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, Egypt’s great pyramids of Giza, 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.

Carved by the Hands of God

Gallivanting north on Norway’s western coast, the fjords were carved out in a succession of ice ages. When glaciers retreated approximately 12,000 years ago, plants soon appeared, animals thrived and humans eventually made their way into this spectacular, but remote, heaven on earth. Small fishing villages were established along with tiny sod roofed farmhouses which quietly dotted the landscape, some situated on mountains so steep that they required a ladder to ascend the terrain. Once tax collectors realized there were people living in this isolated region, they made an annual trek to the farms, only to find that many of the ladders had mysteriously disappeared. When the first tourists arrived – primarily the European aristocracy – who came to fish in this untouched paradise of crystal-clear waters, they were guaranteed all the fish they could carry. Word spread, and the fjords became the sportsperson’s paradise. Soon the rest of the world had heard about them.

HURTIGRUTEN:
“The World’s Most Beautiful Voyage.”

In 1891 Norwegian Coastal Voyage (now Hurtigruten) established a daily, year-round boat service along the western coast of Norway, with Bergen at the southern terminus and the Russian border at the north. With 34 ports of call, the coastal trek became a lifeline along the west coast of Norway, carrying cargo to isolated villages and farming communities. Tourism quickly became an important component of the voyages, giving people the opportunity to experience the fjord-filled coastline, Midnight Sun and the Northern Lights.

Travelers soon came in the thousands, making Norwegian Coastal Voyage one of Europe’s biggest attractions. On my four-day journey, I found that more than 60 percent of the tourists on the voyage were Norwegian. It was wonderful to travel with locals and see the county through their eyes, and the fact that it was a real working cargo vessel made the experience even more authentic. The vessel serves as an interesting hybrid of a working ship and tour boat, with all the comforts of spacious cabins, lounges and dining rooms overflowing with Scandinavian breakfast buffets, and regional Nordic meals for lunch and dinner. Dare I say I ate and learned with every bite. The journey also includes land tours by bus, which meet back with the vessel at future ports.

To understand the fjords is to understand the Norwegian character, whose national identity has been formed by its passionate bond with nature. When a Norwegian goes on vacation – an average of six-weeks a year – the destination of choice is usually the Norwegian countryside. Later, while sitting on the deck of my vessel under a Midnight Sun that refused to set, I asked a gentlemanly 70-something Norwegian passenger about his family’s vacation. He replied that his multi-generational family of fifteen congregates at their cabin further north for four-weeks, sans electricity and running water. He smiled when I inquired how they managed to fill the time. Fill the time! Why… we go hiking and fishing… and have grand family meals by a roaring bonfire… what can be better than that! The more I thought about it, the more I wished I too could disconnect in a similar setting in the countryside. Our conversation ended with a skål (toast) of aquavit – a potato-based snaps, considered Norway and the rest of Scandinavia’s national alcoholic beverage – in celebration of our good fortune on the voyage.

Bergen –  Gateway to the Fjords

Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway, founded in 1070 by King Olav Kyrre. Initially a small trading village, it was named Bjørgvin, ‘the green meadow among the mountains.’

At end of the 13th century Bergen’s status as a village of trade exploded when it became part of the Hanseatic League, a restrictive guild made-up of almost exclusively Germans. Bergen enjoyed protective rights to mediate trade between Northern Norway, receiving fish products and sending back oats in return. During the Hanseatic League’s peak of power, the guild had a monopoly over trade in the North and Baltic seas. Though “designed” for mutual commercial interests, such as protection against piracy and non-guild members, the German traders were endowed with almost unsurpassed treatment with duty-free trade and diplomatic privileges, complete with their own armies for mutual defense and aid.

Bergen’s Norwegian locals, though, were considered second-class citizens by the Hanseatic Germans, and were reduced to menial laborers, maids and servants, modest shopkeepers and backbreaking longshoremen. Some of the city’s female population became “comfort women” for the amusement of the German traders.

Bergen served as Norway’s capital in the 13th century, until it was overtaken by Christiania (now known as Oslo). But the city today still continues as Norway’s busiest port, a remarkable destination for tourism, and with moniker, “gateway to the majestic fjords.”

