Will spend 2 weeks in Norway in late July. Looking for unusual, out of the way, non-tourist, local places, restaurants, hotels, B&amp;B, etc. Some of our best vacation moments came from visiting local places and people, picnics on a lake, etc. Sorry for the email block--too much spam. THanks.<BR>

TL-Hopefully, Bjorn will respond to your question. He was trememdously <BR>helpful to us when we visited Olso earlier this year. He mentioned a place to us called Lille Herben-a tranquil spot where you can enjoy a wonderful lunch and just relax-on Bygdoy. In fact, when we stopped for lunch at this quaint little place, the server asked us how 'tourists' found the place! Told her a friend from Oslo recommended it! She was kind enough to translate the menu into English, and it was quite relaxing to have such a wonderful place almost all to ourselves!<BR>Had we not been told how to find this place, we would have walked right past it and missed one of our most memorable times of our trip!

I can't give you any specifics on out of the way places (there must be some around Bergen), but I suggest that you should feel comfortable approaching any Norwegian while on your trip for suggestions on such places. My travel experience there made me think Norwegians are forthcoming, sincere and pleased to offer helpful advice on how to get the most out of a visit to their absolutely beautiful country. I felt very welcome and at home the whole time there.

tl: Two spots we enjoyed were Roisheim, a 15th century farmstead about 12 K from Lom. The buildings (some of them authentic) are charming. The hiking in the area is great (awesome views from the top of the hills behind the farmstead. The restaurant in the main building is truely gourmet. The name escapes me, but the chef is known throughout Norway and he has many cookbooks and TV programs to his credit. Woderful food! Bjorn (mentioned by Debbie) led us to this patradise.<BR>The other is not as &quot;out of the way&quot;, and , yet, not overrun by tourists (at least American Tourists) and that was Alesund. The town is just delightful with it's art nouveau arcitecture. The &quot;tall ships&quot; from all over the world were there on our visit and the scene at the harbor was just spectacular. We stayed at a hotel on the harbor with a view of same called the Brygamm (sp?) Inn which had been newly redecorated in an old nautical decor from an old warehouse. We found out after our arrival that it was a Comfort Inn, but it was very nice and I would recommend it. We were able to go aboard some of these old multi-masted ships. What an experience. <BR>The town is built on several islands connected by bridges. We took a ride out onto one of the remoter islands and stumbled upon a 12 century church that is still in use. It was beautiful and docents will provide a little tour with the history of the church if you wait patiently. They tell a charming story about the love between a noble young lady and a commoner which ends in the death of the commoner and suicide of the young lady. They were buried on either side of the church. There are two trees with branches reaching across the church and this is said to be the two young lovers reaching for each other. The drive around the island is fantastic; views of Alesund and the sea, very old seafarers houses at the water's edge, beautiful farms. Wonderful! We had a fantastic dinner at a seafood restaurant in Alesund and it was something like Sjobes Theij (I'm sorry, I can't remember the exact spelling); wonderful lobster, scallops, plaice, etc. Have a great trip.

Thank you, Debbie and Joe.<BR>I'm sorry I did not quite fulfill the tour descriptions I promised you, Debbie, like &quot;another way to experience the Vigeland sculpture park&quot;, &quot;a walk across Bygdoy&quot; and so on. Neither did I describe how to get easily to the mysterious lakes close to Oslo to have a swim and wonderful picnics. And so on...<BR>Anyway: JL, what are your needs? Museums, hikings? Do you go by car? Norway is so full of &quot;secrets&quot;, but the joy of experiencing of course depend on taste and preferences. So please specify, and maybe I can give you some good hints.<BR>Joe: I've read your Roisheim reports on this boards, and according to mails I get, you really seem to have made a very good sell of that wonderful place....<BR>Bjorn, Oslo

I spent a few days in Ulvik, Norway and found it spectacularly beautiful.

I spent an enjoyable day in Halden, near the Swedish border. There is a fortress in town.