Exploring Vikoyri
Vikoyri is the village that is about 15 minutes away from our cottage and the closest source of groceries and amenities. It is the administrative centre of Vik, the municipality in which we are located. It lies at the mouth of the Vikja River and on the south shore of the Sognefjorden, about halfway along this longest fjord in Norway. It is a stopping point for cruise ships and there was one in port today when we went in to explore. Fortunately it was just a smaller one, so it wasn’t like the town was overrun with tourists.
There were several things we wanted to take in here, so that’s what occupied this second day in Norway. First stop was the tourist information centre to pick up a map of the town and also a couple of souvenirs. I bought my requisite Christmas ornament (which I had forgotten to buy in Colmar, darn it!)
We had heard about a lookout not far out of town that provided a view of the fjord, so headed out in search of Vangsnes. We found the lookout atop which stands the 10.5 metre statue of Fridtjof, a bygone king who was immortalized in Fridtjof’s Saga . It stands on a 12 metre high plinth. The statue was commissioned by Kaiser Wlihelm II, the same man responsible for the reconstruction of the chateau we had visited in Strasbourg. He was fascinated by Norwegian culture and in particular by the saga of the Viking Fridtjof’s saga. The 14 ton statue was transported to Vangsnes in 15 sections,
Next over to check out the Ostebaren, a popular cafe where we had a quick lunch. It is here that you can buy the local Gamalost or “old cheese”. It is a traditional Norwegian cheese, characterizd by its distinctive, pungent flavour, whose roots go back to the Vikings. It is only made in this village where they produce some 300 tons a year.
Off to the grocery and liquor store to stock up on some more supplies for the next few days, then Pam and I decided to walk over to the Stave church along the pathway that followed the stream through town, while the boys opted to drive there. Before we got to the church we stopped to watch some people planting strawberries, which was an interesting process. They had plowed out long mounds of dirt and lain hoses on them. Then a machine spread a roll of plastic over top of the mound. Other workers would then come along and deposit the plants inside the plastic with the green part sticking out. We spoke at length to the man operating the machine and he told us that most of the workers were from Poland and came back every year to work the strawberry fields.
On then to the Hopperstad Stave church, one of the oldest stave churches dating back to around 1130. Similar churches existed in other parts of Europe but only the Norwegian ones have survived, and of the some 1000 original ones, only 28 still exist. They are built entirely of wood, but because they are built on a stone foundation, the wood doesn’t rot because it makes no contact with the earth. We had a most knowledgeable young man explaining many of the details within the church, including the fact that men and women were segregated to opposite sides, each having their own altar, and that there were no pews because the worshippers stood. A baldachin was a canopy over one of the altars and had painted on the inside pictures from the life of Christ. Amazingly the colours were not faded even though no restoration had been done on them.
From one place of worship to another - off to the Hove Stone church not far from the Stave one. This is one of the oldest stone churches in Norway, dating back to around 1170 and built on the land owned by the Hove family. It is of the Romanesque style and built primarily of soapstone. In 1877 the church was going to be demolished, as the new Vik church had been built. Fortunately a local architect was offered to buy the soapstone and decided instead to restore the building to its former Middle Ages form. We were not able to go inside, but it is apparently most impressive in how he restored it to its former state.
After all that touring around we headed back home to enjoy some relaxing time just enjoying the cottage and its outstanding views. We also did some research into doing a trip on the Flam railway tomorrow.