With dramatic mountains, endless fjords, and waterfalls at every turn, Norway is an enchanting place for outdoor adventures and hiking. Renowned not only for its breathtaking natural beauty but also as a beacon of successful social democracy, the country ranks high on quality of life and happiness. As a global leader in environmental policies with a deep commitment to sustainability, Norway’s modern and livable cities seamlessly embrace the future while honoring the past. Yup, it’s no secret, I’m a big fan!
One of the many "album cover" shots we posed for.
Sibling Trip
This past summer, my siblings (Becky and Kyle) and I set out to explore this utopia called Norway, and learn more about our ancestors and heritage, and most importantly, to let our parents know that we cared a bit about this homeland of ours that they are so passionate about. Along with our late older sister, Kim, they had ventured to Norway 25 years ago, but the three of us didn’t join them at the time and hadn’t made it a priority until Becky brainstormed the idea of a sibling trip.
“We all carry inside us, people who came before us.” —Liam Callanan
According to 23andMe, we are 100% Scandinavian and more specifically, our DNA is from mostly Norway, with a small chance of Denmark and Sweden. With paternal roots coming from near Ryfoss, Norway (Valdres region) and maternal lineage from Ål (less than 2 hours away), our DNA is hyper-focused on a fairly small section of the world. With this amount of Norwegian blood flowing in our veins you think I would have been Norway’s biggest fan, but that was not the case before our trip.
Honestly, I had been avoiding traveling to Norway because I was nervous about the expense, and I hadn’t really been interested in searching out distant relatives. Nor had I ever been interested in the specifics of Norwegian history, crafts, culture, and food (except for warm lefse, which is the sole exception and is truly amazing). I was hardly a good candidate to enjoy this deep dive into Norway. Yet, the more I researched and worked on planning this trip, the more I became captivated with the beauty of the Norwegian landscapes, fascinated by its emphasis on environmental sustainability (all while being wealthy because of oil and gas) and curious to find out why Norwegians are so happy. These are things that I could imagine forging a connection to Norway with.
SCHEDULE
Here’s a breakdown of the overall 17-day trip:
Travel day, Bergen (2 nights), Olden (3 nights), Flam (2 nights), Valdres (2 nights), Henningsvær (2 nights), Hamnoy (2 nights), Oslo (2 nights), travel day.
Day 1: Fly Minneapolis to Bergen via Amsterdam on Delta. Becky flew from Seattle to Oslo and spent a few days there before flying OSL to BER and meeting us at the airport.
Day 2: Arrive Bergen. Explore city, hike Mount Fløyen.
Day 3: Explore Bergen further. Tour of Bryggen
Day 4: Pick up car, drive to Olden farm stay (Nordfjorden) for 3 nights.
Day 5: Explore Olden region: Lake Lovatnet, Briksdalsbreen Glacier hike,
Day 6: Explore Olden region: Loen, Stryn, Oppstrynvatnet (deviation from plan to spend day in Geiranger)
Day 7: Drive to Flåm, stop at Hopperstad Stave Church.
Day 8: Flåm: Flåmsbana Train to Myrdal, bike back down to Flam, boat on Aurlandsfjord
Day 9: On the road: Stegastein viewpoint, Borgund Stave Church, Kvie farm
Day 10: Stay in Valdres: Valdres Folkemuseum, Fagernes
Day 11: Drive to Oslo airport fly to Evenes, rent car, drive to Henningsvær
Day 12: Henningsvær : Explore north beaches,
Day 13: Drive to south Lofoten: Nusfjord, Å, Hamnoy
Day 14: Hiking & Kayak: Kvalvika Beach hike, sea kayak
Day 15: Drive back to EVE airport, fly to OSL, Oslo Opera House, Barcode District
Day 16: Explore Oslo: Oslo Cathedral, Vigeland Park, the National Museum, Aker Brygge
Day 17: Fly OSL to MSP
TOP TEN HIGHLIGHTS
1. Lofoten Islands:
As an archipelago located above the arctic circle, the Lofoten Islands were an absolute magical place to visit. In late August, we no longer had the midnight sun, but we had about 20 hours of daylight, which was incredible. Majestic mountains rising up out of the aqua water, along with quaint fishing villages, made this area one of my very favorite places in Norway.
