Lom and Sognfjellet

 Our plan was to take the long way back to Bergen. It was planned that way so that we could not only drive the highest road in Northern Europe, but also so that we could take in the Urnes Stave Church, but that would wait until the following day. 

Lilah in her happy place. 
(Martha's photo)

If you have faithfully followed the blog, then you might be surprised to know that it was kind of sunny leaving Røros. And so we left, kids shortly asleep in the van, luggage, fiddles, backpacks and lunch crammed in every spare space. Before going to sleep, Lilah was in her happy place. We had decided that the kids could sleep most of the day if they wanted, and that we would only wake them if something terrifically cool was outside. 

This proved to be a pretty good strategy, and they all slept most of the way to Lom, about 4 hours from Røros. They woke in fits and starts, but this photo is pretty typical. 

Nothing like a nap. 
(Martha's photo)

There were some things we didn't wake them for, like these ski jumps which I think are in Folldal. They're actually kind of famous. 

Ski jumps, probably Folldal.
(Martha's photo)

Rolls Royce from Estonia.
(Martha's photo)

It took some time, but we finally got to Lom. Here came a change. We had been used to using toilets in grocery stores or gas stations, and they were free. But, in Lom you had to pay to use the toilet. It cost about $2. What a bummer! Maren and I were coming back from the potty run when we spotted this in the parking lot of the Lom stave church, where we were meeting everyone else. Yes, friends, it is a bright blue Rolls Royce, with an Estonian license plate. While it was a beautiful car, it was also huge, and I could not imagine it on the curvy and narrow Norwegian roads. Eeesh! 

Lom Stave Church
(Sue's photo)

The kids and Sue went in the church. I had seen it before, so I did not go again. I used the time to do planning for on down the road. But, there were of course pictures! As the gang went in, they realized that the folks selling tickets had been at Strunkeveko! 

Look closely at this one. Can you find Hugh, Sue's travel companion? She took pictures of him in many places, but he was especially excited to see the church, I think. 

This church is quite old. Testing on the wood has shown that it was cut around 1158, but it is suspected that the church was built slightly later. But, there was an earlier church on this site as well. This church has been renovated multiple times, and more parts added. But, the structure from the 1100s still is part of the church. 

The inside is highly decorated, with a beautiful pulpit, and painting on the ceiling as well. You can also see the staves in the photo below. This church is not large, its capacity is right around 300, but it is lovely. 

Interior of Lom Stave Church
(Sue's photo)

Back in the van, we headed for the scenic route known as Sognfjellet. It is the highest road in northern Europe, and it progesses through a pass that has been used for centuries. This is evident because of special cairns near the road. These are very tall, and typically have a log sticking out of the top. These cairns marked the way for centuries, long before there were automobiles crossing the pass. This was a trade route, from Lom to the Sognfjord. 

On a clear day, the views are absolutely breathtaking. But, as seemed the norm for this trip, we were in the mountains and it was rainy and low clouds. Unfortunately, that meant no views of Gauldhøpiggen, Norway's tallest mountain at 8,100 feet. But, other views were still astonishing, and we got out of the van for short walks multiple times. 

This picture is on the upslope, coming from Lom. I like it because you can see the road going off into the distance. At this stop there were also waterfalls. 

(By gum the video loaded! Huzzah!)

Here is a huge glacier you can see from the road. Look closely. The clouds look fluffy, and then below them the texture changes. That is glacier. 

At this point it was, in fact, raining, windy, and I'd guess the outside temperature to be in the mid 40s, but the windchill to be a bit cooler. 

This is the same lake, and it's near the summit. There is a hotel there that I really wanted to stay in with the kids, it's lovely, and not too pricey. But, the timing didn't work with getting us back to Bergen. I guess that is left for another trip!  We did, however, go out for a quick walk along the rocks and by the lake near the hotel. There is a footbridge that connects the little rock patches with each other, and here we are coming back. Listen to the wind. 

Well, it must be a good day for loading video. (Picture author shaking head. It's all very mysterious about why sometimes it loads and sometimes it doesn't...)

We drove down the other side to the fjord, and drove along it for some time. We were headed for Haflso, where we had rented an AirBnB for the night. It turned out to be a great spot for us, huge living spaces, lots of bedrooms. And, it had a view of the fjord, which I could enjoy from bed. Now that's amazing! 

We had pizza for dinner, and then we worked on recordings for NRK. We finally got those done, and now they have been given to John Ole Morken. We await information about when we will be on the radio. But, for those of you, Readers, who are Sons of Norway members, watch for the autumn magazine from the national organization. There should be an article and photos in there featuring us and the tour. 

Tomorrow is our last day before the kids and Sue go back to Seattle. It should be a fun day...many ferries, a stave church, incredible waterfalls, and a nice hotel with a hot shower at the end. Did I mention a planned last dinner at an Indian restaurant? 

- Martha