adventures in *

No time for Russia like I had originally planned, instead I’ll focus on Oslo and Sogn og Fjordane in the west.

2 days in Oslo, I’m going to see Edvard Munch’s painting ‘The Scream’ at the National gallery. Then visit the Holmenkollen ski jump north of the city, great views from the top. It was rebuilt last year in preparation for the 2011 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships. It’ll be cool to stand at the top of the jump, although I wouldn’t want to strap on skis to go down it. Not sure what else I’ll do in the city, depends on how jet lagged I’ll be.

I’m renting a car on Monday to drive around the Sogn og Fjordane region, it’s famous for its fjords and glaciers. I have a tour booked on Tuesday to kayak around the glacial lake Styggevatnet, then put on crampons to hike on the glacier itself. The company I’m using is www.icetroll.com

Wednesday I’ll visit Balestrand and then to Aurland through the world’s longest road tunnel – 15 miles!

Thursday I fly to Longyearbyen, staying there overnight before boarding the MS Expedition to cruise around the island. I’ve been reading the ice charts for the past couple weeks and it looks like most of the large icebergs have melted making it possible to completely circumnavigate the island.

After 8 days at sea, I’ll head back to the states and start planning for my next adventure.