wonderful time talking over a delicious meal that included traditional Norwegian porridge called Rømmegrøt that was smooth and silky, and topped with sugar and sour cream. It was so delicious. I would like to attempt it at home, though I already know it won’t come close to Jorunn’s. There was also cured meat, pickled cucumbers, and a thin and crispy flatbread.

Mostly, though, we just talked about Norway, Minnesota and family. As I mentioned, Halvor is related to my son-in-law, and he and several of his siblings have visited the two of them on earlier trips. After dinner, they asked if we wanted to see the cabin where Sondre Norheim was born — best known as the pioneer of modern skiing and the “father of Telemark skiing” (Telemark was the region we were in). His innovations helped skiers move faster and with more control, and he was one of the first to popularize cross-country skiing as a sport rather than simply a mode of transport. Life was hard for him and his family, though, and they eventually emigrated to North Dakota.

We said we would love to see the cabin so we headed outside. Halvor drove us part of the way and then the four of us hiked up the mountain to get to the cabin. The three of them were in much better shape than me, and I struggled a bit on the way up, but everyone was patient and making it to the top was worth it. The views from the mountain were incredible, and it was fascinating to see the tiny one-room cabin where Sondre and all his many siblings lived with their parents.

MORGEDAL TO VOSS: We were on our way to Voss, a town that sits between two fjords and is considered to be Norway’s extreme sports destination. Evidently you can do skydiving, paragliding (we saw a few paragliders when we were leaving), BASE jumping, and whitewater rafting. We weren’t staying there for the sports scene, though. It just happened to be a good stopping point, since we were trying to limit our driving to three or four hours a day so we could take our time and enjoy the scenery

As always, the views along the way were breathtaking: lakes, fjords, and more mountains, some now capped with snow — and waterfalls, more than you could ever count. It quickly became almost commonplace to spot them trickling or rushing down the mountainsides. We stopped for a break in the town of Odda around lunchtime, where, for the first time in Norway, we hit an actual traffic jam. Odda sits deep in the mountains, and plenty of people are trying to get through: large cars, camper vans, and trucks, all funneling onto the same narrow mountain roads.

We ate lunch there, but it was not very good. I found some good meals in Norway, but there have been some that were not-so-good. In fact, there were a couple, like this meal on Odda, that was just plain bad. My burger was pretty tasteless with an odd flavor, and my daughter’s veggie burger was a huge chunk of cheese that seemed to be standing in for the actual patty. After our not-so-good meal, we walked around the town, which was very cute. Odda is a base for a lot of hikers, and the most popular route is Trolltunga (troll tongue), named for the cliff ledge that juts out more than 2,000 feet above Lake Ringedalsvatnet.

DRIVING ROUTE: I should mention at this point that our driving route was carefully thought out in advance. As some of you know, I have a fear of heights, and I was very worried about being stuck on some high mountain road with deep switchbacks. So I explained my phobia to ChatGPT, then had it prepare routes ahead of time to all our destinations. I specifically requested routes that were as scenic as possible but did not have the scary switchbacks. And ChatGPT came through. To be honest, I think most of the routes would probably not have been a problem anyway, as Norway drilled tunnels into many of their mountain roads rather than taking them up into the mountains, which is, I'm sure, a lot safer and definitely less nerve-wracking for me. However, it made a point of telling me where the switchbacks were, just in case.

VOSS HOSTEL: We made our way to our lodging at the Voss Hostel. It had been decades since I’d stayed in a hostel, but it had private rooms available for $160 per night. We parked, checked in, and got our room key. The room was simple with 2 beds, very clean, and had a huge window with a gorgeous view of the lake. Breakfast was included (and was delicious, with produce from their organic garden). The hostel guests were mostly non-Americans and the few Americans I met were much younger.

EATING: We tried to find a place for dinner, but nothing really looked that attractive, until I found a sushi place called Vossa Sushi. We both ordered the salmon poke bowl, and it was incredible. It had sushi rice topped with fresh salmon, chives, mango, avocado, pickled cucumber, sugar snap peas, seaweed salad, crisp sweet potato, and microgreens, served with ponzu sauce. SO good!

KAYAK TRIP DOWN THE NAEROYFJORD: This morning we were driving to Gudvangen, a very small town right on the Nærøyfjord, one of the larger and most dramatic fjords in Norway. We’d booked a kayak trip down the fjord with Nordic Ventures and needed to be there relatively early. It was a short drive to Gudvangen, where the trip began—only about 45 minutes from Voss but very scenic. Once we arrived, we parked by the water near the Shell station, and made our way into the building to meet the rest of the group. About eight others were there, all considerably younger, but very friendly. No Americans except us.

