If autumn in the Norwegian Riviera deserves to be called the most romantic season, winter should be considered as the most magical. White, wooden towns, covered in snowy caps and blended with snowy landscape, create fairylike pictures. Cliffs are decorated with huge icicles and frozen waterfalls; rocks - humid in other seasons - look like sugar-coated. The name of fairytale kingdom, Arendelle, in Oscar-winning animated movie "Frozen" sounds surprisingly similar to Arendal. This was exactly the winter landscape of Norway which has inspired the creators of this excellent animation.
Obviously, winter is the time of spectacular mountain views. Sorlandet is located in the mid-boreal zone; therefore, the farther in the forest the more coniferous trees. The region's interior is to a great extent covered by taiga. Snow-capped spruces will make you think of Siberia, and rocky barren peaks emerging from frozen lakes remind one that the Arctic is close.
Unfortunately, you cannot get to Kjerag in winter, but if you persistent enough you can climb up Preikestolen. Besides, the road to Lysefjorden itself, or any other road in the mountains guarantees unforgettable experiences. What is more, you can reach the lonely islands as Merdo or Sandoya and experience the everyday life of the isolated world which is no longer govern by tourists as it was in summer, but people full of impressive obstinacy who live there permanently.
The biggest winter holiday, that is Christmas, is really special here. After all, Norway is one of four countries over which Lapland is stretched. Shop windows are filled with creatures from Norwegian legends, and, especially, trolls and gnomes accompanied by reindeer and fawns. Figures of these fairylike beings can be found everywhere, and there are Christmas trees twinkling with lights on the streets and at store and restaurant entrances. In Arendal, as in all bigger towns, there is a Christmas fair organised.
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