>> Funding for this series has been provided in part by the following.

♪♪♪ >> Havila Voyages -- sustainable coastal cruises along Norway's beautiful coastline.

>> ♪ Take me home ♪ Take me home where I... >> VGAN Chocolate -- Norwegian flavor.

Available in Walmart stores.

>> Seafood from Norway.

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ >> Join me on a journey where we will meet people who live, work, and enjoy life right here in the far north.

I'm joined by star chef Frida Ronge, who is a culinary leader at some of Stockholm's finest restaurants.

She has come all the way up here to look for new creative impulses.

My good friend Stig Bareksten is also coming.

He's the founder of an award-winning Nordic gin distillery, and he's on the hunt for new and exciting flavors.

My name is Arne Hjeltnes, and I'm taking you to meet the fantastic people of the north.

♪♪♪ Welcome to my hometown, Stig.

This is Voss.

We are going on a magic tour to an epic place.

We are going to Sognefjord, where Norwegians and Vikings have dwelled for thousand years.

From Voss to Sognefjord is not very far.

We're going with a gondola.

Gondola goes to the train station.

We're jumping on the train, and then we're gonna switch trains and go on one of the world's most famous train journeys.

>> I'm looking forward to that one.

>> Yeah, and it's only the start.

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ So, we have changed from the train from Voss, and now we're going on the world-famous Flamsbana, by National Geographic called one of the ten most beautiful train journeys in the world.

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ Here in Sogne, Flam Railway is one of the most dazzling train journeys in the world -- spectacular nature and historical stops along the way.

It takes you 12 1/2 miles from the mountains down to the fjord in Flam.

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ Stig, now we're gonna go down to Flam in a completely different way.

And, Ingrid, what are you going to put Stig and me on?

>> We're gonna send you down Flam Zipline.

>> And the zipline goes -- how far is it?

>> It's almost 1 1/2 kilometers long.

>> And what kind of speed would you expect for sturdy guys like us?

>> Well, today can reach up in about 100 kilometers per hour.

>> Wow!

Are you ready, Stig?

>> I'm born ready.

[ Both laugh ] ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ [ Both laugh ] ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ >> A little bit... >> 3, 2, and... >> Hallo!

Whoo-hoo!

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ Ta-da!

Oh-hoo-hoo!

Fantastic.

[ Laughs ] It wasn't that fast.

It was just a lovely way to travel.

For more inspiration, visit our website, peopleofthenorth.net.

So, this is our next means of transportation, Stig.

>> I think this is the most risky one.

>> You think this is the most risky?

[ Both laugh ] It's so beautiful, this Flam Valley.

It's so green, lush, and dramatic.

Hey!

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ Meet the locals, Stig.

They have a beard, just like you.

>> Yeah.

>> That's why they like you so much.

>> As you can see, I'm quite popular.

[ Laughs ] ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ >> Hi, Bjarte.

>> Hi.

>> I hear that here at Fretheim you have after bike for sporty guys like us.

>> That is correct.

That is very important after trip like that.

>> Yeah.

>> And I have a little bit of a snack before you guys restart with other things because I know that Stig loves oysters and caviar.

So, we made a little bit of oyster mayonnaise with a little bit of potato chips.

And then we have some Rhône caviar on it.

Well, actually, we have a lot.

>> This is quite a meeting with Sognefjord, Stig.

>> Yes, it is.

This is two of the things I love most in the world.

>> What's the other thing?

>> Gin?

>> Gin.

[ All laugh ] >> This looks like lamb.

>> It looks like lamb, but it's not lamb.

This is actually goat.

>> Oh, we saw them.

>> Yeah.

>> We met them.

>> A lot of them.

>> Yeah.

>> They're very friendly in this district.

>> Very friendly.

>> Very friendly.

>> Like the people.

>> Yes, exactly.

We're gonna make a tartare.

>> Yeah.

>> Yeah.

>> We should try some of the local cider with this.

>> Yeah.

>> You think that's a good choice, Stig?

>> Yeah.

I believe so.

>> Enjoy.

