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/
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