And this is where your Hurtigrutenfjord experience will begin; but before you hop aboard the boat, it is essential that you spend at least two days in this World Heritage City. Bergen boasts endless tourist attractions, and the Bergen Tourist Card is an important component to your tour of this historic harbor town. The price allows you free or reduced-price admittance to the Bergen Art Museum, Fantoft Stave Church, harbor boat tour, Bergen Castle, and St Mary’s Church.

Time will allow a wandering through the harbor fish market and down the wooden streets of the former Hanseatic warehouse district. A fish buffet should be on everyone’s list for a sampling of Bergen’s world-famous fish soup, gravlaks (cured Atlantic salmon), fish cakes and hearty breads, all washed down with the city’s Hansa beer.

A Bergen Must: Edvard Grieg’s Troldhaugen

Despite his diminutive 5 ft frame, Norwegian composer Edvard Hagerup Grieg was a towering rock star long before the expression existed. Born into a successful Bergen merchant family in 1843, his life dramatically changed when violin virtuoso Ole Bull recognized his talent and introduced him to the treasures of Norwegian folk music. Grieg studied the masters abroad but dreamed of reprieves to his beloved Norwegian countryside – a pattern which continued after he became a world-renowned composer.

Grieg and his wife built a home on Lake Nordås on the edge of Bergen, which he called his best opus so far. Christened Troldhaugen, the Victorian villa became a centerpiece for Bergen’s artistic community and visiting dignitaries. But Grieg also required periods of peace and quiet to work and built a composer’s hut by the lake. Grieg died in 1907 of chronic exhaustion. But today his legacy lives on at Troldhaugen – nothing less than a living museum which consists of the Edvard Grieg Museum, the Villa, the Composer’s Hut, Recital Hall and Edvard Grieg´s tomb. My highpoint was a concert at the hall, which is discreetly built partially underground with a sod roof. The floor-to-ceiling windows behind the stage overlooks the composer’s hut where Grieg would work, superstitiously sitting on a stack of sheet music by Beethoven so that he could reach the piano. At the end of each day, he would leave a note: If anyone should break in here, please leave the musical scores, since they have no value to anyone except Edvard Grieg.

DESTINATIONS ON YOUR VOYAGE

Trondheim – City of the Viking King

Trondheim is Norway’s third largest city and once served as the country’s first capital. Two millenniums ago, Viking King Olav Tryggvason sailed up the Trondheimsfjorden in his five longships and gave birth to the inlet’s name, and, most importantly, led the conversion of the Viking Norse to Christianity. The centerpiece of Trondheim’s greatest tourist attraction is St. Olav Catholic Church, built on the site of his own grave. Numerous kings of the middle-ages have found their final resting place in Trondheim, and the city continues to gain popularity as one of Europe’s most important medieval pilgrimage centers.

With time permitting make a stop at the Trøndelag Folk Museum, an open-air museum dating back to 1909. The museum showcases the various building traditions, with 80 vintage structures on display, ranging from wooden huts to city mansions, including the reconstructed Haltdalen Stave Church.

LOFOTEN ISLANDS – And Lutefisk

Located within the Arctic Circle, no words can do justice to the Lofoten Islands’ breathtaking archipelago, a life-reaffirming array of mountainous villages and white sand, often connected by ornate bridges. With Its inlets of little villages, sheltered by mountain peaks pirouetting out of the sea, you’ll witness why fishing has long been the very foundation of life in the islands.

While on the deck of a Hurtigruten vessel, overlooking a Lofoten fishing village, I overheard an American passenger ask a Lofoten local what those things were hanging on stilts. The Norwegian replied that it was air-dried cod for making Lutefisk. The American exclaimed, And the birds don’t eat it? The Norwegian man shrugged, No, for some reason they don’t seem to like it.  

