We’re always curious to explore far-flung lands in the summer when school is out and the pace of life feels more relaxed. In this spirit of exploration, Bellevue Lifestyle asked public television host, best-selling guidebook author, and travel activist (and Edmonds native) Rick Steves for his absolute favorite summer travel destination. After some consideration, Steves shared:
In the summer, I like to avoid the heat and crowds of the Mediterranean and head north of the Alps, where peak-season travel brings life to sleepy destinations, the days are long, and it's sunny but not sweltering hot.
In Norway, where the mellow, no-shadow light of "magic hour" lasts until 11:00 pm, there’s something particularly poetic about summer evenings. This is a land of intense beauty, with famously deep fjords carved out and shaped by an ancient ice age. The call of gulls and lazy gulping of small boats taking on little waves provides a relaxing soundtrack. Cobbled lanes lead past shiplap houses to sheer cliffs. And the mountains are mesmerizing. Rather than jagged, they're bald and splotchy, with snowfields on top and characteristic cliffs plunging into inky water. I love Norway in the summer.
