On Friday, August 16, after meeting briefly with Muriel, et al, we left Rørvik and began our road trip back to Kristiansand.  We stopped for a snack in Namsos and spent a little time walking the waterfront before continuing.  When we arrived in Trondheim, we booked a room downtown and went for a walk along the river Nidelva that is near the Nidaros Cathedral, historically an important destination for pilgrims coming from all of Northern Europe, and the northernmost medieval cathedral in the world.  We were also obviously near the second largest of the Norwegian universities, The Norwegian University of Science and Technology, as was initially obvious from the nature of the shops and the pedestrians and soon confirmed by the presence of a massive rock concert across the river from us, and another impressive experience.  We noticed a group of young folks, obviously University students, milling about on our side of the river.  When it looked as if they were removing their clothes, Barb walked over to get a closer look.  Turned out they were indeed shedding clothing, which they were stretching along the span of a riverside courtyard.  Their task was apparently to create an unbroken band of clothes that stretched the entire length of the yard.  When they ran out of material before accomplishing that task, they had no alternative but to remove their undershorts and add their naked bodies along the chain.  We arrived close to the group just as they were re-donning apparel.  We learned that they were all mathematics majors and that each major at the university has an associated “fraternity”.  We had stumbled upon the initiation hazing of the new students after their first week of classes.  The “supervising” upper classmen explained that when the task was completed, the freshmen were required to re-dress with clothes other than their own.  There were but a few girls present, and when Barb asked why, she was told it was because not many girls major in mathematics.  Left unexplained was why none of the girls present were participating in the ritual (much to Chuck’s disappointment).

Next morning, we continued our journey south, choosing a route (Norwegian National Road N63) that would take us through Trollstigen (Troll’s Path), a serpentine mountain road that is a popular tourist attraction due to its steep incline of 9% and eleven hairpin bends up a steep mountainside.  During the top tourist season, about 2,500 vehicles pass daily.  According to Wikepedia, during the 2012 season 161,421 vehicles drove past.

Continuing on N63, we crossed a river on a ferry and then drove through more beauty, arriving at Geirangerfjord, described by Wikipedial as some of the most spectacular scenery in the world and named the best travel destination in Scandanavia by Lonely Planet.  It is the third-biggest cruise ship port in Norway, receiving 140 to 180 ships during the four-month tourist season.  Only about 250 people live there permanently.  We stayed that night perched high above the village in a hotel named, appropriately, Utsikten (The View).  We took a short hike and enjoyed dinner at the hotel’s restaurant.

Next day, we stopped in Hamar for pizza and to visit the Hedmark museum, an outdoor museum with the remains of a medieval church — recently enclosed in a protective glass housing! —  and a collection of old farm houses.  Construction of the cathedral began in 1152, and was completed about 1200.  The museum is a combined medieval, ethnological and archaeological museum and has received architectural prizes for its approach to conservation and exhibition.

And then on to Oslo, where I learned with some irritation that Barb had booked a room downtown.  Luckily we found easy parking and had a lovely time wandering around downtown enjoying the sights and sounds.  Notable was the Norwegian parliament building, Stortingsbygningen, which was undergoing a renovation on one of its wings.  That entire wing had been shielded by a covering on which was printed a facsimile of the original building.  One had to look closely to see that the facade was artificial.

By the way, much of our hotel bookings were done by Barb on her iPad while we were underway, using her international cell plan.  We also heavily depended on the iPad for help in navigating, almost entirely eschewing paper maps, since they do not say things like “in 500 meters, take the second exit at the roundabout.”

Next day, August 19, we visited Frognerparken in order to see the Vigeland Sculpture Garden before moving on to Kristiansand.  But this has gotten overlong, so the gentle reader will have to read our next posting in order to learn about our visit and of our further adventures (and mis-adventures).