Once we were outfitted, we grabbed our paddles and got into our kayaks. Our guide was Dirk, from New Zealand, who got everyone situated. Soon we were in the water, heading down the fjord. The scenery was breathtaking as we paddled along. The Nærøyfjord is very narrow, which somehow makes it even more beautiful than some of the wider fjords. We stuck to one side heading down and had gorgeous views of the mountains rising up along the water.

After about 90 minutes of paddling, we stopped for lunch in a beautiful clearing. Most of us headed for the adorable family of sheep napping under some shrubbery. Afterward we ate and talked for a while. They were a fairly geographically diverse group, with two young women from England, a couple from France, and two unrelated couples from the Netherlands. After lunch, we headed back this time going down the opposite side of the fjord. It really was a terrific experience, and I wouldn’t have missed it for anything.

THE ROAD TRIP CONTINUES: Soon we were back on the road, driving toward Balestrand, our next stopover. The scenery grew even more breathtaking, and we found ourselves stopping more often to photograph the incredible landscapes. We passed more and more fjords along the way, only catching the names of a few, but all were beautiful.

FERRY FAQS: Eventually we reached a spot on our route that ended in water. It was time for a ferry ride! I happen to love ferries (my daughter’s grown tired of hearing me say that), so I was excited. We got in line for the Dragsvik ferry and waited with the other cars. Soon it came into view, docked, and we all drove aboard. Once parked on the deck, we headed upstairs to look for coffee, and we each got a cappuccino out of the machine before settling into comfortable seats for the ride.

Before we got there, I had asked AI about how to pay for and schedule ferries. It turns out that it's very easy. Just about every single rental car in Norway already has an easy pass on it, so ferry rides and tolls are automatically billed to the rental company, and they just tack it on your bill at the end. And while at first I tried to find out what the schedule was, it turned out that ferries in Norway are so frequent that there's really no need to even look at the schedule. You just show up and wait, and chances are there will be one within 15 minutes. That's exactly how it worked. We never had to wait more than 10 minutes for a ferry, and several times they were actually pulling into the harbor as we drove up.

BALESTRAND HOTEL: We pulled in here about 4 p.m. and checked in.The room was very nice, but the best part about it was the incredible view of the Sognefjord fjord from the window. It was really lovely. The price was reasonable—$243.00 per night, but it was the only hotel out of our stay that did not offer breakfast. Evidently, the hotel does not have facilities to do so. You could get a discount for breakfast at a nearby hotel, or help yourself to croissants and coffee at the front desk, which we opted for.

THE VILLAGE OF BALESTRAND: The village looked charming from the moment we arrived. And charming it was. We wandered all over, stopping briefly at St. Olaf’s, a small quaint church that was adorable. The rest of the village was just as beautiful, and very atmospheric. I could have stayed here for several days. As it was, we walked all over for about an hour or so, and just enjoyed the lovely vibe of the village.

PEARL BY THE HARBOR: As we walked, we came across a small restaurant called Pearl by the Harbor, owned and run by a Ukrainian woman who’d come to Norway as a refugee. The menu looked good, and while we waited to order, we struck up a conversation with a woman at the next table. She was visiting from a small town in Holland and was tent camping. She had her car and camps at regular campgrounds or “wild” sites (essentially camping wherever). While we ate (I had a delicious salmon dish, and my daughter loved her fish soup), we talked for over an hour; mostly about politics, but also travel and life in general. I honestly think that's one of my favorite things about traveling: meeting other travelers from different places and talking to them. At any rate, we talked for a long time, but then finally had to get back to the hotel.

THE ROAD TRIP CONTINUED: We left a bit later that morning as we only had three hours till our next destination, so we knew we had plenty of time. We would be spending the night in Olden, which was our last stop before we returned the car to Alesund. We passed through small towns that were almost too pretty to be true, like Sogndal and Skei. The clouds play a large part in the scenery as well, when they drift down to sit on top of the mountains, creating an eerie yet lovely mist. We have that in Duluth, and call it the lake effect, but I've never seen it anywhere else.

We stopped at another viewpoint in Utvik, where my daughter grabbed a trail opportunity (lots of viewpoints have trails nearby and she took advantage of that at each stop). I spent the time taking photos. Utvik is another town that sits right on the fjord, with mountains rising majestically over the scene and bright green meadows dotted with dark fir trees. It was very beautiful—I especially loved the bright red and dusky yellow houses tucked into the mountainside, as they are so colorful and charming.

We finally reached Olden and liked it, though it didn’t have quite the quaintness of Balestrand. The town was a bit more spread out, and the center didn’t have that same intimate feel. But the scenery around it was gorgeous, and we were happy to spend some time there. We also did a little more shopping, as they had several stores with some active wear and other interesting items.

OLDEN FJORDHOTEL: The hotel was very nice, and once again we had a gorgeous view of the fjord from our window, along with a nice balcony where we could sit and enjoy the view. The price was $252 for one night, and that included breakfast, which was very good. They had a couple of charging stations here, but we didn't use them since we were fully charged.

