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Oslo to Bergen: Valleys, Mountains, and Fjords Culinary Experience with Nevada Berg

17 to 21st September 2024.

You are invited to come along on this journey to experience food, traditions, and history through the eyes of Nevada Berg. She is an author, cook, photographer, and creator of the highly praised culinary and cultural website, "North Wild Kitchen". There, you will find stories and recipes inspired by Norwegian traditions and history, as well as innovative ways of using traditional Norwegian ingredients. Nevada has also published two international cookbooks. Her first book, North Wild Kitchen, was nominated by The New York Times as one of the best cookbooks in the fall of 2018. Her second cookbook, Norwegian Baking through the Season, recently came out in 2023. Nevada is well-known internationally with her special focus on Norwegian culinary traditions. This culinary journey takes us to the destinations of some of her stories and presents us with many of the recipes she shares.

Your journey goes from the flat fields of Eastern Norway to the tall mountains that borders east from west and down to the deep fjords. Everywhere we stop, we will meet people with a passion for food. Whether it is a cheesemaker showing off their prized products, the owner of a tourist cabin with a special interest in the surrounding mountains’ hidden ingredients, or the focus of an agricultural school. One of many highlights on this culinary experience is a visit to Nevada’s home for lunch and an intimate cooking class with her in Flåm.

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Program

  • Notice, changes may occur
    Symbol explanation:
    (B) Breakfast included
    (L) Lunch included
    (D) Dinner included

  • Day 1: Tuesday September 17th – Welcome to Norway!

    Welcome to Norway and Oslo. In the tiger statue in front of Oslo Central Station, you will meet your tour leader. Board the coach and start the journey from east to west. Soon the landscape around you changes from flat fields to a narrow valley following a river with mountains growing taller on both sides. This is Numedal, the Medieval Valley, and the home of Nevada and her family.

    We start on a high by meeting Nevada at her farm home, Koto, for lunch. Koto, which means “cabin” or “small house”, is first mentioned in writing in 1651 and has four historical buildings around the main house that make up the farm with trees and fields surrounding it. Reading Nevada’s stories about her home makes you think of an easier life - with timber walls that get warm to the touch in the spring and summer when the sun graces them, and the sound of cold snow crackling under your feet while walking between the houses in the winter with only the light of the moon and stars above you. When we arrive, it might be with a slight nip in the air to signify that fall is upon us and Nevada will greet us with something warm for lunch.

    By meeting Nevada for the first time on her farm and getting to taste the food coming right out of her kitchen and the local area, you will truly experience the life behind North Wild Kitchen. We will take our time to get to know each other and Nevada a little better before setting off again.

    Back in the bus, we continue northwest up the valley. Reaching the top of the mountain, there is a spectacular view of mossy rocks and rolling hills as far as the eyes can see. On the other side, we reach our destination in Geilo. Our hotel for the night is a mountainside spa resort. The interior of the rooms is characterized by the charming Norwegian cottage-style. We check in and have some time to relax before we meet up for dinner.

    Tonight, the bus will take us to the a nearby dairy, Hol Ysteri (Hol Cheese Factory), where we will get an introduction to cheesemaking. We might even see the process of how they produce their cheese right in front of us as the showroom has a big window straight into the factory. See the tools and big bowls used to curdle the milk and make different types of cheese. After, we will enjoy a dinner featuring the cheeses and other local ingredients.
    (B, L, D)

  • Day 2: Wednesday September 18th - Over the mountain down to the western fjords

    Wake up to the fresh air of Geilo, the village we are in. This town is most known as a skiing destination during the winter months. However, it is growing in popularity during the spring, summer, and autumn with a rich variation of outdoor activities. We start out day driving westward on the bus.

    Soon the mountains around us change from rolling rocky hills to dramatic giants with steep cliffs. This is how we know we have crossed the border between what is considered the east and the west of Norway. The color of autumn hits us with its magnificent yellow, reds, and oranges.

