Norway’s Fjord Country Blends Serenity With Grandeur

Traveling Norway isn’t difficult since Norwegians speak fluent English.

Norway’s rugged west coast is slashed by fjords—stunning inlets carved out by ancient glaciers. Of these, the Sognefjord—Norway’s longest (120 miles) and deepest (1 mile)—is tops. Ferries and catamarans connect visitors and locals alike to several of this sparsely populated region’s scenically situated villages and towns. Rich Earl/TNS

Though I initially visited Norway to see relatives—three of my grandparents grew up there—nature is the real draw here, even for those with family ties. It’s a land of intense beauty, with famously steep mountains and deep fjords carved out and shaped by an ancient ice age.

Traveling through fjord country, I find myself spending lots of time sitting on porches at Victorian-era hotels, mesmerized by the Norwegian mountains. Rather than jagged, they’re bald and splotchy, with snowfields on top and characteristic cliffs plunging into inky water.