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Monday, June 27 |
Hadeland to Tretten, overnight at the Glomstad Gård. Stop at Gjøvik to visit the "In the Mountain" Olympic soccer rink, then continue on to Lillehammer. Visits there include a half-day at the Maihaugen Folk Museum, a stop at the Olympic ski jump and a lunch break in downtown Lillehammer. Then on to Tretten. Glomstad Gård is a very interesting mountain hotel run by a local citizen, Janna Glomstad. Here there is wonderful scenery overlooking Gudbrandsdalen, very tasty Norwegian food - in a setting of old buildings that have been combined with modern structures to make a very inviting atmosphere (dinner included). |
| Tuesday, June 28 | Tretten to Nordfjord After leaving Tretten, we continue north through Gudbrandsdalen to Otta, then turn to the west into Lomsdalen and travel on to Lom. We then follow Highway #15 by way of Grotil through some of the most beautiful scenery in Norway, one hairpin turn after another in Geiranger where we will have a lunch break. Then we will take an hour-long ferry ride through the very scenic Geirangerfjord to Hellesylt. From there we continue on into the Nordfjord area where we will overnight in one of the local hotels in Stryn, Loen, or Olden. (Breakfast & dinner included.) |
| Wednesday, June 29 | Nordfjord area to Skei i Jølster One of the best ways to view Norwegian nature close up is to get out of the touring bus and use another mode of somewhat slower transportation. This morning we will drive south through the beautiful Olden Valley to Briksdal. There we will continue our journey by John Deere-drawn caravans as we make our way through the rugged landscape to the Briksdal Glacier, a part of the Jøstedal Glacier, the largest glacier in Europe. We travel on until the road ends, even for the horse-carts; from there we must walk the last several hundred yards to get a closer look at the Briksdal Glacier. This is a unique half-day tour, one of the best in Norway. The scenery is spectacular. Upon our return from visiting the glacier, we'll have lunch in the Briksdal cafeteria. Then we'll continue on through this marvelously scenic western Norwegian countryside via Innvik, Utvik, Byrkjelo and on into Skei, beautifully situated on the shore of Jølstravatnet (Jølster Lake). Overnight in Førde. (Breakfast and dinner included.) |
| Thursday, June 30 | Skei to Stalheim Leaving Skei we take Highway #5 through the Fjærland Tunnel, under the Boya Glacier, another arm of the Jøstedal Glacier. Several more tunnels take us to Sogndal, the largest town on Norway's longest fjord, the Sognefjord. We cross the fjord by ferry to Fodnes. Just a few miles more takes us to the entrance of the longest tunnel in the world, the Lærdal Tunnel - nearly 80,000 feet long (about 15 miles)! We arrive at Aurland and then continue on to Flåm. After taking time for lunch, we'll board the famous Flåm-Myrdal Railroad which climbs some 3,500 feet in just 12 miles thorugh breath-takingly beautiful scenery, full of waterfalls, switch-backs and outstanding scenic beauty. After a short stopover in Myrdal, we return to Flåm. It's then just a short drive through several more long tunnels to Gundvangen, situated at the head of another arm of the Sognefjord. A half-hour drive takes us to one of the most scenically located hotels in all of Norway, the world-famous Stalheim Hotel. This is our next overnight stop. (Breakfast and dinner included). |
| Friday, July 1 | Stalheim to Bergen After breakfast, we reluctantly leave this beautiful hotel and begin our way into Bergen. We'll make a stop in Voss, one of Norway's many ski resorts and the birthplace of Knut Rockne, the famous football coach. We will arrive in Bergen in the mid-afternoon and enjoy an introductory "get-acquainted" tour of this historic city. Then after many days of guided sight-seeing, you will have a chance to do a little exploring and sightseeing on your own. Bergen is a perfect city to do this. (Breakfast included, but dinner is on your own.) |
| Saturday, July 2 | In Bergen There is much to see and enjoy in Bergen. We will take a morning walking tour of the central city, including a visit to Bergen's famous Fish Market, the historic Hanseatic Bryggen harbor area, medieval St. Mary's Church and end the tour with a ride on the funicular to the top of Fløyen for an excellent bird's eye view of the city. The afternoon is free or for those who would prefer, an optional tour into the surrounding area will be offered. (Breakfast included, but dinner is on your own.) |
| Sunday, July 3 | Bergen to Geilo or Gol in Hallingdal As we leave Bergen, we travel southwestward toward the Hardanger Fjord, through Tysse, Norheimsund, Kvanndal, and Granvin before we take a short ferry ride to Brimnes. At Eidfjord we head east on Highway #7 through the very rugged mountains that take us up into Hardanger Vidda and finally into the broad Hallingdal (Halling Valley). We will overnight in Geilo, in the midst of Hallingdal's ski area. (Breakfast and dinner included.) |
| Monday, July 4 | Into Oslo Today we head into Oslo, Norway's capital city. Upon our arrival we will take a short tour of the city and make stops at historic sites that we did not visit when our Lag visited Hadeland in 2000 or earlier on this year's tour to Hadeland. We will enjoy a final "Farewell Dinner" together tonight. (Breakfast and dinner included.) |
| Tuesday, July 5 | Breakfast included at the hotel. |
Rough estimate of per person cost for the extended tour is $1450.
Tour participants are responsible for making and paying for travel arrangements to and from Norway.
Dollar costs are subject to fluctuations in the exchange rate. Dollars listed here are based on a rate of 6.00 kroner to the dollar.
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