Sunday, June 13th

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 board our modern motor coach and head north. Soon we will leave the four lane highway and we will be traveling through rural Norway at a slower pace.

You will visit the home and studio of master woodcarver, cabinet maker and silversmith Arve Mosand together with his wife Rannveig who works with tanned sheep hides. Skinnfell is a traditional Norwegian folk art of sewing and wood-block printing on sheepskins to create warm coverlets, rugs, and decorative pieces.

After our visit with Arve and Rannveig we will continue on to Lillehammer, the trading center of Gudbrandsdal and home to the 1994 winter Olympics.

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 an  opportunity for a pleasant evening walk.

Meals:

• Lunch on your own at the airport.

• Dinner provided.

Monday June 14th.

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. Lunch on your own can be purchased at the museum cafe. There will be an opportunity to visit the local shops in Lillehammer. After lunch we will board our motor coach and continue north.

On the way we will stop at the impressive Ringebu Stave Church located on Spiritual ground dating back to the Viking era. We will have coffee and treats at the parsonage. After a coffee break we will continue on to our Historic hotel near Vinstra in the heart of Gudbrandsd

Meals:

• Breakfast and dinner at the hotel.

• Lunch on your own in the Maihaugen museum cafe.

Tuesday June 15th

From Vinstra we will travel through the charming Heidal valley to Vågå and then to Lom and on to our mountain hotel Elveseter.

On the way we will stop at the Heidal church and a local chapel with medieval decorations. We will visit 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.

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 and energy there are hiking trails from the hotel.

Meals:

• Breakfast and dinner at the hotel.

• Lunch on your own at a local resturant in Heidal.

Wednesday, June 16th

Our first stop will be in Lom where 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 located at the crossroads of western and eastern Norwegian culture. Lom offers a  charming atmosphere and fun shops which you will have time to explore.

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 scenic 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.

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Thursday, June 17th

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 Phil will lead 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 medieval 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 museum also has a large collection of traditional wooden boats.

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.

Friday, June 18th

On this day we travel from Ålesund to Ørsta and beyond crossing the fjord by ferry. Our first stop will be Aasentunet where we will learn more about Norwegian culture and the two written languages of Norway. Next we will drive a meandering route through the countryside to take a small ferry on route to visit a long time friend Rolf Taraldset at his rural carving studio.

From Rolf’s place we will take the Panoramic Road to visit our friends 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. Dinner will be prepared by Arne’s cousin Nils and his wife.

We will return to Østa to overnight at Havila Hotell Ivar Aasen

Meals:

• Breakfast at the hotel.

• Lunch and dinner will be provided.

Saturday, June 18th

• 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 at Nordfjordeid. 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. Skei Hotel is well known for its traditional Norwegian cuisine.
  Meals:

  • Breakfast and dinner at the hotel.

  • Lunch on your own in Nordfjordeid.

Sunday, June 20th

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 drive to Gudvangen & Viking Valley where we will get a glimpse as to how people lived during the Viking age.

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.

Monday, June 21st

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 farmer and 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 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.

Tuesday, June 11th

The drive from Voss to Bergen takes about 2 hours. Our first stop in Bergen is Troldhaugen the home of Edvard Grieg where we have tickets to a piano concert of Griegs music.

• We 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.

• Breakfast and Dinner at the hotel and Lunch at Troldhaugen.

Wednesday, June 23rd

• Here you will have a day on your own with time to shop and explore Bergen 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.

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.