We caught the 7:50 ferry to the town of Vik to see Hopperstad Stave Church - 15 minutes and we were there. The town is still asleep - maybe we are too because we found a church, but not the stave church. We venture on to the viking burial mounds farther up the hill and from that vantage point, the stave church comes into view. You can’t miss it - it’s like you have been transported back in time. After a visit to the church we head farther up the hill where we can hear the clammer of bells - the sheep are grazing. It’s time to head back to the dock, there is only one ferry back and it leaves at 11:30 - with or without us. Rick Steve’s says we can do the half day Fjaerlandsfjord glacier tour - he was right - the boat was there waiting at the dock. Hop off one boat and onto another. The boat ride to and from the glacier is the real high point - although the Jostedal glacier is beautiful - it is the largest in Europe, but receding quickly. Back in town at 5:00 - we are eating a cheap meal bought at the Joker food store: instant ramen, sardines, ritz crackers, cheese spread and beer.
Dropped off in Vik - the only noise is the ferry boat leaving.
Hopperstad Stave Church is one of the oldest stave churches in existence. Built around 1140, just 10 years before Norway became a separate province under the Pope in Rome. Norwegians were seafaring people who used the long-standing tradition of building in wood. For the curved arches they looked for branches that were big enough to allow the arch to be carved from a single piece making in much stronger. It has withstood the test of time because the timber base frame rests on stone a foundation so the wood does not contact the earth. It was common to bury the dead under the church floor but the practice was banned in the beginning of the 19th century on account of the unpleasant smell.
The interior of the church. You can see similarities between the viking ship construction and this style of church.
They view from the external gallery of the church into the outskirts of the town of Vik.
A view from the glacier tour boat - it was hard to choose just one photo - it’s so beautiful.
We are now in the Fjaerlandsfjord. You can see 2 tongues of the glacier in the V shapes as you arrive.
This is one of the fastest melting glaciers - as it recedes, what is left is this big glacial lake.