Because I decided to construct this blog in 2012, I am writing this entry many years later than our actual visit. As such, I would like to present an overview and introduction to Norway.
Before I do, let me say that this trip was before we had a digital camera and therefore all the pictures that I had from this trip had to be scanned for inclusion in this entry. As well, unlike all my other entries in this blog, and because of the limitations of film, I have taken the liberty of adding some pictures that I did not take in this entry. These I scanned from brochures and guidebooks and some were copied from the internet.
Norway is very remote, but is one of the most beautiful countries that we have ever visited.
Majestic fjords, forested and snowcapped mountains, waterways everywhere with the ever present ferry system by which you get to the other side and small quaint villages. While I can try and tell you just how beautiful it is, nothing compares to seeing it in person.
Most people see Norway as part of a cruise, but to really experience the country, you need to get into a car and explore it for yourselves. It is a huge country so seeing it requires some time.
Some basic comments:
1. There are not too many people living in this country. The entire country is 20 times the size of Israel, with only 5 million inhabitants.
2. If you travel Norway by car, you will need to have a current ferry schedule handy and using the schedule, create a basic itinerary with your basic route. You must leave enough time to arrive at a port to meet a particular ferry, because if you miss the boat, the next one may be tomorrow.
3. Be sure to schedule your trip during a season when mountain roads are already open from the winter. Some of the roads close because of ice and snow and may be still closed if you attempt your visit early in the spring. We visited in early May and there were a number of roads that had just reopened. Springtime is particularly beautiful as the fjords have numerous waterfalls that are full with melting snow and the scenes are breathtaking. But because you are going from the tops of mountains down to the waterfront, you will need to dress in layers; sweatshirts that can be removed are ideal.
4. Renting a car is expensive (no need for one in Oslo or Bergen) but when you consider that the attractions are free (it is all nature and scenery), it does not make for a very expensive visit.
We arrived in Oslo on Wednesday afternoon and checked into our hotel. Our initial impression of Olso was an old city with not too much character. We were staying in an older hotel within walking distance of the Oslo Shul. The hotel rooms were large and part of a chain called Scandic. They had a multi stay pass system and we had become members; if you stayed in 5 of their hotels, the 6th was free.
We headed out to explore the city and to find the Jewish community and especially the kosher store.
We had downloaded the kosher list www.dmt.oslo.no that was prepared by the Rav of the city and it was quite extensive; consisting of items that you could buy in a regular supermarket without hashgacha. Other than wine and meat/chicken, almost anything else can be bought off the shelf and therefore there is really no need to shlep anything along. Lots of bread, cheeses, prepackaged salads, prepared fish like herring, smoked salmon, cereals etc are all on this extensive list. The list is also in english and provides hints for eating breakfast in hotels and other important information for the kosher traveler.
Kosher meat, cheese and other special products can be purchased in the Community's
Kosher Shop. Although when we visited in 2001, the shop was about a block from the shul,
today, the shop is located within the Community Centre at the address Bergstien 13,
and is open Wednesday and Thursday from 16:00 to 19:00. During the
summer months and during holidays reduced opening hours may apply – please
There is no kosher restaurant.
 |
| The Shul and Community Center |
We walked around the downtown and headed down to the harbor area which was undergoing a revival. The boardwalk was lined with restaurants (mostly seafood) and boutiques and since sunset was at about 9:30 PM we decided to stay up as long as we could to stave off any jetlag. We also went to the public library in the downtown area as they had banks of computers that one could use for free to download emails and browse the web.
In the morning (Thursday) I was up early and headed over to the shul for minyan. There were about ten men there with me and for some reason, they stopped at Yishtabach and waited. After davening I went to the Rabbi and introduced myself. His name was Jason Rappaport and had recently arrived with his wife Meira from Alon Shvut, Israel to assume the position of interim Chief Rabbi, after Rabbi Melchior had made aliyah to Israel. He explained to me that they had waited because some of the individuals in the shul were in the process of converting and therefore could not be included in the minyan. We discussed it and he had very high standards for conversion, requiring the candidate to move within walking distance of the shul and to attend shul for a long period of time till fully accepted. He pointed out some of the individuals and noticing their large kippot and tzitzit outside of the shirts, I would never had guessed that they were not yet Jewish.
I headed back to the hotel to have breakfast with Fran in the hotel dining room. Armed with our list of kosher products, we entered the dining room only to find the cereals in large bowls, the lox laid out on plates and the herrings on glass plates. It was impossible to know whether any of these were from the approved brands on our list. So we simply asked to see the chef and explained to him our predicament. He promptly took us into the kitchen and showed us that each of these items were from approved brands. He then offered to open new packages for us and told us that we should simply ask for him when entering the dining room on subsequent days. It was heaven...
