Mandal is a quaint, cute fishing village. The home behind the boat is from the 1700's, and the boat isn't much younger. It was fully restored not long ago, and is in use. Didn't they do a beautiful job? Neither are museums; they are privately owned and occupied!
Bjorg and I walked through Mandal, then through the wooded park to the beach. Dead Man's Island is in the upper right corner of this photo of the bay. During the plague, a ship was allowed to bury a seaman on the island, but no-one was allowed to come onto the mainland.
"Bestemore," or the Grandmother, is the name of this 100-year-old lighthouse, on the beach in Mandal. It is so named because the bottom looks like Grandmother's skirts. It's a popular place to picnic and sunbathe. There is a new lighthouse out on one of the islands.
Viking's are everywhere! Look at the terrifying grimace on this man's face! I wouldn't want to meet him--or his horse's head--in a dark alleyway!
While hiking through the woods, we were met by this doe. She was totally unafraid of us and very curious. 
How'd you like to have THAT boat in your boathouse! How'd you like to have the BOATHOUSE! 
We met this swan at the boat docks. He was all by himself, and fell in love with me. He followed me around for quite a while...I thought I was going to have to bring him home with me!
What a flirt! Doesn't he have dreamy eyes? He needs a little help with flossing, however!
Thanks to my wonderful public education, I did not know that the Germans invaded and occupied Norway during WWII. They left behind bunkers, gunmounts, catacombs...all sorts of souveniers. This is a bunker near the beach in Mandal.
Bjorg's grandson Benjamin is adorable! He & I hit it off after about :30 seconds of shyness. He started teaching me Norwegian--I can say "clown," "oven," and count to THREE, now! Benjamin introduced me to fishcakes, which are delicious! 
This young man's name is Gard; he's the son of one of Bjorg's good friends. He is 15, and is playing the Hardingfele ("fiddle from Harding"). It is an 8-string fiddle; it has 4 resonating sub-strings over the soundboard. They aren't fingered, but instead pick up the resonance and almost seem to harmonize on their own. Gard is an outstanding player, and has played all over the country. I am kicking myself for not videotaping this; I forgot that the camera was capable.
Isn't it an exquisite instrument? The body is spruce, with Mother of Pearl inlaid fretwork, and etched by burning the wood. 
Norwegians love a little whimsy! Where else would you find a monkey on your fiddle?
Norwegian woodstoves are often decorated, and Bjorg's mother's happened to have my favourite fairy tale embossed on the sides...The Billy Goats Gruff, trip-trapping across the bridge, with the angry troll ready to eat them up!
On my third day in Norway, Bjorg and I packed up the car and started our vacation-within-a-vacation. We drove north and stopped near this river, which I thought was beautiful. It was raining, but you know me...I don't mind a little rain! So, off onto the rocks to be close to the river...I loved the lichen and moss in the photo below. This is one that you'll want to click on, to see a bigger version.
Bjorg's family settled this homestead hundreds of years ago. This is their original house; it is now a museum. I am amazed that amazed that Bjorg can visit her family's ancestral home! The town is named after her family's name: Rygnestad.
This is a different home, that we saw along the roadside. Look at the detail along the eaves! It is all hand-carved. Norwegians like to decorate things, which they do skillfully.
Latefossen (Twin waterfalls). 
Bjorg's family settled this homestead hundreds of years ago. This is their original house; it is now a museum. I am amazed that amazed that Bjorg can visit her family's ancestral home! The town is named after her family's name: Rygnestad.
This is a different home, that we saw along the roadside. Look at the detail along the eaves! It is all hand-carved. Norwegians like to decorate things, which they do skillfully.
Cherries are growing in the fields above the town. See the waterfall in the distance, and the river flowing through town? How would you like to live with scenery like this on a daily basis? Many Norwegians do! This photo was taken from the ferry deck, just before crossing my first fjord.
We stopped to eat at a lake-side resort up in the mountain district. Yes, that's ICE on the lake! If you only enlarge one photo, please make it the one below...it's spectacular!
We dined on reindeer burgers with lingonberry sauce for lunch. I thought that this was one of the most ironic, amusing events of the day...my reindeer burger was made in the middle of nowhere, at an extremely old, traditional Norwegian resort with a grass roof, by a Chinese immigrant who did not speak English or Norwegian! Reindeer burgers are very good, by the way...and they do NOT taste like chicken!