>> This is more like a rougher after-bike kind of tartare.

>> High-end.

>> And it works well with this one.

>> Yeah?

Goes well with the cider.

>> But I love the combination of... >> Yeah.

>> ...of the umami from the caviar.

>> I love just getting here through this valley and then having flavors like this.

>> Look at this.

>> It's quite unique.

Thank you so much, Bjarte.

>> Skal.

>> It's my pleasure.

>> We're gonna come back.

>> Yeah.

>> We will.

>> Definitely have to come back.

Bye, guys.

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ >> Evan, please, tell me.

You're American, living in Flam, and we have a brewpub here that's quite unique, I will say.

Tell me the story about that.

>> Well, we have to go back to my hometown, Rochester, New York.

I decided I wanted to start brewing beer as a 17-year-old.

And at some point, my hobby got a little out of control.

I kept brewing through the years and got more and more excited about brewing.

And my wife and I got the opportunity to come to Flam in 2004, and we bought a café and restaurant here, but a tiny 8-room bed-and-breakfast.

So, we knew we needed a bigger hotel, and we wanted to build a pub.

And I said, "Wait a second.

We've got to build a pub-brewery if we're going to build a pub."

And that's how the idea was born, and here we are.

>> Fantastic.

Aegir -- that's a Norse god.

How did you come up with that name?

>> So, Aegir was the god of the sea in the Nordic mythology.

And he was the brewer to the gods, like Thor and Odin.

>> You also make gin and aquavit.

>> So, here we have Kvist.

This is our organic gin.

We just won double gold medal for this in San Francisco.

It's called "Kvist," because that means branch or twig, and it's because we actually pick juniper branches up here on the side of the mountain in Flam and use that, along with a bunch of other ingredients to make our organic gin.

It's a very dry gin.

So, there's no added sugar.

It's distilled-gin style.

So, I think it will work very, very well.

>> I take this one.

>> Great.

>> I'm looking forward to that, too.

[ All laugh ] Stig and I are heading out to the fjord.

We are going to Njardarheimr to meet some modern-day Vikings.

Stig, what's this on the other side here?

>> That's a Viking burial site.

>> So, this was an old Viking settlement.

>> Yes.

The whole area was that.

♪♪♪ >> Interesting -- the fjord cruise is electric-powered with zero emissions.

Big batteries charge with sustainable energy from local power plants.

>> This boat you are now on board is the world's first 100% electric boat, built in carbon fiber.

Why it's built in carbon fiber is because it's a much lighter material than aluminum.

So, there's no need for that much batteries on board to get the boat in time and get running.

>> And the battery gets its power from where?

>> From the waterfalls -- local waterfalls.

>> Hydroelectric plants are a very sustainable energy source.

>> We use the water twice for this power plant.

So, we have more efficient and stable water supply for our power plants.

And the demand is also rising.

So, demand for this kind of power is very attractive in a global setting, also.

>> So, we're actually running on local water, and what is the reaction from the passengers?

>> The first thing they react that it's very, very silent.

>> Probably adds to the experience, then, in this magnificent landscape.

It's a great way to see the fjord.

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ Okay, Stig, we are entering the port of Gudvangen, an historic place.

And we're in for a treat.

Isn't it so?

>> Yeah, it's a Viking village in there.

>> It's a Viking village.

>> The real Vikings.

>> Live Vikings because you don't have to be dead to be a Viking.

>> [ Laughs ] >> Or live like a Viking.

>> No.

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ >> In the Viking village Njardarheimr, people live like the real Vikings did more than a thousand years ago.

They know everything there is to know about the Viking way of life.

>> So, Karl, you have a lot of different weapons here.

Can you please tell me a little bit about them?

>> The Gulating start in Eivindvik in Gulen, out by the mouth of the Sognefjord.

And I mind the laws that applied to the entire western and most of the southern part of Norway.

And if I have turned up at the Gulating one summer in the Viking age like this...

I would immediately have to pay a fine for not being armed enough.

