• Community Features
• Alumni Directory
• Update My Info
• Photos

The land of the midnight sun awaits you. Join Dr. Lisa Sethre-Hofstad, program director of Norwegian and Scandinavian studies, on a tour of the northern reaches of Norway. The tour will include a visit to the city of Tromsø, which is 240 miles north of the Arctic Circle. It is also home to the world’s northernmost university, a brewery and the famous Arctic Cathedral. You will spend three days seeing the sites and learning about the culture and history. From there, you will cruise to the Lofoten Islands of Norway, one of the world’s top island destinations, according to National Geographic Traveler Magazine. Three full days will be spent exploring the local area, including museums and artist studio. The trip ends in Oslo, where you will see darkness for the first time in more than a week.

Lisa Sethre-Hofstad, Ph.D.
Assoc. Prof. of Psychology/Program Director for Scandinavian Studies
Sethre-Hofstad, a 1991 Alum of Concordia, has been teaching at the college for 15 years. During that time, she spent one year as a Fulbright Scholar in Tromsø, Norway, where she again taught during 2010 while on sabbatical leave. Dr. Sethre-Hofstad’s interest in international travel and education began as an undergraduate at Concordia College, where she majored in Psychology and Scandinavian Studies, and during which time she spent three summers working at Skogfjorden, the Norwegian program of the Concordia Language Villages. She has spent time living abroad in Australia and in Norway, and has led students on study-abroad experiences to London and to Oslo.

Day 1 (June 23) Depart USA
Our adventure begins as we depart on our international flight, and wing our way over the Atlantic to Tromsø, Norway! We enjoy meals, beverages and movies in flight as provided by the airlines.

Day 2 (June 24) - Tromsø
Upon arrival in Tromsø in the late afternoon, we clear customs and then meet our coach and driver. We take a short ride to our hotel in Tromsø and check in. Dinner has been arranged at our hotel tonight.
Meals: Dinner

Day 3 (June 25) - Tromsø/Fjelleheisen
In the late morning, we meet our tour guide for our brief walking city tour of Tromsø, which has the world’s northernmost University, Brewery and Cathedral. We make a stop and visit the Polar Museum, which housed Tromsø’s history of daring and tough arctic explorers in one of Tromsø’s oldest buildings. Next we meet our coach and drive to Fjelleheisen cable car. We head up to “Storsteinen” Mountain with a cable car, where we enjoy a beautiful view over Tromsø. After our lunch on top of the “Storsteinen”, we visit the Tromsdalen Church, which is more commonly known as the “Arctic Cathedral”. In the afternoon we have some free time to enjoy the Tromsø Area.
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner

Day 4 (June 26) - Tromsø – Hurtigruten
After our healthy “Norwegian” breakfast in this wonderful landscape of Northern Norway we have some free. At the afternoon a local guide join us for a short bus tour of Tromsø. We visit the Tromsø Museum at the University of Tromsø. Later we explore the Polar Research Museum “Polaria” with his arctic aquarium. After our dinner in a Norwegian restaurant we board our one night cruise on the Hurtigruten to our next stop Svolvær.
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner

Day 5 (June 27) - Hurtigruten – Svolvær
As we arrive Svolvær in the early evening, we enjoy a little part of the “World’s Most Beautiful Sea Voyage” along the Norwegian Fjords with its craggy coast and make a few stops at various small quaint fishing villages of Norway. After a short drive to our hotel, we check in and have dinner.
Meals: Dinner

Day 6 (June 28) - Svolvær
Today we continue our exploration with a spectacular Lofoten Tour. We meet our coach and our local guide for a full-day bus tour. A Norway journey would not be complete without visits of historical fishing villages (Rorbuer). We also have the opportunity of seeing some of the Artscape Nordland sculptures. The highlights include Hennigsvær, which called “Venice of Norway”, Kabelvåg, Eggum, Stamsund and Nusfjord.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 7 (June 29) - Svolvær
Today we are heading southwest of the Lofoten Islands for a full-day tour to Å. We will have spectacular fjord view at “Reine”, which voted by “Time magazine” to the most beautiful view in the world. In Å we will find the Fishing Village Museum, which is the “World’s Greatest Cod Fishery” and the Stockfish Museum, where we see, how they make Stockfish.
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner

Day 8 (June 30) - Svolvær
After the breakfast we meet our coach and local guide for a half day tour around Svolvær. On our tour we see the Vågan Church, the largest wooden church north of Trondheim. After crossing three islands of ever-changing but always beautiful scenery, the first stop will at the Lofotr Viking Museum. Surrounded by farmland, this living museum is contained within a reconstruction of the biggest Viking longhouse found anywhere in Scandinavia. As we return our journey to the hotel we stop at the village of Henningsvær, where a converted fish landing stage houses Galleri Lofotens Hus.
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner

Day 9 (July 1) - Oslo
This morning, we say “Adjø Lofoten” and we fly from Svolvær over Bodø to Oslo, where we stay the next 2 nights. After arriving we meet our coach and driver. We check in at our hotel. Dinner has been arranged at our hotel.
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner

Day 10 (July 2) - Oslo
Today's highlights will be a city tour of the capital of Norway, Oslo. Today we have our last opportunity to ask our local guide any questions about Norway. Our first stop will be at the “Holmenkollen” Ski Jump, which hosted the Olympic Winter Games 1952. We visit the Viking Ship Museum, the Oslo City Hall and the National Galery. We also visit the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History and the Botanical Garden with the Zoological and Geological Museum. The afternoon is free to explore, relax, or shop for souvenirs.
Meals: Breakfast

Day 11 (July 3) - Return
Regretfully, it's time to say “Goodbye” and transfer the short distance to the airport, for our international flight back to the USA. We return, however, with memories of lovely landscapes, verdant fields, interesting people. Welcome home!
Meals: Breakfast

Deposit and Payment Policy

A deposit of $500.00 per person is due with their initial application
A second deposit of $1000 per person is due January 15, 2012
Final payment is due March 1, 2012. Ed-Ventures will send a final invoice prior to this. Passengers may add after this date subject to air and land availability. Generally airlines do not increase the price of a ticket after it has been contracted. However, prior to the issuance of a ticket, airlines may impose additional fuel, tax, or security surcharges. In the event a surcharge is imposed after Ed-V has received a final payment, Ed-V will send an additional invoice for the surcharge amount.

Insurance

Contact

To find out more information about traveling to Norway, contact
Karen Carlson
Director of Alumni Relations
218.299.3734
carlsonk@cord.edu

Registration

Make checks payable to Ed-Ventures, Inc and mail to:
Ed-Ventures, Inc.
320 Elton Hills Drive
PO Box 7086
Rochester, MN  55903-7086
 
Downloadable Registration Form
Health Form