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Today we're in Vik. We arrived at noon and we're here until about 9pm.
Vik is nestled on the southern shore of the Sognefjord and Vikoyri (Vik) is one of Norway's oldest settlements with history stretching back more than 1000 years. The Sognefjord is known as the "King of Fjords" and is about 1200 km long.
Archaeological discoveries show that the Vik area has been inhabited since the Stone Age, with evidence of human settlement dating back more than 6,000 years.
It's a very pretty community, with a lovely waterfront and lots of homes in and on all sides of the valley. Norway's scenery has reminded us of both BC and Newfoundland.
The big attraction here is the Stave Church. The Hopperstad Stave Church was built around 1130 and is one of Norway's oldest ad most beautiful Stave Churches. Constructed entirely of pine using Viking-era woodworking techniques, the church is renowned for it's dragon head carvings and richly decorated interior. Neither of us are big church tourists however this one was truly remarkable. We also visited the Stone Church also from the 12th century.
I included a couple of pictures of the Moahaugane Burial Mounds, they look like they sound, green mounds but are actually Viking burial sites, dating from around AD200-900. This history here is a constant reminder of how young North America really is.
Vik is also famous for "Gamalost" an ancient cheese. The local coffee shop offered a tasting plate so we gave it a try. It's been described to us by several different folks, none of whom made it sound truly appetizing. However, served on a cracker with lots of butter, sour cream and jam it was quite tasty. Adrian really liked it. Tonight we make our way to Bergen, our last stop in Norway.
Vik is nestled on the southern shore of the Sognefjord and Vikoyri (Vik) is one of Norway's oldest settlements with history stretching back more than 1000 years. The Sognefjord is known as the "King of Fjords" and is about 1200 km long.
Archaeological discoveries show that the Vik area has been inhabited since the Stone Age, with evidence of human settlement dating back more than 6,000 years.
It's a very pretty community, with a lovely waterfront and lots of homes in and on all sides of the valley. Norway's scenery has reminded us of both BC and Newfoundland.
The big attraction here is the Stave Church. The Hopperstad Stave Church was built around 1130 and is one of Norway's oldest ad most beautiful Stave Churches. Constructed entirely of pine using Viking-era woodworking techniques, the church is renowned for it's dragon head carvings and richly decorated interior. Neither of us are big church tourists however this one was truly remarkable. We also visited the Stone Church also from the 12th century.
I included a couple of pictures of the Moahaugane Burial Mounds, they look like they sound, green mounds but are actually Viking burial sites, dating from around AD200-900. This history here is a constant reminder of how young North America really is.
Vik is also famous for "Gamalost" an ancient cheese. The local coffee shop offered a tasting plate so we gave it a try. It's been described to us by several different folks, none of whom made it sound truly appetizing. However, served on a cracker with lots of butter, sour cream and jam it was quite tasty. Adrian really liked it. Tonight we make our way to Bergen, our last stop in Norway.
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