THE END OF OUR ROAD TRIP: Today was the day we left for Ålesund, a coastal Norwegian city famous for its beautiful Art Nouveau architecture and surrounding fjords. After my daughter came back from her run, we had breakfast then hit the road. We needed to be in Ålesund by 2 pm to return the rental car, but since it was only a three-hour drive from Olden, we had a decent amount of time to get there without rushing.

It was cloudy and a bit rainy but it didn’t detract from Norway’s beauty at all. If anything, it made the grass look greener, and the contrast between the cloudy skies and the landscape was remarkable. We made good time even with our stops, and soon reached the Solavågen–Festøya ferry crossing. There were already quite a few cars in line when we arrived, so we joined at the rear. We could see the ferry approaching, so we didn’t have to wait long. We had time for a quick cappuccino, but it was soon time to disembark at Solavågen.

Once off the boat, we got back on the road and headed for the airport in Alesund so we could drop off our rental car. The airport is located on an island north of the city, but there was no need for ferries as we drove through tunnels under the water. We did need to stop and charge the car up to 80% before we returned it, but there was a REMA 1000 store with charging ports about a mile or so from the airport. We plugged in the car using the Bilkraft app, and while we waited (fast chargers take about 20+ minutes), we had a snack of some delicious cardamom rolls at a nearby cafe called Braud.

Back in the car for the final time, we quickly drove to the Hertz lot by the airport, parked the car in one of the Hertz slots, then turned in the key to the office. We both hated to see the car go. It had been a wonderful car, and we’d loved our experiences on the road, but it was time to close that chapter of the trip.

FLYBUSSEN AIRPORT BUS: Next we headed over to the pick-up area for the Flybussen Airport Bus (FB65), an express bus that runs between the airport and the city center. I bought the ticket using my phone while we were waiting for it to pull up. Once the bus got there, we piled our luggage into the luggage space underneath, boarded and soon we were on our way. The bus was big and roomy, with all the seats set up high—much higher than the driver. It took about 20 to 30 minutes to reach the city, and finally pulled up at the Korsegata stop. From there it was about an 8 minute walk to the Thon Hotel Alesund.

THON HOTEL ALESUND: This hotel had an incredible location. It sat right on the water, and from our window, we could look out over the whole harbor. It was so beautiful. I’d booked a Superior room this time, rather than the Standard room we’d had in Oslo, which meant a bigger space, a bit more polish, a fridge and a Nespresso machine, which we loved. We both love coffee, and this machine was very nice. I’ve never seen anything like it back in the States. I've used some not-so-great Nespresso machines, but this one made very good coffee. The price averaged $256 per night (we were staying 2 nights) and included the huge Thon breakfast.

ALESUND: I can barely find the words for how lovely Alesund was. It had the most beautiful Art Nouveau architecture, paired with a gorgeous harbor. We wandered and admired the views, and it was hard to know where to look, honestly, since it might be one of the prettiest places I’ve been to. We eventually stopped for dinner, although several cruise ships in port meant the restaurants were busy. Our first choice, an Italian place, had no tables so we headed to a Thai restaurant instead called Soi One Alesund, and enjoyed a good meal there with a beer.

After dinner we walked around a bit, but we were both tired, so we headed back to the hotel and settled in for the evening. Our hotel had a heated towel rack so we washed out some clothes in the sink and hung them to dry. But our room had that an incredible view of the harbor from the balcony, so after we finished the laundry, I took some photos of the lovely harbor buildings lit up for the night, and a rainbow that appeared suddenly. It was really a magical evening.

DAY TWO IN ALESUND: It was Sunday, so most shops were closed, but there were still plenty of options. My daughter decided to hike to the top of Mount Aksla, which offers a panoramic view of the city and surrounding islands. You can climb a long wooden-and-stone staircase of 418 steps to reach the top, or take the winding trails instead (her choice). I opted to stay on safe ground and stroll through parts of town we hadn’t seen the day before.

But before that, breakfast. I put a photo of my plate on the blog, but just wanted to mention a few items that I got that were so great: muesli, a small bowl of yogurt with lingonberries and other berries, a small chocolate croissant, a soft-boiled egg, a plum, kale, whole-grain bread with butter, Norway’s famous brown cheese, chia pudding with grapes, and an “immunity shot”—a small glass of cranberry juice and ginger. Everything was really good but also very healthy for the most part. There was a wide variety of other food, too, like cured meat, sausages, bacon, and more.

After breakfast, I headed out and wandered for several hours. I couldn’t get enough of the beauty I saw around me. I really love architecture and find so much pleasure in seeing such gorgeous buildings. Eventually my daughter and I met back up and decided to visit the Center for Art Nouveau Architecture and Regional Art. There we learned that a devastating fire swept through Ålesund in 1904, and when the city rebuilt, it did so in the prevailing Art Nouveau style, creating the city of today. The items inside were really lovely as well. We really enjoyed this. It was a small museum, but there were some very nice displays.

