We went to Norway in early September to catch the light before the days got too short to see the breathtakingly beautiful scenery. Norway is a nation of water and mountains. The Norwegian people have found a way around their streams, rivers, waterfalls, fjords and lakes by outstanding feats of engineering.
A tunnel can be as long as 12 miles or as short as a couple of car lengths. Bridges are plentiful, but if the water is too wide, there are ferries.
Farms cling to green meadows above dark water fjords. Sheep and fruit trees often hug the hillsides. On one stretch of road there were many tables set up periodically with an umbrella protecting the boxes of fruit for sale. Apples and plums seemed to be the two main crops.
The architecture of buildings is simple. It is the colors that make them stand out. Unless a barn was weathered gray, it was a deep red. Houses were mainly three basic colors: white, red or a yellow gold. However a gold house could be trimmed in dark red and a red house could be trimmed in a lovely shade of green. Red barns often had white trim. The eaves of houses might have a scalloped trim near the top.
Small towns along the fjords seemed to sparkle, the edges of cities less so. My favorite city was Bergen, which is on the Atlantic, but even with all its interesting detail, it couldn't beat the countryside.
We talked to friendly people who with few exceptions, spoke English. It is their second language and they start their students young. When my husband asked a teenager in Lillehammer if he spoke English, his response was, "Of course."
There is so much more to share so stayed tuned for Part II.
The port city of Bergen from the top of a mountain.
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