Henningsvær was a wonderful little fishing village and a good base for our first two nights.
Nusfjord is a historic village that has a wonderful bakery and well-preserved buildings with displays that tell you about the fishing industry in the islands.
Hamnoy and Reine were delightful, and we found some good food (Mexican!) and kayaked around the fjord.
Hiking- Our lung capacity was a bit reduced due to Covid, but we still did a hike to Kvalivika Beach.
2. Staying in Robruer fishing huts on the water
We splurged on lodging in two different places, and it was very much worth it. There is something magical about staying on the water's edge, overlooking a majestic fjord, and experiencing the changing colors of the sky, water, and steep-sided mountains. A rorbu (robruer is plural) is a traditional type of seasonal housed used by fishermen. Typically painted red, these fishing huts are perched over the water in fishing villages. Many robruer have been modernized for tourist lodging.
View out our Rorbuer window.
Eliassen Rorbuer- If you’ve ever seen any photos of the Lofoten area, you’ve likely seen photos of this small island dotted with red fishing huts (Robru) with the backdrop of dramatic mountain peaks rising from the aqua water (shown above) This is Eliassen Robruer. Our robruer was a renovated and updated old fishing hut overhanging the water. It was truly a magical setting.
In Flam we stayed in a newly built fishing cottage that recalls the style of the historic robruer. Fretheim Fjordhetter is a group of 4 individual cottages on the water’s edge, looking to Flam and the Sognefjord. Just a short stroll to Flam, this place was the perfect location for a peaceful stay. Bonus, is that there was a fishing boat that came with the cottage. Anders Fretheim showed us how to use the boat and we were excited to be able to take it on a ride around the fjord.
3. Kvie Farm and Valdres Folk Museum
Although this information is very specific to our heritage and ancestors, I’d encourage you to look up your own Norwegian ancestors if you have Norske blood. You might be surprised what buildings are still standing and what relatives you might find!
Torsten Nilsen Kvien (our great great grandfather), his wife Sidsel and their 7 children (including Nils, our great grandfather) immigrated to the US in 1861. The continuous rain in the summer of 1860 was devasting for the farm buildings and crops, and likely led to Torsten leaving for American. Torsten’s name evolved to be Tosten Nelson. Who would have guessed that this information all existing on the internet? (Actually, Dad knew this...)
We stopped by the Kvie farm only to find out that the oldest part of the farm had just been sold to a fisherman from Bergen who was fixing up the buildings and raising alpacas. While this was the first time that the family farm had been in hands outside of the family, he was a nice gentleman who chatted with us and conveyed his motivation to maintain the historic buildings.
Many of the buildings from the original Kvie farm had been moved to the Valdres Folk Museum where they are a part of the collection. It was with great pride that we visited the “Kvie Farm” in the open-air part of the museum grounds. There was a cluster of 8 different buildings that composed the Kvie Farm. We are happy these structures will continue to be preserved and cared for.
4. Bergen
This colorful city on Norway’s southwestern coast is picturesque, walkable and must-see. The Bergen airport receives international flights, so we decided to fly into Bergen and fly out of Oslo to eliminate the need for backtracking. Bergan is quite small, so you don't need more than a full day to see the sights and get a good feel for the city. We stayed 2 nights.
Bryggen is the iconic historic area with 4-story wooden structures with peaked roofs.
I recommend getting a guided tour of the city to get some history and background from a local. This tour, Bryggen Guiding - Bymuseet starts at the Bryggens Museum.
If you have a nice day, make sure to climb up Mount Floyen (or taking the funicular) for the break taking views from the top.
Bergen is the rainiest city in Europe so plan accordingly!
Bryggen Tracteursted is wonderful spot to try numerous traditional Norwegian dishes in small plates.
Stop in a for a drink in the cozy Baklommen Bar.
Walk around the Bergenhus Fortress at the edge of Bryggen
Don’t skip the reindeer hot dogs at Kroneren Polsebu, or else you will spend the entire rest of the trip trying to find another place to eat one. (guess who did this?)
We stayed at the Thon Hotel Orion, which was in a great location, had updated rooms and an amazing breakfast buffet. See #10 below.
