You should also meet them in their favourite element – water. If a cool swim in a fjord on 1 May sounds a bit much, you should consider a floating sauna on the fjord. Along the Gandsfjord, between Sandnes and Stavanger, you'll find several floating saunas from Damp and BookSauna, offering a fantastic view of both the fjord and mountains.
Other good alternatives here are the SVAI Sauna in the middle of the Art Nouveau town Ålesund, Nausta floating sauna in Molde, the eight-man sauna Dampen in Fjærland or Heit Sørfjorden Sauna near Lofthus in Hardanger. These are the perfect places to meet locals who have awakened from their winter hibernation.
If you’ve never tried a sauna interspersed with icy dips in the fjord, we can also highly recommend it on health grounds – and not just physical health. The heat of the sauna and the cold water of the fjord are good for the heart and circulation, while the view of snow-clad mountain peaks above the tranquil fjord will give you a real sense of peace and harmony.