Stairway To Norway

With a few weeks before school started

I decided to take the kids somewhere

while my husband stayed behind to work

Where could I travel safely and easily with two kids in tow?

- Norway -

We started our trip in Bergen,

Norway's second largest city

I couldn't get enough of these letterboxes

As the crowns indicate,

Norway has a monarch (King Harald V) and a prime minister

like the United Kingdom

They gained independence from Sweden in 1905

As one of the few European countries that did not join the European Union,

you can see and feel this country's independence

Grocery stores had lots of unique Norwegian brands
which felt very refreshing and authentic
as other European grocery stores often have the same products
probably due to the EU trade

I adored the Norwegian coins with holes in the middle

And interestingly

parents must choose their child's name from a list of official Norwegian names

This strict name law dates back to the 1800s

We happily got 'lost' in these cobbled alleys

And as if the country didn't have me at their longest word
minoritetsladningsbærerdiffusjonskoeffisientmålingsapparatur
(try saying that five times, or even one)

the fjords did...

We traveled by boat through the Sognefjord,
the world's second deepest fjord and the 3rd longest

Fjord is a Norwegian word, indicating a long narrow water inlet surrounded by 
steep mountains carved by glacial activity

I don't know the word for cute nestled fjord villages
but I bet it has some cool vowels in it 
like å or Ø

Here's a treehouse
with a million dollar view...

Vikings lived in these waters
which are still home to porpoises, seals, and otters today


There is a wonderful saying in Norway
'There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing'

You can see we had fantastic weather,
so I must have had fantastic clothing?

Oh my...

This is the land of the midnight sun,
northern lights, polar bears, and folkloric trolls

If you seek adventure
go on a rat safari in an Oslo sewer(!),
swim with killer whales near Lofoten,
or dive into Saltstraumen, the world's strongest whirlpool

Or just stick to kayaking

Camera out of window,
we are on the Flamsbana train to return to Bergen
and about to enter a tunnel

There are a lot of tunnels in Norway
Some are even undersea, connecting to islands

Norway is the second wealthiest country per capita in Europe
(Luxembourg, first)

And there are more Norwegian descendants living in the US
than there are Norwegians in Norway
Many emigrated between 1860 - 1910

Ahhh...
what a wonderful way
to end a lovely summer

Dedicating this post to an American boy who dreams of traveling to Norway one day
Colin, this one's for you  ;)

- all photos by me -

Sources: Wikipedia 1, 2, BabyNames, Norway

Linking to Post Of The Month Club here