Inspired by The Golden Compass, we decided to travel to the far north to experience the wonders of the arctic.

We started in Oslo and made our way west by rail to the small mountain town of Flåm. A cruise through the magnificent Sognefjord and a bus ride from Voss left us in Bergen, where we dined on classic Norwegian cuisine.

We flew up to Svalbard (home of the Panserbjørne) and went snowmobiling out on the sea ice. We drove into the wilderness with nothing but our wits and a healthy dose of fear.

We scoured the heavens first in Longyearbyen and then again in Tromsø for the elusive Northern Lights. We donned reindeer skins and flew across the tundra in a sled pulled by Alaskan Huskies.

The existence of Bolvangar could neither be confirmed or denied.

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Norway