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17 tips for 5 Norwegian cities
On the 17th of May 1814, the Constitution of Norway was signed, declaring the country as an independent kingdom. On the 17th of May 2000, an elderly assassin positioned himself at the Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel in Oslo in an unsuccessful attempt to assassinate Norway’s Crown Prince. Of course, this only happened in Jo Nesbø’s crime novel ‘Rødstrupe’ (‘The Redbreast’). The 17th of May, known as Syttende Mai (Seventeenth May) or Nasjonaldagen (National Day), is a day of national pride and festivities. Across the country, the streets are filled with people of all ages dressed in festive attire and celebrating. Having travelled to Norway many times in the last few…
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How to spend 24 hours in Ålesund
Exactly a year ago, I was ready for my trip to Norway. I had already planned my itinerary, booked my flights, hotels and train tickets, and I was looking forward to returning to the country I’d last visited 20 years prior. Of course, I had wanted to visit Oslo and Bergen again, but Ålesund was the city I was most excited about. And, it certainly lived up to my expectations; the two days I spent there was the highlight of my week in Norway. This beautiful port town on the west coast of Norway may not be the most famous city in the country, but it’s the birthplace…
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Fjords & Jazz: Explore Norway in 9 days
23rd of June 1998. I first set foot on Norway exactly 20 years ago. This was the day that Norway beat Brazil in the World Cup. It was also the day that the critically-acclaimed music video for Madonna’s ‘Ray of Light’, directed by the Swedish Jonas Åkerlund, was released on VHS only to become the best-selling video singles of the Nielsen SoundScan era. It was almost midnight when I first watched the iconic video on MTV, high-speed images of Madonna dancing, whilst Norwegians were celebrating all over Oslo. Outside, there was still daylight. Madonna’s iconic ‘Ray of Light’ directed by Jonas Åkerlund. 20 years on, I am still…