Rural Norway and Fjord Country

We left Oslo on Wednesday morning and drove north toward the mountains. Near Lillehammer (site of the 1994 Winter Olympics) we toured an open-air folk museum. The museum is a collection of buildings from the 1600's in the valley around Lillehammer. It depicts rural life with sod-roof log houses, various farm buildings and crafts demonstrations. Also on site was one of Norway's 28 remaining stave churches. These wooden churches date from medieval times and get their name from the big, stout vertical timbers (staves) used in their construction. They are ornately decorated both inside and out.

After an overnight stop in the mountains, we headed toward the fjords. Along the way we paused for a photo stop and our guide, Dave, treated us to a taste of akvavit, a spirit distilled from potatoes and flavored with various herbs, etc. This particular akvavit was a special variety; it was aged in sherry casks and put aboard a ship to sail below the equator and back in order to make it more mellow.

Further on, we picked up a ferry for our cruise on the Sognefjord. The Songnefjord is 120 miles of towering waterfalls, isolated farms, idyllic villages and shear cliffs dropping right down to the water. Eventhough you're surrounded by dozens of cameras clicking away, at times you feel as if you are the only one there. It can't really be described in words, and (as is usually the case) pictures don't do it justice. However, we'll try -- at least with the pictures . . .