Norse Mythology and Midnight Sun

I have just finished listening to Neil Gaiman's newest book, Norse Mythology. It's a great collection of stories about Odin, Thor, and Loki in the land of Asgard, made all the more wonderful by Gaiman's lovely voice and accent. He could probably read the phone book aloud, and I'd listen, mesmerized.

A few years ago, I was offered a chance to tag along with two travel professional friends of mine on a trip to Scandinavia. If anyone had asked me if I urgently desired to see the Shetland Islands or bathe in Reykjavik’s Blue Lagoon, I would have said, “Hmm. . . , they aren’t high on my bucket list.” But I am a person who is easily led, so I went along. I considered it a visit to the "mother land," since I'm part Danish, and the itinerary was labeled “the Route of the Vikings.” It seemed  a perfect opportunity to retrace my roots and enjoy some smorrebrod, trolls, fjords, and cool weather with great traveling companions.

This is what people are talking about when they say "The Land of the Midnight Sun." This photo was taken at midnight from our cruise ship balcony. I didn’t stay up to watch the sun set—or rise again—but it boggles my mind to consider exactly where it went. West? East? Both? The phenomenon of nearly 24 hours of daylight is said to cause irritability and hyperactivity. Couldn’t prove it by me, though. Maybe the lemon drop martinis counteracted the effect.





We were lucky our visit coincided with the Kristiansand Sandskulptur Symposium. Here is a portrait of one of our cruise companions. Like us, he ate and drank to excess but had a great time doing it!










Orange, pea green, red, pink, and purple—don’t ya love it? Blanketed in snow several months of the year, and limited to only a few hours of sunlight, residents of Kristiansand know how grab color and run with it. I’m not surprised someone in that house rides a turquoise bike!



As much as I love fish markets, I nearly gagged when I discovered that a sample I’d just eaten was smoked Minke whale. I saw one of those lovely creatures in Alaska once. The Norwegian government closely regulates hunting them for consumption, but still . . .



These colorful wooden houses are located in an area called Bryggen (Norwegian for wharf), the portside shopping area of Bergen. Destroyed by fire for the umpteenth time in 1955, the area was faithfully reconstructed, down to the crooked doorways and leaning walls! It’s now a UNESCO World Heritage site and is filled with restaurants, art galleries, and craft shops.

What I remember most vividly is the countryside near the Norwegian fjord town of Flom—lush green forests, billowing clouds of mist, and thundering waterfalls. It looked like something right out of "Lord of the Rings" or a Norwegian fairytale. It turns out it really is troll country. A family of trolls lives in this house, but they were away for the afternoon the day we stopped by.

Did you know trolls have only four fingers and toes? That's a great piece of cocktail party conversation trivia! They also have really long noses which troll wives use to stir their porridge while it cooks. If you ever eat porridge that's a bit too salty, blame it on some troll's runny nose. (I feel a picture book coming on!)

I wish now that Gaiman had written the book before I took this trip. It would have brought to life all the Norse tales we heard there. I highly recommend Norse Mythology, even if you don't have a trip to Scandinavia planned anytime soon.