In 2011, my husband and I went to Norway for the first time, and discovered a magical land. Once you are out in the countryside, you literally cannot walk more than 100 yards before meeting a waterfall.
One surprising thing about Norway is that it is strangely reminiscent of the United States. If you look at a map you will notice that the country is bisected by a range of mountains. That means that if you take the train from Oslo to Bergen (highly recommended) you are obliged to climb up a steep mountain range, all the way up to 1,222 meters or 4,000 feet, and come down again, as Bergen is at sea level. The fact that you have such high mountains (the highest peaks go up to 2469 meters or 8,000 feet) means that parts of Norway are cut off. It doesn’t help that there are various glaciers blocking any travel. So in some parts of Norway, you really are in the back of beyond, just as you are in parts of Wyoming, Nebraska, Colorado and many many places in the interior US.
Of course, if you visit you should look out for the Viking Ships, which you can find in the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo. Then there are the Stave churches dotted all around, with their sinuous carvings. If you only have time to visit Oslo, you should make your way to Bygdoy Park, an outdoors museum of Norwegian history.
But my husband and I found the countryside so compelling. We found ourselves somewhere (cant’ remember the name) with a thunderstorm going on, and it was so easy to imagine Thor with his hammer, and the other Norse gods battling each other as the lightning flared against lowering clouds.
