Norway
Holmen

Discover travel destinations of travelers writing a travel journal on FindPenguins.
Travelers at this place
    • Day 7

      Balestrand, Norway

      August 12, 2023 in Norway ⋅ ⛅ 61 °F

      What we did:
      - Slept in again! S/O life with no work or responsibilities
      - Trent took “the most scenic jog of his life” although he spent more time taking pictures than running
      - Day 3 of the Road-trip meandering through more fjords and beautiful landscape, including a nice two-hour hike to Briksdalsbreen glacier
      - Decided we are out on the long 15 minute Norwegian tunnels due to highway hypnosis and claustrophobia
      - After dinner grabbed our Rignes beers and hung by the harbor enjoying the views! Capped by a nice FaceTime from Mom/Helen and Claire from the Macy’s dressing room

      What we ate:
      - No shock here - granola bars and PB&J!
      - Snack of freshly picked raspberries. Easily best ones we’ve ever had as they were huge juicy and fresh. Norway grows a TON of berries in the summer and we saw the vines everywhere.
      - Dinner of Norwegian meatballs in lingonberry sauce and fresh salmon. Finally fitting in with the locals

      Fun facts:
      - Sognefjord (what Balestrand overlooks) is the 2nd largest worldwide fjord behind one in Greenland
      - Longest tunnel in the world is outside of Oslo at a shocking 15 miles. They had to put in four rest areas and colored lights to help the drivers
      - Most vacationer's lodging is just rented vans/small cabins alongside the fjords so not many hotels and so seasonal, so that means minimal restaurant options
      - Fjords have sharks! But no great whites….yet
      Read more

    • Day 232

      At the 61st parallel

      July 18, 2016 in Norway ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

      Since we last wrote, we traveled from Sweden to Norway by train and have since been taking trains, buses, and ferries throughout this amazing country. We are so lucky to be joined by Nick's mom Cindy and stepdad Scott for this portion of the trip; they have really set up a fantastic tour for us all. So far we have been to Oslo, Stavanger, Bergen, and now Balestrand. Today we leave for Flam where we will spend a day before heading back to Oslo and then Stockholm. It's been a whirlwind trip in southern Norway, and there have already been many highlights including a ferry tour out of Stavanger with the opportunity to hike up to Pulpit Rock and exploring the beautiful Sognefjord by ferry.

      We can't talk about summer near the Arctic Circle without also talking about the famous midnight sun phenomenon. We can attest that there is very little nighttime here. There seem to be a few hours between 12:30 and 2 AM during which the sky does become completely dark, but the many hours of twilight before and after are extremely interesting, especially after being near the equator for so long where the sun sets pretty regularly around 7 PM. We had already noticed this in the Netherlands where dawn and dusk seemed to last for hours, but night there was more significant. Last night, between the cloud cover, reflected human lights (not extensive - these are small towns), and twilight from the sun and moon (which are out simultaneously for several hours), it was easily still light enough out at midnight to walk around without a flashlight. The drawback is no Northern Lights to check out. However, it is a really unique thing to see. As Nick described it, that moment of dusk where at home we would say "Okay, it'll be totally dark in 10 minutes; time to leave this park/head home/etc." lasts for hours and hours here. It's exciting to have so much extra natural light, but it actually has been disruptive to our ability to sleep on a regular schedule. We have learned just how much the daily cycle of the sun at home helps to regulate us. When we wake up and see light coming in through the window, we're conditioned to think it might be time to start waking up; here, it's only 2 or 3 AM. What a wild place.

      We cannot thank Cindy and Scott enough for meeting us here and taking us on this lovely tour. It has been awesome, and we expect the next few days to continue in the same manner! Shout out to Scott for taking some of the pictures for this post.
      Read more

    • Day 13

      Mittagessen bei Gekkens

      July 5, 2018 in Norway ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

      Wir gönnen uns ein warmes Mittagessen. Es schmeckt ausgezeichnet und die Bedienung super nett. Das kleine Restaurant ist ein Familienbetrieb. Innen auch total süß eingerichtet, sogar die Toilette!

    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Holmen

    Join us:

    FindPenguins for iOSFindPenguins for Android