After a filling breakfast, we headed over to Frognerparken, on the west side of town, home to an amazing
array of the twisted ironworks of Gustav Vigeland.
 |
| The famous Monolith - amazing sculpture |
 |
| Look at the height of this sculpture |
 |
| Inside the museum - where you can see Vigeland's method of creating the sculptures. |
After spending a few hours checking out all of Vigeland's amazing but strange sculptures in the park and visiting his house and museum, we headed over to the Viking Ship Museum which contains the world's two best-preserved wooden Viking ships built in the 9th century, as well as small boats, sleds, a cart with exceptional ornamentation, implements, tools, harness, textiles and household utensils.
The museum was in the Bygdoy section of the city on a large peninsula surrounded on three sides by water. After touring the museum, we walked a short distance to two other major attractions, the Norwegian Folk Museum and the Kon Tiki Museum.
 |
The Kon Tiki Museum
The Kon Tiki Museum is a tribute to Thor Heyerdahl (1914-2002), one of history’s most famous scientists, adventurers and champions of the environment. The Kon-Tiki Museum houses original boats and exhibits from Thor Heyerdahl’s world famous expeditions.
In 1947 the balsa wood raft Kon-Tiki was launched. It was named after a legendary seafaring sun-king common to both the old Inca kingdom and the islands of Polynesia. The raft hoisted sail outside the port of Callào in Peru with 6 men onboard, captained by Thor.
During the course of 101 days the raft sailed approx. 8,000 km over the open Pacific Ocean and landed on the Raroia Atoll in the Tuamotu Archipelago. The voyage put the existing view of the balsa wood raft to shame and proved that Polynesia was well within the range of prehistoric South American seafarers. Some scientists refused to believe that the incredible voyage had actually taken place until a documentary film about the expedition was released. The film won an Oscar for best documentary feature film. Thor’s popular book The Kon-Tiki Expedition was later translated into 70 languages.
From the museum, it was just a short walk to the Bygnoy harbor where we took a water taxi that dropped us off at the downtown Oslo harbor point.
 | |||
| At the Oslo Harbor |
The next morning, Erev Shabbat, we headed north by train to the site of the world famous Holmenkollen Ski Jump, perched on a hilltop overlooking Oslo, which offers
a panoramic view of the city and doubles as a concert venue. During
Oslo's annual ski festival, held in March, it draws the world's best ski
jumpers.
Holmenkollen Ski Jump has been at the heart of
Norwegian skiing for over 100 years. The first ski jumping competition
took place in 1892 when 12,000 spectators were present. The
ski jump was constructed from branches and covered in snow. The current ski jump record is 139 metres.
 | |||
| Fran and I climbed the ski lift all the way to the top. |
 | ||
| The ski jump ramp as we saw it in 2001...it has been revamped and improved to what you see in the next two pictures. |
 |
| It now includes an interactive center where one can ski down the jump on a simulator |
After experiencing Holmenkollen, we returned to the city in time to see the changing of the guard in front of the Royal Palace which is located on Slottsparken, a short walk from our hotel. We were amazed by the lack of security in front of the palace. You could almost walk right up to the front door.
 |
| In front of the royal palace at Slottsparken in the center of town |
 | |||||||
| The changing of the guard |
headed down to the harbor for a short stroll in the sunlight.
 |
There was a very nice minyan. As we were leaving the shul, the Rabbi invited us to his home for dinner. We told him that we had food at the hotel; but he insisted. We did not know that he also invited another 15 people to his Shabbat table. His apartment was upstairs in the JCC next door to the shul. We met his wife Meira, and their small children.
The interesting thing was that of the couples around the table, one half looked Jewish and the other Norwegian. After a great meal with singing and divrei Torah, I asked the Rabbi and he explained that there was alot of intermarriage in Norway; either from Israelis who choose to attend Norwegian universities or from Norwegian Christians who decide to spend time working on a kibbutz in Israel, with subsequent relationships developing. In most cases, these people are not observant. The Rabbi felt that he had a responsibility to involve the Jewish partner in Jewish life in Norway and if the non jewish partner or spouse wished to atend, that would be OK with him.
When we walked home after the meal, it was still quite bright outside. It never seems to get dark...maybe in the winter!