After our visit to the art center, we headed back to the hotel for a while, then went out for dinner. We managed to get a table at the Italian restaurant from the night before (Cinque Minuti) and ordered pizza. There seemed to be a pizza place in every town we stayed in. The pizza was excellent, with a thin, flat crust. I did find out that Norwegians eat more pizza per capita than any other country in the world, including the United States.

ONWARD TO BERGEN VIA WIDERØE AIRLINES: Our flight to Bergen on Widerøe Airlines didn’t leave until around noon, so we had plenty of time that morning for breakfast and a last push to pack everything up. We were each checking a bag and bringing a carry-on and personal bag. We weren’t sure how strict Widerøe would be, so we were being cautious, but with all the shopping we’d done, we were scrambling to squeeze everything in.

I also checked the Flybussen schedule to see when it would be picking up nearby. Unfortunately, the schedule was based entirely on incoming flights. Our options were leaving at 8 am, which wasn’t happening, or waiting until around 11, which was cutting it far too close. Since taxis in Norway aren’t regulated, they can be pricey, so I ordered an Uber.

It showed up about three minutes later and got us to the airport quickly for $62. Once there, we used the automated bag check-in to get bag tags, but when we brought the bags to the counter, no one was there. Someone standing nearby told us to knock on the door. We did and a woman appeared, had us place our bags onto the moving belt, and sent us off to security. That went quickly, though my carry-on did get pulled and searched. Apparently I was traveling with too many chargers, which, to be fair, was probably true. Everything after that went smoothly (the gate crew was definitely not checking bags) and the flight to Bergen only took about 45 minutes.

FLYBUSSEN: Outside the Bergen airport we went looking for another Flybussen (evidently, they're at every airport in Norway). There was an issue with another bus breaking down, so all the people from that bus came and got on our bus. But the bus left soon after that.

THON HOTEL ROSENKRANTZ: We were staying at the Thon Hotel Rosenkrantz, right in the historic Bryggen neighborhood, home to the wonderfully colorful old buildings the city is famous for. The bus dropped us off at the Torget stop, about a 5 minute walk from the hotel, and we checked in around 2:45 pm. The hotel itself was lovely, and so was the room—not quite as spacious or polished as our last one, but perfectly comfortable. It did have a bathtub, though. My daughter and I both love to take baths so that was a nice perk. The cost was $288/night.

THE FISH MARKET: The fish market is right on the harbor and is definitely a must-see. It was filled with people and was a raucous wonder. We were both starving, so we wandered the stalls, scouting for something to eat. One bin was stacked with sea urchins. They are apparently a delicacy, packed with nutrients and protein. Another stall had massive paella pans piled high with seafood. There were even tanks filled with king crabs. I'm not a big fan of food that looks like bugs and crabs just give me the creeps, especially giant ones. But we soon found a place that looked good. I got salmon and my daughter got fish soup.

BRYGGEN: Afterward we kept wandering, first heading down to the wharf to admire the boats, then up into the street lined with the historic, brightly-colored houses Bergen is known for. They were a mix of tourist shops and beautiful craft stores, so we happily poked our way through them, buying a few things along the way. We made our way through narrow alleys that held even more treasures.

At some point, we saw an old stone fortress that looked interesting, so we headed that way. It was the Rosenkrantz Tower, part of the Bergenhus Fortress. Parts of the complex go back to the 12th century, but the tower was built in the 1500’s. It’s a beautiful area with lots of greenery, ancient stone buildings, and was a lovely way to spend some time exploring the grounds. You can go inside, but since it was late, we held off on that.

DAY TWO
BERGEN CATHEDRAL: This is a huge stone cathedral that was originally Catholic and later became Lutheran after the Reformation. We bought tickets, walked inside, and admired the interior with its stained glass windows, ornate wooden pews and railings. It was really a lovely cathedral, although not as ornate as many cathedrals I’ve seen.

THE LEPROSY MUSEUM: This was my daughter's choice. I didn’t have quite the interest she did, given her career in medicine, but I still found it pretty fascinating. Leprosy has been a topic in several books I’ve read but I never really understood where the disease stood today or whether it was even curable. Turns out it is, though there are still places in the world, like India and the Philippines, where it has not been eradicated.

The museum is located in the 18th-century buildings of the former St. Jørgens Hospital. We saw the church, patient rooms, and old kitchens that remain largely unchanged from when the last residents lived there. The stories of some of the patients were very sad, especially when you consider the social stigma they faced.

ST. MARY’S CHURCH: St. Mary’s Church is the oldest existing building in Bergen. It is believed to have been built between 1130 and 1170. Like the cathedral we visited earlier, it was originally Catholic, as were most churches of that age, but turned Lutheran after the Reformation. When I stepped inside, I was surprised by its beauty. I do enjoy churches; there’s just something about the history and art to be found inside an old church that I love. This one was really something. The detail and intricacy of some of the carvings inside was just magnificent.

