“It looks familiar and strange at the same time.” All through the cruise people ask me if Norway is like Alaska, how are they different? How are the same? In a way sailing through Norwegian Fjords is a disorienting experience. … Continue reading Fjord Thoughts
When we got off Prinsendam in Stavanger, I noticed some buses and trucks idling. A sign proclaimed Stavanger the sister of Houston. This is oil country. Stavanger is the city in Western Norway closest to the North Sea oil fields. … Continue reading Oil Town — Stavanger
The weather turned for the better as we left Bergen giving us a beautiful sail out. One of the picture is of a place where they train oil rig crews how to get into one of those lifeboats that eject … Continue reading Bergen Sailout
…but you wouldn’t want to visit here… …is a line Sitkans sometime use when referring to people coming off cruise ships. It rains a lot and your odds of getting Sitka on a rainy day are pretty high, but when … Continue reading It’s a Nice Place to Live…
When we got on the tender in Geiranger it was 30 degrees (minus 1 Celsius) and there were a few snow flurries, although no accumulation. There was snow not too far up the mountains and a local told us that … Continue reading Geiranger’s Dilemma
In 1904 the fishing city of Ålesund burned to the ground. There was only one fatality but the whole city was homeless. Around Europe people responded. In Paris there were benefit concerts, in Germany Keiser Wilhelm personally got involved in … Continue reading Art Nouveau Phoenix — Ålesund
Trondheim is a place of pilgrimage, for two types of pilgrim, religious and rock ‘n rollers. First St. Olaf (in the Norwegian brochures it is St Olav, in English, St. Olaf. St. Olaf is pretty engrained in my brain so … Continue reading Trondheim — St. Olaf and Rock and Roll.
These are more pictures, companions to the post Flåm Railway. The final picture is the electric ferry, “Future of the Fjords” it can travel 40 KM on a charge and takes 25 minutes to recharge. I will be talking about … Continue reading Flåm Valley
This is not the first time we have ridden the Flåm Railway. One of my most vivid memories of traveling with the kids was standing on the platform at a station on the line, after having gotten off at a … Continue reading Flåm Railway
Eidsfjord has to rethink itself. It is at the very end of the fjord after which it is named which is, in turn, at the end of the Hardanger Fjord, which is one of the longest in Norway. It has … Continue reading Small Town Jack of All Trades — Eidsfjord.
Outside our stateroom window fair haired young people in Norwegian sweaters and jeans were lining up along a path right next to Prinsendam. It looked like the 1965 St. Olaf ski club including one, and only one, black kid. When … Continue reading Um Ya Ya (Arendal)
This is a second photo page for the last post “Feeling So 20th Century in Oslo.” Frogner Park in Oslo, Norway has a huge sculpture garden dedicated to the work of Gustav Vigeland. It is a special place for Suzi … Continue reading Memories of Gustav Vigeland
The lecturer on the ship told us that in Oslo we would be tie up at Askershaus, a fortress fairly close to much of what I wanted to see in Oslo. He told us there would be a money exchange, … Continue reading Feeling So 20th Century in Oslo