Ferry from Oslo to Copenhagen-Scandinavia Part 4

Logistically speaking, Scandinavia provides wonderful (albeit super expensive) transportation inside each countries' borders and everything inbetween.  This is the ferry we sailed overnight from Oslo to Copenhagen.  Because Norway has very high taxes on certain goods, many of the Norwegians hop a ride to Denmark, where once away from the shore, duty-free shopping begins. 

The Most Beautiful Train Ride in the World - Scandinavia Part 3

'Norway in a Nutshell' claims the title "Most Beautiful Journey in the World" and I sincerely agree!  We begin the journey on the 8:11 train out of Oslo to Myrdal.  Here we change trains to the Flamsbana, the private train which will land us in Norway's Sognefjord.

 

 

Now the boat ride through the Sognefjord.  Beautiful blue skies, crystal clear waters, and happy Gallaghers glide where Vikings once ruled.  The landscape commands your respect.  The massive cliffs evoke fear while still softly whispering their secrets.  The meandering glass-like, still waters entice you to see what lies around the next corner.  My spirit beat in harmony with the ancient Viking's as we slid between narrow passage ways.  The message spoke of travel and adventure; Wunderlust.  I too, want to go a viking.

My favorite time of the day came at evening song, when the light receded but did not complete fade from the sky.  This is approaching the summer equinox when the days are at their longest.  Here the boys made a game of attempting to remain in the icy waters the longest and Joe and I sat back and took in the view from our apartment's balcony.

Scandinavia Part 1 - Viking Museum

Our history unit culminated!  This year's exploration of the Vikings and the Celts left us longing for more information on these ancient civilizations.  In Ireland last June, we got up close to our Celtic ancestors and this year we venture a little further north to Scandinavia.  Those brutal, yet poetic Norsemen hold delights and mythic lore that speak to my three young men.  This is the Vikingshiphuset in the Bygdoy neighborhood (greater Oslo) where we begin our field trip.  This impressive museum holds the best-preserved Viking long ships in existence.  The Oseberg ( 834 AD) ornately carved sailed on inland waters during festivals, but not in the open ocean.  The Gokstad ship (950 AD) is a practical working boat, capable of sailing the high seas.  It is just such a vessel that explorers like Eric the Red sailed fro Norway to Iceland to Greenland and then onto North America.