Summer’s flight of fancy to Norway
Published at 19:24, Wednesday, 25 June 2008
IF you’re thinking of going to Norway this summer, chances are you’re thinking hard. The sixth largest country in Europe is also one of the most diverse, and trying to choose a destination can be something of a mind-boggler.
Norwegian airline, Wideroe, however, believes it has a solution – a summer ticket allowing customers to fly as much as they like for two weeks, taking in a choice of 35 Norwegian destinations.
Over the course of a weekend, I managed to squeeze in three from the Southern Zone – which Newcastle flyers can explore for a mere £251 – and discovered a country steeped in culture, history and incredible beauty, not to mention some of the finest food I’ve ever had the pleasure of tasting.
Stavanger is a great place to start, particularly if you’re visiting this year, as, along with Liverpool, it's 2008’s European Capital of Culture.
The city – Norway’s fourth largest – is an appealing mix of old and new, the cobbled streets of Old Stavanger leading to a vibrant, busy centre, bustling with colour and excitement.
Economically, the area has had its fair share of ups and downs, its major businesses – fishing and shipbuilding – being subject to the whims of the sea.
But uncertainty ended in 1969 when oil was discovered in the North Sea and, because of its harbour and plane connections, the city was chosen as the centre for the industry.
Since then, Norway has become the world’s second largest oil producer, and Stavanger home to the Norwegian Petroleum Museum – which, believe me, is more fun than it sounds.
For me, the highlight was a 3D animated film called Petropolis, which explains how oil is formed, sourced and used in everyday products.
I wondered if I was the only viewer unnerved by the effectiveness of the 3D glasses – or by the fact that the film was narrated by a floating cat’s head that had no mouth.
If Stavanger is defined by the oil industry, Sandefjord, which I visited next, is – or at least was – Norway’s centre for the whaling business.
The legacy of that time now lives on in the town’s coat-of-arms, in an impressive monument depicting man’s triumph over the great beast and, of course, in the local Whaling Museum, the only museum in Europe to be dedicated entirely to the now much-maligned trade.
Compared to the Petroleum Museum, this is a rather low-tech affair, but its dark relics combined with its distinctly unapologetic tone make it every bit as engaging.
Half the building is dedicated to a collection of animal and bird life – the main attraction being a full size model of a blue whale – while the other houses a cheery array of implements used to convert the creatures into their many uses, from meat to margarine to corset strings.
Given particular praise at the museum is a chap called Svend Foyn, who is regarded as the founder of modern whaling and a thoroughly decent guy.
Mr Foyn’s great genius lay in identifying a major flaw in the early harpoons – that they did not have grenades attached to them – and in creating a new souped-up version.
If the hunting and slaughter of giant mammals isn’t your cup of tea, however, don’t fret: Sandefjord still has a great deal to offer.
The area has a rich Viking history, which can be explored on a number of excursions, while the old spa, which used to attract health-seekers from all walks of life, still offers tourists a chance to see the bizarre rituals from the 1800s.
On the other hand, if you simply want to relax then the town centre is the place to do it, with its small, picturesque shops and thriving cultural scene.
During my stay, I had the pleasure of seeing a local blues guitarist in one of the many music venues that are regularly packed at weekends.
This gave me the chance to meet the local people and indulge in one of their delicacies: snus, a plug of potent tobacco which is inserted under the upper lip, causing a bizarre facial bulging and quite an alarming nicotine rush.
The venue’s owner assured me it was “cool”, but by way of warning pointed to his gums and said regrettably that long-term use could lead to a “hole in the meat”.
Given this risk and the fact that it tasted foul, I decided to abandon the vice.
The local people seemed enthused about Wideroe’s Explore Norway ticket, particularly about my next and final destination, Bergen.
Once Norway’s capital city, this area has a unique identity, having long been a cultural melting pot and regarded as the international centre for the country.
In 1360, the German Hanseatic merchants set up offices there, and dominated trade for the next 400 years.
Although hit many times by fire, the Bryggen wharf structures where they were based were rebuilt quickly on ancient foundations and are now on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
There is a museum dedicated to the area, but for a more informal exploration, a wander round the mysterious narrow alleys evokes a strong sense of the past.
Bergen is also a centre for art, with numerous galleries and sites of interest, including Troldhaugen, the home of Norway’s most famous composer Edvard Grieg.
Grieg lived there with his wife/cousin Nina for 22 years and composed many of his best-known works in a garden hut on the shore of Lake Nordas.
So inspired was he by the area that he wanted to remain there forever – and thus he and Nina are currently residing in a cliff-hewn tomb by the water’s edge.
It’s likely Bergen has changed quite a bit since Grieg roamed its streets, and at night the city, while not quite Newcastle, now has a vibrant bar and club scene.
For those with quieter tastes, however, there is plenty more on offer, including a funicular railway that, after a precarious ascent, reveals some astonishing views.
To really see Norway’s scenery, though, one must see the fjords – and there’s no better place in the country than Bergen from which to gain access to them.
On my final day, I got to relax on a four-hour boat trip which leaves from Bergen’s harbour and travels the most spectacular voyage of mountains and vast, silent expanses.
It was a perfect end to an otherwise action-packed and fast-moving trip. Three destinations down. Just another 32 to visit...
Published by http://www.hexhamcourant.co.uk
