Norwegians in a nutshell
Our little division at work had a weekend getaway to Flåm, which is at one end of the old Flåm Railway, which takes you through a beautiful and dramatic valley. It is part of the Norway in a Nutshell round trip, which is very popular and well worth the money, and includes a boat trip to Gudvangen, in the UNESCO World Heritage fjord Nærøyfjord.
The train in Flåm
We took the ferry from Flåm to Gudvangen, too, but it was a heck of a cold boat trip! Although the weather was great, this time of year, the sun hadn't cleared the mountains when we entered Nærøyfjord. I was somewhat prepared for the cold, fortunately.
In the Aurland fjord, I was fascinated by the shadows on the hillside
You turn a corner, and enter Naeroy fjord
Almost to Gudvangen
The evening before we'd headed to a new microbrewery, Ægir, in Flåm. Whatever their darkest ale was, it was delicious. You could also get a sampler tray of six beers.
The outside of the microbrewery
We got our drinks and settled in, that is to say, we scared off the other guests very quickly, to my amusement. Because when Norwegians drink, they get loud and laugh a lot. And they'll sing. And end every song with "SKÅL"! And get louder. And laugh harder. And sing some more. And there were 28 of us doing that.
I can understand why the shorts-and-backpack bunch got up and left, but they did miss out on a bit of Norwegian culture.
Next time, dear tourist, don't leave. Hang around and watch these normally buttoned-up people loosen up and smile at everyone, especially if they're singing (if they're having a loud discussion, it's soccer and you don't want to go there). You may even catch some old Norwegian folk tunes with a typically Scandinavian 5/4 beat and an odd little sadness to them, even when sung cheerfully.
Comments
I'll keep that "Norway in a Nutshell" trip in mind...
I was thinking how much I enjoy your writing about Norwegian culture - I think that the gov't needs to acknowledge you as an Ambassador to the English Speaking World. You're making a country that I know very little about much more accessible. :)
Now, if only I'd chosen Norwegian as my language to learn this summer, I might even be able to write some - versus Japanese. sigh. :)
re: fjords - I'd never realized how dark it can be in the bottom of a fjord. eeeek. This woman *requires* the sun to live - and given Norway's coastline, I'd bet that not very many fjords face south. :o
I can't believe the tourists actually left... come on! I would've tried to film it or something! :D
By the way, there's an award for you up on my site.
:-)
Lora, that'd be a fun film!
Tim, there are three places on the planet with similar topography: British Columbia, western Norway and New Zealand, and LOTR was filmed in the latter.
Yes, Spark, you do need to visit. :-) Thanks for the award!
Anon, protection was from pirates and thieves. I did take a picture of an impossibly placed house called "The Ladder" because it literally had to have a ladder to get up and down from the fjord.
And to all of you: If you should ever find yourself in Bergen, let me know and I'll show you around!