“Holy Mother of God!” Roelke yelped as a tour bus roared past with approximately three-quarters of an inch to spare. His mouth had gone dry and he swallowed hard, trying to regain his composure.
“Would you like me to drive?! Chloe asked.
“No.”
“Your knuckles are white, Roelke. Take a break.”
”No,” he repeated, although he did ease his death grip on the steering wheel. He was not enjoying his first international driving experience. What had looked on the map like a relatively easy jaunt to the ferry that would take them to Utne was actually a narrow, twisting road clinging to the mountains plunging into a fjord. At times, there was room for two vehicles. At times, there was not. With luck there was a small pullout where one driver could swerve to avoid a head-on collision. If not, somebody had to back up fast.”
“Maybe we should have rented a VW,” she mused. “A Beetle would have been smaller.”
“Smaller is not safer.” Roelke had insisted on a boxy Volvo sedan even though it was more expensive. The rental agent had said that Norwegian police drove Volvos, which sealed the deal. They’d also paid for both names on the rental agreement, but he intended to do all the driving. Chloe had professional obligations. She was also on an intensely personal quest. He couldn’t contribute to her research, but he could at least take the wheel.
“I’m sorry the driving is challenging, but at least the scenery is gorgeous.” Chloe scooched down and propped her toes on the dashboard. “So many waterfalls.”
Excerpt from Fiddling with Fate by Kathleen Ernst
Definitely Rebecca can agree with Roelke after driving for 10 days in Norway. But happily our Swedish driver, Per, didn’t feel the same way and took us on a gorgeous drive from Voss to Ulvik this morning. On the way, we stopped off at an area with a lookout of a beautiful waterfall named Skjervsfossen and a trail leading to a lower view of it. The waterfalls and rapids were gorgeous! While this stop was so worth it in beauty, it was also worth it in a unique experience. The participants had the opportunity to use the most expensive toilets in Norway! There were two of them, but what made them so special was that one wall was made of glass and overlooked the rapids and the land on the other side, and there was also a portion of the floor in glass. According to our guide, the toilets cost the Norwegian government five million kroner at the time. Of course, we had to be silly and try to get multiple people into the toilet for a photo op!
For some participants, they experienced their first switchback and how fun it was to see how their looks of appreciation on how skillful Per was in maneuvering the curves. We continued on our beautiful drive to Ulvik.
In Ulvik, the participants had the chance to visit the Tourist Information Center to see hand-crafted items and a glass gallery where a young woman was making glass containers. They also visited, and many of them shopped at a local three-floored store.
Onward we went to Syse Gard (farm) for our lunch of different cured meats processed there on the farm, local cheese, their own apple and plum jellies with flatbread and bread. The majority of them had a dessert - either a home canned plum sauce with ice cream and walnuts or a homemade warm Grandma’s apple cake with apple jelly and ice cream. Our view of overlooking the Hardanger Fjord was priceless. Here is where we took our first entire-group photo. The cherry trees were losing their blossoms but both the apple and plum trees were beginning theirs. The goats were high above in the mountains and while difficult to see, one could certainly hear the jingle of their bells and the bleating of their voices.
Our final tour of the day was at the Ulvik church. Here is where Rebecca and my great-grandmother was baptized and confirmed. For another participant, it was where her great grandmother was married. She also located the grave of a former ancestor. While we were at the church a local man came to talk about the history of the church. I won’t repeat in this entry what I’ve already written about the church history in a previous blog.
While we have only been together for a few short days, the group is fitting together nicely. It’s a great group, we have a great tour guide and bus driver. With that and the beautiful scenery in Norway, I look forward to many wonderful days together!
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