We had a relaxed day at home most of the day…chatting, packing for tomorrow’s train trip, and running errands.
Our hosts invited members of a local band to come play tunes from the Hardanger region of Norway in the evening. The group included three persons playing accordions, four playing Hardanger fiddles, one guitar player and one singer (last two not shown in pics). They played traditional Norwegian gammaldans (old dance) tunes (springars, reinlanders, vals, pols, hamborgar). The singer performed traditional songs, some from Telemark. We were kind of a “dress rehearsal” for a performance they have coming up this weekend.
The Hardanger region has a unique type of fiddle that has 4 or 5 resonance strings under the playing strings and are elaborately decorated with mother-of-pearl on the neck and head, sometimes on tuning keys also. Traditional designs are inked onto the body of the fiddle. Here are three examples.
The music was especially interesting in that we had not heard Hardanger fiddles played together with accordions before, or in such a large group.
We then had a traditional Norwegian dinner of smoked meats, flatbread, potatoes, and sour cream. And beer…there were fiddlers, there must be beer! It was a lovely ending to our visit here.
Hi, It's Me , Carolyn. This is the only way I think I can sign in. Is there a way to syphon off one of these beautiful aquatic pictures for my desk top ? I can almost hear the water and feel the mist from the falls. Did you drink from that clear looking water or does millennia old ice water still need to be filtered ? Probably, as you would never know what was floating around back then. Any way, it made me thirsty, and I bet it was COLD. Happy trails! C.P.
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