Borgund - almost the best

Borgund the next day was fantastic, so wonderfully rotten and old...
It has two sides, like all older wooden churches - one total black, full of pitch and one yellow, washed out by the rains and winds, this is best to be seen with the Reinli-pictures later on. I think Borgund is one of the most beautiful churches in Norway, it's very classical and perfectly situated (if one looks at it from the hillside...).

It has the typical svalgang (a circuit leading around the building at the outside, all under the beautiful huge, torn down roof and an ornamented portal. It was even rebuilt in South Dakota, USA. The construction work of stave churches is very unique and must have demanded some skill in the 11th or 12th Century, when the first of them were built. I don't want to bore people here with architectual details, you find more on that on the stave church links. Most impressive seems the decoration work, reminding of viking ships or longhouses, with heavy roofs and dragonheads on the gables.

Taking a closer look one gets under the spell of these wooden churches - the time that passed speaks fom the aging wood - one can almost see each season, the storms and winters that wore the wood down along with the burning sun that dried it out, whether pitch or not. Of course I woud prefere a gothic stone church, already for it's coldness and accoustics, but these buildings seem more like cosy meeting places to me - maybe they weren't to the violently christianised Norwegians of the 11th Century. Therefore they kept their pagan symbols and ornaments on the roofs and the portals, even inside they're there to ward off bad spirits.

The E16 lead me through some swiss-looking countryside up to the high-plateau of the Filetfjell with great sights, a very light area, totally different again. More by accident I passed the Oye stave church, which was actually rebuilt from old remains of the original church. The surrounding mountains are amazing, ancient rocks with deep steep valleys cut by waterfalls cause a certain feeling of might, both, inside the observer and about the object.

A funeral at Grindaheim

Continuing my ride on the high-plateau I was involuntarly involved into a local funeral (...) by a lovely little white wooden church in Grindaheim; I had to stop right there as some of the mostly young guys wanted to cross the street - hu hu what a hallo, look a hearse, hey ho (no, I'm not at work, boys).

Next was the Lomen church, that is some minutes off road up a steep mountain, after a enchanted little forrest with bushes, firs and birches, fully covered with Icelandic Moss - the whole forrest looking green-grey, like some kind of snow - one passes a few wealthy farmhouses, all built of wood, of course. The Lomen looks rather unspectacular by first sight, but has outstanding artistic details and interieur, which was unattainable at this time of the year. They even think of closing the church and keeping it for very special events (maybe a german or japanese wedding....these jokes are becomming more and more a trend I was told...how can one marry in a Norwegian church without any relation to it?!?!)

Valdres but no snow....

Now I was in the famous Valdres valley, a well known skiing region, easy to be seen in Fagernes, an absolute fishing and skiing resort, seeming almost like a tyrolean village, just sport and souvenir shops by the street, people with walking sticks and rucksacks all over the place, a funny ambiance in autumn...

Needless to say that I had a wonderful ride through the region around Aurdal with bright sunshine, strong colours - all birches glittering golden, the best time in autumn.

The Reinli in gossamer

For the Reinli I had to leave the route again, up it went, becoming narrower after every curve - I even thought I was wrong - but I had no chance to turn around anyway - with my long car and the stressed constructor's truck behind me it was better to continue. Finally I reached another high-plateau in the brightest latesummer sunshine, with a great sight over all valleys that lay in gazing clouds down there, very impressive - and there it was, the Reinli stave church, Reinli - another swiss-like name!
Reinli is very cute, watch the two different weather-sides, the slate roof is very special, too, the bull's-eye panes were added in a later period. It's a perfect object for photos, even the inside must be different as the church is very small and has many demon's heads and other pagan remains inside. I had a little rest by the warm wooden walls in the late October sun, watching the genious colour's play - just like heaven!