We spent our first night in Voss, at the condo-cabin below. You may know the name "Voss" because you pay premium rates for their bottled water, or you might know about the Extreme Sports Week in June, during which thrill-seeking athletes converge in an attempt to defeat death while participating in the most extreme sports they can think up! Anyway, it was a two bedroom condo. Many homes in Norway have grass roofs, which are energy efficient and long-lasting.
The view of the lake and town of Voss from our cabin.
We stopped at a small gallery. This man is a woodcarver, and very talented. The rest of his family are artists as well, and I bought a print of a painting by his brother. The dollar is very weak against the Kroner, so I couldn't afford one of his Fjord horses. He generously let me take a photograph, though. Isn't his work incredible?
It rained a little bit...that bright, blurry dot is me, taking video of the waterfall at Myrkdalen (The Dark Valley). The video is only a few seconds long--it's beautiful! 
Tvindefossen, near Voss. Look at the scale, compared to the car! That's a LOT of water! This waterfall is next to a small farm; can you imagine having it in your backyard?
We drove up this mountain. The roads are only wide enough for one car at a time, so when you meet someone coming the other way, you must try to pull off far enough so that you can pass each other. If you are on the outside edge...well, you'd better be a pretty good driver! Fortunately, Bjorg was!
This is the guard rail. Thank goodness they have one! The dropoff is over 1000 feet!
This is NOT a glacier...it's snowpack! And it is THREE KARENS TALL!!!
Notice the detail of the snake's head on the lock, below. There were four snakes, each with its' tail around the next's neck.
We went to the Hovesteinkirke (Hove Stone Church) in Vik. It was built in 1170. The detail is incredible--look at the carving on and around the dragon, and look at the fit of the stones to my left in the photo of me in the corner--they didn't use mortar in 1170, they just cut the limestone blocks to fit each other. You can see the difference in quality to my right, where the building was repaired in the 1800's. Here, in America, we think that 1800's craftsmen were very good!
There is also a Stave Church in Vik. There are only a few surviving Stave Churches in Norway, and I was lucky enough to see two--this one, and the one in Kaupanger. This is the entrance, with traditionally carved details.
The alter, with Mary on the left column, Jesus at the top of the right column, and Holy Oly in the middle of the right column. Holy Oly was a Norwegian King, and therefore deserves a place on the columns with Mary and Jesus! 
This is the Stave Church in Kaupanger. It is much smaller than Vik's Stave Church, but just as beautiful. It overlooks the Sognefjord, which we would be sailing the next day.
If you can't read that, it says "born in 1660, died in 1724"!
We stayed at this cabin in Kaupanger. It overlooks the Fjord, and is only about a mile from the Stave Church. Bjorg and Oddrun, the owner, are discussing something interesting.
I feasted on my first Norwegian caviar, which I LOVED! The peonies are from Oddrun's garden. They are old-fashioned heirloom peonies, and the scent was heavenly. 
Bjorg thought that I needed to meet a real Norwegian man. On the way to meet the Norwegian man, I met a real Norwegian ram! 
Then, I met Fritjovden Frokne--Fritjov the Brave! Big guy, isn't he? Oh, that tiny speck in the bottom right hand corner is ME!
This ferry has beautiful lines, doesn't it? It's almost sculptural!
This was our ferry, the Sognefjord. That is also the name of the fjord it crosses from Kaupanger to Gudvangen (2 1/2 hours). Sognefjord is the deepest and longest fjord in Norway. We guessed that there must be over a million photographs in homes around the world of every inch of this fjord! You'll see why!
Every journey begins with a good cup of coffee...at least it does in my little world! :-)
This is an old boat, but still in service. 
Towards the end of our fjord journey, we passed this small ferry...The Fjord Lord! 
This is the narrowest part of the fjord.
After two and a half hours of cruising the fjord, we arrived in Gudvangen. We only stayed long enough to drive out of town, and continue our journey.
Off into the sunrise...oh, wait, this is Norway, where the sun doesn't set at this time of the year...OK, off into the daylight! I had a wonderful visit and was reluctant to leave...however, I did leave with caviar, smoked salmon, dilled goat cheese, dark goat cheese, LOTS of chocolate, a beautifully hand-knit wool sweater (made in Mandal!), a scarf with matching mittens and slippers, Cloudberry Liqueur, and best of all, a closer friendship with Bjorg! That was the FINEST gift of all! 