Everyone of Scandinavian heritage knows of Lutefisk (pronounced lou-tah-fisk), but, outside the Norse world and its emigrants, few have actually eaten it. Lutefisk is a traditional Nordic food of dried cod or stockfish, prepared in lye. It is soaked in cold water for five to six days (changed daily). It is then soaked in an unchanged solution of cold water and lye for an additional two days. When this treatment is finished, a final treatment of yet another four to six days of soaking in cold water (also changed daily) is needed. Eventually, the Lutefisk is ready to be baked in the oven for 40-50 minutes. Today the dish is cherished by people of Norwegian ancestry throughout the globe as an essential Christmas season dish. And never forget about lefse, a large thin potato pancake served buttered and folded, which is even better with a slice of geitos, a processed brown goat cheese. But, for the contemporary Norwegian, Lutefisk is regarded as a common everyday dish from the past, and no longer appropriate for the Christmas Eve (Julaften) table – and now pinnekjøtt (lamb ribs) is the most popular Julaften dish in northwestern Norway, while ribbe (roast pork belly) leads the pack in the east.

Tromsø – Paris of the Arctic

Tromsø is the largest Nordic city north of the Arctic Circle, home to the world’s most northern university and cathedral, brewery, botanical garden and planetarium. Less than a century ago, visitors were surprised to find cultural and intellectual activity in a city so far to the north. Of all the destinations on my journey I found the residents of this city of 53,622 to be the most open and friendly in all of Norway. Look closely and you will see locations used in the original film, Insomnia, by Erik Skjoldbjærg (1997), far superior to the Hollywood remake. And you might notice post-WW II homes, built after Hitler attempted to burn the entire city down in fear that an Allied D-Day invasion might commence in the Norwegian north.

The Sámi –  Scandinavia’s Aborigines

My knowledge of the Sámi People was limited and underfed, with only a vague recollection that they were nomadic reindeer (caribou in North America) herders based somewhere in northern Norway. This changed upon spending four-hours in the Tromsø Museum, which houses more than 2,000 Sámi artifacts, and offers a direct insight into their unique culture and way of life.

The Sámi have been living in the Northern Arctic and sub-arctic Nordic regions (and Russia) since prehistoric times, long before the name “Viking” existed. Though Norway is considered one of the world’s most tolerant societies, this was initially not the case in the treatment of the Sámi – then referred to in the derogatory as “Lapps” – who faced soul-crunching discrimination, forced Norwegian cultural assimilation and found their traditional religion was condemned as witchcraft. Yet, due to forward-thinking Norwegians, the 2011 U.N. Racial Discrimination Committee and Sámi activists themselves, their treatment has dramatically improved where they can now maintain and develop their own language (60 words for snow), culture and way of life. The have their own style of dress, separate national identity, their own radio stations and are represented in the Norwegian parliament.

Many Sámi have become urbanites, generally living in the town of Karasjok, considered the Sámi capital. While others continue with the nomadic lifestyle of moving horizontally across the northern vertical borders of Norway, Sweden and Finland in search of new grazing ground for their herds of reindeer. I came out from the other side of the Tromsø Museum with a keen appreciation of the Sámi peoples’ unique culture and remarkable way of life.

My guide informed me that you can also camp in a traditional lavvu (tent) in the Sápmi Culture Park in Karasjok and interact with the gentle Sámi. He also noted that you’ll walk away with a better understanding of the Sámi’s deep relationship with the reindeer; the animal which plays the ultimate role in their way of life, providing milk, transportation, fur and food. Apparently, it’s not uncommon hear a traditional Sámi joik (song) at the park, which have passed from one generation to the next.

While you’re in the fjord’s, no doubt you’ll discover a few Stave Churches. Take your time and explore them. My personal pick is the church of Urnes (stavkirke), which stands in a natural setting in the Sognefjord. The church proved to be an outstanding example of traditional Scandinavian wooden architecture, a fusion of Viking art and Romanesque spatial structures.

A Bit More on Stave Churches

When Viking King Olav Tryggvason (now Olaf the Holy I) Christianized Norway in the year 1000, he established this new religion by the use of force — but also with Norse mythology as its foundation. Catholic missionaries transitioned the meaning of the pagan winter solstice of Yule as a Christian holiday to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Medieval Norwegians, now tamed Vikings, took their refined boat-building skills and constructed pine wooden churches with little more than an ax and wooden nails. The new Norwegian churches were called Stave Churches, supported by stout pine poles — or “staves” — and slathered with a protective coat of black tar. Pine wood was cheap and plentiful, and the Norseman soon stood solemnly in the Stave Churches’ dark rooms, with benches only for the aged and physically handicapped. With masses in Latin, that few could understand, it was critical to show former Viking pagans a similar value system; a fight between good and evil, illustrated with sculpted dragons and snakes standing for evil, which the Vikings used on their longships to fight evil with evil, dragon against dragon.

