Norway makes 34

The flag collection grows as we get a visitor from Norway. How nice to hear from the land of fjords.

Here's a famous Norwegian you might not have read about:

Fridtjof Nansen (1861-1930)—one of Norway’s greatest athletes as a young man—became the first person to sail the elusive Northwest Passage and help prove that the frozen Arctic Ocean and no landmass covers the North Pole. He also was first to make the harrowing crossing of Greenland from coast to coast. Unable to pursue exploration of the South Pole, he gave his specially made arctic vessel, the Fram, to countryman Roald Amundsen to take on the challenge.



Nansen’s subsequent contributions to the establishment of an independent Norway qualifies him as a Norwegian founding father, and has made him an internationally known statesman. Nansen used his position of leadership to save hundreds of thousands of forgotten victims of World War I and refugees of the Armenian genocide, earning him the Nobel Peace Prize in 1922. [from Home at First Vacations]

A more recent Norwegian athlete is cross-country skier Bjorn Dahlie. He retired in 2001 at age 33 because of an injury but check this out: "His trophy collection includes the most Olympic medals, 12, of any winter athlete, the most World Cup wins, 48, and nine world championships."



This is just gratuitous Norwegian fire fighter eye candy for Grandmère Mimi.