Eric Parsons started an idea of going to Scandinavia a while ago. His idea was to travel sometime in 2010.  Parsons being how he is, he needed a little prodding to pick a time to go.  With a rough date picked Jon Crim, Chrystal, and I all committed to going, with Chrystal showing up a five days after the rest of us.  The rough plan was to see Oslo, Bergen, and Flam/Aurland area. After which we would fly to Copenhagen to see some of the flatter Scandinavian sights. Before returning to the US we would spend a few days in Fredrikstad.

We spent the first couple days in Oslo.  Camping at a campground just outside the city to save on cash.  We had tents and sleeping bags because we planned to do some backpacking.  After that we took the quintessential Norwegian tour, called Norway in a Nutshell.  This tour travels from Oslo to a town high up on the mountains at 1,222 m above sea level.  There was lots of snow and ice covered lakes even in June.  From there we continued on the train and switched trains at a town called Myrdal.  Here the new train wound down through tunnels and switchbacks.  The scenery in the valley was breathtaking.  Some of the most beautiful I've ever seen.  High rock cliffs, thundering 300 foot waterfalls, sparkling rivers, and the quaintest towns on the planet.  From there, a village called Flåm, we took a ferry to a seaside town called Bergen.  Again the fjord views from the ferry are spectacular.

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