An old treasure in Solvorn, Norway

Colorful shed near the ferry dock in Solvorn, Norway

 

The view from Solvorn of the Lustrafjord.

Solvorn is just a slip of a village on the Lustrafjord, an arm of Europe's longest and deepest fjord, the Sognfjord.  We first discovered the village of 150 inhabitants when we were out on a day trip from the bed and breakfast we were staying at, Nes Gard.  Solvorn was down a side road that led to a ferry crossing.  We were curious about the ferry for the next day so decided to explore.

We saw the Walaker Hotell, but didn't think much of it other than it looked charming.  I took some photos looking out at some boat houses and a couple of the hotel itself.

The next day we were on the other side of the fjord and decided the quickest way back to Nes Gard was to take the ferry to Solvorn.  We did that and saw the hotel again.  This time guests were sitting on the porch.  We had crossed on the ferry with our dinner companions from Nes Gard and they parked their car to look more closely at the hotel.  That night they told us there was an art gallery in the back which was closed on Mondays so they didn't get to see inside.  We learned from them that the hotel dated back to 1640.

 

 

                                                        Crossing on the ferry to Solvorn.


The day we left Nes Gard to head to Bergen, my husband asked if I would like to take another look at the hotel as it was just a short way off the main road.  I was eager to take a closer look.  What we discovered was one of the most idyllic places we had seen in Norway.

There is a beautiful lawn overlooking the fjord and the porch was very welcoming.  As we entered the hotel we met a young man who was cleaning up the breakfast area.  The guests were gone for the day and that was a bonus for us.  He told us we could look wherever we wanted and he said it would be fine to take pictures. 

 

 

                                                   Looking out from the porch at the Walaker Hotell.

                                                     The comfortable looking porch.


In the dining room there was much art work on the walls.  The young man told us that the art gallery in back didn't open until noon and it contained art work from all over Norway.  There were some side sitting rooms on the first floor of the hotel that were filled with antiques and more art work.

A chamber maid allowed us upstairs to peak into rooms in the main part of the hotel.  They were decorated with an old fashioned look yet were comfortable looking, fairly large and beautiful. 

 

               
 We discovered a side building and since no one was around we explored that as well.  There were two large meetings rooms on the main floor, but the bedrooms upstairs were so reminiscent of Carl Larsson that I was beside myself with glee.  Carl Larsson (1853-1919) and his wife Karin (1858-1928) were artists and interior designers from Sweden.  I have long desired to visit their homestead in Sundborn, Sweden, but the annex to the Walaker Hotell was second best.

I found a little booklet in the hotel that tells its story.  "Walaker Hotell has been owned by the Nitter family since the end of the 17th century.  The current hosts, eight and ninth generations of the family, wish you welcome to an ambient nostalgic atmosphere at one of Norway's oldest and most traditional hotels."  It is indeed a treasured place.

Scandinavian Style

The view from Nes Gard.

Breakfast didn't start until 8 a.m. at Nes Gard, the bed and breakfast where we were staying for three days on the Sognefjord in Norway.  However coffee was ready at 7:15 so we decided to take some time and sit in a small beautiful room  in the main house where we could read or just look out the window at the fjord and waterfall across the water and sip our coffee.  Mari, who owns Nes Gard along with her husband Asbjorn, came in to chat with us.  She lit a candle on the table where I had my small computer and then disappeared into the kitchen through a side door.  Soon she reappeared with two warm croissants on blue plates and handed them to us.  Later when we thanked her for the unexpected morning treat she said, "It's the simple things." 

The sitting area in the main house at Nes Gard.

I am no expert on Scandinavian style, but only know what I observed in this most beautiful country of Norway.  From what I could take in, less seems to be more.  The photos I am showing are from this marvelous little place that I first read about in National Geographic Traveler.  Asbjorn told me that a journalist came there about three years ago and took pictures.  He was trying to sell his work to various publications.  When he sold the piece to National Geographic Traveler, it put Nes Gard on the map and has brought them extra business.

Nes Gard is translated "farm at the end of the peninsula."  Gard is the word for farm.  They grow apples there and make their own cider.  When I booked this place online I decided we should go for what they call half board which is breakfast and dinner added to the price of the room.  It was the best decision we ever made.  We were told that their main cooks and workers were from Slovakia.  I can never explain the quality and tastiness of the meals we ate.  We sat with a couple from Seattle for three nights and talking, eating and laughing took us two hours.

We stayed in a small house that contained about five rooms that was beside the bigger farm house.  Our room was tucked up under the eaves and even though it was small, it was comfortable.  The bathroom was small as well, but the tile floor was heated which is a cozy thing.  From our two windows we could see the fjord. 