THERMAL SWIMMING POOL: I met up with my daughter at the hotel, we were trying to figure out what to do. I had been great about planning this trip, especially at the beginning, but it kind of petered out towards the end. So I really didn't have anything planned. At any rate, while we were figuring out what to do next, I went online and saw a mention of a thermal swimming pool in the harbor called Nordnes Sjøbad. It was a heated thermal pool right next to the ocean, with the option to jump into the cold sea for a plunge afterward. There were also two saunas on site.

So we grabbed our bathing suits, borrowed a couple of towels from the hotel, tossed everything in a tote bag, and walked over. It was a little over a mile away, with plenty of greenery and parks along the way. Once we arrived, we paid for a ticket, headed into the dressing room. Norway follows the same rules as Iceland: strip down, take a full shower with soap, and only then get dressed and head out to the pool. There were no private showers or changing rooms, but neither of us minded, and we were in and out quickly.

The water wasn’t quite as warm as it had been in Iceland, but it was warm enough to feel wonderful against the cool air. We lazed around in the pool for a while and eventually struck up a conversation with a woman named Marina from Belarus who now lives in Norway with her Italian husband and their 18-year-old daughter. The three of us decided to try the sauna together, which turned out to be a bit of a shock for me. Even though we have a sauna at home, I’ve never actually used it, and I wasn’t prepared for just how hot it would be. I found it a little hard to breathe at first, but stuck it out with the other two before we finally headed back out.

Marina and my daughter decided to brave the ocean with a quick dip, while I opted to stay in the warm pool and watch. It was great fun seeing the plunge into the cold water and their reactions! My daughter lasted about 3 minutes before hurrying back to the warmth of the pool. Soon after, Marina, her husband and their daughter joined us in the pool and we all chatted for awhile. They were an interesting family, and we really enjoyed meeting them.

When we were ready to leave, we showered in the locker room, ran our suits through the swimsuit dryer, got dressed, and set off, although this time we took a different route along the harbor on the way back. It was a lovely walk, full of boats and ocean views. On the way back, we made the mistake of stopping in the Fjällräven store and let ourselves be talked into a purchase. I bought a really cute crossbody bag that doubles as a waist pack, and my daughter got another different style waist pack. After that, we got some wine, then stopped at the salad bar at REMA 1000 to get some salads for dinner.

OUR LAST DAY: GAMLA BERGEN: For the final day of our trip, we chose Gamla Bergen, an open-air living history museum on the outskirts of the city. It features around 50 authentic wooden houses from the 18th and 19th centuries that were saved from demolition and relocated to form a small town with cobblestone streets. It was a bit outside Bergen, so we took the bus. It picked us up near the fish market, just a few blocks from our hotel. I paid with my phone, and we were there in no time.

We found the place quickly, and it looked really charming as we walked down the path to the place where we would buy our tickets. Sadly, they didn’t offer senior discounts, which many places here do, even for non-Norwegians, but they did offer student discounts, and they gave my daughter one, though she had to scramble a bit to find proof she was a student. I dug up a photo of her white coat ceremony and showed that to the young woman as well. I think she was more interested in the photo than in verifying my daughter’s status, and asked her some questions about med school and the ceremony.

We finally left and headed out. It really was a lovely area with beautiful cobblestone streets, gorgeous older buildings, a view of the ocean, and plenty of greenery and parks nearby. A very pretty place. As we walked, we spotted two costumed women chatting on the street. We made our way to the first house, once home to someone from that era. It was beautifully preserved inside, everything obviously well cared for. I know I’ve said this before, but I really do love open-air museums. The house exteriors were lovely as well, painted in the traditional bright colors and soft pastels.

We eventually reached the town square, where one of the women we’d seen earlier stepped forward and kicked off a theatrical performance. It was fun, but I’ll admit it caught both of us off guard as it was one of the strangest performances I’ve ever seen at a place like this. I expected something somber, in keeping with the 1800s. Instead, it featured a female dentist with an apparent blood fetish, who “operated” on a young girl. The girl emerged from the building with her mouth bleeding, clutching a towel soaked in fake blood. The audience was laughing and clearly enjoying it but it was bizarre.

Afterward, we kept wandering, stopped briefly at a cafe, then headed into the greenery and up a hill, where we came across a charming little pavilion. Composer Edvard Grieg rented the pavilion for two summers and composed part of his operas, “Peer Gynt” and “Olav Trygvason” there. We couldn’t go inside, but we admired it from the outside and took in the view over the harbor from up on the hill.

