Thursday, October 17, 2013

Last Stop - Norway

Norway is the land of my forefathers on my dad's side.  The Skovlin Farm is still active today in the south part of Norway.  Someday I'll visit it, but this trip was to Trondheim towards the north (latitude 65 degrees).  We stayed with friends from the University of Trondheim.

Trondheim, Norway

Typical northern Norway countryside.
Our friends treated us to a visit to their cabin about 2 hours north of Trondheim. Unfortunately, there were road problems so we had to take the 4-hour route.  The countryside is so beautiful with green rolling hills, white houses and red barns. It really is surreal.  Small villages dotted the way and we finally got into the highlands which were really more like tundra.  I was very excited to spot some caribou only to find that they are semi-domestic.

We parked the car on the side of the road and hiked our gear to the cabin about a half kilometer. Wow, the cabin was spectacular!  Nestled by a large lake, the grass-roof "cabin" is really three buildings; two self contained cabins and an outhouse.  Heat was by several wood stoves, cooking and fridge are gas and lights from a small solar system!   The latitude is so high they mount the solar panes on the wall instead of roof.


The following day we went on a big hike up the mountain behind the cabin.  It's was stunning with a tundra landscape dotted with lakes and pure flowing streams. There was still a little snow on the ground and the water was icy, but the day was nice and warm.

Oh man, was that cold!
Hiking across the Nordic tundra.

Denmark is green!

Three main islands of Denmark
We stopped in Denmark to visit friends from our stay in Thailand in 1994-96. Danish people are kind, fun and thoughtful. They have a lot of progressive policies from social services, to environmental management. 
There are three main areas of Denmark, a large peninsula (Jutland) and two big islands (Funen and Zealand). Copenhagen is on Zealand. There are only about 5.8M people in the country whose history was shaped by Vikings and sea-going trade.
Copenhagen is Denmark's capitol with 1.2M people, relatively small by world standards.  Clever and forward thinking planners have limited the height of buildings so the skyline is made up of historic spires and castle parapets instead of skyscrapers. It has a fantastic effect that connects one to Denmark's history!

Copenhagen skyline preserves historical view.
The best ways to travel in Copenhagen is by bike, foot or boat.
It is a very agricultural country with quaint farms on green, green pastures and windmills are part of the landscape. We thoroughly enjoyed eating fantastic cheese.

Frederiksborg Castle Hillerod Denmark

Every castle needs a moat ornament
 












We spent some time touring the local castle near our friend's home. It was built in 1,400 by King Christian IV. It was really spectacular and presented a good overview of Denmark's history through to the present day Monarchy, Queen Margaret.  

It was quite expensive for US travelers so we were grateful to be staying with our friends.