Magical Mundal

Mountains, a glacier, and a fjord

In our quest to get off the beaten path in our travels, we discovered the charming village of Mundal,  (Fjaerland) Norway.  Tucked into a deep mountain valley at the end of the Fjaerland branch of the Sognefjord, this tiny village is the ancestral home to the Mundals- or Mondales, as we say in English. Former Vice President Walter Mondale visited Mundal while in office and returned in 1986 to commemorate the opening of the new (and only) road that allowed for travel by car--- prior to this, boats were what connected Mundal to the rest of Norway.  One of the fellow travelers we met while there was an American Mondale who was making a repeat visit with his grandfather.  Glenn speculated as to how he was connected to Walter......thankfully he didn't ask, but now we'll never know................

Church, circa 1861

Shopping on the honor system

The village of Mundal has just 300 residents who support themselves through a combination of farming and tourism.  For being such an isolated place, Mundal has a surprisingly well developed tourism industry.  In addition to two hotels, a church, a miles of beautiful scenery, Mundal is also home to the Norwegian Glacier Museum and Norwegian Book Town.  In today's high tech age where most of us buy e-books (myself included), I love the idea that there is this three mile stretch of shops, kiosks, and even bus stops where used books published in a variety of languages are sold.  (As we discovered, Internet service is slow and spotty here so maybe paper books are the way to go).  Dodging an evening shower which did little to keep anyone indoors, we wandered through the church grounds (almost all of the headstones had the surname Mundal), threw rocks into the mirror-like water (OK, only two of the three of us did that), joined locals at a bake/book sale (where one of us ate a hotdog), and took in the natural beauty that surrounded us.  The glass like fjord gave way to lush green fields then mountains still covered with pockets of snow.  If you didn't look up at the power lines and ignored the occasional Volvo, the whole experience was as though time had stood still decades ago.

Hotel Mundal from across the fjord

We spent the night at the Hotel Mundal.  Like the rest of the village, it is old, well maintained, and completely charming.  With its squeaky gray floorboards and wide hallways, this family owned inn reminded me of my old four-room elementary school in the rural Northeast Kingdom of Vermont.  The warren of common rooms and hallways were filled with comfortably worn antiques, working fireplaces, photographs, and other village memorabilia (including a plaque commemorating Walter Mondale's visit).  Everything was miss-matched yet it coordinated in a way that would make shabby-chic proud.  Our room was oddly comfortable (once you got past the sink in the bedroom and the single down comforters that seem to be ubiquitous in all Norwegian hotels).  The lack of a television- in both our room and the common rooms- was a welcome reprieve from the noise that seems to fill our lives on a daily basis.  Dinner in the dining room was a set menu of local foods that on our visit, centered around fish.  I loved every bite of it, Glenn was pleasantly surprised that he actually like the cod (he told me that if I could cook fish the way the chef did, he would be willing to eat more of it at home), and Sidney turned his attention to the bowl of fresh strawberries that was brought out to him by the accommodating waitstaff.  I dare say that to date, this was the best meal I have eaten during our travels this summer.

Our all too brief stay in Mundal was a welcome treat. I wish we didn't have jobs to return to since there is just so much we could see and do in this beautiful part of the world.  Just when I think I've seen the best part of Norway, it keeps getting better.  What will we see next and how can it top what we've already seen?

Following in the Footsteps of Vikings

UNESCO World Heritage site- Bergen

Its official; Norway is by far my favorite place I have ever visited.  We haven't made it to Oslo yet- that is next up on our agenda- but from what I've seen so far, this is truly an amazing country.  The combination of spectacular scenery, cool temperatures that require a sweater even in the middle of the summer, and clean ocean air make for a mesmerizing experience.  Add in the friendly people, the abundance of fresh fish, and the fact we are so disconnected from our everyday life and I feel as though I never want to leave.  In many ways, this area reminds me of where I grew up along the coast of Maine.

We flew from Stockholm to Norwegian Fjord Country.  Using Bergen as our home base, we've been exploring the breathtaking scenery that makes up Norway's western coast.  Bergen is simultaneously quaint, off the beaten path, and touristy (although the tourist factor decreased significantly with the departure of a cruise ship).  Bryggen, the old wharf along the waterfront is a UNESCO World Heritage site and we spent time roaming through the alleys that surround these traditional wooden houses. We've wandered through the Torget Fish Market, dined on both local (fresh fish, elk, reindeer and wonderfully fresh berries) and international (Indian, Italian, and American) cuisines and thanks to Sidney, had a walking tour of all of Bergen's many fountains (there really are a lot).  Our time has been spontaneous and lazy and everything a vacation should be.

Fishing village at the end of the road- Hellesoy

As has been the case for most of our vacation so far, daily activities go unplanned.  We have a general sense of what we want to see but are taking each activity moment by moment and exploring as the mood strikes.  (This is a complete departure from the way we used to vacation and I have to say, even my Type A self is enjoying this way of traveling).  In one of my Internet searches I came across Car Walks, a compilation of self guided driving and walking tours for the greater Bergen area.  With numerous options, we chose the one that took us the most off the beaten path and out onto the archipelago to the west of Bergen.  We left the city through a series of tunnels (Bergen is known as the city of seven hills) and out into the fishing villages that make up Norway's rocky coastline.  We followed narrow, yet well maintained roads for miles through fishing villages and along narrow inlets all the way to the end of the archipelago to the village of Hellesoy.  (Much to our surprise, a well traveled paved bike lane mirrored all of the main road and the majority of the side roads).  Without a real plan, we turned down country lanes when curious and stopped to play in coves when the inspiration struck.  With minimal traffic, no restaurants or stores, and acres and acres of rock covered hills, we felt much farther away from civilization than we were.  I loved it.

The long and narrow fjord

Waterfall along the Osterfjorden

And of course there are the fjords.  One can not travel to Norway without experiencing the fjords.  We got our first peek at these magnificent bodies of water on our flight into Bergen.  We got up close and personal with the Osterfjorden during a fjord cruise where we meandered up into the increasingly narrow waterway.  There was so much to take in; from the waterfalls to the salmon farms to the hidden settlements dotting the shoreline, it was all impressive.  Even onboard the ferry surrounded by thirty other tourists from various countries I felt a sense of serenity and isolation from the rest of the world.  We spent a day driving from Bergen to Fjaerland following and (twice) crossing the Sognefjorden, which at 200 km long and 1308 m deep is Norway's longest and deepest fjord, before spending the night in Mundal.   Along the way we traveled through tiny fjord-side farming villages, passed through too many tunnels to count, and saw icy waterfalls plummeting from snow (and glacier) covered mountains.   Pictures and words do not do the scenery justice.  I can only imagine what early settlers must have thought when they first saw the completely unspoiled land.  Even today, looking beyond the paved roads, power lines, and occasional cruise ship, this part of Norway appears to be pristine.

Of course, we have spent our time in Norway in July.  Our days have been long and filled with daylight with the temperatures fluctuating between warm enough for short sleeves and cool enough to need a sweater.  We've had some light rain but mostly sun and a few clouds.  The weather has been, by all accounts, ideal.  I can only imagine how this same area looks during a long, dark Scandinavian winter.  With minimal hours of daylight and even less sun, raw cold temperatures, and continuous snow, I know this is a very different place in the winter.  I'm not sure I would like it as much as I do now (actually, I know I wouldn't) but I'm here now, so I'm going to enjoy it.

Family time in Fjord Country