Godt Brød: After that, we left and took the bus back to town and wandered around a bit more, especially in the Brigham area. We eventually stopped at this wonderful cafe called Godt Brød and had the most delicious cinnamon buns. They had some wonderful pastries and cakes as well and very good coffee. I found out later that there are several in Bergen, and there was one near our hotel in Oslo. They even have several in Stockholm.

THE FISH MARKET (AGAIN): We were walking around Bryggen, but couldn’t decide where to have dinner on our final evening. While we debated, it suddenly started pouring. We dashed into the fish market, grabbed a table and ordered an appetizer of two bao buns—one with crab, one with salmon—along with an order of mussels to split and a glass of wine each. The mussels were good, and so was the wine, but the bao buns were disappointing; both were drenched in sauces that tasted overwhelmingly of mayonnaise and not much else. But we were dry and in Bergen, Norway, so we were still happy.

EPILOGUE: THE FLIGHT HOME: Our flight didn't leave till around 3:20 pm, so we had all morning to pack up and get ready. Luckily Bergen’s Flybussen to the airport runs on a reliable schedule, and we caught it right outside the square at the Torget stop again. We checked our bags using the automatic bag kiosk and then got in a line to get the bags onto the belt. That took a little bit longer, but probably only about 10 minutes at the most. Our Icelandair flight left on time and the flight was uneventful.

DIGITAL PASSPORT: I forgot to mention that I was entitled to a VAT refund for a few purchases, but needed my passport (both in the stores and at the airport). Unfortunately, my passport was tucked away in a bag that was inside another bag. However, I had my digital passport in Apple Wallet on my phone, and was able to use it. I knew there was a good reason for uploading that!

KEVLAVIK: Soon we were landing in Keflavik, Iceland for the final leg of our journey.

PASSPORT CONTROL: When we got to Passport Control at Keflavik, it went very quickly, but I made my daughter walk up with me to the kiosk as I did not want a repeat of before. We walked up to the security guard’s kiosk; she looked at our passports, looked at us, looked at the passports again, and said, “I remember both of you.” I panicked a little and asked, “Is that a bad thing?” She laughed, and said, “No, I just remember your names.”

My passport carries my full name, which is very old-school Catholic, and sort of long when you throw in my middle name, so that must have stuck with her. And since my daughter kept her last name when she married, she lumped them together. It was very odd, though. I can’t imagine how many travelers she’s seen in the last 3 weeks, but she still remembered the two of us. We all shared a laugh, though, and she wished us a good journey.

BOARDING AND BAG CHECKING: Let me tell you something—anyone who worries about their bags being too big on Icelandair should have been on this flight. During the 55 minute layover at Keflavik, my daughter went to go buy food and gave me her carry-on bag. In addition to that, I had my carry-on, my CPAP, and my personal bag. I was worried when they started the boarding process before she got back, as I was near the front and had multiple bags draped all over my body. But not one gate attendant even looked my way. They weren't looking at anybody's bags. Luckily, my daughter got back in time, so I didn't have to carry them any farther, but it was kind of weird.

MINNEAPOLIS AIRPORT: We landed in Minneapolis around 6:20 pm. I used Global Entry to get through Customs, but my daughter used the MPC app, and she made it through even faster than I did. We grabbed our bags, which luckily came off the belt very quickly, and just managed to catch the 7 pm shuttle to Duluth. It was touch and go, but we got there with 5 minutes to spare. Instead of getting back to Duluth at midnight, we rolled in at 10:00pm, both of us more than ready for bed.

ICELAND TRIP REPORT: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/exploring-iceland-with-my-daughter-a-7-night-adventure-stockholm-and-norway-to-follow
STOCKHOLM TRIP REPORT: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/3-nights-in-stockholm-the-adventure-continues
PACKING TRIP REPORT: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/packing/iceland-stockholm-and-norway-packing-report
TECH TRIP REPORT: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/tech-tips/tech-report-from-scandinavia-trip

Mardee, I've been hoping you would post trip reports! I'm looking forward to reading them all.

Just this weekend my wife and I were discussing how to do a trip that includes Norway, Denmark and Sweden. I've only read this one so far and it's been helpful. If you had to do it over again, would you break it into several bite size trips or we're you OK with the lengthy drives and train rides?

Barbara, I hope you like them!

Allan, you know, none of our drives were really that lengthy; at least in Norway. I think the longest we spent in the car each day was maybe three to three and a half hours. We were pretty careful about that because we didn't want to be stuck without being able to charge the car. And we both hate really long drives. However, given that there were charging stations all over, it turned out it wasn't a problem.

But we really enjoyed it the way it was. The only difficult part, I think, was spending one night in so many places. I'd rather spend two or three nights if possible, but in some of the very small villages we stayed in, there really wouldn't have been much to do. I think it worked out well for us for the most part.

