The Berkeley Guides:
Berkeley Guide to Europe:
Norway:
Background Information for
Norway
By Pete Craig and Aran Johnson
Norway's severe, dramatic landscape has left its mark on the Norwegians; with the power of nature constantly asserting itself, they are forced to adapt or die. An old man in a youth hostel reminisced about a couple who, after World War II, went north to hike. They set out for glacier territory and were never seen again. Recently their bodies were recovered: The glacier had spit their frozen carcasses into a lake. This wild land gives rise to countless similar stories of human frailty in the face of nature, as well as a fair share of fairy tales, most involving trolls who lurk about wreaking havoc on fishermen and farmers. The steep mountains and deep valleys have kept regions isolated from each other, resulting in a number of cultural and language variations.
Norwegians learn early that their country is unusual: School lessons insist that the sun rises every day in the east and sets in the west, but they live through perpetually dark arctic winters and long summer days when the sun doesn't set at all. They meet the severe climate head-on, indulging regularly in outdoor sports from skiing (a Norwegian word) to hiking, biking, and climbing. Families regularly trek to mountain hytter (cabins), and many own heavy-duty hiking boots unheard of in America.
Summer is the most popular time to visit Norway; days are long, hostels are open, and transportation is beefed up. But Norway in winter is a wonderland of snow-covered mountains glowing under the northern lights, and few tourists are around to get in your way. The Gulf Stream, which flows along the Norwegian coast, keeps the weather surprisingly mild for such a high latitude. May and September are also great times to visit, although public transportation is sporadic.
The Norwegians' best-known ancestors were the Vikings, an unruly bunch of merchants and explorers who terrorized Europe during the 9th century and landed on the American continent long before Columbus took his first breath. By the 11th century St. Olav, a Viking king, had introduced Christianity to his red-blooded, pagan subjects; and it was shortly afterward that many of Norway's stave churches, lavishly decorated with dragon heads and icons from Viking mythology, were built. Norway has spawned a number of modern-day adventurers as well: Roald Amundsen was the first man to reach the South Pole, and Thor Heyerdahl, of Kon Tiki fame, sailed across the Pacific and Atlantic oceans in reconstructions of early balsa-and-reed rafts to lend credence to his migration theories.
Norway has been part of Denmark and Sweden, but the country gained its independence in 1905 and has guarded it fiercely ever since. Hitler's army invaded in 1940 and began an occupation that would last five years, but Norwegian resistance was strong throughout. In 1945 the Germans surrendered, Norwegian Nazi leader Vidkun Quisling was executed, and King Håkon VII's exiled Norwegian government triumphantly returned. Modern Norway has a constitutional monarchy similar to Britain's. The current prime minister, Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland, has been at the forefront of the world environmental movement and is one of Europe's most progressive leaders. But her nation now finds itself at a pivotal moment in its history. After waiting so long to finally gain independence, Norway is resisting membership in the European Union, a controversial stance that is far from being completely resolved.
With growing global recognition, partially due to its superb handling of the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, and continuing economic strength fueled by large North Sea oil reserves, Norway is currently enjoying a period of very public success. One of the drawbacks of this, however, is that travelers are forced to pay through the nose to enjoy the fruits of Norway's prosperity. Luckily, the first glimpse of the fjords is usually enough to make visitors forget how quickly the kroner are flying out of their pockets.
|