And it worked, with a rough estimate of 1,000 to 2,000 Stave Churches built between 1130 and 1350 throughout the Scandinavian world, which also included Russia.

But then, just when the Norwegian populace were barely Christianized, along came the 1517 Protestant Reformation. Catholic Stave Churches were met with groups of strict Protestant missionaries carrying burning torches. Some were pulled down, others transformed into Protestant parishes, ridding them of their sacred Catholic symbols, riches and mythologizes. It should be noted, though, that some Stave Churches crumbled due to rotting of pine poles built on soggy ground. But anything that reeked of Catholicism was destroyed, including the Roman Catholic Church’s celebration of the Mass of Christ. Keep in the mind that Christmas was not even a federal holiday in the U.S. until 1870, with President Ulysses S. Grant’s attempt to unite the North and South in the post-Civil War years.

Today, there are only 21 Stave Churches in existence throughout Norway. The few that remain are less of an elaborate construction, due to their former placement in the fjords and other remote outlying areas – areas that required too much time and travel to be destroyed.

On a personal note, color me as a man with a profound appreciation of Stave Churches; for my opinions are biased as my mother’s family name is Stave.

EPILOUGE

Norway’s quest for independence began in 1814, with the signing of a new constitution, but was forced into a union with Sweden as the dominant nation that lasted until the early 1990s. Prior to that, Denmark had held the reins on Norway for over 400 years. It was not until May 17, 1905, when Norway secured full independence, known as Constitution Day or Independence Day. The new Norway forged ahead, creating a liberal democracy and its own national identity devoid of an any interference from other nations and with a preference not to join the European Union. (a second Independence Day, though, was celebrated on May 8, 1945, when Norway was liberated after five years of occupation by Nazi forces.) Genuine Norwegianness was illustrated in folklore and fairytales (with happy endings), Norse mythology and Viking sagas, a written national language and the use of pine wood, and even voting for Norway’s first king. And, above all, Norway’s artists were embraced with the music of Grieg and Ole Bull; the plays of dramatist Henrik Ibsen (the world’s most popular playwriter after Shakespeare); the novels of Knud Knudsen; and the Expressionist paintings of Edvard Munch. Like the Republic of Ireland, Norway is nation who loves its artists.

In 2018, Norway was the world’s 14th biggest producer of oil and eighth biggest producer of natural gas, according to data from the US Energy Information Administration. The black gold is also the reason Norway’s 5.4 million inhabitants today have the world’s biggest sovereign wealth fund, worth $1.36 trillion (1.13 trillion euros). Despite the nation’s affluence, the Norwegian character is one of modesty, where the nation’s oil revenue is poured back into the economy allowing a higher standard of living for all citizens.

Yet, keen to present itself as a role model with its efforts to fight deforestation in the tropics and a world leader in electric car sales, the Scandinavian country aims to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 55 percent by 2030, and to almost nothing by 2050.

But it is regularly criticized for the CO2 emissions generated abroad by the oil it exports.

While Norway cites the need for a “green transition,” it still relies heavily on oil and gas revenues for its public finances, trade balance (accounting for 42 percent of exports of goods), employment (more than 200,000 jobs are either directly or indirectly linked to the sector) and, most importantly, to keep rural Norway populated.  Norway is nothing less than the world’s greatest planned nation. 

HOW TO GET THERE

Scandinavian Airlines

Hurtigruten.us

VisitNorway.com/us

The post Norway’s Fjords: God’s Gift to the World appeared first on Traveling Archive.

