Travel blog by interior architect Isabelle: Southern Norway

The first spots of colour in Bergen

Touring through Norway in a camper van sounded like the perfect holiday adventure for our family of four. We started in Bergen, which gave us a colourful welcome. With one brightly coloured house lined up after another, it felt like it was straight out of a travel brochure. The wooden houses all over Norway have a very similar architecture, the surroundings are well cared for and everything is designed in a very thoughtful way.

Flekkefjord and the art of symmetry

We chugged along the coast through the cities of Haugesund and Stavanger and down towards Flekkefjord. While in transit, I realised that the symmetry was not only visible in the built environment, but also in the natural surroundings. The surface of the water, perfectly still and flat, became a mirror that produced marvellous reflections. A beautiful and inspiring sight!

Cape Lindesnes: a place rich in history and wind

Cape Lindesnes – the southernmost point in Norway – is not the only memorable for its rugged beauty: we were also captivated by the Lindesnes Fyr, the oldest lighthouse on Norway’s mainland. It has been one of the most important landmarks between the North and Baltic Sea ever since the Middle Ages. The first beacon was lit here in 1655.

Healing powers in Røldal

After that, we drove along the coast, making stops in Mandal, Grimstad and Kristiansand. Then we continued our trip inland all the way to Sigridnes. But bad weather drove us back to the coast towards Mandal. From there we headed inland through the national park towards the north.

On the way we stopped in Røldal, which is home to one of Norway’s most famous pilgrimage churches. People have been making pilgrimages to this special place ever since the 13th century – they say its crucifix has healing powers. The church is a so-called stave church, i.e. a wooden church with a load-bearing structure made of vertical posts, which is typical of Scandinavia. It is a place that makes you realise how stunningly architecture and spirituality can engage with one another.

Echoes of Switzerland

We had just crossed through a national park when our journey came to an abrupt end in Eidfjord: our camper van suddenly stopped running and we had to be towed back to Bergen. What can you do? Sometimes it’s unplanned breaks like these that bring you closer to your surroundings. Time and again when we observed the Norwegian landscape we were reminded of Switzerland. On more than one occasion we felt like we were sitting on the familiar Lake Lucerne or riding over a Swiss mountain pass.

Design surprises, small and large

Over the course of the trip I experienced surprising design moments. For example, a top in the middle of a tunnel – who comes up with this sort of thing?! Or a service area that for some reason reminded me of the well-known story of “Peter Pan”. Naturally – as someone with my job is wont to do – I especially enjoyed looking around in hotels. I came across several interiors that will stay with me because of their creative and thoughtful design. Who knows? maybe these impressions will unconsciously make their way into my work as an interior architect...