Fjørdgasm: Norway on the half shell

The hole in Torghatten isn't the cute little pinhole at all that you see on postcards and tourism sites. Once you get up there you'll find it's a cavern. In contrast to the rounded shape of the mountain it pierces, it's all ragged edges and looks as if it were hammered out in a fit of massive troll violence. It's a cold, blustery day out there. We're about to have a miserable night and curse our tent to Hell, but we don't know that yet. Mia is bundled up in weatherproof bibs and a raincoat and isn't fazed at all. Our first setback was when we arrived at the campground and found out I was wrong: They don't have pots and pans. Kitchen, yes, but nothing to cook with. We'd decided to save space and not bring any because I was convinced campground kitchens would have at least something, just like the cabins do. Nope. They were none to friendly about it, either. The only campground out there at the mountain is also a high-end r...

I'm flooded as the Vennesund ferry shudders and sets out from the dock at Holm. My dad had an almost religious reverence for Helgeland, the stretch of coast from here to the Arctic Circle, and I'm overwhelmed. Maybe it's just me. Who knows. Childhood perceptions imbue all sorts of things with an importance they may never have had, but it is what it is. In my mind this is a place that meant something to my dad, so that's what's coming back to me. It's also why we're here. Helgeland is a detour, but we're taking it for everyone else to see Torghatten and for my own selfish reasons, to retread old paths. We took this trip, our family, when I was maybe 9, or 10 — 11? Who remembers these things? We'd wrap ourselves in my dad's pillowy Citroën and head from Hokksund to Lofoten in the summer. That one year we took a detour to Torghatten, and as I remember it my dad walked on air the entire time. So now, on the deck of the ferry, I'...

Traveling to Norway with kids? Prepare them: They're going to have to help tidy up, or you'll never get anywhere. Today, we pack up and get Reidar's rorbu sorted, then point the White Whale north for Trondheim and beyond. We don't know this yet, but when we get there, we'll find out why you should bring your own cookware when traveling in Norway. Here's the deal when you rent a place in Norway , whether it's a hytte or an apartment: You clean up after yourself, unless otherwise specified. Hotels don't require that, of course, and some AirBnB or VRBO rentals will include cleaning in the rate. This is something Norwegians take seriously. It's not just a matter of rules but personal responsibility and integrity. Leaving a place without cleaning it up is shameful . Now to explain that to the offspring … getting kids to (a) get out of bed, (b) pack up their stuff, (c) help tidy up, and (d) do all of the above in a timely manner so we can get the he...

You know how fast food looks so much better in the ad than on your plate? Well, travel delivers a lot of similar experiences. That's Ålesund as showcased on visitnorway.com . And that's me on an overcast, drizzly day in actual Ålesund. Our last day on Bukkholmen, our island in Langevåg, across the fjord, starts out grey, so we make for shore in our little boat and pile in the car for a trip to picturesque Ålesund, the famous Art Nouveau town. I'd built up the trip for months with tourist photos of the colorful Jugendstil architecture. The girls no doubt were imagining themselves sipping expertly made capuccino in immaculately Euro-stylish coffee shops, watching cosmopolitan Euro-sophisticates glide past. I was more concerned about finding a parking spot, and also not putting dings in our brand new car. Space in Norwegian cities and towns like Ålesund is tight , don't you know. When we finally made our way into a parking garage, after a lot of traf...

Random notes & travel tips! So you plan on travelling Norway (only the only the fourth most expensive country to visit !) on one or two shoestrings , which means you're going to avoid eating out and instead rely on supermarkets. At this point you may be wondering to yourself, what kinds of exotic foodstuffs will I need to sort through to feed myself? How will I know what everything is? Is it going to be a bunch of weird stuff with names like out of the Ikea catalog? Wikipedia Don't worry, it's not shelf upon shelf of Lutefisk and fermented trout. Most of what you see will be perfectly familiar. We'll get you through this. Let's start with the most Norwegian of Norwegian staples: Brød . Bread! ButikkDesign Norge AS Understand this. Internalize this. Norwegians live on bread. Bread is the default meal. Breakfast? Bread. Lunch? Bread. (Eating out … don't be effete, you urban elite, you.) Dinner? Maybe something else. Late-night snack? Bread. The ur...

We abandoned one child halfway up the mountain, and one of the other almost froze. It all worked out in the end, though: We'd brought chocolate, bunny , and a blanket. Goats also made it better. The reward was stunning coastal landscapes; soaring, windswept cliffs; and puffins at the very edge of the vast Atlantic. The drive from Ålesund to Fugleøya Runde — Runde Bird Island — takes you across Sulafjorden on the ferry to Hareid and then island hops its windy way across stone causeways and sweeping bridges. Small farms, pastures, and clusters of houses dot the surprisingly green and lush coastline. Think you need to see the Atlantic Road? No, you don't: The drive to Runde is every bit as good. It also comes with a hike to a bird sanctuary and is nowhere near thronged with other tourists. Not a tour bus in sight the entire trip. It's a blustery day, as befits this ruggedized landscape and the defiant village of Goksøyr. If you close your eyes ...