Back in May, after a long day of traveling up the north side of Hardangerfjord we ventured inland a little, up a steep valley, Måbødalen (more like a canyon!), to breathtaking Vøringfossen, a waterfall in Eidfjord. The road was full of hairpin turns and tunnels. We arrived at the Fossli Hotel just in time to take a quick peek at the falls before dinner.
Apparently Edvard Grieg lived in Fossli Hotel during the summer of 1896, where he composed Norwegian Folk Songs, Opus 66.
To have the ability to withdraw into oneself and forget everything around one when one is creating. That, I think is the only requirement for being able to bring forth something beautiful. The whole thing is a mystery.
~ Edvard Grieg
(Edvard Grieg: 16 Lyric Pieces)
A couple of tourist buses stopped to let passengers get out to see the falls, but after that we had the place to ourselves. There was only one other family staying overnight at the hotel, a couple and their young son. It was wonderful hearing nothing but the roar of the waterfalls…
I had hoped to get all my pictures from this trip onto my blog by the end of the summer, but it didn’t happen. Perhaps by the end of autumn?
Last week we had another visit from Katie and nobody got sick this time, although the terrible humidity did spoil our plans to go apple-picking. But we managed to enjoy the great indoors with our granddaughter. The humidity finally vanished the day after she left – sometimes that’s just the way the cookie crumbles, as my mother used to say.
This week Nate & Shea are coming up from Georgia!!! It’s been way too long, although we did see them last year at Dima & Larisa’s in North Carolina when they came up to see the new baby. Hopefully we will get around to apple-picking while they are here, and we are all excited about the supermoon and lunar eclipse coming on Sunday night.
5.25.15 ~ Eidfjord, Hordaland, Norway
Next: dinner and more scenery…
Beautiful scenery and I can imagine the roar of the falls in an near the “canyon”. Loved the quote too. Happy you got to see your granddaughter again 🙂
Thank you, Tiny! I’ve slept near a babbling brook (in Vermont) before so sleeping near a rushing waterfall added another soothing night of sleep to my memories of water. 🙂
Those are nice memories. I’ve slept close to Victoria Falls on Zambia/Zimbabwe border several times when living in Africa. I loved the roar of the falls too 🙂
How amazing to have lived in Africa!!! My sister went to Ghana once, back in the 1990s. I love watching episodes of Nature on PBS, especially the ones featuring African wildlife, but I have a feeling I will never get a chance to visit there in person.
Wow, the scenery is amazing! I want to visit Norway. It’s incredible that you had the hotel almost to yourselves and that it wasn’t crammed full of tourists.
We were so lucky to be there just when things were opening up for the tourist season. The downside was that it was still pretty cold for May! Next time I would bring my heavy winter coat.
stunning scenery Barbara
Thanks, Tai!