OT - Norway!

[Haudlady]

Oh dear... I'm wishing I had more than a week for this! It looks like I could be busy for years.

I think that I am leaning toward going North. I like museums, being outside, and just walking around to check out cities and towns... but I'm not too excited by crowds of tourists. Bergen is the big recommendation in most guidebooks here - that may actually be a reason NOT to go there!

lph - As the expert on Oslo, maybe I could ask you for food ideas and a day trip or two from the City? If you don't mind, I'll check with you when I am a little closer to this adventure.

Trek - I guess that's the best of all - Oslo to Bergen, ferry Bergen to Trondheim, then back down to Oslo. I just wish I had time! I'm not sure I could do all of that in a week. You mentioned a flight - do you know how long the flight takes compared to the train? Maybe I could fly one way and take the train back...

UK - I bet I could be one of those "strange people!" I appreciate you offering your family and friends as guides/hosts... but how do they feel about that? A sheep farm sounds like fun - I spin and weave; maybe they would have some fiber they could sell me. That's my idea of a good souvenir!

Thanks for all the information! Please, keep writing!

[lph]

lph - As the expert on Oslo, maybe I could ask you for food ideas and a day trip or two from the City? If you don't mind, I'll check with you when I am a little closer to this adventure.

Of course, no problem! We may be away all of July and August, but until July I should be available here.

I forgot to mention - parts of North Norway are truly spectacular. But expensive to travel to, Norway is a long thin country! The Lofoten Islands are amazingly beautiful in good weather, basically just a mountain chain set down in the middle of the ocean, with white, sandy (and freezing) beaches at their feet...

[Duck on Wheels]

When will you be making this trip? We'll be away the first three weeks of June (watching UK Elephant and Trek420 do the California AIDS ride ), but then home again the rest of the summer. We have two guest bedrooms and you'd be welcome to borrow one. Also, what size bike do you use? Maybe one of ours would fit, or maybe we could rent or borrow another for you, and we could do that ride to H*ll and back together

If you take the train (often cheaper than flying, but there are also low summer fares) from Oslo to Trondheim, and take the slowest version up Gudbrandsdalen, Kvam is one of the stops on the way. And yes, if you're a spinner and weaver I can guarantee you'd be a welcome guest at Utistugu Leine farm there! BTW UK, doesn't Anders have a web site about their wool? [google google google] ... yep. Found it. http://www.leinemerino.no/

Norway can be very expensive to visit if you're eating in restaurants and staying in hotels (although many do offer special low summer rates), but by visiting friends you can keep the costs reasonable. We'd be happy to help out in that regard. And there are fun things to do and places to see that are free or low-cost. E.g. Vigeland Sculpture Park (free), University lecture hall with Munch mural (free when open), murals in the City Hall (also free when open), the little shuttle boat from Oslo City Hall over to Bygdöy (costs about the same as a bus ticket), the museums at Bygdöy (folk museum, viking ships, Kon Tiki and Fram -- museums in general are not expensive and I think there are multi-museum tickets that are extra reasonable and those three make a nice little day trip including some walking around a ritzy gardeny neighborhood). Buying handmade sweaters is also very expensive, but yarn is not.

In Trondheim I'd recommend the outdoor museum, the Ringve music museum, the Cathedral, a walk through the new library (including archeological site), excursion to petroglyph sites in H*ll, hike through the woods to any of a number of cabins for hot chocolate and pastries (with berry picking along the way depending on what's ripe)

Well, 'nuff for now. I've got to get to bed here in my Berlin hotel room. Gotta get up early tomorrow and fly home. All this tourist info is making me homesick.

[Haudlady]

You ladies are amazing! My trip won't be until August - can you tell I like to plan ahead? Thank you so much, everyone, for offering to help me!

Duck - I would love the opportunity to meet you and to stay with you! It's so much more fun than being in a hotel room (it sounds like you know this yourself, judging from your post!). That farm looks beautiful - thanks for posting their website... I can understand bits of the language by reading it, but I bet I would be completely confused if I heard it! Is it true that many people speak english as well?

I should know in the next month or so if I can pull it together and make this trip happen. I'll be in touch as soon as I know the dates!

THANK YOU!!!

[Duck on Wheels]

Yep. Pretty much all Norwegians speak some English, at least those who were in school in the 1960's or later. And the younger they are, the more English they've had in school. Then came multi-channel tv and radio and multiplex cinemas so now they're pretty much saturated with it. No problem getting directions, info, whatever.

If you're here in August, maybe I could drive down to Leine and pick you up there. Depends on whether you're here before the semester starts (around Aug. 15). Just PM me when you've got your plans worked out and we'll take it from there.