This is a travel day for those who wish to use our air arrangements with Iceland Air leaving Minneapolis from the Humphrey terminal at 7:25 PM. The first leg of the flight is to Reykjavik Iceland and lasts about 6 hours. Flying from Reykjavik to Gardemoen Airport takes about 2 1⁄2 hours.

If you would like to arrange your own air transportation, we will arrive in Oslo at 12:25 PM (early afternoon) on August 12th and you can meet us at the airport.

We arrive at Oslo Gardemoen Airport in the early afternoon local time. You will have an opportunity to exchange money at the airport. After the group is assembled at Gardemoen Airport, we will drive north along lake Mjøsa.

You will visit the home and studio of master woodcarver, cabinet maker and silversmith Arve Mosand. Later we will be welcomed and have dinner at Kvarstad farm where we will experience rural Norwegian hospitality at its best. The people will explain how the farms in that area function. After dinner we will take a short drive to our hotel at Brumunddal.

This will be a long day but we are hoping to get accustomed to the time change as soon as possible with this schedule. For those who wish to stretch their legs there is a good opportunity for a pleasant evening walk along lake Mjøsa close to the modern hotel.

Meals:

• Lunch on your own at the airport.

• Dinner provided at Gjestrum Farm.

First up we will visit Maihaugen, a large open-air museum. Here we will see our first stave church and experience how people lived in Gudbrandsdalen at the time of immigration to North America. Lillehammer, located in the heart of Gudbrandsdalen, was the site of the 1994 winter Olympics. Lunch on your own can be purchased at the museum cafe. After lunch we will board our motor coach and continue north toward Rondane National Park.

On the way we will stop at the impressive Ringebu Stave Church. We will have coffee and treats at the parsonage. After a coffee break we will continue on to Venabu Fjellhotel, a mountain hotel located on the edge of beautiful Rondane National Park. There will be ample time to rest and relax while preparing for the rest of our ambitious tour at this (low-elevation) mountain resort.

You can choose to hike on well-marked trails in the area or do a trail ride with horses. (Horse-riding would be an extra charge.) We plan to have a musician entertain us with local folk tunes in the evening by the fireplace.

Meals:

• Breakfast and dinner at the hotel.

• Lunch on your own in the Maihaugen museum cafe.

We will travel from Venabu through the picturesque Otta valley via Vågå and then to Lom.

On the way we will stop at an authentic farm museum. This working farm dates back to the Viking Age and is packed with traditional authentic hand made items used on the farm for centuries.

In Lom we will have a guided tour of the Lom Stave Church. This very special stave church is the largest of its kind in Norway. Lom is an intriguing mountain village with a charming atmosphere and fun shops which you will have time to explore.

We may have an opportunity to vist the Norwegian Mountain Center in Lom where we can learn about the high mountain activities in the area as well as the artifacts that continue to be revealed as the glaciers retreat.

Your hotel, Elveseter, is a mountain hotel located beside a pleasant gurgling mountain stream with a spectacular collection of carved and painted folk art as well as a fine art collection from several of Norway’s most important artists. We will take time to look through their collection and learn about rural Norway through the artist’s eye. Phil and Else have used the art at Elveseter as inspiration for many of their carved and painted designs.

If you have time there are impressive hiking trails from the hotel.

Meals:

• Breakfast and dinner at the hotel.

• Lunch on your own in Lom.

Our travels this day will take us from the inland culture of the central valleys west along the river and up over a low-elevation mountain pass (approximately 3000 feet above sea level) where we will experience Norwegian west coast culture. Our introduction to west coast culture will be a spectacular view of Geiranger, a World Heritage Site, provided that the weather is clear.

From Geiranger we will travel toward Ålesund first by car ferry along the spectacular Geiranger Fjord to Hellesylt. Our destination will be Ålesund, Else’s hometown. Ålesund is an amazingly beautiful city on Norway’s west coast known as the Art Nouveau City. Else proudly proclaims that it is the most beautiful city in Norway. Many agree.

Dinner will await us at our hotel by the harbor in Ålesund with ample opportunity to stroll around the intriguing city.

We will stay in Ålesund for two nights.

Meals:

• Breakfast and dinner at the hotel.

• Lunch on your own in Geiranger.

This day can be a free day for those who may wish to rest at the hotel, or you can choose between two half-day experiences.

Options:

• Else will guide a half-day fjord cruise to explore the panoramic views of Hjørundfjord Fjord (for an additional expense).

• For those who do not wish to do the scenic fjord cruise to Hjørundfjord there will be a half-day of visiting museums and attractions in Ålesund, Else’s hometown. Ålesund is called the Art Nouveau City for the architectural style. The history of Ålesund dates back to Viking times. Plan to visit Borgund Church where Else and Phil were married. This church has extensive woodcarvings done in the Jugend style.

The second half of this day offers an opportunity for people to explore the city on their own or relax at the hotel.

Meals:

• Breakfast and dinner at the hotel.
  Lunch on your own in Ålesund.

On this day we travel from Ålesund to Ørsta crossing the fjord by ferry to visit friends in Ørsta on our way to Nordfjordeid. From Ørsta we will drive a route through the countryside to take another ferry and travel through some of Norway’s most spectacular west coast scenery on our way to a special event in the Nordfjord Region. Along the way we will visit master woodcarver and long-time friend Rolf Taraldset at his rural studio.

Those who wish to have the opportunity to ride a Fjord horse can ride on this day (for an extra fee) while the remaining group visits a folk musician. The horses are provided by the Norwegian Fjord Horse Centre at Nordfjordeid through a local concession. Riding will be on gravel roads in the mountains not far from Nordfjordeid. Phil will accompany the people who wish to ride. For this group dinner will be at the Nordfjord Hotel.

