The Hurtigruten exemplifies Norway.  Whether it’s sitting in a Jacuzzi in the midnight sun, passing by snowcapped mountains and dramatic fjords or sipping Hot Toddy’s under the dazzling Northern Lights, the Hurtigruten provides the perfect mix of rugged landscape, luxury and arctic intrigue.

A notoriously expensive but famously beautiful country, Norway is paradise for those who are seeking wilderness, inspiration and adventure. 

While I'm no expert on this beautiful country, there are a few things I crammed into my month there that are completely unmissable.

Norway is home to the largest glacier in mainland Europe (Iceland takes the cake for the entirety of Europe, and I think Antarctica might have dibs on the title of World’s Largest Glacier).  Jostedalsbreen is a huge glacial icecap with over 20 legs that stretch off it, some more accessible than others.  Depending on the time of year you visit, you can get up close to several of these amazing natural wonders, with June-September offering the most options.

Like a surprising number of Norway's natural forms, Trollfjord takes its name from their token mythological being - the troll.

When I finally got to the Lofoten Islands, I’d already visited the UNESCO-listed Nærøyfjord, rode the famous Flåm railway, walked the streets of Bergen, cruised through Geirangerfjord and spent a few days exploring Sognefjord.  In short, I’d seen some of the most raved-about sites in Norway.  I didn’t think I could be any more in awe of Norway’s majestic landscape, but then I arrived in the Lofotens.

We've just touched down in Tromsø after a mindblowingly beautiful time in the Lofoten Islands.  We saw wild orca hunting during the midnight sun, stumbled upon a landship on Kvalvika beach and drove through some of the most beautiful seaside towns I've ever seen.  

While the thought of doing 12 days of planned out cruising didn’t particularly appeal to us, doing a short stint on a fancy and convenient boat did.  The Hurtigruten started off as a practical fleet of ships, going from port to port to deliver passengers and goods.  Over time, roads were developed and it became less necessary, but now offers luxury cruises up the Norwegian coast.

I recently had the joy of doing the Norway in a Nutshell tour on my way from Oslo to Bergen.  It was recommended in Lonely Planet as a great way to get into Fjord country, so I paid the hefty fee attached to the tour and set out. 

In January 1904, a huge fire ravaged the burgeoning, wooden town of Ålesund, burning it to the ground.  A village that had experienced exponential growth due its thriving fishing industry was literally reduced to ashes in just a few hours.  We still don’t know how the fire was started.

When we were in Oslo, we got started looking at some of Norway’s amazing and bewildering geology.  We’d hoped that we would hike some of the fantastic rocks Norway has to offer, like Trolltunga, Pulpit Rock and Kjerag Rock, but the seasons were working against us, and not all the necessary buses were running.  As a compromise, we had decided that on our way up the coast, we would make a stop at Kannesteinen rock in the little town of Måløy.

We woke up sore from sleeping in the car and decided to drive to Fjærland, where almost a whole town’s worth of buildings had been abandoned, and then turned into second-hand bookstores.  Stopping by the climate change center on the way (and refusing the pay the exorbitant fee to get in) and making several stops to marvel at the beautiful Fjærlandfjord.

On Tuesday morning we woke up with the sun – not that it ever fully went down – and headed down our little mountain to the town of Sogndal.  Sogndal isn’t a particularly big town, but it’s a lot larger than the other scattered settlements we had seen along the fjords.  Halfway down the hill we stumbled upon a red stave church, which really set the tone for the day, which was to be filled with visits to the beautiful, fairytale-style buildings.

When we woke up this morning, the rain was falling thick and fast on top of the tent.  Nick rolled over and swore loudly.  We couldn’t leave the tent up and hope it would dry, because we were leaving Bergen that afternoon.  We’d have to roll up a wet tent and towel it out in the evening – not ideal, but our only choice.

 Nicholas first woke up with the sun, but I was still falling in and out of sleep until after 7am.  The tent was far too wet – and the inside damp with condensation from our warmth inside – to take down, so we decided to leave it pitched and hope nobody came along and damaged it.  We hadn’t had the guts to do this yet, but figured that camping was so commonplace in Norway that the tent would be fine for the day.

This morning we were out of bed before 5am – the Norwegian sun was up before us though! – and set off with a thermos of hot soup for central station.  From here we were headed on the first leg of our Fjord adventure.  A little touristy, perhaps, but with good reason – we were taking the Norway in a Nutshell tour up to Bergen.