Nor- fernugen

 

 

 

 

Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.” 

Terry Pratchett

Borgund Stave kirke

 

 

 

It was a perfect cloudy Norwegian summer day- still snow on the mountain tops. Two hours drive from Geilo driving thru this lush green narrow valley ...and then...

it appeared.

 

Borgrund Stav Kirke

 

It took my breath away
 

this medieval beauty

just resting there so quietly

Surrounded by people who found hope and comfort here

a beautiful and picturesque spot for this magnificent stave church

 

Did you know you will only find Stave churches in Norway?

They work very hard at preserving them

Fascinated with the dragons

 absolutely love all the detail

 

Built around 1180- it was dedicated to the apostle Andrew

The architectural style is Romanesque and Gothic

 

Sprayed down with tar to preserve the timber that was used to build this lovely church

It is truly something spectacular

 

There are very, very old graves

but we also came across some recent ones

 many families are buried here together

 

 

It was a very quite morning

 even my kids were still

As I walked around I looked at the graves and had tears in my eyes reading the grave stones

some had a little more to say about the person and their life

others were just a simple name and date.

One of the highlights of my trip home

 I am very grateful and proud that this is part of my heritage

To experience this and take it all in

 unforgettable.

Do you have a special place in this big world that left you in awe?

Sogne Fjord

 

 

 

 A lovely trip we took was from Geilo to Voss.

 We  took the ferry from Kaupanger to Flam to get there.

 

 This area of Sogne fjorden is the most narrow of all the fjords.

 

 

About a 2 1/2 hr. ride.

 

French guy feeding the seagulls

This French bird whisperer was so nice to our boys and showed them how to do it.

 

However Fog horn didn't quite make it - due to height restrictions, hehe...

My uncle told me that they build the churches on the "sunny side" of the fjord... where the sun rises

 to attract the locals to come to service. ( I thought that was pretty clever)

Here they all have arrive by boat.

You'd be amazed by the lush green and the farm land here- the left image is how we dry out hay in Scandinavia

 

Typical wooden boat

and of course the rushing of the waterfalls was always present

 

 

Sheep are grazing they all had baby lambs- so cute.

 

Tourists...not so cute

except for the little dude on the right.

 

It is high season in Scandinavia on this commuter ferry alone I heard, French, Italian, Spanish, Icelandic, Japanese

-who knew that they all would think Norway is that interesting?

At every turn there was something new to discover

like a water fall

 

Impressive this beautiful country

so happy my family could experience this.

...and so it begins

 

 

 

This is where we stayed for most of our visit in Norway.

- Eivinds plass fjell gard- 

Geilo

My uncle Karsten is a well known author and pastor in Norway,

he lives deep in the mountains on this farm with 22 cabins that are from the early 1700's.

 

When I was younger I used to visit him during winter and Easter vacation and go skiing here.

 

Eivindsplass is in  Hardanger vidda next to one of Norway's national parks.

This last image is Halling Skarvet and is a glacier that you can hike during summer and ski during winter, Karsten used to pull up me behind his snow mobile and I would ski the whole day here.

 

The favorite uncle- he has always embraced me with open arms

 and was so very kind to my family coming from America.

 

Here are more images from his place in the mounatins

Eivinds plass fjell gard

 

He wants us to move back to the old country in the worst way....and who knows

maybe one day?

 

“Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So... get on your way.”

Dr. Seuss