Lahemaa National Park, Estonia and more!

Today was AMAZING! Little did we know when we signed up for this Travelers Tour day what a packed full, incredible day it would be! The tour lasted nine hours and included multiple stops. 

The first was at the Jägala waterfall, the widest and largest natural fall in Estonia. The area has lots of fossils in the surrounding limestone from the prehistoric era when this area was a sea. Our guide was quite proud of the falls, given that Estonia is relatively flat. https://www.jagalawaterfall.com/en

Next stop: 

Lahemaa National Park. The Viru Bog Boardwalk wound through this primordial landscape. We experienced spongy earth, and mirror-like ponds reflecting the rare blue skies along this 2 mile walk. A tower mid way gave us a sweeping view of the area. The walk ended in a forest of tall trees with an open forest floor and dappled sunlight shining through. Magical. https://visitlahemaa.com/en/

Lunch was at Altja Kortz in the tiny seaside village of Kortz. We had some interesting conversations about how connected the world is, despite us all being from different places. After lunch, John and I tried out a giant wooden standing swing! It could hold multiple people, but no one else was game to join. We got it going pretty high! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Village_swing  We walked through a museum area with older homes and a well on the way to the beach. We had lovely walk on the shore which led into the otherworldly forests we have seen all day.

Last stop: Sagadi Manor

Wait! There's more! We couldn't believe we had one more stop. The Sagadi Manor is a rococo style manor house which was last owned by the Von Fock family. We had a crash course in Estonia history and the influence of German Baltic nobility as well as the changing rule of Estonia through the centuries. The grounds featured manicured gardens as well an orchard. There was also a fascinating exhibit about forestry...both cutting and preservation.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagadi 

Fantoft Stave Church

It's raining today (surprise!). I dropped off our laundry at Absolute Cleaning, a drop and go service. There are not many choices for laundry in Bergen. This choice was price competitive and gives me the freedom of time.

I took the light rail to the Fantoft station. The public transportation has worked out well. We purchased 7 day tickets and it has been well worth it. That is even in combination with all the walking I have been doing. The church was a ten minute stroll from the platform. It has an interesting history. It was originally built in - 1200 in Sogn. As religion and churches changed, it was moved to Bergen in 1883. In 1992, it was a victim of arson. It was rebuilt using traditional medieval methods and 400 year old pine trees from an area near Sogn. Sadly, it now has a chain link fence surrounding it for safety. Still, it is an impressive sight. The exterior is covered black tar and has a svalgang (external covered walkway) to protect it from the elements. This svalgang was also used as a place to drop weapons before the service, socialize out of the rain, and for people with leprosy to listen to the service. For the latter, there was also a small hatch to receive a blessing. The dragons carved at the top were to keep evil forces away, a unique crossover from earlier Norse religion and Christianity. https://fantoftstavkirke.no/historie-2/

https://www.stavechurch.com/

Fjord Boat Trip

Today we had sun in Bergen! So many people were out enjoying it! My day featured a cruise through the Mostraumen Fjord. Norway has some rugged, beautiful spots!

Rainy Day (for real) in Bergen

This was Museum Day! The Bryggen Museum was the morning visit. The experience begins with a backward timeline, and there have been A LOT of fires in Bergen over the centuries, mostly the Bryggen area. In 1955, the area was so dilapidated that when there was yet another fire, many people reportedly wanted the area razed. Archeologists came in and found layers upon layer of artifacts. I was stunned to see items from the 1100s! The museum houses a large collection of over 650 message runes carved on wood and bone. The messages range from showing ownership to love notes. One amusing one says, "Gyda says that you are to go home." There was also a weaving exhibition featuring work by Ragna Breivik. She is known for her professioanl association with Gerhard Munthe, an illustrator, and the Åsmund Frægdagjeva tapestry series. https://viewer.pandasuite.com/83af0tfu?wid=2c4b30903c870f780004f6 

Afternoon: After circumnavigating the buildings (in the pouring rain!), I finally found the entrance to the Kode Museum. I learned about Norwegian art and artists through the years. The photo is from a series by Harriet Backer who spent six years painting scenes from this stave church. The Kode also has the third largest collection of Edvard Munch. It was fascinating to see his style change through his lifetime.

We went to Heit sauna in the early evening! What fun! It was perfect weather for it. After being wet and cold all day, the sauna was a welcome change. We learned from the locals in there with us that saunas are new to Norway and have gained popularity in the past five years. 

Mount Ulriken

The high point of today was our hike up the 1333 sherpa steps to the summit of Ulriken. It was rainy and misty the entire time, but every so often we caught a fleeting glimpse of the city below. https://ulriken643.no/en/activities/oppstemten 

Oh and we had unique flavored ice cream! Brown Cheese and Bergen Cinnamon Bun

The Appollon

Such a great experience at the Apollen bar last night! Half bar, half record store! There was music trivia going on. Since we don't understand Norwegian, we just guessed what the questions might be. The draft list was super impressive and we tried some different offerings from our usual go to brews. Great!  https://apollon.no/om-oss/ 

Bergen, Norway

If you don't like the weather, wait 15 minutes! I learned firsthand the truth of this local joke! Clouds, sun, rain, and through the cycle again! Today I took a walking tour of Bergen…a fantastic way to learn the history of a place as well as get the local recommendations! The tour began at the Bergenhus Fortress. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bergenhus_Fortress The photo in the collage is of the Rosencrantz Tower. Notice the cut-outs for the cannons which were pointing at the city! The governor at the time wanted to keep the merchants of the Hanseatic League in line! The only other action the fortress saw was in the Battle of Vågen. They defended a Dutch ship from the British (from the cannons facing the sea!), but learned after the fact that they shouldn't have…oops. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_V%C3%A5gen  Some other interesting facts are the cobblestone streets were made from churches which were demolished during the Reformation. Bryggen, the historical section, is an UNESCO world heritage site. Because of this, the buildings can only be restored using the types of tools and techniques from the original time period. Each one can take up to five or more years, according to our guide. Because Bryggen burned so often (wooden buildings and all), they would just build on top of the damage. Archeologists have found layers from multiple time periods.

Lunch was the “World's Best Hot Dog.” The #7 featured reindeer, lingonberries, and mustard! Surprisingly, it worked!

Mount Fløyen is easy to hike right from the city center. I began in the rain with some gorgeous views. By the time I reached the summit, it began to drizzle. Goats were roaming around there! The rain began in earnest soon after and the entire viewpoint was enveloped in fog! Thankfully it was short-lived and the sun was found again at the bottom.