We did have lengthier drives in Iceland, but Iceland's sort of a special circumstance, in my opinion. It's such a unique country, and you almost have to drive everywhere to get places. Given that we only had one week, we decided it was worth it. Really, the first two days were the only days that we spent a lot of time in the car. Most of the other drives were, again, in the two- to two-and-a-half-hour range. And it doesn't sound like you're going there, so that shouldn't be a problem for you. 😊

The train ride was longer; around six hours, but that was our only train ride. We could have shortened it by flying, but we both like trains, and it gave her the opportunity to get some studying done and me to just relax. I worked on my blog and did some other stuff online and read and so on. It was actually kind of relaxing.

Mardee, thank you for the reports, and I’m glad you had such an enriched trip - shoe snafu notwithstanding.

i missed what had happened with passport control the first time. I looked through the Norway report again, and scanned through Iceland, but haven’t looked at Sweden. Maybe I completely overlooked it, but I couldn’t see what you ran into, or why the same person, three weeks earlier, would have had the opportunity to notice your names.

If you get the opportunity to go cross-country skiing sometime, around Duluth or elsewhere, you might like it. It’s been my main winter activity for the past six years!

Mardee, your trips reports are always a great read. That said, I will read each one slowly with a nice cuppa tea.
I especially like reading reports about countries that I visited and didn’t grab me, like Norway. We did like Oslo, but not much else.
I always read these reports thinking we missed something on our trip. Then I reread my journal and remember nah, I was right in my assessment.
Maybe your reports will change my mindset.

Love the upbeat Norway report. So many race through Norway in 3-4 days lamenting every penny. We did it with a family of 5 in a Prius! We also spent a day with relatives (3 houses) and there’s a lot of magic with being in Europe and putting the tourist role on hold.

6:20 from landing to 7:00 shuttle is pretty awesome (it’s not far, many level changes) but in general MSP works extremely well. I’m a little surprised no one here comments much on preferences for US arrival airports apparently assuming it’s all the same. European arrival airports get a lot of commentary.

Mardee, I have nowread and enjoyed all three reports. I appreciated your including the prices of your hotels. Did you find the food and admission prices for attractions to be as shockingly high in Norway as others have said? Coming from the SF Bay Area, I didn't find Switzerland to be that bad, but i do wonder about Sweden and Norway.

Great trip report mardee! All of your planning and preparation made for a remarkable trip! I don’t know when I will ever follow and make my way there to this part of the world, but I would love to!

Two things. One for me to remember and one for you. I need to remember to tell my boy kid where he is staying the first night, and have him become a bit informed with our itinerary, bc like your daughter, he most likely won’t have a clue. I wish I could say it’s bc he’s been studying for med school, but, no, although he’s a brilliant young man, he’s also wonderfully aloof and supremely uninterested in the fine details of what we do when he’s traveling with me! lol

For you…give yourself some Grace on the shoes debacle. Things happen. We’ve had people at our church wear others’ coats home. When I was teaching, I wore two different tennis shoes to work! That was something- trying to explain to kindergartners how I didn’t do it on purpose. No, children it’s not Opposite Day.

Your daughter will have so many wonderful memories of this time with you! Good and funny ones! Thanks for the wonderful read tonight! Xx

You're driving adventure starting with the visit with your family-in-law sounds lovely. I'm glad you were able to experience the spectacular Naeroyfjord by kayak. And Balestrand had been on my next time list for a while. Thanks for the descriptions.

I'm so glad you loved Ålesund. I'm always surprised when posters here and on other forums say Ålesund is only worth a few hours. Like you, we loved the architecture and thought the town was beautiful.

Thanks for the tip on the Digital Passport and your VAT claim. I was wondering what other uses it would have.

Thanks for your wonderful trip report. Norway is such a beautiful country and you brought back a lot of wonderful memories. Great job! Welcome home!!

Great trip report, Mardee. We love Norway as well. It is really beautiful. I will have to go back and read your other trip reports from your journey.

Mardee, I am so happy for you that Norway was such an enjoyable destination for you. Oslo has really come into its own in recent decades with some of the country’s oil money being spent on wonderful cultural institutions. The architecture is of great interest. The block of barcode buildings are very fun. I have cousins there and it has been interesting to see the city’s transformation over the decades.

My dad’s hometown is Odda and it is a spectacular spot. The Hardanger fjord is the fruit basket of the country with lots of orchards along the fjord. I have been visiting there for 60 years. I was sorry to read your meal was disappointing. In all my many stays, all the meals have been home cooked with perhaps a couple of takeout ones. Eating out isn’t as much a part of the culture in Odda and I wonder if that is why the restaurant food was meh. I think the larger cities have developed a better restaurant scene, again because of oil money and international business travellers expecting more. Norway went from being pretty well the poorest country in Europe pre-oil to the richest one.

