The crack sales team at Johnny-Sells.com travelled to scenic Norway for some well deserved rest & relaxation. Something drew us to Norway, and we weren't sure what it was. All travel is educational and we learned Johnny's ancient ancestors may have been Norwegian! Scroll down for more infomation.
Janet & Johnny about to embark on a boat trip through the fjords.
The train from the airport goes 130 miles per hour, but a one way ticket is $30.
We spent a lot of time on trains crossing southern Norway. We shared the trains with incredibly fit Norwegians who cross country skied the still plentiful snow of mid May.
Janet & Johnny at Kjosfossen waterfall near Myrdal, Norway.
Janet clowning around with a couple new friends, the trolls. Troll statues are in lots of tourist spots of Norway. But we didn't see any under bridges.
The view from our room at the Heimly Pensionat (hotel) in Flam.
The Heimly Hotel (in red) during a visit of the Queen Mary 2.
Geneologial discovery: It was in Flam, Norway that I came to the realizaton that my ancient ancestors may have been Norwegian!
My recent ancestors came to America from towns on the west coast of Ireland. This is just the sort of place that would be subject to Viking raids hundreds of years ago.
Conlisk is not your typical Irish sounding name. All my life, people mispronounced and misspelled my name. Conslick is a popular mistake. Conlisky for those more familiar with Polish names. And the Chicago Tribune used to send delivery bills to Cowlick.
Until I got to Norway. The friendly and helpful tourist information man in Flam, Norway heard my name and spelled it out correctly as if he had done it a thousand times before. Lots of words in Norway end in "isk". One of the big oil field that makes Norway one of the richest countries in the world is Ecofisk. Johnny Conlisk was in the land of the "isks"!
Therefore, I believe I am begat of the Vikings! That's my story and I'm sticking to it!
Fjords look like rivers, but they are actually places where the seawater has eaten into the rock for miles inland. The surrounding hills are 4000 feet high. The water is as deep as 1000 feet.
Bob and Olive are 2 characters from Australia on a marathon tour of Europe. Olive reminded Bob 5 times that it was Mother's day as our boat plied the scenic waters.
More Fjord scenery
We arrived in Bergen, Norway's ancient capital at 8PM. The sun gave no hint of setting.
The Bryggen (wharf), the ancient and historic part of Bergen.
High school graduates. They all wore red overalls, but these girls crawled on their hands and knees in front of the tourist filled sidewalk cafes as part of a graduation ritual.
More students
The top of the Floybannen funicular, a cable car that went straight up a thousand foot mountain. There is very, very little pollution considering the size of the Bergen.
Floibannen funicular cars. They look like regular trams in this photo, but they're going up a 60 degree incline.
She wasn't a troll, but I couldn't resist her blue eyes. Besides, taking her picture was free. Norway is VERY expensive. The Burger King restaurant in the Oslo Train station offered "Whopper" sandwiches for $14US! A tram ride across Oslo was $6.
The Thon Bryggen Hotel in Bergen (tall building, center) was adjacent to a military fort that dated from the 16th century and was heavily damaged in World War II. The Norwegian resistance to Fascist occupation is inspirational.
Back in Oslo, we visited Vigeland Park, which is dotted with nude sculptures of people in various fields of endeavor. The column is called "the Struggle of Man".
A friendly Norwegian took our picture in front of the National Theater, which features the works of Henrik Ibsen, Norway's most famous playwrite. The fountain behind us is filled with foam for some reason.
As we bid a fond farewell to Norway, some trolls wish us happy travels.