This is the Stave Church in Kaupanger. It is much smaller than Vik's Stave Church, but just as beautiful. It overlooks the Sognefjord, which we would be sailing the next day. If you can't read that, it says "born in 1660, died in 1724"!We stayed at this cabin in Kaupanger. It overlooks the Fjord, and is only about a mile from the Stave Church. Bjorg and Oddrun, the owner, are discussing something interesting.I feasted on my first Norwegian caviar, which I LOVED! The peonies are from Oddrun's garden. They are old-fashioned heirloom peonies, and the scent was heavenly. Bjorg thought that I needed to meet a real Norwegian man. On the way to meet the Norwegian man, I met a real Norwegian ram! Then, I met Fritjovden Frokne--Fritjov the Brave! Big guy, isn't he? Oh, that tiny speck in the bottom right hand corner is ME!This ferry has beautiful lines, doesn't it? It's almost sculptural!
This was our ferry, the Sognefjord. That is also the name of the fjord it crosses from Kaupanger to Gudvangen (2 1/2 hours). Sognefjord is the deepest and longest fjord in Norway. We guessed that there must be over a million photographs in homes around the world of every inch of this fjord! You'll see why!
Every journey begins with a good cup of coffee...at least it does in my little world! :-)
This is an old boat, but still in service. 
Towards the end of our fjord journey, we passed this small ferry...The Fjord Lord! 
This is the narrowest part of the fjord.
After two and a half hours of cruising the fjord, we arrived in Gudvangen. We only stayed long enough to drive out of town, and continue our journey. Just outside of Gudvangen, we found these odd doors in the mountains. I had to check them out, and one was unlocked...so I went in, naturally! They are old anthrocite mines.
This is the beautiful hotel at Eidfjord.
Trees are people too, and they get cold, therefore the fine people of Eidfjord have knit sweaters for the trunks.
Sukkertoppen, or Sugar Mountain, overlooking Naeroydalen (Narrow Valley). We are at the Stalheim hotel at the top of Stalheim Skleiva (hill), which is reached by the steepest public road in Norway, consisting of 13 hairpin turns. When the tour buses take this route, the people behind the rear axel hang over the edge.
This is the view that those people might see. This is looking straight down--see the car and the tunnel? By the way, in Europe, you are pretty much responsible for your own safety. They don't put up fences for every edge...if you are dumb enough to fall off of a cliff, then Darwin's Theory takes one step closer to Law.
This is Stalheimfossen. Notice how high the water "bounces" about mid-fall! Now, THAT'S hydro-power! Be sure to watch the video of the falls--you can really see the "bounce!" It's about :05 seconds long, and I think that the power and flow of the water will amaze you. 
We arrived at Lindesnes Fyr (Lindesnes Lighthouse) for Midsummer's night. The white building is the old lighthouse. It had five compartments, in which coal fires were lit. The white colour and the angles would have reflected the maximum amount of light for the ships trying to avoid the everpresent rocks along the coast.
The southern coast. Denmark is across the ocean straits.
Bjorg accompanied me to the airport at Kristiansand. I guess that's a "duh"--she owns the car!
This is the beautiful hotel at Eidfjord.
Trees are people too, and they get cold, therefore the fine people of Eidfjord have knit sweaters for the trunks.
Sukkertoppen, or Sugar Mountain, overlooking Naeroydalen (Narrow Valley). We are at the Stalheim hotel at the top of Stalheim Skleiva (hill), which is reached by the steepest public road in Norway, consisting of 13 hairpin turns. When the tour buses take this route, the people behind the rear axel hang over the edge.
This is the view that those people might see. This is looking straight down--see the car and the tunnel? By the way, in Europe, you are pretty much responsible for your own safety. They don't put up fences for every edge...if you are dumb enough to fall off of a cliff, then Darwin's Theory takes one step closer to Law. This is Stalheimfossen. Notice how high the water "bounces" about mid-fall! Now, THAT'S hydro-power! Be sure to watch the video of the falls--you can really see the "bounce!" It's about :05 seconds long, and I think that the power and flow of the water will amaze you. We met Mia in the parking lot at the hotel. She is half Scottish Sheepdog, and half Norwegian Buhund. Isn't she beautiful? She was very friendly, too!
Bjorg and I hiked up to the overlook for Voringsfossen. Despite the lack of fences, Norwegians are very concerned about the safety of children.
Ooops...it's a little slippery.... 
And a little steep! Um, I think that's STRAIGHT DOWN right behind me!
