Depending on where you travel, you may come to realize that leaving home was a terrible mistake. That's because every destination with a public relations budget endeavors to attract tourists and drive revenue. Yet every destination doesn't deserve a visit from you.
With its jagged mountain peaks that jolt vertically from the sea, stunning waterways, cascading waterfalls, tiny fishing villages and mountain farmhouses, the fjords of Norway would be my pick for the most visually striking place on the planet. I'm not exactly going out on a limb when I say this. Two of Norway's most famous fjords, the Geirangerfjord and Nærøyfjord, have already joined the Great Wall of China, the pyramids of Egypt, and the Grand Canyon as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. And National Geographic Traveler Magazine also rated Norway's fjords as the top travel destination in the world in their first "Index of Destination Stewardship" – an elite list of the least spoiled, great places on earth.
Breathtaking fjords, cascading waterfalls, towering snow-capped mountains, pristine farmhouses with sod roofs, blankets of wildflowers – Norway in a Nutshell is a living picture postcard that you will never forget. Traveling by train, boat and bus, this is a trip that truly lives up to its name.
This is the third installment of Ed Boitano’s series on Pilgrimages. In the second installment, Places I’ll Remember, Part 2, Boitano covered Vincent van Gogh’s final days in Auvers-sur-Oise, the Leaning Bell Tower of Pisa and Princess Grace in Monaco. Still quarantined at home in Southern California, Boitano is doing even more reminiscing these days.
Johann Chrysostom Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791) could read and compose music, plus play the violin and piano, when he was five years old. Born into a musical family in Salzburg, Austria (then the Holy Roman Empire), he had a unique ability for imitating music, which first became evident when he recited a musical piece by simply observing his father conducting a lesson to his older sister.
Like all of Norway, the citizens of Bergen have an unique bond with nature. Bergen and the surrounding area offer a wide range of sports and recreational activities. Bergen’s seven mountains feature many opportunities for hikes, walks and even guided horseback rides. Bergen is the “Gateway to the Fjords of Norway.”