Viking Valley of the gods

Hi Everyone!

Good morning from the fjord in Gudvangen! Gudvangen translates to valley of the gods by the water, and I can certainly see how it got that name.

Last night I fell asleep looking at the stars through the skylight in my room at the viking themed hotel.  This morning I headed across the bridge to Viking Valley, a living history museum where people who are passionate reenactors from the viking age live like vikings in the village. Not all of them live there year round, some for only a few weeks or a few months. I had the most amazing day wandering through the village and talking to all the people there. 

I started with a guided tour, and learned about the different areas of the village, as well as viking weaponry. A helmet and a sword would have been very expensive, so most vikings fought with tools they already had-axes, spears, knives, and a long handled danish axe.  

Then I got to try my hand at the archery station. I actually managed to hit the boar target in the head right after this photo was taken. 

I spent time with the bone carver and shoemaker, where I found out that word was spreading about the "enthusiastic American lady with two braids", and they were happy to give me a little bit of extra access to areas of the village not normally for visitors.  

I got a tour of their new entrance and cafe that is under construction.  I spent time with the gardener and chicken keeper, and she took me inside the chicken coop to see the 3 day old baby chickens, and I even got to hold one!

While the coop looks viking from the outside, the inside is a bit more modern to comply with health and safety requirements for the animals.  She's not sure if the baby chicks will survive because they were born in the fall instead of the spring, so they have a heat lamp in the coop.

The village also has a special breed of sheep that would have been the breed the vikings had. 

The whole village is built as accurately as they can make it and still comply with safety codes, so the houses don't have any fires inside, because then they would have had to install fire suppression systems, so they have radiant heating under the floors instead.

Harold had so much fun talking to the Viking Chieftain, who is the creator of the viking village.  

He of course has the fanciest house, and this amazing hnefatafl game board that looks like the famous Lewis chessmen from the British Museum.  

Lucky me, I got to play two games of it with him before I had to leave! 

I was having so much fun that I hadn't realized it was 4:00 already! Time for me to continue with the remainder of my Norway in a nutshell tour, a bus trip to Voss, and then a train to Bergen.  I'm so glad I split up the Norway in a nutshell trip because all the scenery from Gudvangen to Voss to Bergen was beautiful, and I would have missed it because it would have been dark had I made the trip in one day.

Bergen is super cute, or at least the little bit of it I saw on my walk to the funicular.  

Harold is super excited to ride the angled train up to the top of the mountain.  

My timing couldn't have been better, the scene at the top was so beautiful that the group of Chinese ladies from my car on the funicular practically squealed with glee as they rounded the corner.  I can't say I blame them.

Overall this has been an amazing, and magical day, and the best one of the trip so far.