Norway

I'll be honest — I went to Norway primarily to see Flåm Railway, and it delivered beyond what any photo prepares you for. But the surrounding region surprised me just as much. Stavanger has a character I didn't anticipate, and wandering without a plan for an afternoon turned out to be one of the hig…

After a lot of research I thought I knew what to expect from Norway. Some things matched: Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock) is as spectacular as every review says, and Stavanger has a genuine energy I'd read about. The bacalao obsession is completely justified. What I wasn't prepared for: excellent hiking…

Lofoten Islands in Norway is extraordinary — the scale and history hit you immediately. But the experience around it has been thoroughly commercialised. Getting there, navigating the crowds, and dealing with persistent sellers around Ålesund centre made it more stressful than it should be. Away fro…

Did Norway on a shoestring for 18 days and it was absolutely manageable. Based in cheap guesthouses near Oslo centre and ate mostly at local spots — brunost from street stalls cost almost nothing and was better than anything in a tourist restaurant. Geirangerfjord has an entry fee but worth every p…

Norway is a genuinely beautiful and interesting place. Lofoten Islands is worth every superlative thrown at it. The rakfisk is legitimately excellent. midnight sun in summer gave the trip real depth. What I struggled with: the tourist infrastructure around the headline sites in Oslo is relentlessly…