Past Trønderlag Tours
Examples of our previous tours give you a feeling for what our tour experiences are like.
Our 2019 Tour
One major change for our 2019 tour was starting in Oslo. Normally we start in Trondheim and then range out with a series of day trips in addition to genealogy research. We also have included multi-day trips reaching above the arctic circle and through the mountains to Røros.
Starting in Oslo increased the appeal of the tour, especially for those who had never been to Norway before. A 72 hour "Oslo pass" gave us the opportunity to use public transportation for both group and individual activities. Another highlight was taking the train to Trondheim through Norway's beautiful countryside. We arrived in time for Olavsfestdagene (a church and cultural festival) with 300 events, a medieval market, and 800 international and Norwegian artists a presenting a rich program of classical music, folk, pop and jazz.
We also attended "Spelet om Heilag Olav" (The St. Olav Drama), the oldest outdoor historical play in Norway. The play depicts the Battle of Stiklestad in 1030 which resulted in death of King Olaf II of Norway (later Saint Olav). The play has been performed every year since 1954.
Our 2014 Tour
We had been planning this special tour for years and just had to be here for the celebration of the 200th anniversary of the signing of the Norwegian constitution AND marching in Trondheim's Syttende Mai parade.
For our 2014 trip, we sent research requests to the Regional Archives in advance and when we toured the archives, each person's research materials were waiting for them as we arrived at the facility.
We held this trip one year early to coincide with 200th anniversary of the signing of the Norwegian constitution. We gained approval and marched in the Syttende Mai parade where we were the third unit. The "Children's Parade" which proceeded us had 20,000 children marching! We had a private tour of Nidaros Cathedral and a private performance on the restored Steinmeyer Organ acknowledging our financial donation to aid in its restoration. Another highlight was attending a special Ecumenical service at Nidaros attended by the King & Queen, the head of Parliament and other dignitaries. During our time in Trøndelag we were interviewed by three different newspapers, primarily because of advanced knowledge about our donation to Nidaros.
Our 2010 Tour
For our 2010 trip, we started in Steinkjer and on to Inderøya along the scenic road "Den Gyldne Omvei", known for a beautiful landscape, farms, art shops end then on to Mo i Rana, very close to the Arctic Circle. After crossing the Arctic Circle we visited the world's strongest maelstrom, Saltstraumen. We also visited Norway’s second largest glacier, Svartisen and multiple islands. One island, Vega, is on the Unesco World Heritage list. On to Rørvik, back to Steinjker, Sticklestad where St.Olav died in the year 1030. Finally back to Trondheim and the Bakeriet with time in Trondheim before we left.
Our 2005 Tour
One uniqueness of this tour was our tour guide. We hired the Principal of a Folkehøgskole (Norwegian Folk High School) who possessed extensive knowledge of the history of this year's area of travel. As part of the tour we had a meal at and toured his Folk High School. We visited a prison where the Nazi soldiers made the captives crawl from one end of the court yard to the other and walked through the woods where unmarked graves had simple markers placed to remember those who died and were buried there.
The loading mechanism and elevators to take the shells from the bottom of the cliffs to the guns on the top.