    Our next stop is Steinbergdalshytta, a traditional tourist cabin for wanderers looking to rest. This cabin is also known for their view of sustainable eating. Surrounded by lakes filled with brown trout and hillsides with berries and herbs, they prefer serving these types of ingredients to the ones you find in the store. They view our food as a valuable resource that should be cherished. After a talk with the owners of the cabin, we are invited to sit down and enjoy the tastes of the Norwegian mountains in autumn.

    Back on the road, the coach takes us down the valley Aurlandsdalen to the fjord. Arriving in this landscape, it is easy to see why the Norwegian western fjords have been written about in National Geographics as one of the world’s greatest landscapes.

    Our hotel for the evening and tomorrow night is the historic wooden hotel, Fretheim, in Flåm. From the middle of the 1800s, Flåm was, and is, a favored place for tourists and the British Lords who came to hunt and fish. They stayed at the farm of the richest man in Flåm, Christen Fretheim. Not long after, Fretheim Hotel saw the light of day. We check in and have the evening to ourselves to explore this quaint town.

    Dinner tonight includes beer tasting at the local brewery bar, Ægir. This brewery carries the name of a Norse god and is built with inspiration from the Stave Church. The bar is walking distance from the hotel.
    (B, L, D)

  • Day 3: Thursday September 19th - Organic farming in the far north and Nevada’s wonderful recipes

    Wake up to the hustle and bustle of the small town Flåm. Even if there are few people living here, it is very a popular destination. One of Northern Europe's most beautiful railroads ends here and right around the corner you have a UNESCO World Heritage fjord, named Nærøyfjorden. Relax and have breakfast at the hotel before we meet for a cooking class at the hotel. Nevada will host the class where she guides you through her thought processes of her work. We will try out a few of her many recipes and make our own three course lunch.

    After our meal we will board the bus and drive to the agricultural school in Aurland. They focus on ecological farming and sustainability. A representative will great us and give us a tour.

    Have the rest of the day to your own leisure. There is plenty to do in Flåm. It is an excellent place to explore the deep Norwegian fjords by a RIB-boat safari, kayaking or short cruise. Flåm is also the home of the world renowned Flåm-railway. If you would like to book an activity in Flåm already, your available times would be Wednesday and Thursday between 3pm and 7pm. Check out this website for more information: https://www.norwaysbest.com/ .

    Meet again for a Nevada-menu two course dinner made by the chefs at Fretheim Hotel.
    (B, L, D)

  • Day 4: Friday September 20th – Fine dining in Bergen

    After breakfast, we pack up and board the coach travelling to the next village over. This is Undredal, an even smaller town nestled at the foot of the mountain down by the fjord. The town was without any road connection until 1988, with the only way getting in by boat. Now, the town is a known supplier of award-winning goat cheeses and home to Norway’s smallest Stave Church. We are greeted by a local guide who takes us on a tour around the little village.

    We continue our journey southwest to Voss. Here we will visit a bakery to get a taste of old traditional baked goods and have a light lunch.

    In Bergen we check into our central hotel and get comfortable in our rooms. For those who want an extra treat when we arrive you can join Nevada and our tour leader to the marketplace. They have found their favorite and even if Bergen is known for seafood there is a shop here that sells the most delicious reindeer hot dogs. Our hotel is only steps away from the fish market and the famous Bergen Wharf. A row of wooden houses down by the water and a reminder of the town's importance as part of the Hanseatic League's trading empire from the 14th to the mid-16th century.

    Tonight, we are getting ready and dressing up for our last dinner together. We are going to have a taste menu at the Michelin-awarded restaurant Lysverket. They showcase modern Nordic cooking with a focus on seafood form the Westcoast, a wide range of quality meat and seasonal vegetables. What a great way to end our last evening of the tour.
    (B, L, D)

  • Day 5: Saturday September 21st - Wake up in Bergen

    Meet for our last meal together in the breakfast hall. Who knows where our journey will take us? For those wanting an additional travel itinerary before or after the tour, send us an email and we will guide you to our experienced partners for tailored tours.
    (B)

Contact us
Our lines are open from 09.00 to 12.00 am and 01.00 to 02.00 pm Central European time.
Address:
Footprint Tours
Sognefjordvegen 40
6863 Leikanger
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