Domkirkeodden

Today, Kevin and I drove to Hamar, about a half hour drive from our house. Like many Norwegian cities, Hamar is home to an open air folk museum with several historical buildings. The ruins of the Hamar cathedral, built around 1152 A.D., are on the grounds of the museum, overlooking Lake Mjosa. In 1998 a huge glass structure was built around the old limestone cathedral, in order to protect the historic site from further damage from the elements. This protective structure is the largest glass building in Europe, and covers 2600 square meters. Sometimes concerts and plays take place within the old cathedral walls--watching a performance in that spectacular setting is definitely high on my list of things to do here! Unfortunately, the museum was closed today so we couldn't go inside. Happily, the architects of the glass construction were thoughtful enough to install heat vents at frequent intervals, so even though the temperature was below freezing today, and much of the glass was frosted over, there were many circles of thawed glass to peek through. The ruins of the bishop's quarters are also on the museum grounds, housed within another stone building. As we walked by, we heard beautiful music--a children's choir was performing this afternoon. We lurked by the door for a while, listening.

Usually the stores are all closed on Sundays, but today, because Christmas is coming, all the stores stayed open and there were bands and various holiday activities going on in the town centers. After wandering around Hamar sentrum and listening to a brass band all decked out in Santa outfits, we got back in the car and drove up to Lillehammer. There was a Christmas bazaar going on, candles everywhere, a horse drawn carriage and the Julnissen himself. I just love Christmas...I'll post photos later!