Traveling Tolins 2

Bergen, Norway Bergen is home to the Hanseatic League's only kontor  (trading enclave) still in existence:  Bryggen wharf.  In this historic district, narrow wooden walkways are flanked by parallel rows of small, vibrantly painted buildings, once the homes and warehouses of merchants.  Totaling more than 60, with the earliest dating to the 18th century, these distinct structures are all that remain after the numerous fires that have ravaged Bergen.  They were largely reconstructed within their original property lines with their restoration and continual preservation staying true to medieval Norwegian building techniques, materials, and tools.  Consequently, Bryggen has come to serve as an important window into both Norway's maritime legacy and architectural traditions. Nestled between gargantuan snow-capped mountains, magnificent fjords, and one of Europe's largest glaciers, picturesque Bergen is an ancient city with deep Viking roots.  Found...

Shetland Islands The Shetland Islands may be remote, but history did not overlook them.  At the excavation site of Jarlshof, brochs (tall roundhouses of stone made without mortar) date to the Iron Age and an ancient Norse longhouse tells of a Viking community.  History that is more recent echoes through the streets of Lerwick, the islands' sleepy capital founded by Dutch anglers.  The main island, Mainland, gets much of its beauty from its diversity.  Farmland and dreamy meadows unfold toward seal-dotted beaches.  Columnar sea stacks and rocky cliffs take a beating from the surf in the north.  Medieval castles overlook valleys and lakes in the west.  The Shetlands are, for many visitors, several destinations rolled into one splendid locale. Shetland Panorama & Ponies. We stopped at a coastal castle, saw and learned about Shetland ponies and took in picturesque landscapes.  We enjoyed a photo stop from above the castle, overl...