Your hike with your son-in-law’s family reminded me that when my dad was a teenager in Odda, he would in the winter, hike up the snowy mountain behind their house and then enjoy one glorious ski run down. No chairlifts there:)

Barbara, yes Norway is very expensive. But they have the best hotel breakfasts which can help a bit with the cost of food…eating enough to last until dinner:)

Mardee,
I’m bookmarking your trip report for a possible return trip to Norway. I went on the RS Scandinavia tour and really loved Oslo and Bergen, also the fjords and Jotenheim mountains. The stave churches and Maihaugen Open Air Museum as well as Lillehammer were fascinating places. I have a friend who’s planning a trip there in September so I will forward your report to her. Also, I want to return sometime and see some of the towns you mentioned like Ålesund.

Cyn, It was on the Iceland trip report in the first post under Keflavik Airport. My daughter had failed to look through the itinerary that I had given her weeks before, and so she had no idea where we were staying or going in Iceland. When she got to passport control, they started grilling her and wouldn't let her go. She finally whispered loudly and frantically to me (I was out in the hallway waiting for her), and I snuck in and gave her the answers. I think they finally realized what was going on, and so they let her go after that. It was pretty funny, and I definitely did not want a repeat of that. 😂

I tried cross-country skiing once back in the early 2000s. My daughter was working in Bozeman, Montana, and I went out to visit, and she decided to take me cross-country skiing. I had my skis on for about five minutes, tripped on them, and fell and dislocated my elbow. That I was safer without skis.

Barbara, thank you! Well, I hope they do, but like you, I think the travel is very personal. That's why there are so many different countries to visit! If you don't like one, there's always another one that will strike your fancy. I do think the fact that I was with my daughter made this trip something special. This is the first time we've traveled together in decades, and it really enhanced my enjoyment, I think.

toby, glad you enjoyed it! And I was surprised at my getting to the shuttle on time as well, but karma was just on our side for this trip I guess. You know, that's true about US airports, although I think most people from the US tend to choose airports for convenience, so maybe they feel like it doesn't matter? I've actually started flying out of Duluth again. I stopped doing it about 3 years ago because I was having a hard time getting good flight times in and out of MSP. Lately, though, not only have the times worked out well, but the flights have actually been cheaper on Delta flying out of Duluth. Of course, this flight was on Icelandair, so I had no choice and had to fly out of MSP, but it is nice to get off the plane and have a 15-minute drive home.

Barbara N, Sweden was actually the cheapest of the three countries, and I didn't get as much sticker shock there as I did in Iceland and Norway. If it was me, I probably would have looked for more ways to economize, but I really wanted this trip to be for my daughter, so I splurged a bit more than I usually do. It wasn't so much the hotels, as I was prepared for that, but the food when you ate out was so expensive. I did shop at the grocery stores more than I usually do when I'm staying in hotels, mainly because the food was a lot cheaper there.

Mustlovedogs, thank you! And thanks for your understanding about the shoes. Oh, I was so miffed at myself, but at least it worked out. It could have been a lot worse. 😂

Jeanm, Oh, I think you will love Balestrand. It was just so charming. I wish we could have stayed another night or two. Yes, I did love Alesund. It was really, really beautiful. I think I told you this, but my daughter actually chose it because of your trip report. I had sent it to her for her to read, and she picked up on that and said she really wanted to go there. She just loved it

Mary, thanks so much, Mary! I wasn't prepared for how beautiful Norway was, and I just loved it.

Claire, that's so interesting that your dad is from Odda. It was really a charming town, and we saw all the fields of fruit while we were driving through there. I agree that because eating out isn't a part of their culture that it could be true about the food. I admit I was surprised, especially because the items that were bad weren't difficult to prepare. But it certainly didn't hinder our enjoyment of the town. That's so neat about your dad when he was a teenager in Otta. Yep, they aren't going to use any chairlifts. I was really surprised when they suggested this hike, and my daughter was looking at me because she knows I'm not a great hiker. 😊

But it was such a great experience, and then when you get to the top and you see that view, it makes it all worthwhile! And I wholeheartedly agree about the breakfast. Every single hotel I stayed at, I was amazed at the breakfast, especially the Thon hotels. Oh my gosh, there was just so much food. They will even let you pack up a lunch to take with you from it. You pay something, but it's pretty reasonable considering what food cost there.

Judy B, Oh Judy, your trip sounds wonderful. It's really just such a beautiful country. I just keep thinking about it and remembering how gorgeous it was. I would love to go back there at some point and really spend a lot of time there. Alesund really was beautiful. You should check out some of the photos on the blog if you have a chance. It was just such a charming town.

I enjoyed all three of your trip reports a lot. You do make everything sound enticing. Thank you for sharing.

Thanks Mardee for an excellent trip report. We have friends looking at a trip to Iceland and your itinerary and experiences will help them plan. Just the right blend of adventures, food and suggestions. I am saving Norway for myself. It sounds heavenly.

Beth, thank you so much!

ncangelose, I'm so glad to hear that! I hope your friends find it helpful!