Welcome to the T-Boy Society of Film and Music’s latest poll, devoted to members’ top Bucket List destinations. To be honest, I thought our well-traveled group had been everywhere, and was delighted to read their informative selections, many of which I will add to my own list. Their selections were akin to Willie Mays naming his favorite baseball teams, Aristotle’s selection of most esteemed philosophers, and Frank Lloyd Wright choosing his top (non-Frank Lloyd Wright, that is) architectural wonders. As always, it was great fun, plus I learned a lot. I hope you feel the same way. So, here it is: the T-Boy Society of Film and Music’s most sought after Bucket List destinations. — EB

Ed Boitano – T-Boy editor:

• Provence, France – To walk the trails of Cézanne, Renoir, van Gogh and experience the intoxicating  light and colors where they, along with an array of other legendary Impressionists and Post-Impressionists, found inspiration.
• Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, Montana & Idaho – To give thanks to Scotsman, John Muir,  “Father of the National Parks.”
• Iceland – Thingvellir is the home of Iceland’s annual parliament, dating back to the time of the Vikings, from 930 AD to 1798 AD. Now a National Park, the site marks the crest of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and the boundary between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. Thingvellir represents the founding of Iceland as a nation, where its first parliamentary proceedings laid the groundwork for a common cultural heritage and national identity.
• Hadrian’s Wall, Northern England – The largest Roman archaeological feature in Britain, where you can walk along the adjoining 73 miles of Hadrian’s Wall Path.
• Calais, France – During the Hundred Years’ War, an eleven-month English siege trapped Calais’ starving citizens behind its fortified walls. A deal was struck where Calais’ most prominent six nobles would offer their lives to save those of the city. In 1889 Auguste Rodin created a bronze cast entitled The Burghers of Calais to commemorate the heroic event, emphasizing the pained expressions, anguish and fatalism of the six men about to be executed. There are eleven other casts and endless copies, but to see the first one among the people of Calais, with possibly the White Cliffs of Dover in the distance, must be something to behold.

Richard Carroll – T-Boy writer:

• Tel Aviv – A dynamic city with incredible dining opportunities, award-winning chef’s, and noted as the World’s Vegan Capital, has a growing wine industry, and a vital nightlife, Tel Aviv is a top destination on my Bucket List with the other four a close second.
• Buenos Aires – Passionate and alive and where border-to-border tango rules, the city sits on a tango C chord creating a feel-good destination where dancing lifts the spirits, and a guitar riff brings smiles all around.
• French canals and rivers – A barge cruise on French canals is the glorious opportunity to experience the beauty, history and antiquity of France via historic waterways that Napoleon constructed. Barging is an inside look at a country with beauty to share.
• Porto – A view city overlooking the Douro River with the historic center a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and a Portuguese National Monument, is a step back to another era. The Douro Valley is brimming with wineries and wine tasting opportunities. I’ve also found that the Portuguese are among the world’s friendliest people along with Fiji, Ireland and Mexico.
• Santiago de Compostela – The northern Spanish city is the final destination of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage or the Way of St. James, dating to Medieval Times. Zona Vella or Old Town highlighted by the Cathedral which dates to the ninth century, is considered among the most beautiful buildings in Europe.

Brent Campbell – Musician and composer:

• Trans-Siberian Railway, Russia – Moscow to Vladivostok.
• Vietnam
• Former Soviet Republics – A driving trip through Eastern Europe, maybe start by taking overseas delivery of a new Audi in Germany.
• Remote South Pacific Islands – Samoa, Fiji, Tonga, Cook Islands.
• Mozambique

Richard Frisbie – T-Boy writer:

• Tahiti

As a voracious reader in my boyhood I consumed everything I could on the South Pacific, from Thor Heyerdahl to Robert Louis Stevenson. As a young teen I was hooked on the prurience of Gauguin’s voluptuous South Sea paintings. Later in life I found a new author that pinpointed Tahiti for me as my ultimate destination – Robert Dean Frisbie – my distant cousin. He was gassed in WWI. After the war ended, for medical reasons he decided to live, love, and write in the South Pacific. After moving to Tahiti in 1920 he established the South Seas News and Pictorial Syndicate and began sending stories back to the U.S. for publication. He sailed throughout Polynesia and sired many children, supplementing his disability pension with jobs for trading companies where he was sometimes the only white person on the island. He died the month after I was born. I’ve always wanted to go to Tahiti to see how much it has changed over the years, and look up some long lost Tahitian cousins.

