This document provides a tour of Norway through descriptive paragraphs and photos. It begins in Oslo and highlights landmarks like the Opera House, parks, and museums. It then transitions to other areas of Norway like Bergen, known for its wooden warehouses, and Geirangerfjord, praised for its natural beauty. The document continues northward, showcasing cities like Trondheim and Tromso before concluding in the northernmost regions around Hammerfest and Kirkenes near the Russian border.

1. First created 28 Nov 2017. Version 1.0 8 Dec 2017. Jerry Daperro. London.
Norway
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A Brief look at Norway

2. Oslo Area
Oslo City
Aerial view of Oslo city. The museums are across the bay on the top left outside of the photo.
Central
Railway
Station
Opera
House
Town
Hall
Royal
Palace
Oslo
Cathedral

3. Opera House, Oslo
The Opera House was opened in 2008. It has a sloping roof that visitors walk onto the roof
from street level. It is also home to Norwegian national ballet and opera.

4. Vigeland Park, Oslo
Frogner Park popularly known as in Vigeland Park.

5. Viking Ship, Viking Museum, Oslo
Viking Longship from 800-1000 AD. It is made of wood carved with patterns and with cloth sails.

6. Town hall Mural, Oslo
Norway is a relatively young independent country. It gained independence from Sweden in 1905 but
its history date back to the Viking Age (c800-1030). The Oslo City Hall was built between 1931 and
1950. It has a huge hall in which the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony is held annually here. The wall of
the hall was covered with murals depicting Norwegian life, history and culture. The murals were
painted by two Norwegian artist, Henrik Sorensen and Alf Rolfson.

7. Stave Church, Heddal
Stave church is a type of wooden
church built in norther Europe, during
the Middles Ages between 800 and
1200. There are 30 Stave churches in
Norway. Other stave churches can be
found in England, Iceland, Sweden,
Poland and Russia.
Heddal Stave church, the largest in the world.
Exact date unknown. Normal attributed to
12C but the exact date is unknown.

8. Royal Palace, Oslo
Built in the 19C, today it is the official residence of the Norwegian monarch.

9. Oslo - Bergen railway, Bergensbanen
After the railway left Oslo, it went along the Drammen Valley and started climbing to a height of 1237m.
It is the highest mainline railway line in Northern Europe. The mountain tops were still covered by
glaciers even in summer months, Once the railway passed Finse, it was down hill all the way, passing
Myrdal and, Voss to Bergen.

10. Bergen waterfront, Bryggen
Bergen Area
Bergen is the second largest city in Norway. Its colourful wooden warehouses and trading houses along
the old wharf were once a centre of the Hanseatic League’s trading hub for dried fish. The wooden
houses date back to 1702, when the Bryggen was burned down by a fire.

11. Bergen warehouse, Bryggen
Bergen became an Hanseatic League’s trading hub (Kontor) in 1350. It remained for 400 years, an
almost monopoly in the trade of stock fish and fish oil. Note the street is covered by wooden planks,
presumably to keep the goods dry and for drainage.

12. Bergen Aerial
The harbour of Bergen. Bergen is also known for its research in aquaculture and oceanography.

13. Stalheim Valley
Stalheim is a village along the road linking Voss to Gudvangen of Naeroyfjorden.

14. Guvangan, Noeroyfjorden
Sailing from Guvangan to Flam, the Naeroyfjord is one of the worlds most beautiful and dramatic fjords.
It is an UNESCO’s World Heritage site.

15. Flam, Aurlandsfjorden
Huge cruise liners come to Flam to get onto the Flam Railway.

16. Kjosfossen, Flam Railway
The Nymph of Kjosfossen, along the Flam Railway came out to charm the visitors.

17. Voringsfossen
Voringsfossen with a total of 300m drop, the photo shows the second leg of 182m drop, with a rainbow.

18. Ovre Eidfjorden
Traditionally, the Norwegian put pasture on their roof to insulate the house from its surrounding. When
the grass becomes too high they put their sheep to graze on the grass.

19. Vineyard in Eidfjorden
Along the fjord are some of the northern most vineyard of Europe. The latitude here is around 60 degree
north.

20. Trondheim Area
Sunrise at Ervik
This is the area immediate north of Bergen on the coast but south of the Arctic Circle. It includes cities
like Alesund, Molde, Kristiansund, Tronheim, Rorvik, Brjonnesund and Sandnessjoen. There are fewer
foreign tourists at these latitudes. One begins to sense that this the ‘real’ Norway.
Before Sunrise at Ervik.

21. Alesund
Alesund
Alesund is known for its art nouveau architectural style. The city was rebuilt in 1904 after a fire.

22. Geirangerfjord
From Alesund, sailing inland into the mirror surface water of the Geirangerfjord, an area known for its
natural beauty.

23. Geiranger Waterfall
Just before arriving at Geiranger, the ship passed the Geiranger Waterfall, which is popularly names as
‘The Seven Sisters Waterfall’.

24. Kristiansund
The Nordlandet parish church built in 1914 in Kristiansung. The city has a population of 24,500.

25. Trondheim
Trondheim is the ancient capital of Norway. The city is surrounded by river and canals.

26. TrondheimCathedralFacade
Trondheim Cathedral was originally built in 1070 and extensive restored in 1869.

27. Trondheim Cathedral Interior
The interior of the Trondheim Cathedral.

28. Rorvik Sunset
Because of the high latitude, sunlight has to travel though a lot of atmosphere to reach the surface. As a
result the sunrise and the sunset are more colourful.