>> [ Laughs ] ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ [ Metal clanging ] ♪♪♪ >> Anders, tell me.

>> Yes.

>> How did you end up here in Njardarheimr in this blacksmith shop?

>> Well, I made my first sword when I was 11.

I started making knives when I was an adult, and then I ended up here.

But the more I look into Viking age and the sagas and everything, the more fascinated I become of all this.

>> Because they were true craftsmen or artists, I would say.

>> They were, absolutely.

>> But you also live in this blacksmith shop.

>> I do, yeah.

I live over here, and I live here 300 days a year, approximately.

>> What do you make here in your blacksmith shop?

>> Well, I make everything that the villagers need, everything from tools and weapons.

And today, I made nails.

>> So, you can buy a box of 500 in a shop for almost nothing, and it takes him at least a week to make them.

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ >> This village, Njardarheimr, why on earth did you want to build a Viking village?

>> So, I got this inspiration on a full-moon night here in Gudvangen.

So, I had to run around the country and abroad, visiting museums, libraries, dig up everything I could.

I read everything I can get my hands on.

And if I know enough, I will start thinking like a Viking, acting like a Viking, and then I can build like a Viking.

>> [ Laughs ] >> And I did.

>> And it's a huge success.

>> Thank you.

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ >> After returning to modern times, we meet up with Sigrid, who is both farmer and Arctic explorer, next to working as guide for tourists visiting Sognefjord.

Sigrid, you have to tell me about your farm here.

>> Welcome to my super-steep, typical western Norwegian farm.

>> And this is the Norwegian national horse, the fjordhest.

>> It is, mm.

>> It's a tough, hardworking horse.

>> Yeah.

And you can use it for carrying equipment, and it's good walking up in the mountains.

It can use its feet very well.

>> Sigrid, we have invited ourselves on some activities with you... >> Yes.

>> ...taking you away from your home farm... >> [ Laughs ] >> ...on something special.

>> Yeah.

>> What's your plan?

>> My plan is to just take a short drive and end up in Jostedal... >> Okay.

>> ...the home of most glacier arms of the big Jostedalsbreen, Jostedal's glacier.

And there we'll find Nigardsbreen and have a little stroll on the blue ice.

>> Ooh-ooh.

>> And after the glacier, I would love to cook a meal for you outdoor with some adventurous outdoor food.

>> Ooh!

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ >> Now we are here at Nigardsbreen.

Can you tell me a little bit about this glacier?

>> This glacier is one of the arms coming down from the main Jostedalsbreen, Jostedal's glacier, which is about 60 kilometers from north to south.

And this glacier, Nigardsbreen, is about 10 kilometers long, and it's called Nigard's glacier because it once took a farm, which was down in the valley.

In Norwegian, means "nigard."

And that was in 1700s.

It growed a lot and went all the way out the valley and "took" this farm.

So, people had to evacuate and move from the farm.

>> It seems like there is a layer of something that could look like pollution.

>> It's not pollution, or very, very little of it -- only, less than 2%, they say.

It's compost, compost.

>> A thousand years old.

>> Yeah.

Old leaves and maybe an old mammut.

It's very sticky.

It's almost like oil.

So, it's hard to get rid from your clothes and... [ Laughs ] >> Just by touching the rope.

>> [ Laughing ] Yeah.

>> You've been traveling the world doing dangerous stuff.

>> I've been kayaking, circumnavigated South Georgia and Nordaustlandet, which is the second-biggest island on Svalbard, and crossing the glacier of Greenland and horse-riding trip in Mongolia.

Ah, the world is a playground.

>> But this is your favorite, right?

>> This is home.

[ Both laugh ] ♪♪♪ >> Is this a ritual?

>> Oh-la-la!

>> Now you have, like, a 200-million-year-old dinosaur... >> Poop.

>> ...poop in your face!

[ All laugh ] ♪♪♪ For more inspiration, visit our website, peopleofthenorth.net.

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ When you're traveling across the Norwegian wilderness, it is good to be able to make food on the go.

As an explorer of the world, Sigrid is a master of making tasty meals around campfires and on portable stoves from fresh ingredients sourced nearby.

