– What a trip! What a weather, and what a turnout of people, it has been absolutely amazing! An impressed King Harald rounded off his county tour with a visit to Hareid municipality on Thursday. Photo: Lise Aaserud / NTB A very excited King Harald (85) meets the press in glorious sunshine in Hareid in Møre og Romsdal. Together with Queen Sonja (85), he has been on a three-day county tour. When the tour ends today, the king can cross three new municipalities off the list. Møre and Romsdal are now among the counties where the royal couple has visited absolutely all the municipalities. – The most important thing we do has been folk festivals, cultural features and local history. Mayors, corps and flower children. Throughout the county visit, people have turned up in droves to see the royal couple. Photo: Lise Åserud / NTB – We get energy from trips like this, says King Harald. – Traveling around the country and meeting people is the most important thing we do. And there have been many such trips. Just look at this map – where all the municipalities that the royal couple have visited are marked in green. The municipalities that still remain on the visit list are in red: The map is based on the Royal Household’s unofficial list of municipalities that King Harald and/or Queen Sonja have paid an official visit to – or visited in a defense context – from 1958 until today. A visit is considered official when the mayor of the municipality is the host. The king has said that he aims to visit all the municipalities in Norway. The royal couple began their county tour in Møre and Romsdal on Tuesday this week and were greeted by great late summer weather and folk festivals. Photo: Lise Aaserud / NTB 9-year-old Johanne gave flowers to King Harald in Valldal in Fjord municipality. Photo: Lise Aaserud / NTB The royal couple were met by both young and old in Valldal in Fjord municipality. Photo: Lise Åserud / NTB In Vanylven, the royal couple visited Sankt Jetmund church, among other things. Photo: Lise Aaserud / NTB A smiling royal couple in Sande municipality, one of the municipalities that the king visited for the first time during this county tour. Photo: Lise Åserud / NTB He may have received a little help from the municipal reform, with a number of mergers, which reduced the number from 426 to today’s 356 municipalities. Just as full: King Harald and Queen Sonja have together now visited 331 of today’s 356 Norwegian municipalities, according to the Royal Household’s unofficial list, and are only missing 25. They have thus visited 93 percent of all Norway’s municipalities. The royal couple has not visited these municipalities yet: In Agder In Rogaland: Lund Randaberg Vindafjord In Vestfold and Telemark: In Viken: In Vestland: Etne Osterøy Samnanger Vaksdal Askvoll In Trøndelag: In Nordland: Beiarn Bindal Hattfjelldal Hemnes Leirfjord Sømna Vevelstad In Troms: – Has a plan Traveling around the country and meeting Norwegians in towns and villages has been an important part of the royal duties. – There aren’t that many municipalities left now. Now it’s below 30, so it’ll be fine, says King Harald and laughs. – Has the royal couple made a plan to get around? – We have always had a plan to get around, but I don’t know if we can do it. But we have had a plan for that from the very beginning, says the king. A very happy royal couple met the press in Hareid on the last day of the county tour. Photo: Lise Åserud / NTB As newlyweds, then-Crown Prince Harald and Crown Princess Sonja traveled to Finnmark in 1969. It was their first major official trip to Norway together – and was the start of an annual tradition: A large county tour that the royal couple now completes every year. The first major trip to Norway for the then crown prince couple was to Finnmark in 1969. Photo: Jan Dahl / NTB The royal couple has repeatedly emphasized the importance of meeting people where they belong. – It’s a great way to get to know your country. The best thing is to travel and meet people, says Queen Sonja. When the royal couple begins their county visit to Møre and Romsdal this week, they were asked how long they will continue with such trips. The king had no doubts: – As long as we manage to touch each other, I think, he answered with a laugh. When King Harald waves goodbye to Møre and Romsdal today, he has visited 331 of Norway’s 356 municipalities. Photo: Lise Åserud / NTB
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Will visit all Norway’s municipalities – now King Harald only needs 25 – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
