Norway: From the Land of Vikings
We will visit all the major cities starting with Oslo the Capital and Constitution Day celebration... the biggest holiday in Norway after Christmas. Pilgrims
have been trekking to Trondhiem since the 1100's. They still do...
to visit the St. Olaf Cathedral dedicated
to King Olaf, first Viking leader to bring Christianity to Norway.
Early day pilgrims from Germany, France and many Stavanger
is the center of the oil industry Bergen is the second largest city, an old time fish market still exists along the waterfront, as well as part of the medieval city... wooden buildings which escaped the many times the city was destroyed by fire.
To that end, they have discovered and rebuilt the
largest Viking communal house ever found. The Vikings
turn out to be more than just brutal raiders... they had sophisticated
housing with most advanced construction techniques, wove complex
fabrics for clothing, were the first to develop
sails that could sail into the wind, the first to develop a compass, the
first Europeans to discover and land in In Alta, the midnight sun warms the air to 80º Fahrenheit, even though we are 300 miles north of the Arctic Circle. The Sami live here... people you've always called Laplanders. They have been here 10,000 years, and still depend on reindeer to some extent, as they have for centuries. Almost all Norwegians speak English, have a relative living in America, or have visited the U.S. themselves. But they still retain a unique culture and remain a vibrant, dynamic people, determined to make a satisfying and rewarding life for every citizen in their country. How they accomplish it is a fascinating study of a success-oriented people.
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