Penwill Properties

The Continental Journey - July to October 1961

We stayed a night and a day in Bergen. This town is built on very steep hills by the sea. They have a cable car service to take residents up to various levels. We went up for the view. At the wharves there is an extensive fish market where they sell the fish in all stages from salted or smoked, to alive and kicking. From here, we took passage on one of several small ships that ply up and down the coast like a bus service, carrying passenger and freight. We traveled on this ship for four and-a-half days. Each day the ship stopped at three to 10 different stops, pausing at each from half an-hour to about eight hours at Trondheim. In the south, there were a lot of the older buildings, mostly massive with very small windows (windows let in the cold). Oslo winter temperatures are below zero Celsius and everywhere else being north of Oslo was colder. More than one third of Norway is north of the Arctic Circle.

North of Trondheim virtually all buildings were new, and painted in nice bright colours which help with identification in winter and must help to cheer people up. This was due to the Nazi’s policy to destroy every building or structure that would burn, including power and telephone poles. This left the local in a very grim predicament through the winters. Many died of cold and malnutrition. The German people are still not popular in Norway.

Further up the coast the ship came to a group of rocky islands known as the “Lofoten Wall”. Here there is a narrow passage in near the mainland, which we negotiated until at one place they turned into a narrow, steep-sided Fjord with cliffs up to 3000′ high called “Troll Fjord”. I couldn’t see any exit at the other end, and there isn’t one. So with a lot of backing and froing the ship was turned around for leaving. This was all done around midnight, but due to the distance north, there was no darkness. In fact, one could read a book in that light. Next major stop was “Tromso”, a gay little town on an island, which is connected to the mainland by another of these tall spindly bridges. The scenery around here is spectacular. Trees as such are only shrub height and down at seal level then perhaps some steep scree before merging into snow and glaciers, with lofty mountains beyond.

Next morning we passed a very rocky point known as “Nord Cap” which is the most northerly spot on mainland Europe. About 1300 miles from the North Pole. A popular nesting place for sea birds. Later the ship reached “Kirkness” and the end of the run up. This place was only 20 miles from the Russian Border in those days. It is mainly a loading point for iron ore which is mined near there and shipped to other places for processing. We left the ship there with the idea of hitchhiking back. OK the first day but we soon found there was very little road traffic and most of that was Finnish sport fishing types and the first view of them was a well-loaded roof rack appearing over the nearest rise in the road. These people fish for small trout like fish in the lakes and tarns. We had one each offered us after they had been grilled on a stick over a wood fire. Very tasty. The land up there has “perma frost” and is frozen solid for 70-80 down. Except in mid-summer when the top foot or two thaws out. There is virtually no drainage so the water collects into puddles and small lakes where the fish can breed. Also breeding there are mosquitoes and a lot of midgy insects that bite.

I’ve had to resort to traveling by bus. One pause was by a Lap encampment of Teepee like hats. A tripod like heap of poles covered with canvas then a layer of turf over. Had a fire inside and smoke trickled out at the centre peak. A rather poor looking lot and smelly not typical of Laplanders who are a nomadic race who own reindeer and often quite rich. These they move about to find grazing. We did see some reindeer at next stop it was late evening and the end of the day’s run. So, set up camp. At midnight had a glorious vista of the “Midnight Sun” just dipping behind an island in the bay. Next day, on again in the bus to Narvik. Another shipping place for iron ore, and a lot of what goes from there is mined in Sweden which is not very far away. After some discussion decided to go back on the boats. Took a bus ride out to the embarkation point, which would allow us to go through the “Troll Fjord” again. Then rode on down the coast to “Alesand”. Here we started inland; first by road and small ferries that took us up to the head of the Geiranga Fjord. Here the road in and the road out zigzagged up the steep Fjord sides to nearly 3000 feet. We decided to do the road in that afternoon and the road out tomorrow.

Quite a steep climb up but rest stops allowed us to observe the living methods in that area.

There were several old-style buildings still there and I could see that the ground floor had stone walls to about 8ft and probably that area housed cattle. The next floors had log cabin type walls with windows so accommodation for people. This method of living is common in cold countries as warmth from the stock helped warm the living quarters and people soon got used to the aroma.

The roofs were ingenious. They are gable ended and have a solid ridgepole and probably another parallel pole each side. Laid over these were more poles tight together from the ridge to the walls and beyond. Over these were laid birch bark, which was taken off tress in large strips. The first strips were laid at the outside wall and parallel to it. The next strip went parallel to the first and over lapping so that moisture ran off one and not to the next. These strips were held in pace with turf (earth with a layer of grass growing in it), with the grass side up. This held the bark in place, provided insulation and in emergency the grass could be cut and fed to the stock. Multi-use farming.

Stock were not seen outside so must be housed and hand fed in barns etc. Grass is gown to a good length then cut by hand with a scythe, as the land is mostly too steep for machinery. The grass is then laid out on to single wire fence to dry. A process that takes many days of turning and watching the weather.

The view from summit was spectacular. We then returned to sea level and camped for a night. Partway up the other road. Another thing we found was that each farmer was a fisherman, and each fisherman had some farmland. A very handy and resourceful nation.

Next morning we continued up to the summit, which was a plateau. There was a small lake with some icebergs in it. (now mid-July). The surrounding slopes and flats had towropes and other gear for skiing. Also probably skating on the lake in winter.

We followed the road for a way then got a lift in a truck to a town called “Lom” Here they have a stave church, which we wanted to see. Only saw the outside as it was closed when we got there. Continued on overland to “Flam”. This is at the bottom of a very steep railway. Part of the climb has rack and pinion logging to give them traction. We rode up in this railway to the top where it met the main Bergen to Oslo line and we wanted to go to Oslo.