Dawn and I met in Oslo on August 3rd. We stayed for three nights at the Grand Hotel on Karl Johans gate in the city center. We took it easy while she adjusted to the time change. It gave us a chance to visit my Uncle Bjørn who lives on Bygdøy down the road from the Viking Ship Museum. Aker Brygge, pictured above, is a refurbished dock with shops and nice restaurants with outdoor seating. We rented a car, and after leaving Oslo we stopped in Lillehammer and stayed overnight with my cousin Terje and his wife Else. Click here for pictures.

 

On the way from Lillehammer to Aalesund we went over the mountains and down into the beautiful Geiranger fjord. One of the most famous fjords in Norway, it carves its way many miles inland from the North Sea. From there we took a two hour ferry ride to a connecting road. We passed a farm where I worked picking fruit for a month back in the fall of 1972. Click here for pictures.

 

Dawn and I agree that Ålesund was our favorite stop of the trip. Located on three connecting islands jutting out to the North Sea, this medium size town is lively and has a lot of character, but it isn't run over by tourists. My father's family is from Aalesund and a nearby island, and I lived there for a good portion of the six years I spent in Europe from 1972 - 78. Click here for pictures.

 

Bergen is totally amazing. It's no wonder it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and recently voted as the number one place to visit in Europe. After leaving Aalesund, we had four ferry crossings and arrived late to town in a side-blown rain. Luckily we found a bite to eat at a Tapas bar. And that describes Bergen: Norwegian weather and heritage + an international flavor that makes it very cosmopolitan. We stayed three nights and luckily the weather improved. Click here for pictures.