5. Stave Churches
These ancient wooden structures used to dot the Norwegian countryside. Sadly, there are only 28 structures that still stand, which makes them even more special. We were able to visit 3 of them:
The Høre Church next to the Kvien farm in Valdres. This one was not open, so we didn't get inside despite Kyle searching for a hidden key and nearly setting off the alarms.
The Hopperstad Stave Church was my favorite. Note that the Moorhead Minnesota Stave Church is a replica of Hopperstad.
Borgund Stave Church. It was well-worth the time to visit and marvel at the ancient carvings as well as take a photo of the black tarred impressive structures against the lush green setting.
6. Norway’s “Tourist Routes”
These 18 designated Norwegian roads have been infused with architecture and design to enhance and create experiences that highlight nature. Even the restrooms are things of beauty and well-designed! We checked out four of them:
Stegastein Viewpoint is a well-known rest stop and viewing platform outside of Flam above the Aurlandfjord.
Lofoten has a route, as well as “landscape sculptures” that we were delighted to discover along the way.
Gaulerfjellet
Aurlandsfjellet
7. Olden Farm Stay
We loved our Airbnb that was a little cottage on a farm outside of Olden, a small village on the south shore of Nordfjorden. We looked out our kitchen window on a waterfall and a historic church out the other direction. The was something quite lovely about staying on a farm and the host was super helpful when we need some medical attention.
Caution, like many port cities on fjords in Norway (Flam included), cruise ships will dock in Olden and the city will transform into a hell storm of tourists. The scale of the cruise ship behemoths is unreal and unsettling against the backdrop of this small quaint village. To avoid this impact, I studied the port schedules closely and we arranged our trip to mostly avoid the ships. I understand that there are many people who love the cruise experience, but the impact to tourists in those villages is not great. Since most of the cruisers eat on the ship, the locals see limited benefit.
Adjacent to the small town of Loen, Lake Lovatnet is a beautiful aqua blue lake with a tragic history. We hiked to a cross that was erected to honor the families that were killed when a landslide created tsunami waves in both 1905 and 1936. Looking at the plaques with all the names, it was unsettling to see the same 2-3 last names of the dead, meaning that those families were nearly destroyed.
This is a common place for an Instagram-worthy photo. We agreed.
Hike to Briksdalsbreen Glacier.
8. Flåm
Flåm is one of the most popular tourist spots in Norway. Some would say that it’s overly touristed and there are many other places that might be just as beautiful. Yet, we still decided to come here because Becky loves a good train ride!
Flamsbana is the historic train. This 20 km long train ride between Flåm and Myrdal offers spectacular views. Once in Myrdal, Kyle and I picked up our rental bikes and started screaming down the mountain. Ok, it wasn’t exactly like that. We squeezed our handbrakes for maximum braking capacity as we navigated the hairpin turns on the loose gravel! It was scary and thrilling and after we survived, we were proud that we had done it. After the initial hairpin turns taking you down the initial descent, the road levels off and you can enjoy streams, waterfalls, goats and the zipliners who skip the hairpin turns to go down the mountain in another fashion.
Ægir Microbrewery. Even if you don’t enjoy beer, this place is a worthwhile stop for the Viking-forward atmosphere.
Flam Marina We ate at this place two nights because of the proximity to our cottage rental. It has an amazing fjord view!
FjordSauna Flåm is one of the many Norwegian cities that has embraced the floating sauna concept. We didn’t do this----but for it would be a worthwhile experience for those of you that are stronger divers and swimmers than this Nelson trio is.
Flåm Railway Museum—free museum you should check out.
9. Oslo
After all the wonders of nature and the small towns of Norway, we weren’t exactly sure we would enjoy Oslo---but it is something we needed to see. Oslo is a model of what a modern city should be--- embracing history but yet creating stunning modern architectural statements, investing in infrastructure that serves all, electric cars rule, and it's a diverse city (immigrants make up 35% of Oslo).
There are plenty of resources on what to do in Oslo, so I won't replicate them here. Here's what we did:
Walked up the roof of the Oslo Opera House and gazed to the harbor.
