Vikings, Fjords & The Nations Capital

For those of you who don't know I have a few updates in my life. The biggest news is I was offered a job in Washington DC. I am pretty excited for the job; it sounds like a lot of work and always something different and new. I head on out east in June with dad. We are renting a Uhaul and taking the long drive out with all of my stuff and towing my car behind. Should be a fun trip...

The other fun news is I just recently returned back from a trip to Norway and Sweden. I went with my parents and we visited a cousin of mom's who lives just outside of Oslo. Including our week and a half in Norway we spent 3 nights in Stockholm, which I loved! It is a very beautiful city right on the water and situated amongst 19 islands. Very picturesque. We also headed to the town of Bergen to celebrate Norway's Independence Day (May 17th). It is the biggest holiday of the year even more so than Christmas. The entire country seemed to be congregated in Bergen watching the longest parade I have ever seen. It lasted over 2 hours (as far as I know since I only lasted 2 hours) and was doubled up so that on one street the parade went both ways... It seemed like the entire city was in the actual parade so my guess is that the rest of the country was there watching it. Independence Day is also the day they all dress up in traditional Norwegian wear and wave flags with the same vigor in which they enjoy their licorice candy.

We took a few side trips including "Norway in a nutshell" which involved 3 train rides, a boat and a bus through the mountains and fjords. We also took the Hurtigruten boat up the coast for a few days. Below is a sampling of pictures from my trip.

... Mom, dad and Linda at Frogner Park in Oslo

One of the many odd statues in Frogner Park ... Mom and I at the park

The new ski jump outside of Oslo ... Stockholm Waterfront

A guard at the palace in Stockholm ... Old city area in Stockholm

Mail boxes in Stockholm ... Pouring drinks at the Icebar in Stockholm in glasses of ice.

Me inside the Icebar in Stockholm ... Farts Dempere, hehe. (means Speed Bump)

House in Jessheim ... On the train ride near Gol.

Mountains on the train ride near Gol ... A house with a grass roof.

Fjords lands

Fjordlands ... Bird on the boat ride in the Sognefjord

Inside the Sognefjord

Sognefjord

The town of Gudvangen at the end of the Sognefjord... and another grass roof

Fjordlands

Traditional wear in Bergen on Independence Day.. and me

Bryggen old town in Bergen and a Viking ship band playing music

Outside of Molde on the coastal ferry the Hurtigruten

Coastal views of Norway

Coastal Norway

Norwegian Coast line

Houses in Trondheim

Gothic Cathedral in Trondheim and a Stave church in Oslo

Viking Ship! and the Stave Church in Notodden

The Stave Church in Notodden