His titles include:

• The Book of Puka-Puka (A Lone Trader on a South Sea Atoll) (1929)
• My Tahiti (1937)
• Mr. Moonlight’s Island (1939)
• The Island of Desire (The Story of a South Sea Trader) (1944)
• Amaru: A Romance of the South Seas (1945)
• Dawn Sails North (published posthumously in 1949)

Rourke – Musician & composer:

Destinations inspired by these movies:

• Champs-Élysées, Paris (Breathless)
• Havana, Cuba (Godfather 2)
• Ischia, Italy (Talented Mr. Ripley)
• Tokyo (Lost in Translation)
• Salzburg, Austria (Sound of Music)

James Boitano – T-Boy writer:

• Greenland
• French Polynesia 
• Portugal
• Newfoundland, Canada
• Cabo Verde, central Atlantic Ocean, Republic of Cabo Verde

Ringo Boitano – T-Boy Writer:

• Temple Mount Sifting Project, Old City of Jerusalem – An ancient  guarded complex, venerated as a holy site for the monotheistic religions of Islam, Judaism and Christianity. My dream: to participate in the Temple Mount Sifting Project where one collects buckets of earth, rinses with water and then hopefully discovers an artifact that might have important religious and archaeological significance.
• Montmartre, Paris – A return for a third visit, but this time to explore its rich history of struggling painters & writers, little working-class homes & windmills, cafes & cabarets, and Montmartre Cemetery &  Musée de Montmartre.
• Mississippi Delta – Robert Johnson and where it all began.
• The Philippines – To understand its culture and see the beauty of its 7,100 islands.
• New Zealand – Often on a group press trip, civilians will address our team with, What is your favorite place to travel? It is a question that I would ask. Many fellow journalist would enthusiastically reply, New Zealand! Then followed by descriptions of its diversity: rolling green hills, breathtaking fjords, temperate rainforests and an unique Māori culture all packed into an accessible 103,798 square miles.  And that is why this small island nation of 4.84 million people is on my Bucket List.  Plus, I’d like to shake hands with PM Jacinda Ardern.

Greg Aragon – T-Boy writer:

• A cruise down the Amazon River – The mighty Amazon is the largest river in the world by the amount of water discharged and the second longest river in the world. Since boyhood I have dreamed about taking a boat down this legendary waterway to explore and experience lush jungles and forests, fascinating local peoples, exotic animals such as piranha, pink dolphins, sloths, monkeys and giant snakes, and  more.
• The Great Pyramid of Giza – As the oldest and largest of the three pyramids in the Giza pyramid complex in Cairo, Egypt, the The Great Pyramid of Giza is one of the ancient Seven Wonders of the World. The incredible structure, built more than 4,500 years ago, stands nearly 500 ft tall. While here I can also get a glimpse of the Sphynx!
• The Summit of Mt. Kilaminjaro – It might be a pipe dream, but I’ve always wanted to climb to the 19,341-foot summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro. I know it would take an incredible amount of determination, preparation and training, but the long 9-day journey up to the very top of Africa is on my travel bucket list.
• An African Safari – Another African dream of mine is to take a real-life safari. I want to ride in a rugged four-wheeler and get up-close to elephants, lions, gorillas, rhinos, hippos and more. I want to sleep in a modern, mobile tent beneath the stars.
• A Cruise to Antarctica – A cruise to the ice-capped bottom of the world has always been a dream of mine. Here, in one of the most remote places on earth, I would love to cruise across the Drake Passage from the tip of South America to see penguins, killer whales and elephant seals in their natural, freezing habitat. I would love to sit aboard a ship and watch immense glaciers drift past in icy waters.