 

 

 Outside our room was a delightful sitting room.  Window sills were deep in both buildings and there was always a simple display on the window sill whether it was a pitcher of flowers or some art piece or both. 







Small vignettes were placed sparingly yet beautifully throughout the rooms and even outdoors there were simple things to catch one's eye.  I was clicking my camera continually.  The view to the fjord with the waterfall may have been enough, but the simplicity of design was just the added touch to make it complete.  And as Mari said, "It's the simple things."


      Nes Gard Through the Lens of my Camera

                                                                     

 

 

 

Click on pictures to enlarge.

 

 

Moods of Norway

We went to Norway in early September to catch the light before the days got too short to see the breathtakingly beautiful scenery.  Norway is a nation of water and mountains.  The Norwegian people have found a way around their streams, rivers, waterfalls, fjords and lakes by outstanding feats of engineering. 

A tunnel can be as long as 12 miles or as short as a couple of car lengths.  Bridges are plentiful, but if the water is too wide, there are ferries.


Farms cling to green meadows above dark water fjords.  Sheep and fruit trees often hug the hillsides.  On one stretch of road there were many tables set up periodically with an umbrella protecting the boxes of fruit for sale. Apples and plums seemed to be the two main crops. 

The architecture of buildings is simple.  It is the colors that make them stand out.  Unless a barn was weathered gray, it was a deep red.  Houses were mainly three basic colors:  white, red or a yellow gold.  However a gold house could be trimmed in dark red and a red house could be trimmed in a lovely shade of green.  Red barns often had white trim.  The eaves of houses might have a scalloped trim near the top.

Small towns along the fjords seemed to sparkle, the edges of cities less so.  My favorite city was Bergen, which is on the Atlantic, but even with all its interesting detail, it couldn't beat the countryside.

We talked to friendly people who with few exceptions, spoke English.  It is their second language and they start their students young.  When my husband asked a teenager in Lillehammer if he spoke English, his response was, "Of course."

There is so much more to share so stayed tuned for Part II. 

                                         The port city of Bergen from the top of a mountain.



 

Bringing in the Harvest

"Do you want me to can tomatoes for you?" my grandmother asked me over the phone.  The year was 1977 and my grandmother was 85 years old.  I thought Grandma was too old to be canning for anyone including herself.  The fact that she did it on her wood stove was amazing to me.

"Please don't bother Grandma."

"I have lots of tomatoes," she said.

I knew she did because her garden was huge.  She grew vegetables as if she still had a family of six children to feed.  After her children were all grown with children of their own, she gave most of her produce to them even though they had gardens of their own and sold her dill to a local grocery store. Bringing in the harvest was a monumental task.  My mother continued the tradition of canning everything she could for winter eating. 

In our basement, when I was growing up, we had a little room with a dirt floor that we called the fruit cellar.  There, my mother put the colorful jars of fruits, vegetables and meat on the wooden shelves.  It took her weeks of work to can everything she did.

I remember juice from grapes being strained through cheese cloth so my mother could make grape jelly.  My favorite though was her grape juice that she put in two quart jars.  We would open one on a Sunday night when we often had popcorn. 

Canning continues in my generation but not as much as my ancestors.  I can tomatoes, tomato juice, beans and peaches.  My husband makes jam and freezes apple sauce.  This year he made a new kind of jam from our crab apples. 

The farm markets are full of ripe vegetable and fruits.  Hay is baled in the fields and wood piles are growing.  Picking black berries that grow wild around the edges of our meadows is part of our harvest.  Many bags go into the freezer and fresh ones go into a pie.  It is a yearly tradition.  We also have blueberries that we harvest off a few good producing bushes. There is a contentment for me in seeing the glass jars lined up on my shelves and the freezer filled with Michigan fruit.

In Europe we have watched the hand harvesting of hay on mountain slopes and wood packed so tightly in intricate patterns that is seems impossible to pull a piece out.  We have seen vineyards with ripe grapes and tasted the new wine.  We have watched cows being herded down from the mountain pastures in Switzerland, Austria and Germany and taken part in the celebration that follows.  Cathedrals in Europe often have items from the harvest at their altars.

There is still something innate in our character that makes us want to preserve and put away for a winter season.  It isn't really necessary for the common man as grocery stores are everywhere, yet there is a need in some of us to do what generations before us did out of necessity.  The satisfaction is overwhelming. 

 Our harvest.....tomatoes, peaches, jelly

 

 Local farm market......

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The harvest in Europe.....