In the morning, we went to the shul. One of the things you notice as you enter the small street where the shul is located, is the ever present Norwegian security cars that are parked at both ends of the street; a sight that is becoming ever more familiar in cities all over Europe.
At the end of davening we headed next door again to the apartment of the fellow who ran the kosher store and his wife. It was an excellent meal, again with lots of attendees and singing and divrei Torah.
I had asked the Rabbi about mincha and seudah shlishit and he told us to come at about 7 PM. I responded that it would be a very long seudah shlishit till havdalah and he laughed and said "just come, you will see something that you likely have not seen before!".
In the afternoon, after a very welcome Shabbat afternoon nap, we headed out to the National Art Gallery, which was a short walk from our hotel. There was no admission on Saturdays when we were there, so we spent a very nice couple of hours admiring the Museum's extensive art collection.
We went back to the shul, davened mincha, ate seudah shlishit and then while it was still light outside, we davened Maariv and made Havdalah (without a ner or besamim); after which the Rabbi proclaimed "this is not Shavua Tov yet...Shabbat Shalom!!! - melacha is still not permitted".
He explained to me that this was based on discussions that he had with poskim once he learned that he was to lead this community. They stressed that normal life must be allowed to continue and therefore you can daven early maariv and make a havdalah without ner and besamim, which then allows families to eat dinner. It was a very novel approach, which brought to mind something I had heard in the name of Rav Hutner zt"l, who when asked what one should do when living in places where it is total light or dark, responded "there are places in the world where Jews should choose not to live!".
Sunday morning we checked out of the hotel and were headed northwest to the area of the fjords. As we were checking out, the fellow at the front desk asked where we were staying that night. I gave him the name of our intended hotel (part of the same chain) in the area of the Briksdal Glacier and he said, "while I would love you to stay with our chain, if you really want to experience something amazing, stay at one of the cabins owned by a friend of mine at the very foot of the glacier". While we realized that we did not know this fellow from Adam and that we could be placing our fate in the hands of an axe murderer (guess we have been watching too many suspense movies:-), we nevertheless allowed him to cancel our reservation and make a new reservation with his friend at the foot of the glacier.
We picked up our car and headed north...it was a six hour drive, which took us high up into the mountains on curved and twisting roads, through areas still deeply covered in snow until we finally reached our destination. And what a beautiful destination!
 |
| Note the grass growing on the roof of the house! |
Majestic mountains, lush green valleys, small farming communities, fresh air, mirror lakes, rushing waterfalls and wildlife all around, with bright sunshine that made it all seem larger than life. This was one of the most beautiful sights that we had ever seen.
This would be the day with the most driving that we would have to do in Norway, but it was well worth it; it was picturesque and we stopped so many times to admire Hashem's amazing creations, that the six hour drive stretched into 8 or 9 hours.
We stopped along the way for a picnic lunch; what was to be our typical Norwegian meal of lox and cream cheese, herring, potato salad and fresh veggies. Not too bad at all!!!
We finally arrived at our cabin. It was part of a group of about ten cabins. It was about one kilometer from the glacier and situated right at the foot of a huge mountain with a magnificent view of the Volefossen waterfall which has 300 meter free fall. You could hear the rushing water as it cascaded down the mountain.
The only problem was that there was no one around. No front desk, no lobby and no people. We knew that we were a few weeks before the opening of the tourist season, but we were in the middle of nowhere with no one in sight. Now we were really thinking axe murderer! And remember, this was way before the advent of cell phones. We could not even remember when we had last passed a phone booth (remember those things?) or a gas station.
We began to walk around the cottages and one had our name on it with a key and a sign that said "Woolfs - Welcome!". We entered and found the most beautiful and clean cottage with every amenity that you would want in a hotel and then some (kitchen!); but one problem, no sheet and no towels and no way to get in touch with the person in charge.
We looked up the road and suddenly we saw a horse and buggy; the driver pulled up in front of our cabin and presented us with our sheets and towels and gave us instructions on what to do when leaving; clearly we were going to be out there alone all night.
But it was amazing, relaxing, and wonderful. The sound of the waterfalls lulled us to sleep after we had another of our amazing Norwegian dinners; hot soup, chicken and cold cuts left over from our cancelled Friday night meal and lots of fresh fruit and veggies.
The next morning, we headed up the road to the glacier. Briksdalsbreen is one of the most accessible and best known arms of the Jostedalsbreen glacier. Briksdalsbreen is located in the municipality of Stryn in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway.
Guests from all over the world come to visit this famous glacier arm set attractively between roaring waterfalls and high peaks. Visitors can tour the Briksdalen valley by foot or catch a ride on one of the horse and buggy rides up to the face of the glacier.