Jim Gordon – Co-host & co-producer Travel Guys TV:

• Berlin, Germany (must film there one day)
• Lake Como/Lombardy Region of Italy (you’ve got us there, Ed)
• Stockholm, Sweden (Copenhagen, Denmark would also be included on that trip)
• Warsaw, Poland
• Lake District of England/Wales (been near and at times all around these ones)

Tom Weber – T-Boy writer:

• Havana, Cuba
• Taj Mahal, Agra, India
• Petra, Jordan
• Etosha and Skeleton Coast, Namibia
• Okavango Delta, Botswana

Fyllis Hockman – T-Boy writer:

• Scandinavia – because I’ve never been and the fjords are calling to me.
• Another Safari – because I have been and it wasn’t enough.
• China – because my husband, after 10 trips (I’ve only been 4), wants to go back just one more time (but probably not now…).
• Wyoming – because it’s Wyoming.
• Yellowstone and Yosemite National Parks – because everyone should at least once – and I haven’t.

Weave Cleveland – Cinematographer Travel Guys TV:

• A one week drive through Quebec’s Eastern Townships – In the ’80’s I spent a few days in a place called North Hatley, Quebec and I thought I was in the most enchanted place ever. There has to be more to experience there. It’s a must to explore further.
• Suriname – I was invited to come here and never embraced it. Now I am curious.
• Savannah, Georgia – Friends have told me to go to Charleston, SC, but after seeing Clint Eastwood’s Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil, I have never stopped thinking about this destination. The architecture , the cuisine, I must go visit this town.
• Uruguay – I have learned that it has one the best standards of living on the planet. A very low unemployment rate. Plus I like soccer and they like soccer.
• Erie, Pennsylvania – Because I secretly have a crush on a girl there.

T. E. Mattox – T-Boy music critic:

• Machu Picchu – I have always been fascinated by the Incas and would love to make this trek. The mountain panoramas around these ruins are breathtaking.
• Aurora Borealis – The thought of exploring the Northern-most realms and experiencing the ‘lights’ has been a life-long desire since I learned of them. One day.
• Mississippi Blues Highway – This is my most personal destination. I’ve done it once, but traveling down Highway 61 from Memphis to New Orleans, there are so many back roads to take, juke joints and roadhouses to explore that it will require a much longer vacation next time. And there will be a next time!
• Yellowstone National Park – I want to see more of our country’s beauty before it disappears. At the rate protections are dissolving I’m afraid I may not have that chance.
• French Polynesia – Have you seen the photos? Snow white sandy beaches, palm trees forever and clear, sky blue water. Who doesn’t want to experience that?

Allan Smith – Artist & T-Boy writer:

• All the Standing Stones in Brittany (Bretagne) and Great Britain
• Loire River, on a luxury cruise ship, (if Covid ever disappears)
• Paris, again. (first visited in 1972)
• And, last, but not least, if I ever go to China again, the Karst formations in Guilin

Deb Roskamp – T-Boy photographer & writer: 

• Tanzania – Mt. Kilimanjaro, Lake Victoria, the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Zanzibar island, Swahili culture, the Maasai tribe… the names alone conjure up such vivid imagery!  Definitely at the top of my list.
• French Riviera – Do a house swap for a month to stay anywhere along the French Riviera and explore all the villages.
• Galapagos Islands, Ecuador – Cruise the Galapagos Island.
• McNeil River Game Sanctuary, North End of Alaska Peninsula – To see bears catching fish in the river.
• The Ahwahnee Hotel,  Yosemite Valley, California – Stay at the Ahwahnee Hotel for a week in the winter.

Raoul Pascual – T-Boy co-founder, illustrator and art director:

• Italy – Rome, Venice, Florence (with my wife who has never been). Set up a caricature booth in Florence.
• Japan – Tokyo, Kyoto,
• Alaska – cruise
• Bible Land Tour – put the climate, the smell, the culture, the people, the feel of the distances between landmarks to all my Biblical studies
• Cebu Islands, Philippines – supposed to be better beaches than Hawaii plus underwater caves and hiking trails – a lot cheaper too.
• Road trip across America with whole family
• Submarine adventure ala National Geographic
• Sky dive
• Watch the Olympic Games live
• A blimp ride over Los Angeles
• Visit the moon

Skip Kaltenheuser – T-Boy writer:

• Kashmir – Some places I’d like to go to are off-limits, at least to my sensibility, because of internal political strife or potential international conflict. And in this case, the tensions are between nuclear powers, Pakistan, India and China. I hope they find a way to work it out and the whole region becomes travel friendly, I’ve heard its beauty is awesome.
• Palestine – I’d like to explore all of the Palestinian territories, in part because I’d like to see what’s is being done with US complicity. Maybe there’s too many poison pills for a viable Palestinian nation to take shape, ideally all those lands would become part of Israel, with Palestinians getting full citizenship and legally solid property rights. Dim prospects, alas.
• Vietnam – Once the part of the world I most wanted to avoid. In my military draft lottery Nixon was close but no cigar, so I never really had to make the tough decision over what I’d do. I did continue efforts to keep others from going into that dreaded insanity, but I was in the clear. Now Vietnam ranks high on my wish list. It’s most recent impressive accomplishment involves minimizing Covid-19 impacts.
• Morocco – I’ve wanted to go ever since I saw the Crosby, Hope and Lamour movie Road to Morroco, and of course Casablanca.
• Nicaragua – Friends have recently raved about the Aqua resort on the Emerald Coast. My last time through the country was traveling overland to South America in ’75. In a hurry, I didn’t get a chance to give the countryside a close look amid the lingering chaos from an earthquake and the Somoza regime’s corruption. I’d like to give it another chance and catch the beauty I missed, including some of what’s underwater.
• Tierra del Fuego – A law prof always posed the problem what if your client gets screwed and the perp absconds to Tierra del Fuego, so it’s singed into my mind. I’d like to see how all those miscreants in exile are doing, and also travel a bit up nearby regions of Chile and Argentina, which share the island at the end of the world.
• Cuba – This quasi-forbidden fruit remains on my wish list. Its history and culture are fascinating and I’d like to see it overcome its problems, some of which the US has exacerbated, and explore it before it changes too much.
• Thailand – I’ve been fascinated by the mystery novels by John Burdett, starting with Bangkok 8,  that wander about Bangkok’s underbelly. They’ve wet my appetite to explore the whole country.
• New Zealand – How could one not want to explore a beautiful country that so obviously has its act together?
• More of Africa – I was privileged to travel large swaths of the continent. I’d like to see more, including of the cultural mix and the wildlife. I was only briefly in Zimbabwe, long ago, on the way to Zambia to raft the river. The desperation was very unsettling. I hear both countries have great wildlife potentials, I hope they can pull their act together and end the corruption destroying that potential and eating the countries’ future.
• Canada – So much of it left to see, including in its far reaches. I’ve done hell-hiking. This tin man would like to do heli-skiing while he can still find the oil can.
• A more leisurely return to the Balkans – Years ago I supervised or observed elections in Bosnia and Macedonia, and took note of the beauty. I’d like to see how they’re faring now in, I hope, more relaxed circumstances, and more of the region generally.
• Explorations of the locales for the well-researched, atmospheric WWII espionage novels of Alan Furst. Though they often overlap in occupied France, they branch out to the whole European theater of the war, and would be great starting points for travel perspectives.
• Other than travel with my now young adult kids, my favorite travel pursuits have always included festivals, particularly Carnival across different cultures. I look forward to continuing that exploration, when crowds no longer generate health worries. Until then, road trips are moving up the list.

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1. Question: What are some of the “things” or activities that people in BERGEN do for fun?

Answer:

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  in the varied mountainous and forested terrain. Bergen is the “Gateway to the Fjords of Norway,” so a fjord cruise, boating expedition or kayak trek is popular for both locals and tourists. You can also explore Bergen on a Segway.

2. Question: What’s one thing the public probably does NOT know about BERGEN?

Answer:

That Bergen was the capital of Norway from 1200 to 1299 and was the largest city in Norway until 1830 (when Oslo took over as the biggest), and was one of the largest  and most important cities in Scandinavia and Northern Europe in the 15^th and 16^th century because of the trade of stock fish to the rest of Europe. The name of the city was Bjørgvin which means “the green meadow between mountains.”

3. Share some aspect of what BERGEN has contributed to the world.

Answer:

Bergen gave the world one of the greatest composers ever, Edvard Grieg. He was born in Bergen in 1843.

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