Catherine Granell writes from Norway

Why not visit Oslo, which is home to the Nobel Peace Centre and scores of museums, or perhaps you would like to catch a glimpse of Bergen’s brightly-coloured wooden houses and cobbles which pave the way to the fjords. In Tromsø, explore the Cathedral and arctic aquarium and in Trondheim, marvel at the magnificent medieval city. Work your way along the coast, zigzagging the streets of its small fishing villages – the wild beauty and nature are sure to impress. Perhaps you will venture as far as the Lofoten islands and find an uncanny Caribbean atmosphere set against the backdrop of towering mountains?

Fjords, stave churches and the North Cape

The fjords will leave you breathless. These narrow inlets created by glaciers carving steep troughs to the sea can reach up to 200 kilometres in length and over 1,000 metres in depth, with peaks towering 2,400 meters above sea level…
Perhaps you have already heard about the Norwegian stave churches, or stavkirker. Thousands of these majestic timber-framed churches were built from the 11th century onwards, but only thirty or so remain today.
Visit Norway and venture to the North Cape (Nordkapp) on the island of Magerøya or to Spitsbergen located north of the polar circle to bask in the midnight sun or stand in awe beneath the northern lights during winter – an unforgettable experience.

A few Norwegian words to get you started

Greeting people and being polite

Using public transport

Dealing with problems