Norway is full of incredible sights, on this episode I’ll show you 9 of them you’ll
want to add to your bucket list.
First up we have Trollstigen. Being a part of Norwegian County Road 63 that connects
the town of Åndalsnes in Rauma and the village of Valldal is this serpentine road up the
side of the mountain. This is a popular tourist attraction due to its steep incline of 10%
and eleven hairpin bends up a steep mountainside. During the top tourist season, about 2,500
vehicles pass daily. Over 150,000 vehicles traverse this road every season. The road
is narrow with many sharp bends, some have been widened in recent years, long vehicles
are prohibited from driving the road. During the 2011 and 2012 seasons, buses were temporarily
allowed as a trial. At 2,300 feet or 700-meters there is a plateau and a car park and several
viewing balconies that overlook the bends and the Stigfossen waterfall.
Trollstigen is closed during late autumn and winter. A normal operating season stretches
from mid-May to October, but may sometimes be shorter or longer due to weather conditions.
It was opened on 31 July 1936, by King Haakon VII after eight years of construction. A major
tourist facility including a restaurant was completed in 2012 and several viewing platforms
have been constructed.
The Lofoten is an archipelago or cluster of islands off the coast of Norway with very
distinctive scenery. These dramatic mountains and peaks, sheltered bays, beaches, open sea
and untouched land lie just within the arctic circle. Svolvaer the capital and largest town
is one of the world’s most northern populated regions.
Lofoten, derived from an old Norse word, evidence of human settlements at archeological sites
date back 11,000 years. The town of Vagan is the first known town formation in northern
Norway. This town has existed since the early Viking age. For more than a 1000 years these
islands have been the center of the great cod fisheries. Today these islands attract
over 1 million tourists annually.
The largest settlement on the island of Svalbard,
this island way up here above mainland Norway is home to 2100 people. This is the world’s
most northern settlement over 1000 people which started off as a mining operation in
1906. Mostly destroyed by the Germans in 1943 only 4 buildings survived. The hospital, power
station, an office building and a residential tower. It was rebuilt afterward but the mining
operations mostly moved away from the island by the 1990s. In more recent years the town
has seen a boost in tourism and research operations.
The pulpit rock or Preikestolen is a steep cliff that rises 1,982 ft or 604 meters above
the Lysefjorden. Atop the cliff, there is an almost flat top which makes for killer
photos. A popular tourist attraction over 200,000 people visit it every year including
base jumpers who leap off this cliff and parachute to the bottom. The trek to the top is a 2.4
mile or 3.8 km hike which leads out to a vertical cliff overlooking the fjord. This rock formation
was likely created by the expansion of ice 10,000 years ago. Water would have froze,
expanded and broke off sections of the rock creating this vertical cliff. A well-known
landmark for some time the first tourist climbed to the top in 1900 which is when it became
a tourist attraction.
Fed by the Jostedalsbreen and Tindefjellbreen glaciers this majestic lake is beautiful and
deadly. Landslides into the lake from mount Ramnefjellet caused two major tsunamis in
1905 and 1936, killing 64 and 71 people respectively, and resulting in the depopulation of the area.
The northern lights or the aurora borealis occurs when solar charged particles are hurled
from storms on the sun, when these particles collide with earth’s atmosphere they release
a particle of light creating the northern lights. Now that is an incredible watered-down
version of how it works, any scientists out there are welcome to write a more detailed
description in the comments below. Multiple different colors can be produced during the
northern lights such as yellow or green from oxygen or blue or purple light from nitrogen.
Originally proposed as a railway line in the early 20th century, it was decided in 1935
a road and not a railway would be built. Work on this set of bridges was shelved until the
Atlantic ocean road was officially planned in the 1970s with construction starting in
1983. Opening in 1989 at a cost of 14 million dollars, this road has become popular in car
commercials and was declared the world’s best road trip. It was awarded the title as
Norweigan construction of the century. This 5.2 mile or 8.3-kilometer long section of
County Road 64 connects many islands of the archipelago which crosses 8 bridges, has 4
viewpoints and multiple restaurants and businesses along the way like scuba diving resorts. While
one of the most scenic roads in the world, it is also one the most dangerous. In bad
weather, visibility can drop to almost nothing with massive wind gusts and huge waves crashing
over the road. During it’s construction it was hit with 12 European windstorms. This
road was initially tolled until it was paid off after 15 years to which the toll was removed.
Located in the middle of norway is Jotunheimen national park. Home to 250 peaks and endless
natural wonders, this park is full or rugged beauty, lakes and glaciers. Jotunheimen translates
to home of the giants but that’s not all it’s home to, wolverine, lynx, deer, elk,
and fish. Bergen Norway is a city on the southwestern
coast of norway. Surrounded by mountains and fjords, including Sognefjor the country’s
longest and deepest this city has a population over 400,00 thousand if you are looking for
the city amenities with close access to the world class nature of Norway. Within the city
of Bergen is Bryggen, UNESCO world heritage site. This old dock or quay is what’s left
from this original establishment in 1070. Parts of Bryggen were destroyed in a fire
in 1955 but many of the buildings stand today. Along the northwest coast of the large island
of Senja is a town Mefjordvaer. This town of 179 residents primarily exists as a fishing
community. Rich in natural beauty with many trails and mountains to climb this area is
a true outdoor lovers paradise.
This remote town offers more views of the ocean, iconic buildings like the airport here.
Which one of these sights will be added to your bucket list?
Now it’s time for this episode’s riddle the previous answer was pasture fence. Now
see if you can get this one “What belongs to you, but other people use it more than
you?”
Post your guesses down below and why not check out another video here and until the next
one have a good one.