Those who choose not to ride horses (most of the group) will travel with Else and meet Arne Sølvberg and his wife Asbjørg at Fjelli for a bit of fun and local culture. Arne will entertain us with his fiddle music. He is one of the most accomplished fiddle musicians in Norway, playing the Hardanger fiddle and traditional Nordfjord fiddle tunes. The cultural hall, decorated with images from the early 1900’s, is located just below his farm where he and his wife raise sheep and lambs with a spectacular view overlooking Nordfjord. For those who go with Else, dinner will be prepared by Arne’s cousin Nils and his wife.

We will overnight at Nordfjord Hotel in Nordfjordeid.

Meals:

• Breakfast at the hotel.

• Lunch and dinner will be provided.

The highlights of this day will be more spectacular scenery, Fjord horses, shopping and cultural opportunities in the Nordfjord region.

In the morning after breakfast we are invited to visit the Norwegian Fjord Horse Centre. We have arranged for a tour of the facility and a program. We will have coffee and goodies and an opportunity to purchase Norwegian items with a Fjord horse theme. We will view and experience an impressive reconstructed Viking ship on the shore of Nordfjord and visit the local church decorated by the famous artist Lars Kinsarvik. There will be an opportunity to explore the small waterfront town, do some shopping and have lunch.

From Nordfjordeid we will travel across the fjords to the village of Byrkjelo to visit a farm family. The family operates a modern dairy farm. Here we will see how modern farmers live on the west coast of Norway. The four-generation family is also active in the Fjord horse community.

Our hotel is located at Skei on charming lake Jølster. There is a wonderful shopping opportunity as well as a mountain hiking opportunity close to the hotel. Usually the blueberries are ripe and available to sample along the trail overlooking the deep blue water lake. Skei Hotel is well known for its traditional Norwegian cuisine.

Meals:

• Breakfast and dinner at the hotel.

• Lunch on your own in Nordfjordeid.

From Skei we will head south into the glacier covered mountains and fjords of the Sogn region on our way to Stalheim.

Our first stop will be at the Norwegian Glacier Museum in Fjærland where we will learn about the glaciers in the area and the plants and wildlife there. We will travel a historic route to visit Borgund, one of the most celebrated stave churches in Norway. After visiting the stave church we will travel to Flåm where we will take a scenic train ride up and down the mountain.

There is an opportunity to ride a mountain bike down the mountain. Phil will accompany those who wish to coast and pedal down the steep mountain. The approximately two hour bike ride starts on a challenging, steep downhill with a number of tight switchbacks on gravel, then widens out to a single-lane asphalt road. Some people choose to walk this first section beside their bike. There are a few short uphill climbs along the route. This ride is only recommended for people who have good balance, tolerate steep mountain paths and are familiar with modern bicycles with disc brakes. This is a spectacular mountain experience. Please do not sign up for this adventure unless you feel confident in your ability to ride a steep downhill. You will need to sign a release form for the bicycle excursion. (The bike ride comes at an extra charge.) Please let us know if you plan to do this ride.

We plan to arrive at our hotel in time for dinner. After dinner you can relax or take a scenic hike from the hotel. Stalheim offers one of the most spectacular views from any hotel in Norway. They have a private museum with a tour guided by a man who has a wonderful gift for explaining the context of the artifacts in his museum. This is one of our favorite private museums in Norway. The view from this comfortable historic hotel is unbelievable. For those who are able to walk mountain trails, the hike from the hotel is fabulous.

Meals:

• Breakfast and dinner at the hotel.

• Lunch will be provided.

The drive from Stalheim to our hotel in Voss takes about an hour. Our local guide will be Torgeir Lirhus. Torgeir lives on an important and tradition-rich farm on the outskirts of Voss. He is a retired woodworking teacher at the Voss Folk School.

Torgeir and his wife Astrid have invited us to their farm home for coffee and cake. Astrid is a very accomplished seamstress and she has reconstructed traditional dresses from the area. We might visit a local woodcarver as well.

We will stay at the tradition-rich Fleischer’s Hotel on the shore of a beautiful lake. This is an old historical wooden building in the Swiss architectural style adopted in the late 1880’s to early 1900’s (the immigration period to the US).

The decoration here is in a Norwegian art style referred to as Dragon style. Dragon style ornamentation has been a huge influence on the art work Phil has been exploring for close to five decades. This hotel has been used by kings and queens from around the world, emperors, and important artists such as Edvard Grieg. The wooden floors creak with the sound of these former notables as you are surrounded with yesteryears opulence.

Meals:

• Breakfast and dinner at the hotel.

• Lunch will be provided.

On this day will have a city tour and orientation in Bergen so you will understand what you may want to see and experience in the city by the sea. Our hotel is conveniently located near Bergen’s famous fish market on the harbor.

Here you will have time to shop and explore Bergen on your own or relax a bit before the trip home. There are a couple notable antique and second-hand stores within walking distance. The University of Bergen offers some interesting exhibits and gardens. We will have our last dinner together to recount the highlights of our tour and honor the wonderful people we have come to know.

Meals:

• Breakfast and dinner at the hotel.

• Lunch on your own in Bergen.

A day to explore the wonderful city Bergen on your own.

After breakfast at the hotel, we will have a few hours in Bergen before we depart from the Bergen Airport to fly home.

Meals:

• Breakfast at the hotel.

• Lunch on your own at Bergen Airport.