Britta carried her basket to the feast tables, where an old woman was scolding a bearded man in a fancy suit. “…come here looking to make a profit? Our heirlooms are not for sale. Be gone.”
The man’s smile was patronizing. “Oh, come now. I’ll pay well for any of those.” He gestured to a row of ale bowls standing ready. Some, intended for strong drink, were small. Mid-sized bowls would pass from hand to hand, while the largest would be filled for people who had cups to dip. All were beautifully carved, and most were rosemaled. “In Kristiania I’ve got buyers eager for your primitive country antiques.”
“I said they’re not for sale!” the woman snapped.
“The man snorted with derision. “Your loss.”
As she watched him walk away, the old woman shook her head. “That’s the third time this month someone’s come sniffing around, wanting to buy anything old. We could use the money, but it doesn’t feel right to sell things my grandparents made to some stranger.”
Britta thought of her own heirlooms back at the farm - the handaplagg and other linens, the ornate cupboards her grandfather had carved. She wouldn’t dream of selling her treasures, either.
Excerpt from Fiddler with Fate by Kathleen Ernst
Today as we visited Mølstertunet, I could fully appreciate Britta’s worries about her heirlooms back at the farm. No wonder Britta didn’t want to part with the precious things her grandparents had made. As I walked from building to building, I was transported back into time to the life of Britta and her family. There was the long-handled spoon and barrel to make øl (beer)…the shelf of wooden spoons that hung on the wall…spoons taken down to eat with, then licked cleaned and placed back on the shelf again…the wood-chipped carved wooden saddle for the women to sit side-saddled in the wedding procession…the lantern with sheep intestine lining wrapped around a frame to shed light into the dark room…the cradle who was carved by Father once he had a son after two daughters….the table with the six nails at each end so that no one could sit at those places. I listened to the sounds of the sheep bells and the little sheep baaing outside. I smelled the old fire that once warmed the house and provided the heat to cook the meals. I reached for the railing of the steep, narrow steps as I climbed up to where children slept. No longer in 2023, I was transformed into a time period from long ago.
I felt that the participants really enjoyed the experience, and we all could understand why Kathleen chose this spot as her setting for Fiddling with Fate. It was the perfect backdrop for Britta of 1888.
The most intriguing item on display n the main building according to the museum was a fiddle case from 1512. As they have studied this case, the question arose of the potential fiddle that was once housed in the case. The oldest record of a fiddle or violin is in Italy in about 1520. Could this case have contained a Hardanger fiddle older than that?
A trip to Tvindefossen (Twin Falls) was the second visit of the day. While Rebecca and I were there just last week, we learned from our guide today that the water from this falls was considered eternal, and that if you drank from the top, you would have eternal life.
Our last stop was in downtown Voss. Unfortunately, it is Ascension Day here in Norway, so like Syttende Mai, all the downtown stores were closed. Participants walked the town, visited the church and graveyard, or rode the gondola up to the top of the nearby mountain.
While walking around the square, I came upon a statue of a woman holding a basket of bread. Like all important statues of a community, it had fresh flowers placed from Syttende Mai festivities yesterday. I found that her name was Simons-Margreta and she was considered to be one of the first business women in Vossevangen. Simon-Margreta was christened Margreta Olsen, lived from 1872 to 1949, and was a fixture in the streets of town. She often walked with a basket of bread under her arm.
Voss is known for several things including 24 ski runs, extreme sports, and a jazz festival. Unfortunately, only the church and a few building survived the bombing by the Nazis in WW II, so most of the buildings here were built in the 1950s.
Dinner with the group was both tasty and entertaining. The owner of Fleischer’s Hotel, came to speak to the group. A lovely lady, she shared the history of the hotel, along with some interesting, and often times, funny stories. I wonder who is staying tonight in the room of the first Mrs. Fleischer’s ghost? Hopefully we’ll find out tomorrow at breakfast!
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