TOUR & STEMNE 2009 - part 3

 

Our driver, Sven, prepares coffee and cookies for a break. He was an excellent driver and we had a lot of thrills traveling the switchbacks and narrow roads. It was particularly harrowing boarding a ferry for Fredrikstad. You'd have to be with us to appreciate how Sven had to maneuver the bus between two trucks, pull our mirrors in and barely squeeze on the to ferry. No way were we going to miss that ferry!

 

 

 

 

 

Of course, we made a stop at the Borgund Stave Church. It's part of the logo of the Sognefjordlag and, therefore, a “must” stop for us. We spent the night in Geilo before traveling to Vradal, a very small village. We had a delightful cruise on Lake Nisser and stayed at the Straand Hotel. Again, this was a wonderful hotel, filled with sitting rooms and Norwegian traditional furniture....kubbestols that you could sit in, large cupboards, benches, artwork, etc.. A real delight and very restful. Then it was on to Porsgrunn where we enjoyed an informative tour of the factory and a little time to shop. Lots of bargains in some wonderful porcelain. Recommended! .

Our historical perspective of Norway was not finished as we had a stop in Fredrikstad and a guided tour of the old fortress. We were running a little short on time, so we didn't get the opportunity to explore, in depth, some of the renaissance buildings, cobbled streets, etc. We'll leave that for another tour. And, finally into Oslo and Midsummer! A gorgeous evening that was warm and inviting. Most of us spent time down at the brygge to shop, stroll and have dinner and do some “people watching”. Our journey ended here, some of the group extended and others were ready to head home. It was a great trip....one that we'll remember for a long time. In the meantime, plan on coming to Stoughton in August 2010 for the next Sognefjordlag. We'll see you there!

 

 

 

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