A Day in the Numedal Valley

Yesterday, we had a fantastic time in the Numedal Valley. We drove down from Gjovik through the mountains on some very scenic, very twisty roads. (Thank goodness for Dramamine, I wouldn't be able to survive Norway without it!) First, we visited my friend Heather and her husband Ove. They have a gorgeous farm outside of Nore (top photo) and it kind of made me want to twirl around and burst into "The Hills Are Alive"--but I managed to restrain myself. We then drove to a stave church in Nore, and luckily for us it was open for tours. We weren't allowed to take photos inside, which is too bad because the interior was incredible. All the walls and ceiling had intricate paintings, and even the pews were carved. Back in the day, people had to bring their own pews, so the richest people were able to afford very detailed carvings on their pews (not to mention a prime location close to the pulpit) while the poorer families had to sit in the rafters with plain pews.

The highlight of the day for me was our dresine ride. Dresines are tricycles that roll along railroad tracks. We rented one at Veggli Vertshus: http://www.veggli-vertshus.no/default.aspx?MenuID=9313

The views were amazing, and it was really neat (and incredibly cold) to go through the old railroad tunnels. Who knew exercising could be so much fun!