A Life in Norway: A Weekend in Lillehammer

We got out of Olso the other weekend (Oct. 7-10) and headed north a couple of hours to the lovely town of Lillehammer. We were visiting Hanne and Leif at their cottage during their Week 40 vacation (traditionally so all could help with the autumn harvest). They loaned us Leif's car to make the trip, our first experience driving in Norway (and our first time driving since June). We were able to see some lovely countryside, which begins immediately outside of Oslo. Large farmhouses with even larger barns on the hillsides surrounded by acres of fields with potatoes, hay, or grains. The barns were two- or three-stories, and had an earth ramp to the 2nd level (as you can kind of see in the photo from the road).

A typical barn in Norway
(note the earthen ramp to the 2nd level)

Many of you may recall that the 1994 Winter Olympics were held in Lillehammer. The town is nestled along the north end of Lake Mjøsa and surrounded by forested hills and farmland. Hanne and Leif's cottage is in Vingrom, along the shores of the lake a few miles south of Lillehammer. Hanne grew up on a farm in Vingrom and much of her family lives in the area. We took a walk from the cottage through the neighboring farmland, much of which belongs to Hanne's family and has for generations. As a brief caveat, in Norway, it is lawful to pass through (and even camp on) private property -- called allemannsretten, or all man's right of access -- with certain limitations, such as proximity to homes, and the responsibilities.

Leif, Hanne, and Karl approaching one of the family farmhouses.

Tree-lined path at the farm

Community log saw and splitter

At the end of our walk we stopped in to visit Hanne's niece and nephew and had a little glimpse of family life in Norway. Hanne's nephew and family are, in many respects, the center of the family life (at least this appeared the case while we were visiting). We came over for an afternoon snack of pancakes, brown cheese, and strawberry jam, around the large farmhouse table. Hanne's nephew was outside working on remodeling a portion of the barn for a shop to restore old cars. There was a steady flow of relatives: brothers, cousins, nephews, nieces, and friends. It reminded me of being at my sister's house with all the activity of family life.

We also visited Hanne's brother's business. He sells (and repairs) snow cats for grooming ski areas, making ski tracks for cross-country skiing, and for arctic travel. He was preparing to send several machines to the Norsk Polar Institute at the Arctic Research Station in Antarctica.

Hanne's niece, Lena, took us for a hike to the largest waterfall in Lillehammer. After the recent heavy rains, the trail was muddy and the river full requiring a careful crossing using a downed tree. The waterfall was exhilarating with pulses of heavy mist and wind created by the falling water.

Lena and Benz

Lena, Rachel, and Leif

We then walked to see the rock that a local man famously lived under one winter during the German occupation during World War II. At the time no one knew exactly where he lived, but they would leave food at a particular location for him to later pick up. We learned from Hanne that her father also lived for several weeks in the woods the last winter of the German occupation. He was involved in the Norwegian resistance, and after one member was caught he went into hiding. In order to protect his family, he didn't tell them that he was going into hiding, rather that he was going out for a ski. He didn't return for 6 weeks. A friend delivered food to him at a designated location and his family never knew where he was or if/when he would be back. It was a good thing too as the Germans came and interrogated Hanne's mother about his whereabouts.

The rock overhang where a local man spent the winter in hiding.

The sign marking the place where a local man lived in hiding during WWII.

As I mentioned above, Lillehammer was the site of the 1994 Winter Olympics, so naturally our visit had to include some Olympic sites! We went to the very impressive ski jump where the opening ceremonies were held. It's pretty incredible to stand at the top of the ski jump. Yowza! It's impossible to see the landing area from the top, which makes it all the more exhilarating to imagine sliding down the ramp...

Our trip was made all the better with our visit with Hanne's mother, Ingeborg. She is an incredible baker, to which we can personally attest. She was also concerned that we stay warm enough on the boat, so she made us felted wool slippers. What a splendid surprise! I can happily report that the slippers are doing their job quite well (even with the temperature dropping to 21 degrees F).