There are MANY photographs so please be patient.  Just click on the thumbnail to see the full sized picture.  I do hope you enjoy them as much as we did.  

Norway is a country with breathtaking beauty.  There are waterfalls around almost every corner, and the most gorgeous scenery.  We made many picture stops, and some didn’t have names unfortunately. 

Our first day in Norway we made a stop at Hedmark where we had coffee and some “lefsa”.  It’s a sort of cookie/pastry combination.  I can highly recommend it as a great snack.  We also saw our first stave church.  This goes back hundreds of years, and we were told that a teen-age boy had done the carvings.

Maihaugen or De Sandvigske Samlinger, is no doubt the best-known museum in Lillehammer.  As an “open museum” they have a collection of old and more recent buildings and farms.  Visitors can see how people lived and worked in other times. The lady is making a Norwegian flat bread.  We tasted it and it was very good.  

Lillehammer is probably best known for hosting the 1994 Winter Olympics.  In preparation, this small town built a ski-jumping arena, an ice-hockey hall (Hakons Hall), a cross-country skiing stadium, and a bobsled and luge track.  Hakons Hall is now an Olympic museum, with many interesting exhibits.  From the tower of the Olympianpaarken you can see the entire town.  This is also where the opening and closing ceremonies were held in 1994.  You can now take the  ski lift down the hill, or walk.  We chose to take the lift.  Since I’m not a great lover of heights, it was a little scary, but we made it!  

We are following the Otta River, with some beautiful views.  At Lom we see another stave church from 1170 with plenty of decorative rosemaling.  Next was a drive to Dalsnibba lookout.  We saw some sensational views of Geirangerfjord.  Obviously the cruise ships enjoy the views as well.  We made a stop for lunch in the mountains, but I’d go elsewhere, it was VERY expensive.  Later we enjoy a cruise on the fjord, and have the opportunity to see the famous “Seven Sisters” cascade and several now-abandoned farms.  Can you imagine living on the side of a cliff, with only the water as a means to go anywhere?  We dock at Hallesylt and head towards Olden via Lake Hornindal. 

Lake Jolster is in the Vatedalen Valley and the scenery is more rugged.   Jostendalsbreen is Europe’s largest glacier.  We also made a stop at Brasevasshytta to have another view of the glacier.  We visited the Norwegian Glacier Museum which told of the features and facts of these wonders.  Unfortunately the weather wasn’t cooperating for a cruise through the Sonefjord.  But we still enjoyed the trip, despite almost constant rain.  We landed at Gudvagen and stayed the night at Stalheim, which is high above the Maerodal Valley.   A big disappointment, due to the bad weather, was the Flam railroad ride.  We have a 2-hour ride and could see some more waterfalls, but the beautiful views are rather obscure.  It certainly would be great in nicer weather.  It’s a very unique trip.   We are doing most of a trip called “Norway in a Nutshell”.  It’s a quick way to see so much scenic grandeur. 

We are seeing so many waterfalls in this area, but the Tvindefoss is very special.  This is near Voss, which we also enjoyed for a quick coffee stop.  We are driving through more countryside where we see many grass roofed homes, barns and even bus stops.  We’re told that occasionally they use goats as lawn mowers.