We took one of the horse and buggy rides and were awarded a certificate!
We now headed back to the car in the direction of our first fjord, the famous Geiranger Fjord. The distance was only 115 kms. and should have taken about 2 hours to get there but at every twist in the road there was another amazing sight. It took us hours to get there. We kept stopping for pictures or for short hikes in the mountains.
After a number of hours of driving, we made our way down the side of numerous switchback roads to the very picturesque Geiranger Union Hotel. It is a family-run hotel that is situated on a hill just above the centre of the beautiful tourist village of Geiranger, with a fantastic view of the fjords and mountains. The current hosts are the 3rd and 4th generation of the Melva family - the hotel has been in the family since 1897.
Early Tuesday morning, we drove down to the docks and loaded ourselves and our car on to the ferry for a trip down the amazing Geiranger Fjord. The ferry made its way through the deep fjord between towering and majestic cliffs that lines the fjord, with numerous waterfalls, including the famous Seven Sisters Waterfall.
We ended up across the inlet at the town of Hellensylt, a tiny and picturesque village visited by more than 100 cruise ships and 200.000 tourists every year. The village has a rushing waterfall which runs
through the village.
We continued from Hellesylt, passing farms, scaling mountains with amazing views of the fjords below, until we reached Kaupanger where we spent the night.But before sleep, we eat....:-)
This was truly a place worthy of stopping to daven mincha and make the brocho of Öseh Maaseh Bereishit! Hashem's amazing creations!
On Wednesday morning, we boarded the Kaupanger ferry in the direction of Flam. This was another amazing ferry ride throuth the fjords.
When we reached Flam, we had booked space on the Flamsbana, - one of the most beautiful railway lines in the world. It is an incredible train journey between the mountain station at Myrdal on the Bergen Railway, down to Flåm station nestled in the innermost corner of the Aurlandfjord.
The Flåm Railway, which passes through the beautiful, narrow Flåm valley, is regarded as a masterpiece of Norwegian engineering which connected the Oslo Bergen railway to the fjords. Work began on the Flåm Railway in 1923, and it took 20 years to complete.
The most time-consuming work was on the tunnels. These were excavated manually. Only two of the twenty tunnels, which have a total length of 6 km, were excavated using machines. Every metre of tunnel cost the labour force up to a month's hard work. The labour force, 120 strong at the outset, rapidly increased to 220.
The steep mountainsides were a major challenge, the solution being to build hairpin tunnels in order to equalise the big differences in altitude on the steep mountain. The danger of avalanches and rock falls also constituted a problem. To avoid these hazardous stretches, the line crosses the river and valley three times during the journey, but it does not cross the river on bridges. Instead, the river is led through the mountain in tunnels underneath the railway line. Halfway up the mountain, the railway makes a stop at a rushing waterfall. An amazing Kodak moment!
We continued on our way toward Bergen where we would stay the night. The trip again passed numerous amazing views of mountain, river and sea; there were an astounding number of tunnels through the mountains enabling us to reach Bergen in a relatively short time.
Supper in Bergen; local pita, local applejuice, imported salami and local fruits and veggies. Delicious!
Well, we lucked out. The day we arrived in Bergen was Constitution Day. The constitution of Norway was signed on May 17 in the year 1814, declaring Norway to be an independent nation.
All over Norway, children's parades with an abundance of flags form the central elements of the celebration. The parade takes the children through the community, often making stops at homes of senior citizens, war memorials, etc.
Typically a parade will consist of some senior school children carrying the school’s official banner, followed by a handful of other older children carrying full size Norwegian flags, and the school’s marching band. As the parade passes, bystanders often join in behind the official parade.
In addition to flags, people typically wear red, white and blue ribbons. Although a long-standing tradition, it has lately become more popular for men, women, and children to wear traditional outfits, called bunad. These outfits are worn by men, women and children and are very pretty and colorful. Each area has their own color.
I even joined in the parade and Fran joined in the Canadian contingent marching along the streets of Bergen.
We ended our day with a visit to the famous Bergen fish market where we found OU lox and a visit up the mountain by cable car (Ulriken) overlooking Bergen where we had an amazing view of the city.
While up on the mountain we had another of our famous Norwegian meals.
And then it was off to the railway station where we boarded an overnight sleeper train that would take us back to Oslo, where we would spend another wonderful Shabbat before heading back across the Atlantic to Canada. This was one of our best trips and certainly one of the most picturesque.
