A Land of Rugged Beauty NORWAY and the Vikings

Norway is part of the Scandinavian countries. The mountain range is referred to as the Scandinavian Mountains or simply the Scandes. It is 1700 km long and stretches from Kristiansand in the south to the North Cape.

Norway’s main source of income is oil and gas. The revenues are invested in a state fund, which subsidizes road construction, agriculture, and healthcare. The capital of Norway is Oslo.

The Sámi are the indigenous people, and as a nomadic population, they followed the reindeer along their natural migration routes. They were previously referred to as “Lapps,” which is now considered derogatory.

The coast near Bleik (in NW Norway on the Andøya peninsula) is famous for its protected sandy beaches and the bird cliff Bleiksøya. Here, puffins, sea eagles, gulls, and other seabirds are found.

Five kilometers north of Andenes, in the European Arctic Ocean, there is a canyon rich in plankton with a depth of about 1000 meters.

The sperm whale is part of the toothed whales and loves to eat squid. It stays underwater for about 40-50 minutes and surfaces for around 10 minutes to breathe. During this time, one can observe the fluke with all its notches, pigments, and scars. Because of these individual characteristics, one can track the population as well as their migration routes. Sperm whales communicate using clicks known as codas and can paralyze their prey with a sound level of 230 dB. For comparison, an airplane reaches 140 dB. During the whaling period at the beginning of the 19th century until the 60s, oil from the sperm whale's head supplied all of London with candle wax and lamp oil.

Dwarf whales, about 10 meters long, are still hunted by Norwegian whaling fleets. However, the catch quota is limited, ensuring their survival.

The octagonal Church Dverberg was inaugurated in 1843 and is unique due to its shape, the proximity of the congregation to the pulpit, and its solitary position.

The Lofoten, an archipelago of Vestvågøya, are known for bizarre mountain formations that rise like walls from the sea and for small, snug fishing villages. The mountains, with their 3 billion years, are among the oldest peaks in the world.

The Trollfjord above Digermulen (Vestvågøya) is also frequently visited by the Hurtigruten cruise line.

The Vikings were Scandinavian warriors and seafarers who became known for both trade and raids. They brought Christianity to Norway.

In the heart of the Lofoten, one can travel 1000 years into the past. At the Lofotr Viking Museum, one begins to understand what skilled sailors the Vikings were. The reconstructed Viking ship from the 9th century, the Gokstad ship, makes it unimaginable how they managed to cross the Atlantic to Iceland with this vessel, especially since they navigated with sunstones, which sounds to me like healing with singing bowls.

The flora of Norway, especially in the northern region, includes heather, mosses, cloudberries, and bilberries, as well as dwarf shrubs, peat, and swamp plants like cotton grass.

“TAKK, SKål and ADJø,” “Thank you, cheers, and goodbye.” The trip took place in 2009.