Ålesund is a small city with an unusual history. In the early 20th century its old and cramped wooden buildings and homes were burned to ashes in a great fire. Kaiser Wilhelm, the German king and cousins to the Czar of Russia and the King of England whom he would drag into War World I, was a big fan of the region, often taking extended vacations there. When the city burned down, he paid, out of his own pocket, to have much of the city rebuilt. The result was a brand new city where streets were lined with lovely Art Nouveau buildings that make it one of the prettiest in Norway, if not Europe.

We drifted past one gargantuan mountain after another, rock masses as imposing as Lord of the Ring battlements with white water thundering from glacial valleys and peaks thousands of feet high honed to serrated knife edges by millions of years of wind, snow, and rain.

Our first stop was the village of Skerjehamn, tucked along side one of the fjords in this part of the world. That would be after sleeping overnight on our snug ferry berth. We pass through Norways Sognefjord, it largest and arguably most beautiful. I think the photos say it all. The excursion to Fløm takes 24 hours $100 each plus $100 each for meals.

Bergen is ancient, a 1000 years old, founded in 1070 A.D.. It’s a big harbor and always has been. In the 1300s it was Norway’s capital. And it was here that the famous dried cod was brought from high up in the north and traded to countries in Western and Central Europe, making it an important and wealthy city.

The train from Oslo to Bergen. Stunning autumn scenery through the mountains, a rainy arrival and prepping to explore this ancient city and Norway’s wild the West coast.

We walked down from the heights to the docks into an area clearly favored by locals and towards Aker Brygg Lake. The throngs seem to swarm here out of the pavement, filling the harbor and its restaurants with patrons. Hundreds lined up at food trucks or ferry excursions that would take them among the local islands. As we walked the quay, I heard Turkish, Arabic, English, Spanish, Norwegian, and German. Norway’s demographics, and Oslo’s in particular, have been changing fast and we could see it all around us.

Oslo is home to 700,000 people but punches above its weight. It's smaller than Stockholm, but feels much bigger. Where Stockholm is cleaner, Oslo is more urban, grittier. Stockholm is vibrant, Oslo is busy. The people of Stockholm are caucasian, Oslo is more diverse. Over the past several years, its population has been rapidly increasing. Immigrants from the Middle East and Central Europe flock to Norway's biggest city for jobs, quality of life and higher pay, and the city is booming! Oslo has the feel of a practical, hard-working city. Stockholm seems something like Disney World. Neither is bad, just different.