Axe Tour of Norway and Sweden: Part 1

In early April I traveled to Norway and Sweden for a month-long trip to study traditional axe forging.  Axes are still used there to hew and join logs for the construction and maintenance of beautiful, traditional houses.  Below are a few pictures from my first day in Oslo.  Both the weather and the scenery were amazing.  Follow-up posts on this trip will show a class that I taught in Norway on Viking-style axe forging and my visits with several blacksmiths who taught me forging techniques for axes that date back to the Medieval era.