After some excellent hiking in Opdal we boarded an evening train and arrived in Trondheim at 9:30 PM. There was time and plenty of daylight, so we walked around the town before boarding our midnight, sleeper train.
The Trondheim cathedral was started in 1070 as a final resting place for King Olav. The construction was completed in 1300, however fires and other calamities have required substantial renovations with modifications to the original plan. The last major renovation was completed in 2001.
The night train took us north to Boda and the Arctic Circle. From Boda, we boarded a ferry for a short trip to the Lofoten archipelago.
The area is quite rugged with serpentine roads and many tunnels, including interisland under sea tunnels.
The weather was cool and wet. This made hiking the steep hillsides a bit more precarious.
Sol, one of our guides, could be the face of Norway. She was an excellent guide with an extremely personable disposition. She skis, hikes, climbs mountains ans swims in frigid water.
If you ever have the opportunity, visit Norway, especially the coastal areas. The people are welcoming, the scenery is gorgeous, tge air is clean and everyone speaks English.
Norwegian Fun facts and useless information.
Independence – Norway was ruled/aligned with either Sweden or Denmark since 1397.. It’s independence came in 1905. They opted for a constitutional monarchy and offered the crown to Denmark’s Prince Carl. Prince Carl, who became King Haakon, headed the government in exile during WWII. His son, Prince Harald, is the current king.
Love and Thrones – Prince Harald fell in love with a Norwegian commoner. They dated in secret for nearly a decade as the king refused to give his son permission to marry. Harald gave his father an ultimatum, Harald would remain single if he wasn’t allowed to marry, thus ending the royal line. The King relented after consultation with parliament. Harald married Sonja in August 1968. He is the current ruler, age 81.
Tunnels – Norway has over 750 km of tunnels! The quantity is impressive considering the population of 5.5 M. There newest project is a underground tunnel for large ships. It will be 1.7 km long, 37 m high and 26 m wide and cut through the Stad peninsula. The project cost is $321 M USD.
Home buying– homes are quite expensive in Norway. Recent changes to lending rules include an increase in down payments to 15% on a first home and 40% on a second home.
Birth rate – 1.62 in 2016. Immigration has increased in the past decade due to the low birth rate. The most common countries of origin for immigrants residing in Norway are Poland, Lithuania and Sweden.
Yummy food – Norwegian pancakes are similar to Belgian pancakes, but thinner. They’re eaten with jam and sour cream.
Happy travels!
Denise