FLÅM
Relaxing in the Fjords
On Sunday we head north - by simply crossing the street and boarding the train!  Train travel in Norway provides spectacular scenery, so sit back and relax as we make our way to the countryside. Our modern train will connect us with the Flåm Railway, a historic scenic railway line that leads down from the mountains and brings us to our next destination, the spa town of Flåm. There we will relax at our hotel with views out over the fjord, and enjoy a Viking-style tasting menu paired with their own beer.  A full day of relaxation awaits with scheduled times in a sauna floating on the fjord, optional walks and kayak rentals, local artisan shops, and plenty of time to work on our knitting!

VIKING TIME

Let's step back in time... 
Today we leave Flåm to begin our journey as Nordic vikings! We will board our modern-day version of a viking long ship, the local electric ferry, and will journey from Flåm to the open air museum of Viking Village. Here we become immersed in viking culture, with traditional structures, re-enactors wearing period clothing and working with viking-era tools. We will enjoy a cozy lunch here prepared by vikings using some of the original ingredients from times gone by, as well as a private demonstration of viking-era crafts! After you have physically pulled your fiber ambassador out from Viking Village (this was very difficult last year!) we will all board our bus and head onward to the island of Osterøy. 

The following day will be the first of our half-day workshops. In addition to a tour of the Osterøy Museum's amazing textile collection, they will teach us how to weave the fabric for the Varafell - a shaggy wool cape they like to call "Viking Life Insurance!" We'll stop by the Norlender Factory on our way back, which has been making Norwegian sweaters and knitwear for many decades, before at last return to our beautiful hotel.  

SKJERJEHAMN

Ready to spend time with some wool? 
It is time to bid farewell to the island of Osterøy and to visit Helene with her flock of heritage Norse sheep at Gripen Gard Farm! With the backdrop of her gorgeous farm, we will be introduced to natural dyeing techniques and given a home-cooked lunch. It is safe to say that you all will be taken with Helene's charm, along with that of her sweet flock! We will continue through the fjordlands north of Bergen for a couple of nights on the small island of Skjerjehamn.

Perched at the edge of Sognefjord, the largest fjord in Norway, we will reach  ourquaint and picturesque hotel. Originally a villa house built in the mid-19th century, this house-hotel retains its historic character and offers 360° views of the tranquil fjords and nature that surround it. We will have a pleasant day off the bus to relax and learn Norwegian colorwork in a workshop with Birger Berge, author of Nordic Knits. The only interruptions will be a fjord boat ride and breaks for excellent food and conversation! 

BERGEN

One last hoorah in Bergen! 
It’s back to Bergen to soak in the last day of our visit to Norway! We'll board the ferry from our hotel dock that takes us straight to Bergen's city center. Once back in Bergen, we'll drop off our luggage at our hotel in the Finnegaarden Trading House at Bryggen. One hotel is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that sits on the edge of the historic wharf! From here, we'll take our final trip outside of the city to have a tour of the wondrous Hillesåg Wool Mill. This wool mill and yarn shop will have you feeling like a child in a candy store. With hundreds of colors on display and multiple bases of Norwegian yarn to choose from, you will easily be able to fill any gaps in your yarn wishlist while we're here! There will be time in the later afternoon back in Bergen to visit any last sites you wish to see. A farewell dinner at one of the cozy restaurants nearby will bring our woolly wander to a close.

FAREWELL

Sadly it is time to bid a fond farewell to new friends and to our beloved Norway. Our consolation will be the newly acquired stash we're all bringing home with us! 

Sydney is a voracious knitter, designer, and knitwear historian. She has been knitting and studying fashion history for over fifteen years and now runs Squid's School of Vintage Knitting, an online school devoted to the education and love of historical knitwear. Her work in the knitting world is also supplemented by her academic background in film history, and she tries to combine the two as often as possible. In collaboration with Rowan Tree Travel, Sydney works to develop tours that have a historical or vintage bent, often with elaborately themed and niche activities! With over ten years of working in the fiber industry, Sydney continues to love meeting other knitters and sharing fiber experiences with them more than anything else. You can find her at patreon.com/squidschool or over on instagram as @squidneyknits.