But the view was worth the risks!
This is Hardangervidda, which is a lake on the mountain plateau. It's not far from the Hardanger glacier. This is where you might see reindeer, although we didn't spot any.
The Norwegians celebrate solstice by burning bonfires on the beaches. We went to Lindesnes Fyr (Lindesnes lighthouse), which is one of the oldest lighthouses in Norway. On our way to midsummers night festivities, I made a new friend. This a Fjord colt, about 4-6 weeks old. I named him Pumpkin, and tried to figure out how to stuff him into my rollaboard. Unfortunately, he wouldn't fit...but you know me, I always have a plan! I can FED-EX him!!!
Bjorg and I hiked up to the overlook for Voringsfossen. Despite the lack of fences, Norwegians are very concerned about the safety of children. 
Ooops...it's a little slippery.... 
And a little steep! Um, I think that's STRAIGHT DOWN right behind me!
But the view was worth the risks!
This is Hardangervidda, which is a lake on the mountain plateau. It's not far from the Hardanger glacier. This is where you might see reindeer, although we didn't spot any.The Norwegians celebrate solstice by burning bonfires on the beaches. We went to Lindesnes Fyr (Lindesnes lighthouse), which is one of the oldest lighthouses in Norway. On our way to midsummers night festivities, I made a new friend. This a Fjord colt, about 4-6 weeks old. I named him Pumpkin, and tried to figure out how to stuff him into my rollaboard. Unfortunately, he wouldn't fit...but you know me, I always have a plan! I can FED-EX him!!!We arrived at Lindesnes Fyr (Lindesnes Lighthouse) for Midsummer's night. The white building is the old lighthouse. It had five compartments, in which coal fires were lit. The white colour and the angles would have reflected the maximum amount of light for the ships trying to avoid the everpresent rocks along the coast.This is the new lighhouse.
Bjorg and I posed near the replica of the coal burner, which was burning REAL coal--and it was HOT! The wind was blowing something fierce...it kept that fire stoked. We were glad, because we were COLD!
The southern coast. Denmark is across the ocean straits.The Germans built bunkers and catacombs on this spot. Bjorg and I explored them.
Everyone in Norway has to pose on top of a rock wedged in between a crevasse. Normally, it's a tourist rock that's over 3000' above the ground.
I'm not that brave...this is my rock...
We met the Geagan Family from Philadelphia, Michael and Donna, and their 3 daughters, who are living on a small sailboat. You may have seen the PBS special about the Martin Family, who lived on their boat for years--their children were born on board! The Geagans are doing something similar but only for the summer, traveling throughout Europe. You can check out their website at http://www.happywanderer.org/. I think that what they are doing is terrific--life is too short to be without adventures! 
We finally got sunny skies on my last day in Norway, so we headed to the beach for some sunbathing. Um, OK, we thought about sunbathing...it was a little too cold (brrrrr) to take off clothing!
We hiked to the top of the hill above Mandal, to Uranianborg. This gazebo offers a wonderful lookout viewpoint of the entire area. Beneath this hill--carved into the hill, is a 3-story parking garage! The Norwegians LOVE blasting stone for tunnels and garages!
We finally got sunny skies on my last day in Norway, so we headed to the beach for some sunbathing. Um, OK, we thought about sunbathing...it was a little too cold (brrrrr) to take off clothing!We hiked to the top of the hill above Mandal, to Uranianborg. This gazebo offers a wonderful lookout viewpoint of the entire area. Beneath this hill--carved into the hill, is a 3-story parking garage! The Norwegians LOVE blasting stone for tunnels and garages!Off into the sunrise...oh, wait, this is Norway, where the sun doesn't set at this time of the year...OK, off into the daylight! I had a wonderful visit and was reluctant to leave...however, I did leave with caviar, smoked salmon, dilled goat cheese, dark goat cheese, LOTS of chocolate, a beautifully hand-knit wool sweater (made in Mandal!), a scarf with matching mittens and slippers, Cloudberry Liqueur, and best of all, a closer friendship with Bjorg! That was the FINEST gift of all! These next photos were taken from the airplane using my phone. They aren't very good, but I hope that you can get a sense of what I saw and felt. This is Greenland...and it was achingly beautiful...hard to see, but the first photo is of the mountains in the east.
This photo best quantifies the entire country...a clear coastline, billions of icebergs, and snow inland, covering the rest of the country.
