DAILY ITINERARY DISCOVER NORWAY A Private Journey with the Caltech Alumni Association July 12 -- 18, 2015 Caltech Alumni Association & Classic Journeys: Norway To reserve or receive more information, call Classic Journeys at 1-800-200-3887 JOINING YOU ON TOUR Norway Cultural Walking Adventure Mark Simons Professor of Geophysics There is no more glorious place to celebrate Seismological Laboratory, Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, summer than the fjords of Norway. Whether Caltech you’re cruising the bright blue waters…walking on the glaciers that carved the mind-boggling fjords…or exploring the remote villages that cling to the shores, you will gain a wonderful sense of how climate and topography influence history, culture and daily life. Along the way, we feast on fish fresh from the North Sea with tart lingonberries for dessert. We wander lush wildflower meadows—and go for after-dinner strolls in the late-night sunlight. Of course, there are constant reminders of the Vikings, whose descendants are warm and supremely hospitable. Your visit includes stays in both Oslo and Bergen, cities that contain more forest Mark Simons’ research focuses on geodynamics, the study of how the than streetscape. From the rusticity of a 900- Earth’s internal movements continue year-old rural church to the sophistication of to shape its surface through events the Munch Museum, this sunlit week brings you such as earthquakes, volcanoes, and seafloor spreading. Through in touch with an incredible array of Norwegian sophisticated observations and experiences. Throughout your visit, you will be modeling, Dr. Simons seeks to better understand how these movements accompanied by Caltech’s Dr. Mark Simons, affect long-lived geologic structures, Alexx Tobeck, Executive Director of the Caltech such as how earthquakes contribute to the building of mountain ranges. Alumni Association, and expert local guides, who will see to it that your travels leave you Dr. Simons’ research led him to Norway’s magnificent glaciers, but he enlightened and invigorated. has also fallen in love with the country and its people, and will offer a truly PICTURE YOURSELF… unique perspective as we explore how Norway’s landscape and culture were • Gliding through soaring fjords on a private boat shaped. • Joining a professional guide for a glacier walk “There is a sense of adventure in • Settling into a small village hotel surrounded by Norway,” he says. “It’s a land of extremes, with placid fjords, crazy mountains and water glaciers, beautiful stave churches, and fascinating history.” Caltech Alumni Association & Classic Journeys: Norway To reserve or receive more information, call Classic Journeys at 1-800-200-3887 ARRIVING IN OSLO Daily Itinerary Caltech alumni are invited to arrive in Oslo at your convenience to be in place for the tour’s start at 10 a.m. on Day 1. If you would like to arrive one or more nights in advance, the Guest Services Team at Classic Journeys will be happy to arrange your reservation at our hotel in Oslo. JULY 12 - DAY 1 – OSLO GUIDED VISIT DAY 1 HIGHLIGHTS: Norway’s capital is spectacularly located at the inland tip of a fjord that • Walking visit through extends to the North Sea. It’s one of the world’s largest capital cities by area, though most of it is forest where moose are commonplace. It’s a perfect Oslo’s historic center setting to begin our week together. After breakfast—smoked salmon omelet, anyone?—we’ll introduce you to your local Classic Journeys’ guides as well • Learning about life in as Dr. Mark Simons, Professor of Geophysics. Norway from 1500 to the Then we’re off for a day of exploring the 1,000-year-old city. The lively present day streetscape ranges from the medieval Akershus Castle to 17th century Renaissance buildings to the brash contemporary architecture for which • Exploring the Viking Ship Scandinavia is known. Along the way we’ll gain an understanding of the Museum city’s history, including many reminders of the impact of German occupation during WWII. We’ll visit the Viking Ship Museum to see the graceful 9th “To see this entire Viking ship in an century vessels that were recovered from ancient burial grounds. At the enclosed building is a spectacular outdoor Norsk Folkemuseum, you’ll get a firsthand look at how the people of sight. It’s a great introduction to Norway have lived from 1500 right up to today. The Norwegians were leaders the country.” in polar exploration, and you’ll get a taste of those daring adventures at the Fram Museum. - Dr. Mark Simons Thanks to the midnight sun, dinner is in full daylight at one of Oslo’s fine restaurants. Overnight: Oslo, Norway: Bristol Hotel Meals: D JULY 13 - DAY 2 – THE FLÅM RAILWAY / NÆRØYFJORD & SOGNEFJORD DAY 2 HIGHLIGHTS: In western Norway the landscape takes on an awesome beauty, with iridescent glaciers, deep fjords that slash into rugged, snowcapped mountains, roaring • Enjoying the scenery on the waterfalls, and secluded valleys that lie at the end of twisting roads. Today we famous Flåm Railway have the opportunity to explore this breathtaking landscape. • Cruising through the After breakfast, we depart Oslo by train. In Myrdal, we change trains for a journey on the famous Flåm Railway, which has a reputation for being one of magnificent, cinematic the most spectacular train rides in the world. “The train crosses the spine of fjords the Jotunheimen, Norway’s main mountain range. You see plains, you see glaciers from a distance, and you go places where there are no roads,” notes Dr. Simons. Cinematic views include snow-capped mountains, thundering ONE OF THIS TOUR’S FINE HOTELS Our goal is always to find the most interesting and memorable lodging a region offers. Nestled at a remote arm of the Sognefjord, the gleaming white Tørvis Hotel incorporates buildings that date back to 1689 and is a renowned gateway to the region’s glacier-studded mountains. The fjord and the mountains are the backdrop to every view in this classic Norwegian hotel. Caltech Alumni Association & Classic Journeys: Norway To reserve or receive more information, call Classic Journeys at 1-800-200-3887 waterfalls and peaceful green meadows on our way to the valley below. Then, we detrain to board our private boat at the tip of Nærøyfjord. One of the narrowest fjords in Europe, it is a UNESCO World Heritage site. As we cruise its pristine waters, we enjoy views of traditional farms, grazing goats scattered among the green valleys, and seals sunning on rocks. We continue into Sognefjord, the largest in Norway, before mooring in the beach village of Marifjøra where we’ll be based for the next three days, surrounded by mountains and water. Overnight: Marifjøra, Norway: Torvis Hotel Meals: B, L, D JULY 14 - DAY 3 – NIGARDSBREEN GLACIER On a morning drive, we drive to the deepest reaches of the Jostedalen valley, a spectacular landscape created by glaciers from the last Ice Age. Our destination is the edge of Nigardsbreen glacier, one of Dr. Simon’s favorite DAY 3 HIGHLIGHTS: spots. “You will see vast flowing rivers that come out from underneath the glacier. It will give you a sense of just how dynamic these things can be. It’s • Following professional absolutely stunning.” For those who are interested, highly trained professional glacier guides on a walk guides will outfit us with crampons and safety gear to enable a foray onto the glacier. This glacier, like so many others today, is receding at a historically • Kayaking on a glacier-fed rapid rate, but this river of ice is still a natural spectacle on an awesome scale. lake If you prefer not to venture into the icescape, you can join our local outfitters for a placid kayaking excursion on Aksdalsvatnet lake. The glacier calves into this body of water, tinted a vivid blue, so that you may paddle up to great shards of the ice that float here. After a stimulating outdoor day, we return to our hotel for a relaxing dinner. Overnight: Marifjøra, Norway: Torvis Hotel Meals: B, D JULY 15 - DAY 4 – SOLVORN In Norway’s rugged terrain, the fjords were the primary transportation routes for centuries, and even today it’s easy to experience the remoteness of the villages on their farthest shores. Solvorn, the village we visit this morning, is a great example. Deep inland, yet connected to the sea by the fjords, this DAY 4 HIGHLIGHTS: charming wooden village has been a trade and governmental center since the • Wandering through the Middle Ages. “It’s interesting to see how geography affects the evolution of picturesque wooden village culture,” notes Dr. Simons. “Because of the natural separation from fjord to fjord, it was difficult to go from one to the other. Unique farming communities of Solvorn developed over time, each with its own unique dialect.” • Marveling at the From the village’s docks, a small ferry transports us across the fjord for a walk architecture of a 900-year- up to Urnes Stave Church. Perched high above the water, the church—built in the early 12th Century—is today a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Built old stave church entirely of wood, it is a remarkable blend of Viking and Christian architecture and is the oldest structure of its kind still standing. Emerging from its richly carved interior to take in the commanding vistas all around, you get a clear sense of how little Norway’s interior region has changed in nine centuries. Overnight: Marifjøra, Norway: Torvis Hotel Meals: B, D Caltech Alumni Association & Classic Journeys: Norway To reserve or receive more information, call Classic Journeys at 1-800-200-3887 JULY 16 - DAY 5 – BERGEN / FLØYEN A brief morning flight takes us to Bergen, “The City Between Seven DAY 5 HIGHLIGHTS: Mountains.” After a lunch of local specialties, we’ll board the scenic funicular that departs from the heart of the city for Mt.