Stopped at the new library, adjacent to the Opera House
Visited The National Museum, a recently built art museum
Oslo City Hall- classic Nordic Modernism by Arneberg and Poulsson
Vigeland Park- amazing collection of over 200 sculptures by Gustav Vigeland.
Oslo Barcode District- new buildings
A small fraction of the buffet offerings at the Thone Hotel.
10. Hotel Breakfast Buffets
We stayed at Thon Hotels in Bergen and Oslo. One of the benefits of hotel stays is the absolutely incredible buffets that are offered as a part of the room price. This isn’t your ordinary free breakfast at a Marriott Courtyard or Hampton Inn, no, no. This is an experience unlike any I’ve encountered. The breakfast had hundreds of options- from heaping plates of crisply fried bacon, to eggs and omelets, to several kinds of potatoes, to roasted vegetables, and of course, fruits, breads, pastries, smoothies, and more. Load up and skip lunch on days you are staying in a hotel.
ProTip:
I signed up for a free Thon membership to get a discount on the room.
Other planning tips:
Plan ahead! We started planning the trip about 7 months ahead of time. I have to say planning this trip to Norway was more difficult than any other trip I have planned. The country is big, there isn’t a direct road anywhere (think fjords and mountains), and with this being a relatively expensive place to go, we wanted the best value for our money, so there were a lot of options to consider. We ended up renting a car to be able to see the places efficiently, including the family farm, and then flying up north to the Lofoten Islands and renting another car. We stayed at least 2 nights in every place and in the end, we were happy with our itinerary as a good balance of seeing a lot of sights and not feeling too rushed.
I used the app Wanderlog to keep track of the itinerary, tickets, emails and expenses. It was really great to have everything in the same place and easy to access. Keeping track of expenses was a breeze, with the ability to enter who paid the expense and if it should be split 2 or 3 ways.
Credit card is queen/king in Norway. Kyle didn’t feel comfortable not having cash, so he did take some out, but we could have easily gotten by without cash and only used credit card payments.
Food: Get ready for a ton of fish. Fish soup is a common menu item and it was quite good, but I didn’t need it more than once or twice. The most impressive food in Norway is in the form of bread and pastries. Make sure to try them.
Snacks: I also believe in getting some local snacks at grocery stores. We did enjoy the seedy crackers and there was some good potato chip flavors. The Norwegian chocolate (Freia) was disappointing compared to other European brands but is still something you should try.
Rain! Norway is a very rainy country, so a good raincoat is critical. Don’t worry about bringing an umbrella- just have a good raincoat with a hat. Personally, I never worry about waterproof shoes, jut wear wool socks.
Was it expensive? Yep, it was definitely more expensive to travel and stay in Norway than other places in Europe----but it wasn’t too insane. For reference, without air fare, we spent about $200/day per person. This could be compared to $150/day in Italy (where we arguably ate much better meals in nice restaurants). It does help to pay for lodging expenses in advance, so the cost of the trip can be spread out over time.
Covid is still a thing.
We all were infected with Covid on this trip.
Some tips: Wear a mask on the plane and in the airport, where you are waiting in security lines. At least on the way TO your destination. You don’t want to risk being sick for your vacation.
If you are immunocompromised, ask your doctor if they can give you Paxlovid pills before you go. As good as life is in Norway, their healthcare system is a bit lacking. The doctors at a hospital we went to had NEVER heard of Paxlovid!
Bring ibuprofen, decongestant, cough drops and other medicines you MIGHT need. Going to a Norwegian pharmacy was eye-opening, in that they have so few choices when it comes to pain and cold medications. Plus, it was nearly impossible to decipher the labels.
Bottom line:
We came away from our Norwegian adventure with an interest in learning more about our heritage and ancestors, with an appreciation for how difficult life on remote Norwegian farms might have been in the 1600’s, and curious about the courage of Tosten Nelson /Kvie to turn in one set of hardships (mountainous farmland) for a completely different set of challenges (flat North Dakota prairie).
Ultimately, Norway left its mark on us. The country’s breathtaking beauty, encompassing diverse landscapes, transcends ancestral ties. Regardless of your genetic origins, Norway’s allure is universal and promises to captivate anyone fortunate enough to explore its wonders.