Ah!

Ha ha!

We're up at the mountain farm, on a stone, and this must be your home turf.

>> It is.

>> And you're gonna show us now how fantastic meals you can have out in the wild nature.

>> I'll do my very best.

You ready for this stew, with deer tenderloin, chanterelle mushroom, and vegetables and the brown cheese.

>> And it's there from around here.

>> Yeah.

The deer had walked just in the mountains behind us.

>> This is all the healthiest stuff -- the good, healthy stuff.

>> Making food outdoor makes you stay longer outdoor, and you take in nature in another way, by finding things outdoor and then having a good meal.

And the best thing of everything is that when people are outside, they are so hungry.

They like everything.

[ All laugh ] ♪♪♪ And now, guys, you're gonna taste the bread we just made here.

And I had a little herb in, which is called "alpine bistort."

And on top of the bread is three different cheeses.

One is the old cheese from Vik.

>> Gamalost.

Yes.

>> Gamalost.

The white one here is white goat cheese, salted.

>> From Undredal.

>> From Undredal.

And the last one is the brown cheese we also had in the stew.

>> From here.

>> From here.

And coffee -- coffee time.

♪♪♪ >> Perfect!

>> Perfect.

>> A little piece of chocolate.

Baked bread, deer stew -- this was a perfect meal.

>> Absolutely.

>> Very impressive.

Most farmers in Sogne are proud of their old traditions.

On our way along the fjord, we meet a bygdear, which is sort of the Norwegian word for "cowgirl."

We are in Luster, meeting this beautiful woman in a fantastic local costume, Sigrid.

>> Yeah.

Isn't she beautiful?

>> She is absolutely magnificent.

>> Yes.

She had made this by herself and just by hand.

It's woven by hand.

>> It's a copy of what they were actually wearing 200 years ago, Sigrid.

>> Mm-hmm.

But it was also a bit about fashion and about wearing things which were more beautiful and more special than the neighbor had.

Isn't that true?

>> Yeah.

>> Mm-hmm.

>> It's a way of showing who you are.

>> Mm.

>> And I understand that the hat is very important.

>> If you were available on the market, you just had your hair set up in a nice way.

But if you were taken, you had a beautiful hat.

>> Okay.

>> Easy.

>> Well, that's a practical way to organize social life in Sogne 200 years ago.

>> It's Tinder -- Tinder status in 1800.

>> Look for a woman without a hat.

[ All laugh ] Bjorg has also been very active in this very important mountain-farming tradition.

>> You experienced milking by hand and then cooking the milk.

And then you make gamalost.

>> And it's extremely healthy, from what I heard.

>> Yeah.

>> No fat.

It also has very healthy side effects.

What will this do with me?

What can it do for me?

What can -- >> Ooh.

>> What can gamalost do for me?

>> Do for me?

[ Laughs ] Some people say that gamalost is one of the reasons why people in this area live for very, very long time.

I've been guiding lots of tourists into the fjords here, and when I follow them into a place where they sell this, I said, "This is Sogne's..." And then the men buy everything.

>> That's a good selling point.

>> [ Laughing ] It is.

>> Go into the store, get a gamalost, and look for a girl with no hat.

>> With no hat.

[ Laughs ] ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ >> So, today, I want to teach you how to make a very good dry martini.

>> Cool.

>> And for that we need gin... >> Mm-hmm.

>> ...we need vermouth... >> Mm-hmm.

>> ...and maybe lemon and, also, ice.

The most important thing in this drink is to make it ice-cold.

>> Okay.

>> And we have ice from the Nigard's glacier.

So, this ice is actually over 1,000 years.

Let's go.

>> Yes.

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ >> And then it's just to stir it.

>> Mm-hmm.

>> And then... >> Mm-hmm.

>> ...add some freshness to that.

>> Mm-hmm.

Oh, yeah.

Look at that.

>> Ooh.

>> Mm.

Cool!

>> A dry martini chilled with glacier ice.

>> Wonderful.

