Just like yesterday’s port of call, Olden sits at the far end of a fjord, this time the Nordfjord, the sixth longest. The sail in provided similar breathtaking sights as before but this time the terrain looked greener and not so rugged. The mountains still dominated the scene but much more of the land was cultivated and farmed.
Olden is slightly bigger than Skjolden, with a population of around 300, and as such has a few more shops and amenities. We hadn’t booked any trips at this port deciding just to explore on foot. Of course the first stop was obviously the large souvenir shop that sat invitingly as we walked off the ship, stopping for the obligatory photos on the way in, first me……
… and then Sylvia.
After a little shopping we walked for around 10 minutes to reach the Olden Old Church which was built in 1759 on the site of an earlier Stave church (probably called the Older Olden Old Church)!!
Inside the church are pews which are arranged in boxes each with a door, one for each farm in the district with some bearing the family’s mark or initials. On the men’s side of the pews are hat racks made from the tops of young birch trees made to resemble reindeer antlers.
The wooden altar dating from the 1770s depicts scenes of the Last Supper and Crucifixion.
The scenery here in the fjords is truly beautiful, with the coloured houses being flanked by the snowy topped mountains.
Some of the building have the traditional grass roofs which provides brilliant insulation keeping the occupants cool in the summer and warm in winter.
Later in the day I decided to have another walk this time to visit the Olden New Church which stands about a kilometre from the main town. The walk took me along a country path with lupins and other spring flowers swaying in the gentle breeze along a stream. Here I came across another grass topped building that looked like a bus stop, but no buses would ever come down this track. Perhaps it was just a shelter where a weary traveller such as me could sit and rest awhile.
The Olden New Church was built in 1934 and now serves as the main church for the area. Not as interesting as the Old Church inside but worth the walk for sure.
Tomorrow we call into Norways third largest city, Trondheim.