Ready to explore beyond the best of Norway? Join me on the @ricksteveseurope Monday Night Travel show on October 6 at 6pm PT, as I introduce some of my favorite Norwegian destinations, including where Norwegians go to vacation. Monday Night Travel is Rick Steves’ Europe’s live virtual show. It’s free to attend, but you need to register (find link in comments). You can also watch via YouTube live, on the “Rick Steves Travel Talks” YouTube channel. See you there! Pål #norwaywithpal #visitnorway #r

I find inspiration in how other countries treasure their independence and freedom, as we do ours. And today — Norway’s Constitution Day — I’m thinking of my uncle Thor, who lived through the Nazi occupation of Norway. Uncle Thor took me into Oslo’s grand City Hall to show me the huge “Mural of the Occupation” and share his story of those dark days with the visual support of powerful art. Walking slowly, with a soft voice, he narrated the story scene by scene in the present tense — as if the mura