29. Torghatten
On the island of Torghatten there is a mountain with a hole in its heart. It is a huge tunnel with a huge
openings on the other side of the mountain.

30. Bodo and the Lofoten Area
Arctic Circle
The village of Ornes is virtually on the Arctic Circle. Places inside the Arctic Circle would experience
days of 24 hours daylight in the Summer and nights of 24 hours of darkness in the Winter.

31. Ceremony of Crossing the Arctic Circle
The unforgettable ceremony of Crossing the Arctic Circle with ice pouring down your back, only for the
brave.

32. Tonnes
A dull morning with cloudy sky and bare mountain.

33. Mountains of Ornes
Because of the rotation of the Earth, many anticyclones laden with rain from the tropics, hit the
Norwegian coasts bringing rains and snows. Around Ornes are some high mountains covered with snow
all year round.

34. Ornes
The village of Ornes has a population about 2000. There are several trawlers moored in the port and
around the area are enclosure for marine farming, primarily for salmon and Rainbow trout.

35. Bodo
This is Bodo shopping centre. It is not a mall but a street with a roof. Bodo is well within the Arctic
Circle. Prices are noticeable cheaper and people are causally dressed. This scene could be anywhere
in Europe.

36. Sailing out away from the high mountains of the mainland toward the island peninsula of Lofoten. In the
Arctic most of the mountains are desolate and bare. The underlying rocks are exposed.
Lofoten Islands Peninsula

37. Lofoten Stormy Sea
A stormy sea at the exposed Lofoten island-chain peninsula.

38. Svolaer
The Fisherman’s Wife standing at the entrance of the harbour waving at the return of the husband.
Svolaer, on the south coast of the Lofoten Peninsula.

39. Troll Fjord
The narrow passage into the Trollfjord.

40. Troll Fjord
At the entrance to the Trollfjord.

41. Marine Farming, Raftsund
Marine farming is all along the coast of Norway, mainly for salmon and rainbow trout. It is the second
largest export of Norway after crude oil and gas. As wild salmon is in decline. Bigger and bigger marine
farms are planned. New marine farms can accommodate as many and 1 million fish with crews living on
board at sea.

42. Stokmarknes
Tromso Area
The ship houses the Coastal Express Museum. The town is located on the northeast of the Lofoten
peninsula on the northern Norwegian Atlantic coast.

43. Risoyhamn
The very narrow and shallow sound on the north of the Lofoten chain of islands. In the distant is the
village of Risoyhamn with about 200 inhabitants.

44. Hadstad
This is Harstad with a population about 25,000. It is part of the northern Norwegian Atlantic coast.

45. Finnsnes
Leaving Harstad and sailing into Finnsnes back near mainland again, with rain cloud covered mountains.

46. Tromso
This is Tromso, the Norwegian capital of the north. with a population 74,000, the 9th
largest city in
Norway.

47. Tromso
This is Arctic Cathedral on the opposite side of the town.

48. Tromso
This is Tromso’s traditional high street with its timber shops in Summer. Note that under pavement hot
water system was being installed to keep the pavement warm.

49. Tromso
This was the scene of high street in winter during a snow storm.

50. Tromso
Snowing in Tromso during the day time, in winter.

51. Skjervoy
Sunset on the way to Skjervoy.

52. Oksfjord
Misty coastal mountains. Oksfjord.

53. Hammerfest
North Cape Area
Hammerfest Has a population about 10,500. It is situated in the far north of Norway, in the North Cape
Area, a group of towns facing the Barents Sea instead of the Atlantic Ocean. Being so far north, it has
long winter nights and long summer sun. It is also a good place to see the Northern Lights.

54. Hammerfest
Northern Lights, Aurora Borealis over the town of Hammerfest in winter.

55. Honningsvag
Honningsvag is the northernmost city of Norway. It has about 2500 inhabitants. It is near the rich fishing
ground of the Barents Sea. The timber building is used for processing the catch and to dried the fish.
There are few trees in such high latitude. The trees here rarely exceed 3 to 4 metres.

56. Honningsvag
Honningsvag has a thriving port with many different kinds of trawlers and fishing boats.

57. Barents Sea
The Barents sea rather shallow with average depth of 230 metres. It is an important area for fishing and
oil exploration.

58. Kjollelfjord
Kjollefjord is a fishing village of about 1000 inhabitants. It is one of the largest fishing village in
northernmost Norway. Like Honningsvag, the main commercial activity are fishing and fish processing.

59. Barents Coast
Because of the cold climate here, there is little vegetation. The bedrocks are exposed giving a sense of
harshness and desolation.

60. Barents Coast
The exposed bedrocks is a geologist’s paradise

61. Vadso
Vadso has a population of about 6,000. It was once settled by the Finns due to famine in the 19C.
Today Finnish is still spoken in some households. The harbour is full of fishing boat and the tall building
in the background is the Vadso Church.

62. Vardo
Vardo has a population about 2,000. It has a star-shaped fortress built in the 18C overlook the Barents
Sea. Today, it has an US-Norwegian radar system, used to monitoring the Russian naval traffic in the
area.

63. Kirkenes is only about 15 km from the Russian on the E105 highway. It is the first town to be liberated
from the Nazi during the WW II by Russia.
Kirkenes

64. Many Russian goods and souvenirs are on display at the market square.
Kirkenes

65. All rights reserved. Rights belong to their respective
owners. Available free for non-commercial and personal
use.
The End
Music – Howard Shore, from the soundtack
Lord of the Rings, Twilight and Shadow.