Tag: https://www.visitnorway.com/

America, Countries, Europe, Flying, Sport

A tale of Lief, Erling and Transatlantic Norse power

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The Americans have never seen anything like it before, only they have… it’s a tale of Leif, Erling and Transatlantic Norse power.

Because, in truth, Leif Eriksson and the Vikings were the first settlers of North America.

Nearly 500 years before Christopher Columbus.

When the longboats made terra firma at L’Anse aux Meadowes in Newfoundland.

And made their way over the years, four million of them, to the Upper Midwest and the Pacific Northwest.

Mostly to Minnesota, the Dakotas, Wisconsin, Washington State and California.

The Norse Home Country

Were Norsemen: The Minnesota Vikings

Well, they’ve been joined, as we’ve all seen in the last month, by crewmen and women from the Old Country.

With the Norwegians giving the Scots a run for their money as the party people of this World Cup.

With their Viking-rooing, or Viking rowing crowd surge.

Even taking over escalators in Boston.

And those very same Scots taking to Norway as their adopted team.

Well, the nearest train station for Shetlanders is Bergen.

Row, row, row your boat

Boston the moves: Rowing the escalator

And while none got wet in its production apart from spilled lager.

Modern Norsemen did put their backs into it to row all the way across the Atlantic.

With 338 Norwegian supporters crossing the Atlantic on Norse Atlantic Airways’ longship to New York.

Of course, most of us don’t have that amount of time (and that’s our excuse) so we avail instead of their flights.

The stuff of legend

On a Viking and a prayer: Rowing in air

Norse have been putting on extra seats for Miami for their quarter-final match with England.

And we dare say that Norse flights will be in high demand for the final on Sunday, July 19 in New Jersey.

But here they are, should you be free for next Sunday, from £1,082 return Saturday to Monday.

 

 

Countries, Europe

Funky fjord cabins and I do the Math

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Mrs Campbell doubtless never imagined I’d get a grip on scalene quadrilaterals, but here they are… funky fjord cabins and I do the Math.

And equipped too now with the knowledge I’ve gleaned from my own little decorator’s go-to man George Clarke.

I’ve alighted on Panoramahyttene in the Norwegian fjords nominated for the Ahead design awards Europe next month.

That those clever Scandinavians are at the vanguard of architecture and interior design should come as no surprise.

But, here it’s Norwegian nuance that we are celebrating rather than Swedish IKEA minimalist ingenuity.

Shine a light on the fjords

Hit the heights: They provide rainbows

Panoramahyttene, in Sandhaland in the Haugesund region, amplifies the fjords’ unique shifting light and weather.

For a new layer to the experience.

Perched on the rocky edge above the sea, the cabins invite guests to see nature up close.

Extensions: Yes, the fjords

Elevated placement provides an unbroken 180-degree panorama.

With large windows on the front, sides and roof drawing the landscape into the interior.

Our shapeshifting pals have emphasised dark tones to frame the ever-changing light (obvs).

Window into nature

Great Outdoors: And ever-changing views

And, of course, you’ll be knocked out by the high panes, turning nature itself into the artwork. No television is needed.

Here, the 23ft window offers an uninterrupted, real-time view of Norway’s raw coastal drama.

Swell: In all weathers

All you interior designers out there will, of course, be familiar with the language and even speak like this.

Ice Age boulders scattered across the terrain, creating cabins that seem carved by time.

Sculptural yet subtle, luxurious yet low-impact, fully in tune with the landscape around them.

Book a cabin

Part of the furniture: You and your family

Architect Roald Bø explains: ‘Our goal was to let the architecture follow the rhythm of the terrain.

‘The cabins aren’t placed in nature, they’re part of it.’

The cabins come in at from NOK 330 per night.

Which accommodates a double bed and a loft with two full-sized beds and one at 170 cm, suitable for children.

A natural playground

Hot stuff: And cosy too

Of course, you’ll have a natural playground to revel in.

From scenic Skudeneshavn, with its white wooden buildings, harbour, and artisan cafes and restaurants, eight minutes away.

Hiking in Karmøyheiene (Karmøy Hills) and along the coast.

Syreneset Fort, with its wartime history, a nice bike ride from here.

Viking history at Avaldsnes and Visnes with its distinctive mining history.

While, there are myriad opportunities for fishing.

Haugesund Airport Karmøy is 15 minutes from central Haugesund, with flights to Oslo,