A great place to visit all four seasons

By Lester E. Showalter
In Norway, each season has its own special features and charm. The contrasts are great and the scenery is ever-changing, year round. If you (25)_____(to think) that Norway was a country only really suitable for summer holidays, then you are mistaken. The Norwegians are just as active in the winter. In winter they swap their (26)_____ (to hike) boots for skis, their swimming costumes for classic knickerbockers. Did you see the broadcasts from the Winter Olympic Games in Lillehammer? Never before have so many people sat glued to (27)_____(they) TV screens as during those two weeks in February 1994. Never before has such a successful winter Olympics been staged, and Norway was once and for all placed on the map as (28)_____(a, the) great winter nation.

Norway is a paradise for all (29)_____(that) who enjoy messing about in the snow in winter. Ski enthusiasts from all over Europe flock here. You can go skiing on the Olympic facilities in Lillehammer, where Alberto Tomba and Vegard Ulvang (30)_____ (to cheer) on by tens of thousands of spectators.

Whichever style of (31)_____(to ski) you prefer - slalom, cross-country, snowboarding, freestyle or telemark - you can do it here. One thing we don't recommend, however, is ski jumping at Holmenkollen. Holmenkollen is the ski jump which (32)_____ (Norwegian) consider to be the Mecca of the sport of skiing.

But before the white winter sets in, the autumn colours adorn the mountains and valleys of Norway. The scenery bursts into an explosion of (33)_____(red), yellows and oranges. A walk in the mountains is like an adventure in colour. A good thing to do is to take a rucksack and try your luck at fishing in the numerous ponds and lakes. If you are lucky, you may come across a piece of marshland (34)_____(to cover) wich golden cloudberries, and you will find blueberries in the forests which taste wonderful with pancakes.

In spring the snow begins to retreat and the flora and fauna awaken. The rivers and waterfalls become gushing (35)_____(a torrent) which carry the melting snow from the mountains down to the fjords and out to the ocean. The sight of the fruit trees in blossom brightens up the fjords and valleys after the long winter. Norwegians start looking forward to 17 May, the (36)_____ (a country) national day.