Thank you.

Ahh!

>> No sand.

>> Mm.

No dead Vikings.

>> No dead Vikings.

Perfect.

Skal.

>> Skal.

[ Laughs ] ♪♪♪ >> Thank you so much, Kjetil, for having us here in your beautiful garden in Luster.

>> Thank you for coming and be here.

>> And of course with the famous langoustines from the Sognefjord, they are the biggest and the best in the world, aren't they?

>> Absolutely.

Everything is the biggest and the best in this area.

>> But there's food, and there's nature, and there's stuff for us to experience, but how do people make a living?

What do you do, Kjetil?

>> Actually, I have a factory, a label factory.

I manufacture labels for food and for drinks and also for different other stuff, of course.

But I make labels in a factory.

>> So, we have so many wonderful local producers in Norway making cheeses, beers, gin, whatever.

And these are the people you help.

>> Absolutely.

You need a label to sell it.

>> So, if I can eat it or drink it... >> I can label it.

>> [ Laughs ] Bjorg, ice from the Viking age.

Gamalost is from the Viking age.

Would this go well with gamalost?

>> Yes, I think very good.

>> [ Chuckles ] Skal.

>> [ Laughs ] >> This is Urnes Stave Church, oldest in the country, with many intricate carvings from the Viking age.

>> This stave church, here in Urnes, is especially known for its beautiful, beautiful carvings.

>> How old is it?

>> It's from all the way back to the Viking age, and it was finished in early 1100s.

But this is the fourth church here.

So, they used elements from the old churches to this church.

>> So, these are actually the first churches that made the Vikings accept Christianity.

>> Mm-hmm.

It's true.

[ Singing in Norwegian ] >> She has a lot of talents.

>> I imagine that there was a girl like Sigrid standing here a thousand years ago singing and making people as happy as we were now.

At the innermost point of Sognefjorden, at the foot of the mighty mountains, we arrive at our final destination today, the spectacular green gardens of Skjolden Hotel.

>> Siri... >> Yes?

>> ...what are you doing here in Skjolden?

>> My husband and I, we bought this property, the hotel, in 2015.

>> Mm-hmm.

>> We are developing the property and the kitchen and the garden and living our life.

>> Wow.

>> Yes.

>> I'm impressed.

And here we are, standing in your garden, picking raspberries from plants, which you planted yourself... >> Yes.

>> ...just only last year.

>> Indeed, yes, I did.

Yeah.

>> Wonderful.

And you pick berries from your own garden, but you also use other farmers around... >> Yes.

>> ...for supplying the kitchen.

>> We do.

Every autumn, we plan for the next season how much and what kind of animals we would like to serve in the cooking.

So, we have goat.

We have veal.

We have ox.

We have pork, of course.

>> Now, also, cheese.

>> And of course the cheese.

>> Goat cheese.

>> The delicious goat cheese... >> Yeah.

>> ...yes, from one of the farmers, yes.

So, we are very, very happy about the suppliers in the area.

>> Wonderful.

>> Yeah.

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ We're having the roast beet heart with the goat cheese on top and also flowers from the garden.

And then we have the pork belly, also from Andreas' farm, with apple puree, the Jerusalem artichokes, and the potato spiral.

So, enjoy.

>> Thank you!

>> Thank you.

>> Thank you.

>> At the end of a garden, this is where the Sognefjord ends.

>> It is.

>> We actually managed to come all the way into the longest inhabitated fjord in the world.

>> In the world.

>> And you get this kind of fantastic food.

And we managed well without Frida.

>> I would say so.

>> Not exactly the same, but... >> But good.

>> But good.

She did good.

>> Thank you.

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ >> For more inspiration, visit our website, peopleofthenorth.net.

>> Funding for this series has been provided in part by the following.

♪♪♪ >> Havila Voyages -- sustainable coastal cruises along Norway's beautiful coastline.

>> ♪ Take me home ♪ Take me home where I... >> VGAN Chocolate -- Norwegian flavor.

Available in Walmart stores.

>> Seafood from Norway.

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