Norwegians are still reeling from the Oslo bombing and Utoya Island gun attacks of July 22, but tourism officials are hoping that would-be visitors will not shy away from the destination because of them.
"All attractions, hotels, restaurants are open in Oslo, and transportation is running on schedule," said Harald Hansen, information manager for Norwegian tourist board Innovation Norway in New York. His compatriots, he added, "are determined to get back to normal."
Pass in hand, Norway at hand
One of the best ways to experience Norway is with a Eurail pass, which, as I discovered on a recent visit, is valid on a lot more types of transport than just trains -- an important feature in this part of Europe, where boats and ferries predominate.
We approached Oslo via an overnight ferry on DFDS Seaways' Pearl of Scandinavia from Copenhagen.
Once on land, we visited the Viking Ship Museum; the Holmenkollen Ski Jump, where we saw a young Olympic hopeful practicing sky-high jumps on what is essentially a rubberized mountain; the Nobel Peace Center; and the quirky Vigeland Park sculpture garden.
After an overnight in Lillehammer, just over two hours away by train, we embarked on a train ride of more than three hours on the Rauma Line. The train, which starts at the town of Dombas, traverses dizzying mountain paths that overlook dramatic waterfalls and deep ravines before finally stopping in Andals-nes, a popular base for those who want to explore the fjords of western Norway.
From Andalsnes, we transferred via bus along a zigzag road to Alesund, an eye-popping, pastel-pretty town with a trove of art nouveau-style buildings.
Art nouveau to ancient wharfs
In fact, Alesund is famed for its Art Nouveau Center, which features a re-created vintage pharmacy and a "time machine" cinema experience depicting the city's colorful history, as well as for the dozens of small art galleries along Molovegen Street.
We ate a leisurely dinner at XL Diner, known for its bacalao, or salt cod, specialties, and at midnight we boarded Hurtigruten's Vesteralen, bound for Bergen.
The Vesteralen offered no swimming pools or evening entertainment, but accommodations, amenities, shopping and dining were quite good. And then there was, of course, the hours of gawking at the picturesque fjords.
In Bergen, our last stop in Norway, attractions included the aquarium and the Bergen Art Museum, famous for its paintings by Edvard Munch.
We also took in Bryggen, the city's medieval Hanseatic wharf; it's a Unesco World Heritage List attraction depicting the maritime history that gave Bergen its early importance.
We realized at journey's end that Bergen presents a prime jumping-off point for exploring the region's fjords, waterfalls and glaciers, with dozens of daytrips and overnight excursions available aboard the Bergen Railway. We saved that for another day.
Go to www.visitnorway.com.